英検1級　二次試験対策2月24日　　⑮

問題：Should foreign languages only be taught by native speakers.

 

イントロ

As an English teacher and an English leaner, I think that it is okay to be taught by nonnative speakers.
I have some reasons to support my opinion.

ボディ１

The first reason is that native leaners tend to be blind to the difficulties the leaners have.
Because they don’t obtain it, they just naturally learned. Like I cannot fully understand how difficult Japanese language is because I have never tried to learn it. I am just able to speak Japanese because people around me have spoken Japanese. The process of learning native language and the second language are totally different.
 

ボディ2

The second reason is that the number of the speakers.
For example, English is a dominant language right now, but the number of the native speakers are relatively low compared to that of Chinese and Hindu speakers.
But what makes English dominant is the number of speakers as second language.
So being taught by non-native speakers are really natural thing all over the world.

結論

Although it is a controversial topic, I strongly believe that it is okay to be taught by non-native speakers.

質問

・Why do you think that the ability to motivate students is more important than the ability to speak the language itself?

Because one of the most important jobs for teachers is teaching why what they are teaching is important. Japanese students don’t like studying English because English teachers fail to make it clear. They just learn English because it is needed to enter good universities.
So. It doesn’t matter whether you are a good speaker or not. It is just a part of teaching skill.
 

・How about pronunciation? Do you think that non-native speakers can teach that as effectively as native speakers can?

I think yes.
To teach pronunciation to nonnative speakers, you need to know how they listen to the sound. For example, for Japanese speakers the difference between R sound and L sound are same and for nonnative speakers, Japanese long sound is hard to learn. So, I think that it is not always good to be taught by native speakers because they might be blind to the differences.
 
 

・Are there any situations in which you think that an English teacher who is a native speaker would definitely be better than nonnative speakers?

I don’t think there are any.
You are good at something doesn’t mean you are good at teaching it.
For example, Shohei Ohtani is the best player, so he is going to be the best coach?
Michel Jordan is the best player in the sport, so he is going to be the best owner?
It is totally different thing.

・改善点　

 
・得意な話題のはずやのにまとまらなさ過ぎて笑ってしまった。
・得意な話題やと前のめりになってしまって逆にまとまりなくなるのをなんとかしたい。