Supporting people who speak more than one language
This page was last updated: January 4, 2012
Adding Biliteracy to Bilingualism:
Teaching your Child to Read English in Japan
by Mary Goebel Noguchi
Oct. 1996, 46 pages
Abstract
Although many people assume that children of native English speakers living in Japan "naturally" become bilingual, research has shown that this is not necessarily the case. Similarly, many people believe that English is easier to read than Japanese, while in fact, children enrolled in Japanese schools often balk at "extra" lessons and complain about the difficulty of reading English.
This monograph was designed as a guidebook for native English speaking parents who want to teach their children to read English at home in Japan. It begins by explaining the rationale for biliteracy, then moves on to discuss research on the beginning stages of English reading. Methodologies used to teach reading in the States, including phonics, "look-say" and whole language, are explained and compared.
The author then reports on a survey of 22 native English speakers who tried to teach their children to read English in Japan, analyzing characteristics of families and lessons that are correlated to higher reading achievement levels. These results suggest answers to questions such as whether English reading should be taught before the child learns to read Japanese, whether lessons should be formal or not, what the best type of teaching materials are and how often lessons need to be given. General principles for effective teaching as well as networking and Saturday schools are also discussed. The Appendix provides contact information for suppliers of recommended teaching materials.
