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Japanese Language Intensive Seminar - January 13 - 17 2003 | |||||
| Twenty-four
participants from throughout Australia and New Zealand took part in
the week-long Japanese Language Intensive
Seminar for senior high school teachers. It was a
great success, with participants enjoying the lessons delivered by
guest lecturers Ms Sue Burnham, Mr
Mitsuo Yazaki and the 3 SLC lecturers. The lesson themes included sumo, the twelve animal zodiac signs, sheep, Japanese people and their food, my future, roles of the family, the culture of today's youth and Tokyo. A calligraphy lesson given by Mr Hitoshi Yano was very hands-on and creative. The Nihongo Tanken Centre visit was most enjoyable, thanks to Mr Keishi Abe and Ms Hilary Hughes, who presented Japanese language lessons, games and an information technology session. Extracurricular activities such as the welcome dinner and karaoke night were a lot of fun and were enjoyed by all. The next Japanese Language Intensive seminar, to be held July 7-11 2003, is aimed at teachers for middle years (years 5-9 for Australia, years 6-10 for New Zealand). Middle year school teachers throughout Australia and New Zealand will be selected by their respective educational jurisdictions and the SLC to attend the seminar. |
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| In-Japan Training Program - January 8 - 26 2003 | |||||||
| Thirty-eight Australian teachers of both primary and secondary levels received grants to study in Japan at the Japan Foundation Japanese-language Institute, Urawa, in Saitama prefecture. Participants were immersed in a Japanese environment, with all classes being held in Japanese only. An emphasis was placed on the upgrading of language skills, gathering resources for classroom teaching and acquiring practical teaching strategies for use in the classroom. The program also included a home-stay experience, which is an integral part of the program, a primary and senior high school visit, a kabuki performance and a field trip to Kansai. Don't miss out on applying to attend next year's program, as it will unmistakably be a fantastic learning experience! | |||||||
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| After School Seminar - March 22 2003 | |||||||
| The SLC held a one-day seminar, entitled HSC Extension Course - Issues, for 15 teachers of the HSC Japanese Extension Course. The aim of the course was to present strategies to help develop skills that students need in order for them to successfully achieve the outcomes of the syllabus and exam. The session focused on such issues as the impact of technology, group versus individual, and overcoming personal difficulties. | |||||||
| JF Advisors’ Meeting - March 13 - 14 2003 | |||||||
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Eight Japanese language advisors, who are funded by the Japan
Foundation head office and work either at the SLC
or for the Department of Education in WA, ACT, NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS,
Auckland (New Zealand), gathered in Sydney for a two-day meeting. Thanks to the NSW Department of Education, the participants had the privilege of visiting the Nihongo Tanken Centre to observe a lively group of year 11 students from Kirrawee High School perform a range of Japanese language and culture tasks. The second day proved to be extremely informative and beneficial to the advisors, who rarely have the opportunity to share and discuss ideas with colleagues from other states and countries. Ms Hiroko Terashi from Education Queensland also made an important contribution to the meeting by sharing with us her experiences as state language advisor. Among many themes covered within a limited amount of time, the possibility of creating teacher networks through the effective use of information technology such as websites and email lists was discussed in considerable depth. All in all, the meeting was a great success and created a solid channel of communication for the advisors, which we intend to continue to develop for the further enhancement of Japanese language education in Australia and New Zealand. |
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| Results of the Japan Foundation Grant Programs - Fiscal 2003/2004 | |||||||
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The results of the annual Japan Foundation
Grant Programs were announced in April. For a complete
list of grant recipients please go to our website: www.jpf.org.au.
The next round of applications will be available in September this year. If you would like specific information, please email: slcgrant@jpf.org.au |
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| 2003 Japanese Language Proficiency Test | |||||||
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The 2003 Japanese Language Proficiency
Test will be held on Sunday
December 7, in five capital cities: Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne,
Perth and Brisbane. In 2002, 242,331 examinees sat the test in six cities in Japan and 89 cities in 38 other countries. All examinees from last year should have been notified of their results through their respective test organisations by March 2003. Information regarding this year's test will be available through the test organisations in August 2003. Our Library has a range of texts and past papers for the test, including tapes for practice listening tests. Please contact the librarian at library@jpf.org.au for details. Check out our website: www.jpf.org.au for some great links and more information. |
