English language matters: Not a conversation

Every week, I ask my senior high school students to interact with each other and me. We settle on a topic of conversation, usually a look back at the previous week. I coach them to use responses - "Cool!", "For real?", "Me, too!" - and ask questions that elicit further elaboration. They seem to like the opportunity to interact with their peers and me. It's a slightly contrived conversation task. It demands one utterance, followed by a response, and a further question on the same topic.

They're pretty good at it, and they sometimes resort to Japanese words and expressions. I stop at each turn to provide relevant vocabulary and idioms. It's fun to learn about their daily lives and topics that they're keen on.

But I'll be honest, the majority of the learners in my lessons produce very short sentences and heavily depend on "cheat sheets". I give them cards with a range of responses and phrases to keep the interactions going. They're eager to share, and that drives gains in their proficiency. But how common is this kind of lively discussion in Japan's schools? We aim for sustained conversation before accuracy.

This week, Kyodo News reported a survey indicating that half of junior high school students in Japan can converse in English. It's based on outcomes from the EIKEN tests, suggesting that achievement at level 2 has increased. Good on the kids and teachers for persevering on these measures of English proficiency. 

An image grabbed from the EIKEN downloads of previous tests

These interactions are not conversations - sustained discussions. Nope, EIKEN interviews are tightly constrained tests of listening, use of expressions for a narrative, and statements of opinion. It appears the testers want to hear specific expressions, especially discourse markers. There is no follow-on exchange of ideas in a dynamic, possibly messy, conversation.

Do you prepare young people for EIKEN? Do you have room to coach real discussion? Or do you just teach to the test?