INSIDE... NATIONAL LANGUAGES STRATEGY • ICT IDEAS • PRIMARY UPDATE MADO VOLUME 16 • APRIL 2003 THE JAPAN FOUNDATION NIHONGO CENTRE NEWSLETTER June will see a big change for the Nihongo Centre as we move into new premises in Russell Square. As you all know, the recent financial climate in Japan has meant that many governmental organisations, including the Japan Foundation, have been faced with reductions in funding. As a result it was decided to co-locate with the Japan Foundation London Office and the search for new premises began. We are delighted to have found a location in a central and easily accessible part of London, close to many Japan- related institutions – not least of which is London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) – as well as to many other academic and cultural bodies. The move will enable both sides to benefit from synergies in planning activities and administering programmes. Our space on the sixth floor of Russell Square House, just seconds away from Russell Square tube station, will include a meeting room and a fully-equipped lecture hall with a capacity of up to 120, both being suitable for teaching and holding workshops and seminars. Our library will keep the existing collection intact. In preparation for the move, the library was closed on April 17 and we will not be able to lend books or offer the Loan by Post service until July 1. Although our advisors and administrative staff will continue to answer enquiries until the end of May, there will be a period of a week during which we will be not be able to give an immediate response to enquiries. We hope to be back to business as usual by mid-June and we look forward to welcoming you to our new home then. In the meantime, we will keep you informed of all the latest developments via our website (www.nihongocentre.org.uk). ON THE MOVE Commenting on the move, Mana Takatori, Director of the Nihongo Centre, said: “We will do our best to keep inconvenience to our users to a minimum but I hope teachers will bear with us during the move to our new premises in Russell Square, where we look forward to seeing you soon. We are very pleased that, in spite of the move, we will be able to run our Refresher Course as usual this July, marking a return to a full programming schedule.” From June, our new address will be 6th Floor, Russell Square House, 10- 12 Russell Square, London WC1. As we go to press, the new telephone and fax numbers have not yet been confirmed but callers to our existing number will be diverted or advised of the new number by a recorded message. We will be writing to everyone on our database with full contact details as soon as possible.
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INSIDE... NATIONAL LANGUAGES STRATEGY • ICT IDEAS • PRIMARY UPDATE
MADOVOLUME 16 • APRIL 2003
THE JAPAN FOUNDATIONNIHONGO CENTRE NEWSLETTER
June will see a big change for the Nihongo Centre as we move intonew premises in Russell Square.
As you all know, the recent financial climate in Japan has meant thatmany governmental organisations, including the Japan Foundation,have been faced with reductions in funding. As a result it was decidedto co-locate with the Japan Foundation London Office and the searchfor new premises began. We are delighted to have found a location ina central and easily accessible part of London, close to many Japan-related institutions – not least of which is London University’s Schoolof Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) – as well as to many otheracademic and cultural bodies.
The move will enable both sides to benefit from synergies in planningactivities and administering programmes. Our space on the sixth floorof Russell Square House, just seconds away from Russell Square tubestation, will include a meeting room and a fully-equipped lecture hallwith a capacity of up to 120, both being suitable for teaching andholding workshops and seminars. Our library will keep the existingcollection intact.
In preparation for the move, the library was closed on April 17 and wewill not be able to lend books or offer the Loan by Post service untilJuly 1. Although our advisors and administrative staff will continue toanswer enquiries until the end of May, there will be a period of a weekduring which we will be not be able to give an immediate response toenquiries. We hope to be back to business as usual by mid-June andwe look forward to welcoming you to our new home then. In themeantime, we will keep you informed of all the latest developments viaour website (www.nihongocentre.org.uk).
ON THE MOVE
Commenting on the move, Mana Takatori, Director of the NihongoCentre, said: “We will do our best to keep inconvenience to our usersto a minimum but I hope teachers will bear with us during the move toour new premises in Russell Square, where we look forward to seeingyou soon. We are very pleased that, in spite of the move, we will beable to run our Refresher Course as usual this July, marking a return toa full programming schedule.”
From June, our new address will be 6th Floor, Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, London WC1. As we go to press, the new telephoneand fax numbers have not yet been confirmed but callers to ourexisting number will be diverted or advised of the new number by arecorded message. We will be writing to everyone on our database withfull contact details as soon as possible.
We were delighted to welcome our biggest group of participantsto date on the Head Start course, which took place from January22 to 24, not least because the course had to be cancelled lastyear as a result of low take-up.
Head Start is an intensive three-day programme speciallydesigned for senior managers and Heads of Modern LanguageDepartments with no prior knowledge of Japanese. For the firsttime this year, the target group was extended to include Languageco-ordinators from Primary schools.
In addition to a crash course in Japanese, the 14 participantsreceived an introduction to hiragana and workshops on calligraphyand word-processing. There were also sessions on the practicalissues associated with introducing and teaching Japanese at UKschools as well as a lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Take-away information packs and cassette tapes were provided toencourage teachers to follow up what they had learnt on the course.
Response to the programme was extremely positive, with MarkAbberton from Our Lady of Victories Primary School in WestYorkshire describing Head Start as the best course he hadattended in 30 years of teaching. Damian Heywood, who headsthe sixth form at Ringwood School in Hampshire, said the coursehad really inspired him to introduce Japanese at his school, asentiment echoed by Barbara Dresner, Head of MFL at SouthendHigh School for Girls in Essex, who said: “It makes a bigdifference to know that there is an organisation like the NihongoCentre which can provide support – I am now much moreconfident about the prospect of introducing Japanese. I am alsoincredibly impressed by how much we have learnt in three days!”
PAGE 2 NIHONGO CENTRE NEWS
Although subjectto initial delays,funding is nowin place for
Ready SteadyNihonGO, enabling
the project to be fullylaunched in February.
As reported in the last issue, Ready SteadyNihonGO focuses on primary sector Japaneseand has been launched by the NihongoCentre in partnership with the School ofEducation, University of Nottingham, andJapan 21 Education (formerly the JapanFestival Education Trust), with support fromthe Japan Society.
The aim of the project is to research thecurrent state of Japanese language teachingat primary level in order to develop astrategy for moving forward with Japanese inthis sector as well as to identify resourceand training needs for the future.
Thanks to all those who responded to ourearlier article, the Primary JapanesePioneers’ Group has now been set up tosupport the project and research has begun
in several key areas including Japanesestudies and culture at Key Stage 2 (KS2) andprimary models of Japanese that haveproved successful in Australia. As part of theNihongo Centre’s research brief - to conductan audit of existing and planned Japaneseprovision in the UK primary sector - our
advisors have started making visits to bothprimary schools and secondary institutionsinvolved in primary outreach work.
The postponed one-day conference on PrimaryJapanese, which forms part of the project, isnow scheduled to take place in November.The event will provide an opportunity forresearch findings to be presented as well as auseful forum for the dissemination of goodpractice at KS2. See the September issue ofMado for further details.
I have very much enjoyed workinghere at the Nihongo Centre inthe role of Assistant Manager,with responsibilities for thegrant programme, JLPT, andaccounting. Over the last three
years I have seen JapaneseEducation in the UK grow and
develop and I would like to thankeveryone for their support. I hope that you willextend the same kindness to my successor, Ms MarikoShirakawa, who arrived in the UK in mid April. I wishyou all continued success and I hope that we willhave the oppotunity to meet again in the future.Rie Endo
Since joining the Japan Foundation just before the openingof the Nihongo Centre, I’ve been delighted to witness theremarkable growth and dramatic developments inJapanese language education in the UK. Now, six yearson, it’s great to see that more schools and universitiesoffer Japanese than ever before, that wide-ranging
Japanese-specific INSET provision now exists and that arich variety of resources are accessible via our library and
online. It has been thrilling to work with so manyinspirational teachers and talented colleagues and to have had the chance towork together on large-scale projects such as Tobu, Class Acts, and HomestayUK. Thank you all for your first-class support. I’m sure Japanese will continueto thrive and reach new heights as the Nihongo Centre embarks on anexciting new phase in Russell Square.Sally Lewis
Biggest ever Head Start
Primary UpdateTI
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DBYE
Local primary pupils learning Japanese at AldercarCommunity Language College
Year 6 pupils from St George’s New Town JuniorSchool in Colchester practise writing
Jeremy Moyle, Language College Director at Dereham Neatherd High School,learning calligraphy with Etsuko Yamada
What is the background to the publication ofthe Strategy ?It emerged primarily as the government’sresponse to the Nuffield Inquiry and the NuffieldReport Languages: The Next Generation, whichcalled for a radical reappraisal of the nation’scapability in languages. The report stressed theneed for a coherent strategy to resolve existingproblems in language provision and highlightedthe importance of languages in all aspects oflife. It is important to note that the Strategyrelates only to England, since Wales andScotland have their own strategic plans.
What is the relationship between the NLSand the Green Paper?Although both projects were housed within theDfES, they were being carried out in parallel bydifferent groups of people with no opportunityfor interaction, which was a pity. That meantthat when the Strategy was finally concluded,decisions which had already been taken on theGreen Paper had to be incorporated into it.
Why is the Strategy significant?The fact that the government has written apolicy which relates specifically to languages isvery significant and it reinforces the NuffieldInquiry’s message that things need to be donein order to change both our nation’s capabilityin languages and its understanding of othercultures. The Strategy also conveys verypositive messages about the importance oflearning languages and introduces the idea ofusing ‘partnerships’ to expand and improvelanguage provision in the UK.
What key aims does the Strategy express?The Strategy refers to three over-archingobjectives. The first is to improve the teachingand learning of languages. The second is toprovide an accreditation scheme for languages,which would be recognisable internationallyand the third is to increase the number ofpeople studying languages. This last point isparticularly relevant for teachers of Japanese,because the implication is not just that thereshould be an increase in the numbers learninga single language, but that a greater variety oflanguages should be studied.
To what extent is the Strategy binding onschools?The Strategy is not a statutory document in thesense of imposing detailed requirements thatare legally binding. The recognition schemewhich it proposes, for example, would be avoluntary one. It consists mainly of aspirationsfor what should happen in the future, oftenindicating that partnerships might be involvedin the planning; only a short section at theend includes actual costs and timelines alreadyin place. Any legislation would need to beintroduced by a White Paper.
What are its main recommendations?One of the central recommendations is thatevery child should have the opportunity tostudy a foreign language and develop theirinterest in the culture of other nations atprimary level. However, languages are to beintroduced as an ‘entitlement’ at Key Stage 2rather than as a statutory part of the curriculumand provision does not have to be in place until2012. The Strategy stipulates that the learningprogramme must be delivered at least in part inclass time and that pupils should have accessto native speakers and e-learning.
What impact do you think the NLS will haveon language teaching in the primary sector?Already we have seen a greater interest, fromhead teachers in particular, in trying to findout more about what goes on in primarylanguage teaching. For example, attendance atthe Primary Language Show was up again thisyear and the audience was very enthusiastic. The issue for practising teachers will be how tofit languages into an already full curriculum.Some imaginative solutions are emerging,however, and CILT has documented goodpractice through the NACELL project.So I think we will see people trying to pick upthat challenge quite quickly in the primarysector.
What are the implications for the teachingof Japanese at this level?The Strategy mentions the idea of schoolsinvolving native speakers of other languages intheir work and so I think there is anopportunity to further develop the Japan-related workshops and other events alreadybeing organised in schools with theinvolvement of native speakers. I think it isimportant for organisations such as theNihongo Centre to encourage the teaching ofJapanese at primary level, which will help tocreate a greater diversity of languages offeredin this sector.
What about provision in the secondarysector?Most of the detailed proposals relate to KeyStage 3 (KS3) and teachers of this age groupwill have access to some disseminationinformation and extra training. Other issues tobe addressed are to do with gender and socialinclusion. Although this is positive, theStrategy also removes the statutoryrequirement for schools to teach MFL to allpupils at KS4, making languages an‘entitlement’ from the age of 14. Schools willbe required to “ensure as a minimum that theyare available to any pupil wishing to studythem,” but this change will inevitably have anegative impact on the take-up of languages atKS4, which has a knock-on effect on bothHigher Education and Teacher Training.
What is the possible effect on the teachingof lesser taught languages such as Japanese?If a school tries to reduce its languageprovision, it may be easier to withdraw asmaller language like Japanese. On the otherhand, what schools are still most concernedabout is their position in the league tables soas long as teachers of Japanese are deliveringexam results at the right level, they should notfeel too threatened.
Does the strategy address issues in the FE,HE and AE sectors?Although Higher Education was discussed atlength by the Steering Group, the documentitself does not contain much detail on eitherFurther or Higher Education. One positivedevelopment is that the Higher EducationFunding Council for England (HEFCE) has beenasked to provide funds to support students inworking abroad as part of their course. Thereare even fewer concrete proposals relating toAdult Education which is disappointing, but Ihope that these and issues in other sectors willbe followed up in the future. In terms of thebusiness sector, the Strategy proposes theestablishment of Regional Language Networksto identify local needs and develop strategiesto address weaknesses.
Will the NLS have a long-term impact on thestatus of languages? Raising the status of languages was identifiedas a key issue by the Steering Group. Althoughthe Strategy states that it is desirable tochange people’s attitudes to languages andculture, it does not actually say how this is tobe done. The Government has also decided toappoint a National Director for Languages andhaving such a figurehead should help to raisethe status of languages.
How did ALL respond to the NationalStrategy for Languages?Both Terry Lamb and I represented ALL on theNational Languages Steering Group. While wewere delighted that the government hadaddressed the issue of languages in a positiveway in the final document, we also felt that alot of strategic points were incomplete,particularly from the point of view of coherenceand lifelong provision. We would, of course,liked to have seen more money attached to itas well as more precise action plans andtimelines. ALL sees the Strategy as a startingpoint for future constructive planning withpartners.
You can view the National Languages Strategyon the DfES website at www.dfes. gov.uk. ALL’sresponse to the Strategy can be found atwww.languagelearn.co.uk.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION PAGE 3
On December 18, 2002 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) published the National Languages Strategy (NLS). We asked Steven Fawkes, President of the Association for Language Learning (ALL) and a member of the NationalLanguages Steering Group, to give us his views on the Strategy and its implications for language teachers in the UK.
The National Languages Strategy Languages for All: Languages for Life‘ In the knowledge society of the 21st century, language competence and inter-cultural understanding are not optional extras, they are an essential part of being a citizen.’ (page 5, Executive Summary)
PAGE 4 TEACHER’S PAGE
IntroductionThe most daunting aspect of using Japanesewebsites with your pupils tends to be kanji.I would like to tell you about an extremelyuseful site called Reading Tutor which canhelp to overcome this problem. All you haveto do is log on to http://language.tiu.ac.jp/tools_e.html, cut and paste a paragraph inJapanese into the dictionary box and avocabulary list will appear on the right, withreadings and English translations for all thekanji.
NB: If you find that Japanese text iscorrupted on some websites, this can usuallybe solved by following these simple steps:Click on View and select Japanese (auto-select) under ‘Encoding’ (PCs) or ‘CharacterSet’ (Macs).
If you have any other technical problems, auseful source of information is a computermanual created by the Japan Foundation LALanguage Centre. Log on to:www.jflalc.org/teaching/resource/comptech/manual/index.html.
AimsTo make use of ICT for learning Japanese in class
To explore current issues through Japaneseweb pages
To help pupils become autonomous learnersusing ICT
Activity 1 (GCSE)One simple activity which can help to takethe fear out of using Japanese websites is akatakana recognition task. Get your pupils tolog on to the news sites below which aredesigned for Japanese primary and middle-school students. Ask them to select fivekatakana keywords from the index whichcurrently includes titles such as
Activity 2 (AS/A Level)For this activity I have chosen two topics
which have recently appeared in thenewspapers: nuclear weapons and NobelPrize winners. Depending on the size of yourclass, you could increase the number oftopics for variety.
ProcedureDivide the class into two or more groups andallocate each one a particular topic.
Give pupils a copy of the worksheet on page5, which gives keywords and questions tofocus their research. As a warm-up activity,they could log on to the two sites listed inActivity 1 and try to find the keywords fortheir topic. If they click onto the keyword,an article will appear, with furigana readings.
Now ask them to consult the news sitesbelow to find the answers to the questionson their topic to fill in to the worksheet:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/kdns/_donburi/03/0118.html
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/education21/weekly.htm
http://edu2.mitaka.ed.tao.go.jp/jiji/
Get your pupils to make up a simple quizbased on the information they have gatheredafter reading the Japanese news items. For example:
Organise a quiz show with your class.
ExtensionPupils can widen their search by usingsearch engines such as Yahoo Kids Japan(http://kids.yahoo.co.jp). For example, ifyou click on to keyword search and enter theword = nuclear weapon) you willfind the Hiroshima Peace Memorial MuseumVirtual Museum site (http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/index2.html ), whereyou can take guided tours in both Englishand Japanese.
USING ICT TO KEEP UP WITH CURRENT ISSUES
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Lets search for keywords.
Please enter the keywords.
Let’s log on to this site.
Let’s search for … .
Did you find any articles?
Please print out the pages.
Let’s bookmark the sites.
A big thank you to all those who sent us examples of their pupils’ haiku!
ICT can be a useful tool forteaching Japanese at three stagesof the learning process, namelygathering information, analysingdata and conveying new information.In this issue I introduce two simplecomputer-based activities whichrelate to the GCSE and AS/A Leveltopics Current Affairs and Social &Environmental Issues. Theactivities, which teach pupils togather information about currentissues in Japanese, make use ofwebsites for Japanese primary andmiddle school pupils, which featurenews items written in simpleJapanese. These sites can be usefultools for making a link betweenJapanese language learning andcitizenship and your pupils will alsolearn a great deal by seeing theworld through Japanese eyes.
USEFUL CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS
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nuclear weaponnuclear weapon issuesan atomic bomba hydrogen bombto possess weapons; be armed(to wage) warnuclear power
a Nobel prize
chemistry
physics
receive (win) a prize
research, study
a prize winner
WORKSHEET - EXPLORING THE WEB
TEACHER’S PAGE PAGE 5
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VOCABULARY
PAGE 6 NEWS UPDATE
BATJ UpdateThe British Association for TeachingJapanese as a Foreign Language (BATJ)organises a varied programme of events,the majority of which are open to non-
members and jointly organised with theNihongo Centre. The Association’s aim is to
support and enhance the teaching of Japanesein the UK, particularly in the higher education sector.
On February 22, more than 30 people attended a workshop onAssessment for Learning, led by Dr Valentina Klenowski of theInstitute of Education, University of London. The seminar presentedthe latest developments in assessment, focusing in particular on theuse of alternative methods such as portfolios to evaluate students’learning. A seminar on the subject of Japanese Language EducationToday and Multimedia, presented by Professor Hiroshi Ono from theNational Institute of Multimedia Education on March 8 also provedvery popular with over 35 participants.
Future events include a two-day weekend workshop on the theme ofJapanese phonetics and the teaching of Japanese at Royal Holloway,University of London from May 17 to 18. Presentations will be givenby Professor Haruo Kubozono from Kobe University, Professor YasuhikoSukegawa from Tohoku University and Dr Shin’ichi Tanaka from KobeCollege. BATJ’s sixth Annual Conference will take place at LondonUniversity’s School of Oriental Studies (SOAS) on September 5 and 6.Themes for presentations and workshops will include ideas forteaching grammar, teaching conversation and making the best use ofauthentic materials.
To find out more about BATJ’s activities please visit www.batj.org.ukor contact the Chair: Kazuko Sorensen, Language Centre, RoyalHolloway, University of London on 01784 443812 or by email:[email protected].
JLC NewsAs reported in the last issue, the Japanese Language Committee (JLC)had to cancel the Japanese Language Weekend, scheduled in March.Although plans were well underway to use the same venue and formatas in previous years, when an application for insurance cover wasmade, the premium quoted was such that it would have put the costof the weekend beyond the budget of all participants. Unfortunately,at present, this means that JLC is not in a position to arrange futureJapanese Language Weekends.
On a more positive note, our Japanese-specific programme at thisyear’s Language World conference from April 4 to 6 attracted an ever-increasing number of teachers and the exhibition of Japaneseteaching materials arranged in conjunction with JP Books also provedpopular. Yuka Yokozawa had participants in full voice with Let’s Singand Dance in Japanese while Miwa Moriwaki and Hugh de Saramintroduced the Nihongo Centre’s successful pilot project E-Reading.Michiko Harwood and Chieko Tateno discussed issues relating toDyslexia and Japanese and Tatsuya Nakagome, Anne Rajakumar andGordon McBurnie gave participants perspectives on the primary sectorproject Ready Steady NihonGO.
JLC has also been busy developing materials for its website,supported by a grant from the Nihongo Centre. The plan is to featurelarge ‘packs’ of information, such as the Getting ahead in your GCSEJapanese vocabulary booklet and Getting ahead in your Japanese Oral,already available on the site. Other materials planned for the nearfuture are teaching materials for ABC preliminary level, a specimenScheme of Work for KS3 and AS/A2 kanji and vocabulary lists. The JLCwebsite resources section is password protected and teachers need tobe a member of ALL to have access (call 01788 546443 for details).
To find out more about JLC visit the website at www.jlcweb.org.uk orcontact the Chair David Farrell by email at [email protected] or on028 9332 2610.
Japanese is now in its fifth year at TileHill Wood, having been adopted on anequal basis with German and Spanish atYear 7. The school has around 110 pupilsat Key Stage 3, 60 pupils at Key Stage 4,and 20 at Key Stage 5.
Head of Japanese, Ben Stainer, feels thatthe school’s commitment to establishingthe language as a mainstream subjectfrom the beginning was crucial to itsdevelopment. “We have a lot of hourswith pupils, which gives us time to workthrough the basic skills with themproperly. The decision to introduce thesubject at the lowest levels of the schoolhas given us the continuity we need tobuild something special. Our Head ofLanguages, Jo Redford, and our HeadTeacher, Ruth Westbrook have alsodemonstrated their enthusiasm for thesubject time and time again.”
The position of Japanese has beenstrengthened by an ethos of exchange andco-operation within the LanguageDepartment as well as by outreachactivities such as delivering Japanese atlocal primary schools. Organising the
vibrant exchange programme is animportant part of the JapaneseDepartment’s work and this year’sNovember trip will be the third andlargest, meaning that nearly a third ofpupils will have visited Japan by the end
of the year. This comment by a Year 9pupil reflects the motivating impact ofthe programme: “Taking part in theexchange visit has been great fun and Iloved my Japanese Host Sister. This is whyI am going to choose Japanese for GCSE!”
Tile Hill Wood School and Language College
Japanese exchange pupils take part in an Art lesson with Year 8, February 2003
LIBRARY PAGE PAGE 7
As you know, the Nihongo Centre library was closedon April 17 to enable us to prepare for our move toRussell Square at the end of May. We are very sorryfor the inconvenience caused to users by theclosure but look forward to welcoming you back tothe library on July 1, when we will also be able tostart offering the Loan by Post service again. In
the meantime, we hope you will visit the Teaching
Resources section on our website (from where you candownload resources including GCSE Picture Kanji Cardsand WJEC worksheets) and take a look at the range ofon-line resources which our Secondary Advisor MiwaMoriwaki has selected and arranged by theme below. For general library enquiries, contact the Librarian on020 7838 9955 or by email:[email protected].
KANJIThere is now a wealth of e-learning sites forkanji to choose from, but I have found thesetwo particularly useful:
Interactive Japanese
http://bama.ua.edu/~karizumi/language/japanese/
This free site, developed by the University ofArizona, contains interactive games and kanjiexercises, introduced by ‘nihongo man’.Explanations for verbs and adjectives are easyto understand and the site is ideal for self-study or reinforcement of kanji learnt in class.
Kantango
http://www.kantango.com/index.php
Would you like to make a list of kanji youwant to learn and save it in your own folderonline? The Kantango site will enable you todo just that! The site creates flashcards to testyourself on the kanji you have listed and afacility which allows you to print out a writtenquiz. Suitable for both teachers and students.
KANAHiragana and katakana learning always needsreinforcement. Why don’t you try thefollowing game with your pupils?
Ultimate Kana Challenge
LISTENING & READINGJapanese for Busy People
http://www.ajalt.org/sfyj/index1.html
This site contains a range of on-linesupplementary materials for Japanese ForBusy People, useful not only for those usingthe JBP course but also for beginners. Thesite contains topics such as numbers, money(shopping), verbs and adjectives (includingconjugations), complete with audio.
ECIS Internet Hosokyoku
http://133.6.76.62/~jems/hosokyoku/hosokyoku.html
This site, created by Richard Harrison, is auseful source of news programmes inJapanese, accompanied by gap-fillingexercises. Suitable for upper intermediate toadvanced levels.
CULTUREThere is also a wide range of sites withinformation on Japanese culture but I havefound the following particularly useful inlessons:
This English-language site, which tests yourJapanese cultural knowledge, always provespopular with students because of its well-known quiz format. Useful as a filler activity.
If you are looking for cultural activityworksheets which can be easily downloadedand printed, this site has a wide range ofthem, including maps of Japan. Suitable forPrimary and Key Stage 3.
Mangarama (digital comic learning system)
http://www2.ak.cradle.titech.ac.jp/Rise/top.htm
Would you like to try using Japanese comicsin your teaching? This site features realmanga with audio accompaniment. Suitablefor intermediate to advanced levels.
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CLIP ARTAre you looking for Japanese style clip art?The following sites offer downloadableimages and icons that you can use to makeworksheets more authentic-looking:
School icons club (English & Japanese)
http://www.schoolicons.com/eng/
Free cut collection (Japanese only)
http://www.koryosha.co.jp/halukiya/index.html
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6http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/ultimate/
You can find games using both Hiragana andKatakana on this site. You will need theMacromedia Flash Player plug-in to play, butthis is usually easy to download. Thesegames will prove useful for improving yourpupils’ kana recognition.
GETTING STARTED WITH ICT INJAPANESE AND MANDARIN CHINESE
Friday 16 May A one-day hands-on CILT course on the
exploitation of word-processing, MSPowerPoint and the internet in language
teaching. This course is designed for teacherswanting to develop or improve basic ICT skills
through a focus on effective teaching andlearning of Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.The course will take place at the Kingwood
City Learning Centre, Fulham, and costs £100(£90 for members of CILT Direct).For further details call CILT on
020 7379 5101 ext 231.
LEICESTER JAPAN DAYSaturday 14 June
A day of activities for everybody interestedin Japan and Japanese culture including teaceremony, origami and calligraphy at LeicesterAdult Education College. For further details,contact Annett Hering on 0116 233 4343.
YOUNG LINGUIST OF THE YEARThursday 19 June
A speaking competition for pupils of anyforeign language at KS2, KS3, KS4 and KS5throughout the region organised by ALL’sCoventry and Warwickshire Branch. To be
held at Tile Hill Wood School and LanguageCollege, Coventry. For further information,
call A Roughton on 02476 426232.
SUMMER REFRESHER COURSEMonday 21 – Friday 25 July
The Nihongo Centre’s popular annualintensive language course for non-native
teachers of Japanese. Beginners,Intermediate and Advanced.
(see noticeboard for further details).
BATJ 6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCEFriday 5 – Saturday 6 September
To be held at London University’s School ofOriental and African Studies (SOAS).
For further details, contact Kazuko Sorensenat Royal Holloway, University of London;
JAPANESE CONVERSATION GROUPFirst Thursday of every month
A monthly gathering at The Mason’s Arms, 38Maddox Street, W1 for members of the JapanSociety and guests who would like to practisetheir Japanese in a relaxed atmosphere. Your
language level should be intermediate orabove to really enjoy the evenings, which
start at 6.30pm. For further details, contactThe Japan Society on 020 7828 6330.
Unless otherwise stated, all events take placeat the Nihongo Centre. Please call us on 020
7838 9955 for further details.
As Mado celebrates itsfifth birthday thisspring, the NihongoCentre embarkson a period ofchange withpreparationsbeginning for the move to new premisesin Russell Square at the end of May. Whilelooking forward to the valuableopportunities for exchange that the newlocation will provide, we also look backwith nostalgia on the many events andactivities that have taken place here inKnightsbridge over the last six years. Wewill also miss Sally Lewis, whose unfailingenergy, warmth and flair have helped toput the Nihongo Centre on the map forteachers of Japanese in the UK but we aredelighted that Kornelia Achrafie, alreadyknown to many of you, has taken overSally’s responsibilites. We hope you willenjoy this term’s Mado, which is full ofideas on how to get the most out of ICT –both as a source of teaching materials(see Library Page) and as a learning toolfor pupils, as featured on the Teacher’sPages. Finally, we would like to thankSteven Fawkes for giving us his thoughtson the National Languages Strategy andits significance for language teachers inthe UK.
New Japanese Studies MA
at Birkbeck
With the establishment of a lectureship in
Japanese Studies, the School of Languages,
Linguistics and Culture of Birkbeck College in
London is launching a new taught MA degree in
Japanese Cultural Studies from the academic year
2003-04. The interdisciplinary programme, taught
in English, will make Japanese cultural and
critical studies accessible to a wider body of full-
