The Latest News in ELT
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Keep up to date with all the news and developments in English teaching, in Japan and around the world.
This page contains stories from the last seven days. Click on the calendar to the right to see any news stories from this month. They will open in a new window.
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eigoTown Launches Soap Opera on iTunes
eigoTown.com has launched the first season of its popular "Akiko and Tina" podcast series as an audio book on Apple's iTunes site. The audio book collects together the 12 episodes that comprised the first season of the drama series that ran in eigoTown's "Eigo No Hint" podcast series, a series whose cumulative downloads ran into the millions and went to no.2 in the national charts on iTunes.
eigoTown president Russell Willis commented: "The drama centers around Akiko and Tina's experience in a foreign firm in Tokyo and how they deal with the various cultural problems-and opportunities-that arise. Akiko and Tina is amazingly popular with both men and women in their 20s and early 30s. We're pleased to be able to release this deluxe version that allows people to listen to the series in one go."
The audio book costs 900 yen and lasts 50 minutes. It is designed for university students and above.
Visit: eigoTown's Akiko and Tina page (in Japanese)
Visit: iTunes
May 14, 2008
Oxford Relaunches Bookworms
Oxford University Press' global relaunch of its 200-plus title Bookworms Library kicks of this month. The series has been rejacketed and updated with the picture size on the front now filling the whole cover. The new editions also includes many pictures of film stars in order to increase student appeal.
This new edition also sees the launch of the World Stories series. This series features stories from around the world illustrated by local artists. The books are written in different "world Englishes".
May 12, 2008
Ritsumeikan University Students Publish Kyoto Guidebook in English
Policy Science students at Ritsumeikan University have published an English guide book entitled Kiyamachi Walker designed for foreign visitors. The books is part of the university’s “Decoding Kyoto” program which -- recognizing that Kyoto is an international city -- aims to help break down language barriers. For the book, students collected information about local shops and services, researched the history of the town and interviewed foreign residents. The guidebook examines the history of the Kiyamachi.
The university’s publications are available at local shops and tourist information centers. Their website is also open to the public.
Visit: Kiyamachi Walker
May 10, 2008
TOEIC to Revise Certificate and Scoring Comments for LPI
The Institute for International Business Communication has announced that the official comments on the score certificate are to be revised.
In the revised edition scores for fluency, consistency, connection and length of sentences, vocabulary, grammar, intonation, and listening have been added to provide a more exact analysis of an examinees’ speaking abilities. In addition, vocabulary, grammar, intonation and pronunciation mistakes from the interview are listed and corrections given. There are also comments and advice provided by the interviewer.
The revision will be take effect from June 2009.
The Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) is an oral test for advanced students of English conducted by IIBC. Exams are held every month in Tokyo and Osaka.
Visit: The TOEIC Official Website
May 09, 2008
SNS iKnow Starts New Learning Service for Finance and Accounting English
Cerego Japan has launched a new channel on its iKnow service targeting key finance and accounting terms. The channel ties in with the book “Pro no Eigo” published by Nikkei BP
iKnow is a participative English learning service which everyone can use for free. In March 2008 the service claimed to have over 100,000 users. This new release is the third version of its Professional English Series and there are many new words and expressions related to finance and accounting which are used in real business situations. iKnow has 74 learning courses in all.
Visit: Press Release
Visit: Nikkei BP
OUP and CUP Under Attack
Oxford University Press and Cambridge University press have come under attack for, allegedly, taking unfair advantage of their charitable status.
CUP and OUP generate large tax-exempt profits, much of which come from ELT publishing. These profits can be reinvested in publications that compete with commercial publishers. The managing director of Pickering and Chatto is quoted in the Bookseller as saying "I just want a level playing field...they look very much like a commercial business and certainly the US office is more commercial than anything." An OUP spokesperson, again quoted in the Bookseller said: "OUP as a university press and a department of the University of Oxford, furthers the university's objective of excellence in research, scholarship and education by publishing worldwide. The university, of which OUP is a part, has charitable status in the UK."
May 08, 2008
News from Eigo Kyoiku News
Our sister site, Eigo Kyoiku News has run the following headlines recently. For news about the English teaching profession and industry in Japanese, visit Eigo Kyoiku News.
* "Akibanana" Website Opens for International Otaku
* Itochu Launches Audio Books Overseas
* Montana University Co-Develops Online English Learning System
* Australia-based Pre-School Chain Enters Japan
* Aoyama Gakuin Releases English Text Books for Years 1-12
March 17, 2008
Longman Pulls Out of JALT Conference
Informed sources are reporting that Longman (part of Pearson Education, the world's largest educational publishers) will not participate in JALT Conference this year, or the Expos organized by ETJ. JALT Conference has for nearly 20 years been seen as the premier event for teachers and publishers in Japan.
February 13, 2008
ELTBOOKS.com Offers 20% Off Selected Titles
ELTBOOKS.com has started offering 20% discounts on selected titles to ETJ members. Best-sellers Let's Go, Passport, Headway and Finding Out are included in the selection. The discounts are for a limited period only but apply to orders of any size.
ETJ membership is free and customers of ELTBOOKS.com can join when they order.
February 08, 2008
eigoTown.com / SenseiBank / Interview Sensei on NHK
NHK's top-rated English-learning show "Eigo de Shaberanaito" featured eigoTown.com on January 28th. The show interviewed eigoTown president Russell Willis and followed celebrities through the process of using the free SenseiBank service (for matching private teachers and studens) and the paid service "Interview Sensei" (personalized job interview practice in English). eigoTown president Russell Willis commented "The response to the show has been fantastic, with our servers being nearly overwhelmed at one point. We've gained lots of new users and our SenseiBank service now needs lots more teachers." Teachers can sign up for free to offer private lessons.
The show will be repeated on NHK 1, February 1st, early Saturday morning at 1:40am.
Visit: eigoTown.com
Visit: SenseiBank.com
Visit: Interview Sensei
Visit: Eigo de Shaberanaito
January 30, 2008
Chris Paterson To Leave Macmillan
Macmillan Education chairman Christopher Paterson will be leaving Macmillan this month after 37 years with the company. Paterson, who as part of his brief lead Macmillan's global ELT efforts, is being replaced by Macmillan's chief operating officer Julian Drinkall.
The move followed a review by new Macmillan group CEO Annette Thomas. Paterson is a director of Macmillan Language House, Macmillan's Japanese subsidiary.
January 28, 2008
Newsweek Catalogs Eikaiwa Industry Woes
At the end of last year the Japanese version of Newsweek ran a cover feature on the problems of the English conversation school business in Japan. The special report by David McNeil quotes students as saying that Eikaiwa teachers "aren't motivated, and since they are working under short-term contracts, there is no sense of professionalism." Another states that instructors have told him that "They may be native speakers but are poorly trained and unmotivated." Another that "they are not punctual, and some even skip work."
A summary of the article in English appears on the excellent Let's Japan site run by Shawn Thir.
January 17, 2008
304 Jobs Lost at McGraw-Hill Education
The McGraw-Hill Education group has eliminated 304 positions. The cuts affect its higher education/professional/international group as well as the school publishing group.The company has consolidated many sales, editorial, marketing and administrative functions in the higher education/professional/international group, primarily in its international offices. The job cuts are said to reflect the shift toward the move towards more digital products.
No news as yet as to how this might affect the Japan office of McGraw-Hill.
January 10, 2008
Tokyo University Ranked 17th in World
The Times Higher Education Supplement has released "The World's Top 200 Universities" list for 2007 and ranks Tokyo University 17th. Other Japanese universities that made the cut were: Kyoto (25), Osaka (46), Tokyo Institute of Technology (90), Tohoku (102), Nagoya (112), Kyushu (136), Hokkaido (151) and Kobe University (197). Prestigious in Japan perhaps, but in the world Keio and Waseda universities ranked 161st and 180th respectively.
The top 3 universities were Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford.
November 28, 2007
NOVA's Sahashi Interviewed by Shukan Diamond
The Japanese weekly Shukan Diamond has interviewed former NOVA president Nozumu Sahashi. In one part of the interview Sahashi states that METI raided NOVA in part to investigate "bad instructors". Let's Japan has a translation of the article.
November 14, 2007
Leo Jones to Present at Obirin University
Renowned ELT book author Leo Jones is due to present on "The Student Centered Classroom" on November 20th from 6pm at J.F. Oberlin University (Obirin University). He will discuss the central importance of pair work and group work to successful language teaching. He will support his ideas with a wealth of practical suggestions for teachers to use in managing student-centered classes of all sizes.
To reserve a place, contact Cambridge University Press.
November 13, 2007
NOVA Crisis: SenseiBank Now Free
eigoTown.com announced Wednesday that its teacher / student matching service, SenseiBank.com has become a free service in order to help people affected by the collapse of NOVA. eigoTown.com president, Russell Willis commented "Given that the NOVA crisis is still causing many problems for both teachers and students, we've decided to make our SenseiBank service completely free. Normally we charge students 4,980 yen, but for an indefinite period this is now 0 yen. We hope this helps teachers get more students and students find good teachers."
SenseiBank for teachers here.
SenseiBank for students here.
November 07, 2007
G. Communication to Act as NOVA Sponsor
The Nikkei is reporting that Nagoya-based G. Communication is to act as a NOVA sponsor and has bought rights to some assets in what appears to be a fire sale. The report suggests that 30 NOVA schools will open shortly with another 200 to open sometime in the future. (Before its closure NOVA had 670 schools.) G.Communication owns a number of education-related companies included EC Eikaiwa.
According to the Nikkei report G. Communication has absorbed 3 of NOVA's businesses: 30 language schools, English lessons taught by videophone and NOVAs children's language classes.
The group is not expected to take responsibility for the 60-70 billion yen in less fees paid in advance by students or refund those fees. The status of teachers' salaries is also unclear, but it is not expected that G. Communications will take these on either.
Ken Worsley at the Japan Economy News & Blog is wondering whether this is good news for NOVA teachers, or a "farce".
Kansai ETJ Expo Tokyo / Sunday, November 11th
The Kansai ETJ Expo is being held this coming Sunday (November 11th) at Seifu High School, Osaka. All of the major publishers will be there and there will be presentations from authors, publishers and teachers. ELTBOOKS.com will also be there (at the David English House booth) offering discounts of between 15 and 20% on all books to members of ETJ.
For more information visit: ETJ
November 02, 2007
NOVA Shuts Doors, Files for Court Protection from Creditors
As widely expected Nova shut it's doors and filed for court protection Friday leaving 4,000 foreign teachers uncertain as to whether they will get paid. This is not the same as filing for bankruptcy but should the company not be able to rehabilitate itself that is clearly the next step. Nova has accumulated debts of nearly half a billion dollars. The founder and president of NOVA, Nozumu Sahashi was fired by his board of directors on October 25th. The story was widely covered in the Japanese and international media.
Visit: Daily Yomiuri Online
Visit: Daily Yomiuri Online
Visit: Mainichi Daily News
Visit: BBC
Visit: Yahoo
October 28, 2007
Sendai Awaits ETJ Expo
Sendai is the host of the ETJ Expo this coming Sunday, October 28th. Visitors to the Expo at Forest Hall will be able to experience a great selection of books from all of the major ELT publishers as well as party to presentations from the likes of David (T-Rex) Paul, Hugh Graham-Marr, Hajime (Love Psychedelico) Shisedo, Andrew Brady and many more. Books at discount prices will be available from ELTBOOKS.com.
The Tokyo English Language Book Fair (TELL) / ETJ Expo Tokyo will be held the following Saturday and Sunday at Tokyo Gakuen University.
For more information visit: ETJ Web Site
October 11, 2007
International Christian University Wins ESUJ Debate
Dai Oba and Manabu Igusa, representing International Christian University beat fellow ICU students Satomi Hemmi and Tomohisa in the final of the 10th English-Speaking Union of Japan University Debating Competition. Oba and Igusa opposed the motion "This House would ban civilians from entering foreign conflict zones."
The debate took place in front of the Chairman of the ESU, Lord Hunt and ESU Governors Lord Watson and Lady Fry (wife of the British Ambassador to Japan) along with delegates from English-Speaking Unions around the world who are in Japan for this year's International Council meeting.
October 09, 2007
ESUJ to Hold University Debate Competition
The English-Speaking Union of Japan will hold its 10th parliamentary debate competition on Sunday and Monday at the National Olympics Memorial Center in Shibuya. 32 teams from 25 universities will compete. Competitors include Aoyama Gakuin, International Christian University, Tokyo University, Keio Univeristy and Sophia University.
Admission for spectators is free.
For more information visit: ESUJ
October 04, 2007
NOVA to Close Hundreds of Schools? - Japan Times
The Japan Times has reported that NOVA may close hundreds of schools later this month. The Daily Yomiuri reports that sources indicate at least 50 will close. The company had 913 schools at the end of August.
September 22, 2007
NOVA Teachers Not Paid
Reports are mounting that many NOVA teachers did not get paid today -- the company's expected payday for foreign employees. One NOVA teacher reported to ELT News "I'm a teacher for NOVA in Takasaki, Gunma and I'm writing to tell you that we were not paid this morning. I think as many NOVA teachers as possible should know since NOVA has given us pay stubs as if we have been paid. We've called the head office and have been told that only the president knows what happened and they have no answers to give us."
September 14, 2007
GABA Unwanted?
Are the controlling shareholders of GABA looking to unload their stock? An informed source reports that financial advisors to controlling shareholders of GABA may be approaching likely companies with offers to sell.
With the problems that NOVA is experiencing many might see this as an unprecedented opportunity for GABA and other English conversation schools. Instead it seems that many shareholders may be concerned with being tarred with the same brush and looking for an exit.
September 10, 2007
NOVA President Missing?
Unconfirmed rumours are circulating that NOVA's president, Saruhashi (Sahashi) may have gone missing. An informed source reports that he hasn't been seen since August 26th and that calls to his office go unanswered.
September 07, 2007
Pink Rabbit Goes Red
NOVA reported a group pretax loss of 4.3 billion yen for the April ~ June period. Japan's leading operator of English conversation schools has seen its business hit by revelations of illegal business practices, including false advertising. It was ordered by METI to suspend a portion of its operations for six months.
Sales in the April~June period declined by 32% to 9.28 billion yen due to shrinking student enrollment.
September 04, 2007
News Round Up from Eigo Kyoiku News
Our sister site, Eigo Kyoiku News has run the following headlines recently. For news about the English teaching profession and industry in Japanese, visit Eigo Kyoiku News.
Casio to Release E-dictionary with 100,000 Native English Pronunciations
Japan Association of College English Teachers to Hold Annual Convention in Hiroshima
Osaka Electro-Communication University Offers Students Nintendo DS to Study English and Math
Stock Price Report of NOVA, ALC and GABA :July 2007
August 22, 2007
Free Harry Potter Listening Quiz for Students
A free Harry Potter listening quiz has been put online by eigoTown.com for students. The quiz is free and contains a set of 10 questions that selected randomly from over 200 that must be completed within a time limit. Also online is a Movie Quiz and an Ireland Quiz.
Vist: eigoQuiz.com
August 21, 2007
Wall Street Institute Japan Closes Down
The Wall Street Institute in Japan, which opened in a blaze of publicity just over 2 years ago, is to close down on August 15th. The company cites financial difficulties as the reason. The company has posted a letter to students on its home page. The Wall Street Institute is one of the largest language school chains in the world and is owned by the Carlyle Group.
July 31, 2007
eigoTown's Harry Potter Guide Hits Shelves
eigoTown.com Limited, in association with RIC, has published "The eigoTown Inside Guide to Harry Potter". The book is a comprehensive guide to the world of Harry Potter. "Our guide is designed to increase the reading pleasure of Muggles everywhere" said Russell Willis, president of eigoTown. The book retail for 1,260 yen including tax and will be available at bookshops everywhere from April 7th. The book is also available free with any order over 3,500 yen from eigoStore.com.
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