Teaching English in Japanese Elementary Schools: Experiences from a Practice-Based Teacher Education Course

This paper outlines a university course designed to prepare pre-service elementary schoolteachers in Japan to teach English under the 2020 curriculum reform, which made English compulsoryfrom grades 3 to 6. This pedagogical account explains the rationale for a practice-oriented coursealigned with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) guidelines andcentred on sound-based and communicative approaches. Trainee teachers experience immersionactivities, phonics, chants, songs, picture books, interactional routines, and collaboration with AssistantLanguage Teachers (ALTs). Reflections written as part of regular coursework offer insight into how pre-service teachers interpreted these approaches and which elements they considered valuable for futureteaching. Pre-service teachers highlighted the importance of clear modelling, repetition, interaction, andclassroom English, while noting areas where they felt less confident, such as pronunciation andspontaneous communication. The paper argues that reflective, experience-based preparation canstrengthen both competence and confidence among generalist teachers.