earticle

영어

In this article, to obtain several suggestions for foreign language curriculum in elementary school, nationwide reform and related issues are studied in Japanese public elementary schools. Since 2002, English has been taught in the "Period for Integrated Study"(Sougouteki na Gakusyuu no Jikan), not as a school subject but as part of the international-understanding education, and is limited to learning how to converse in English. This decentralized style of curriculum reform seems to provide an opportunity to promote actual School-Based Curriculum Development. In this paper, a brief history of learning the English language and several related movements are reviewed in elementary schools of Japan. Additionally two cases, "The Research and Developmental School"(a kind of experimental school, commissioned by Mext: the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and "The Special District in Education"(selected by the Cabinet), are investigated because they have actively researched English language curriculum development. Their products are introduced into English language curriculum reforms by making the point of "Intercultural Communication" and by considering a pupil's emotional element and its long-term change. In Korea, coming into the age of the international society, English has been taught as a subject in elementary school since 1997. Its negative effects, however, will be serious social problems. As a countermeasure against the overstudying of English language learning in Korean elementary schools, more Assistant Language Teachers will be assigned to English classes. Pupils will be expected to have more opportunities to speak directly to foreigners. So far, English learning in elementary schools has mainly taken account of language skills. By contrast, intercultural learning by interacting with foreigners can be much more useful. In conclusion, it is necessary that the purpose of intercultural communication should include an English language curriculum in Korean elementary schools, because learning the language is based on this inclusion.

일본어

本研究の目的は、小学校外国語カリキュラムのあり方への示唆を得るために、日本の公立小学校の外国語カリキュラムの改革動向と論点を検討することである。国際化社会を向かえ、韓国では1997年から正式に教科として小学校で英語教育が実施されるが、その弊害は深刻な社会問題になりつつある。一方、日本では2002年度から小学校の「総合的な学習の時間」において、国際理解の一環として外国語会話が開始されるが、この導入の仕方は、学校に基礎を置くカリキュラム開発を本格的に導入するきっかけになる。本稿では、日本の公立小学校への外国語導入の経緯と動向を概観し、多角的な視点からのカリキュラム研究が活発に試みられている「研究開発学校」と「教育特別区域」でのカリキュラム開発の現状を検討した結果、これらの成果がカリキュラム改革に反映され、「異文化間コミュニケーションを重視し、子どもの情意的な要素とその変容まで考慮に入れたカリキュラムのあり方」が模索されていることが明らかになった。韓国では過熱する小学校英語教育への対応策として、ALTを配置し外国人と直接話す経験の場を学校の中に設けようとしているが、これまで小学校の英語で言語スキルを重視してきた点を考えれば、外国人との交流による異文化学習の効果は、韓国にとって期待が大きい。今後、言語スキル習得の基礎をなす異文化間コミュニケーションの目標を小学校英語カリキュラムの中に位置づける工夫を行うことが必要であると考える。