TALKING ABOUT CAREERS MADO VOL 8 PAGE 5

PAGE 6 NEWS UPDATE

Setsuko Kohaya with her pupils in Kyoto

ALL’s Japanese Language Committee (JLC)continues to provide a voice for teachers ofJapanese in the UK secondary sector.

We were delighted with the response to ourJapanese programme at Language World inDerby in July. Some 50 people visited theinformation and exhibition stand manned bythe Committee over the weekend, with manyenquirers interested in the possibility ofintroducing Japanese in the future. 30practising teachers took advantage of theprogramme of Japanese-specific sessionsorganised by the JLC on the first day of theConference. Topics covered ranged fromBuilding Blocks in Reading Japanese toVocational Japanese and participants had theopportunity to investigate the internet andJapanese word-processing through hands-oncomputer workshops. We have already startedplanning next year’s conference, a specialone for the JLC as it will coincide with theJapan 2001 celebrations, so do get in touchif you have any ideas you wish to share.

Thank you to all those of you who sent usdetails of potential numbers of GCSE

candidates for 2003. We have now submittedour ‘petition’ to the GCSE Review of ModernForeign Languages and we will continue towork with the Exam Board to improve thestatus of speaking within the GCSE. We arealso planning a second ICT and Japaneseworkshop this autumn as part of our regionalprogramme, this time to be held in theLondon / SE area. Contact ALL on 01788546443 for further details.

Ross Warren, Chair, Japanese LanguageCommittee, c/o St Bernard’s Convent School,tel: 01753 527020.

BATJ UpdateWe are delighted to announce thepublication of the first issue of BATJ Journal,which I hope you have all seen. It is aJournal for Japanese language teachers byJapanese language teachers and I sincerelyhope that it will be a source of inspirationfor teachers as well as an effective means ofmutual communication.

The 3rd Annual BATJ Conference took place atthe University of Birmingham on September 2and 3 and was attended by over 60participants. It was our first conferenceoutside London and teachers welcomed theopportunity to spend two days together.

The keynote speaker was Professor SeiichiMakino of Princeton University, who gave apresentation on How to teach culture ingrammar, while Professor Shin Nitoguri ofTokyo Gakugei University spoke on The Use ofMultimedia in Japanese Language Education.

October sees BATJ into its third year, whichmeans it is time to renew your membership.We are planning to hold a series of regionalworkshops this autumn, details of which willbe available soon. We are also still acceptingentries for the BATJ logo competition, so ifyou have a good idea for a suitable blackand white logo, send it to me by 31 October.The winner will receive free membership andentry to all BATJ activities for a year.

For further information about BATJ or tosubmit entries for the logo competition,please contact me (Mrs Kazumi Tanaka) at:Dept of East Asia, SOAS, University ofLondon, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H0XG. Fax: 020 7898 4239; E-mail: kt2@soas.ac.uk, or visit the BATJ website at:www.essex.ac.uk/centres/japan/batj/.

Continuing our series on individualinstitutions teaching Japanese in the UK,this issue we focus on Westwood HighSchool for Girls. Based in Croydon, Westwoodis a large comprehensive school, which hasrecently applied for Language College status.

Setsuko Kohaya who teaches Japanese atWestwood is delighted by how quicklyJapanese has developed at the school, “MyJapanese class started from almost nothingfour years ago, and yet Japanese is nowoffered alongside Spanish and German as asecond language. We have 7 pupils who havejust finished GCSE in year 11, 8 in year 10,13 in year 9 and 28 in year 8. From thisSeptember we also plan to offer an after-

school language club where year 7 pupilscan learn katakana and hiragana.”

Last February, Kohaya Sensei accompaniednine members of her Year 11 class on anexchange trip to Japan, building on linkswith Shukugawa Gakuen in Nishinomiya City.Pupils spent six days in Nishinomiya, Kobe,Ashiya and Osaka and were encouraged bythe fact that they could communicate withtheir Japanese host families much moreeffectively than they had expected. The lasttwo days in Kyoto gave them an opportunityto experience a traditional Japanese inn,observe a special Buddhist memorial servicein Higashi Honganji, and even todemonstrate their skills in karaoke.

WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

JLC - Making a Mark at Language World

difficulty of the Japanese used graduallyincreases as the chapters proceed. Furiganais given for all except the most basic kanji,and there is also a supplementary list ofvocabulary with English translations to helpstudents learn historical terms.

Japanese History – An Introductory TextYamakawa Publishing Company, 1995

This textbook is written mainly for foreignstudents with an interest in basic Japanesehistory. Historical events are explained inchronological order, and the Meiji Period iscovered in Chapters 17 and 18. The text iswritten in pre-intermediate Japanese andillustrated with photographs and diagrams,with furigana provided for difficult kanji.Vocabulary lists and English translation forall the texts are attached as a supplement.

3. Contemporary Japanese Society

Aspects of Japanese SocietyThe Japan Times, 1995 (second edition)

Written primarily for intermediate studentswho need to develop their understanding ofJapanese contemporary society, culture, dailylife and attitudes, this book containschapters on a wide range of topics including:Japanese Houses, Education, Attitudestowards Work and Annual Events. Furigana issupplied for difficult kanji and vocabularylists and English translations of all the textsare attached as a supplement. Photographsand diagrams provide good resources forclassroom discussion.

View of Today’s JapanSasaki Mizue ALC, 1995

In this book, the fundamental aspects ofJapanese daily life, culture, society andattitudes are explained in Japanese assimply as possible. Numerous colourphotographs help students to understand thewritten explanations. On each page,Japanese (with furigana) is given alongsidean English translation.

4. The Seasons in Japan

Moons, Months and Seasons: A pre-intermediate Japanese reader

Kyobundo, 1992

Aimed at students who have completed 400hours of study, this book depicts everyday lifein Japan in twelve chapters, each focusing ona different month. Chapters are approximately800 characters in length, written in simplesentences, and use kana and kanji, all ofwhich are listed with their readings in theHow to read Kanji pages. Topics andvocabulary reflect those which often appearin the mass media in Japan. Illustrations andphotographs are provided with Englishcaptions and there is also a reference list ofvocabulary and phrases for pre-intermediatestudents at the end of the book.

Gen Itasaka, Masaaki SekiThree A Network, 1996 (Second edition)

This book provides an introduction toJapanese society and culture and is designedfor learners who have completed one to oneand a half year’s intensive Japanese study.Kanji is accompanied by furigana throughoutand the vocabulary lists at the end of thebook include English translations, synonyms,antonyms, examples and other usefulinformation. The Usage Section gives severalexamples of each expression, underlined andnumbered for easy reference.

LIBRARY & RESOURCES PAGE 7

Useful websites:One website that you may find useful iswww.jinjapan.org, which has sections onregions, prefectures, atlas, trends,education and society. Each prefecturealso has its own website – see for examplewww.pref.gifu.jp/common/ENG/life.htmIf you come across other useful websitesthat you would like to share, just let usknow!

This term wefocus on the settopics for the newAS/A Levelexamination inJapanese: ARegion orPrefecture inJapan, The MeijiPeriod,ContemporaryJapanese Societyand The Seasonsin Japan. Ouradvisers havehighlighted several books on each topic, anda more extensive selection will be on displayin the library this autumn, so do come andvisit us if you have the chance. We haveconcentrated on texts written in Japanesewhich are graded to be accessible tostudents at this level, but we have alsoincluded one useful reference book inEnglish and several English websites withup-to-date background information.

For general enquiries about the library or ourloan by post service, you can contact theLibrarian by e-mail atfrancoise@nihongocentre.org.uk. Libraryholidays this term are:

OXFORD STARTER JAPANESEDICTIONARYThe new Oxford Starter JapaneseDictionary, developed by Jonathan Buntand Gillian Hall at the University ofManchester, provides an effective toolfor students of Japanese in the UK,while incorporating several featuresthat might interest teachers, especiallyat GCSE and new A/S level. The authorshave deliberately avoided the use ofromanised Japanese to encouragelearners to develop their reading skillsand to bring the dictionary in line withgood teaching practice, the NationalCurriculum, and GCSE and A/S A levelrequirements. Rather than givingtranslations of words where this ismisleading, the English-Japanesesection gives explanations and exampleswhich show the language in context.The entry for ‘intend’, for example,reads: “use the dictionary form of theverb + . Much fullerexplanations are given for tricky wordslike ‘brother’, ‘husband’ and ‘want’ tobring out the difference in usagebetween languages. In the Japanese toEnglish section, indications of verbconjugation are provided for the mostcommon verbs, as this is an area ofgrammar where careful use of thedictionary can be an effective teachingand learning strategy. Any feedback onthe dictionary can be sent to:j.bunt@man.ac.uk.

The Oxford Starter Japanese Dictionarywill be available from OxfordUniversity Press later this month. Price - £9.99, ISBN: 0198601972.

1. A Region or Prefecture of Japan

Toyoko ToyodaBonjinsha, 1996

This book provides a basic outline ofJapanese geography, focusing on areas suchas location, climate, industry and transport.Language is graded to make the initialchapters accessible to beginners, while laterchapters use more advanced Japanese.Furigana is provided for difficult kanji and arange of photographs, maps, figures anddiagrams enhance students’ understanding ofthe written text. A supplementary workbookis provided, which helps to reinforce themain text.

Japan - Eyes on the Country: Views of the 47 PrefecturesForeign Press Centre, Japan, 1997

This unique handbook gives a livelyintroduction to the 47 prefectures in Japan.Originally designed for foreign journalists,the book is written in English and containssome very detailed information, but sectionson Sites of Interest to Travellers, EventCalendar, Famous Cuisine and A Brief Historywill be a useful source of basic referencematerial for both teachers and students. Thetext is illustrated throughout with maps andphotographs.

2. The Meiji Period

Toyoko Toyoda et al Bonjinsha, 1991

This book, which focuses on the cultural andliterary aspects of Japanese history ratherthan the political and economic aspects, isdesigned for students who have completed400 hours of Japanese language study. The

PAGE 8 EVENTS & NOTICEBOARD

THE NIHONGO CENTRE NEWSLETTEREditor: Caroline Lewis Design: François Hall

Published byTHE JAPAN FOUNDATION

LONDON LANGUAGE CENTRE27 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QT

Telephone: 020 7838 9955 Fax: 020 7838 9966Website: www.nihongocentre.org.uk

ADVANCING WITH JAPANESEThursday 12 October

A one-day national conference focusingon strategies for teaching AS and

A level Japanese organised by CILT inassociation with the Nihongo Centre.See noticeboard for further details.

EDEXCEL COURSESStrategies for teaching the New

and Advanced GCEFriday 20 October

Course Fee: £100 including lunch andmaterials.

GCSE - Looking Back - LookingForward

Wednesday 8 NovemberCourse Fee: £25 including materials.For further details contact Edexcel on

020 7393 4572

HEAD STARTWed 24 – Fri 26 January 2001

An intensive introduction to Japaneseand the issues associated with teaching

it, for Heads of Modern ForeignLanguages and senior managers.

THE NEW GCSEThursday 8 February

This one day course takes an in-depthlook at the revised GCSE for

implementation from September 2001.

HE STUDY TOUR SEMINAR10 February 2001

A one-day seminar focusing on theStudy Tour for Japanese teachers in

Higher Education.

JAPANESE SIXTH FORM WEEKENDFor 2001, the annual residential

immersion course for sixth formers isbeing extended to include other age

groups. Dates are as follows:16 -18 March Sixth Form Weekend

18 - 20 March Year 7-9 Residential Course20 - 22 March Year 10 and 11

Residential CourseFor further details, contact Lydia Morey

on 029 20493997. Unless otherwise stated, all events take place atthe Nihongo Centre. Please call 020 7838 9955

for further details.

Welcome to the autumn issue of Mado. As you can see from our cover story, the Homestay UKpilot proved to be a great success and we look forward to developing the project further with JFET.From this term, learners can apply to bematched with a Japanese family for aweekend during 2001 – so start planning!Forthcoming dates for your diary include thejoint CILT/Nihongo Centre Conference inOctober and our GCSE INSET Day in February.We will also be holding our first HigherEducation Seminar on the Study Tour thatmonth. The resource focus this issue is onthe set topics for the new A Level, andKitani Sensei has created a role play activityto encourage students to think about theirfuture careers for the Teacher’s Pages.Finally, thanks to Westwood High School forsending us news for At the Chalkface.

Advancing with Japanese

This one day national conference, organised

jointly by CILT and the Japan Foundation,

will take place at the Nihongo Centre in

London on Thursday 12 October from 9.00am

to 4pm. Designed to cater for the needs and

interests of teachers of Japanese who are

teaching, or considering teaching, A Level

Japanese, the conference will focus on

strategies and skills for AS and A level

teaching, linking up with developments

currently taking place in the teaching of

European languages. Speakers will include

Kitani Sensei from the Nihongo Centre,

Anneli McLachlan, Independent MFL

Consultant, Claire Dugard and Glenis Shaw,

Language Teaching Adviser at CILT.

The fee for attendance is £60, or £50 for

departments which have joined the CILT

Direct scheme. For further details and

application forms, please contact Glenis

Shaw on 020 7379 5101 ext 232.

The recent E-Link competition, organised by The British

Council and the British Embassy in Japan to stimulate

links between British and Japanese schools, has resulted

in an overwhelming number of requests from Japanese

schools wanting links. This means that the British

Council now has the details of a large number of

Japanese senior high schools (students aged 15-18) that

are seeking long term links with schools and colleges in

the UK. Don’t miss this opportunity to give your

students a chance to use their Japanese in a real

situation or simply to learn more about Japan!

JFET is helping to find partners in the UK for these

Japanese schools and also provides various resource

materials for British schools teaching about Japan. If

your students are interested in a link please fill out our

online registration form at www.jfet.org.uk (go to school

links/apply for a link) or call Samantha Flanders at JFET

(Japan Festival Education Trust) on 020 7630 8696.

Japanese LanguageProficiency Test 2000The Japanese Language Proficiency Test(JLPT) is an internationally recognised

examination in Japanese for non-nativespeakers, held annually in Japan andoverseas. This year, the JLPT will be held on

Sunday, December 3, 2000. For furtherdetails and application forms, contactBarbara Lazoi at the Japan Research

Centre, SOAS, University of London; tel:020 7898 4210; fax: 020 7436 3844;

e-mail: JLPT@soas.ac.uk

Links for Japanese Senior

High Schools Wanted!

Last chance to claimFREE resources worth£1,400

Due to the disappointing responseto our picture panel offer forschools in the last issue of Mado(pg 3 vol 7), we still have anumber of free resources to giveaway. To claim your set of 800colour laminated picturesfeaturing everyday life in Japan,simply call Sally Lewis on 0207838 9955 quoting ‘picture paneloffer’. If you provide her with yourlatest pupil numbers for Japanese,you could find your classroomtransformed overnight.