Shin-Eiken

Shin-Eiken is the short form of Shin Eigo Kyoiku Kenkyu Kai, which translates as the New English Education Research Association. However the founders of Shin-Eiken preferred to emphasize the human element in education, and used the English designation of “New English Teachers’ Association.”

Shin-Eiken is a nationwide organization of Japanese teachers of foreign languages aiming to create democratic and scientific teaching methods. This year 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Shin-Eiken, founded in 1959. The main aims of Shin-Eiken from its founding have been to educate teachers about student-centered educational methods with priority given to student self-expression, and to develop peace education techniques including peace message activities. Teachers associated with Shin-Eiken help and encourage every student to achieve English skills not only for exams or future careers, but in order to become citizens who can think globally and who can act locally and internationally.

Since the 1950s, members have published authorized textbooks for senior high school as well as side readers and other materials for junior and senior high school, focusing on peace education and great people who have contributed to world peace, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Theresa.

These publishing activities have had a great effect on many English teachers and publishers in Japan. Peace education has become a recurrent theme which appears in almost all authorized textbooks for junior high and high school students. Among the authorized textbooks published by Shin-Eiken are the Cosmos, and the World English series. These books are composed and designed entirely by Shin-Eiken member teachers, and are published by Sanyusha, a company founded by Hironaga Masaya, a Shin-Eiken founding member. Sanyusha publishes the Shin-Eiken monthly magazine Shin Eigo Kyoiku ( New English Education) called New English Classroom.