My Japanese classes/lessons included practices to develop skills of speaking, reading, listening, writing (including essays), interacting, and constructing/performing students’ own dialogues by pairs/groups or by oneself. The learning includes the language and cultural skills used in travelling in Japan and general understanding on Japanese culture. Speaking practice sometimes used the pictures, concepts or topics from the brochures of the Japan National Tourism Organizations, Nichigo Press, Daily Telegraph etc.

Intermediate 1 (began on Fri. 4 Sept.) has been using a textbook, Japanese for Busy People, Book 2 (+ Workbook). Though it is a small class, but they are very competent, knowledgeable, highly motivated and exciting to teach (i.e. they are educationally and/or in experiences-wise, well learnt). They write an impressive essay on a regular basis with a certain topic for homework and read it out before the submission in class. Through such tasks, I wish them to explore and strengthen their linguistic skills, interest in expressing something of their life in Japanese and communication skills (esp. to express their knowledge, experiences, feelings, thoughts and analytical skills upon each topic). They will use other reference materials to strengthen grammar and vocab. The resources include Real Life Japanese (with cd), Japanese for Everyone, books for HSC Japanese, etc to enrich esp. plain forms of language, grammar, discourse making ability.

From 30 Sept, I teach Beginners 1 (Wed. night’s class) for its first 3 weeks. (I can’t teach for other weeks due to other commitment currently.) The class uses Training Material (Japanese) published from SLS (as it is Beginners 1). The 1st session (last night) I taught the basic phonetic system with its chart (it has both Romaji translation and Hiragana script for each syllable), so that the students will get used to the phonetic system that is very different from Romances language and other languages.  In the 1st lesson, we finished Unit 1 of the book. And (as I always ask students in their 1st lesson,) I asked the students to introduce themselves to class including the reasons why they want to learn the language and culture. The seven students had each different background and exciting motivations for the course taking. I taught how to do Japanese bowing and they practiced and did well! At the end of the lesson, they practiced and revised the phrases, dialogues (mostly greetings based sentences) learnt in pairs or groups. It was fun.

Tonight (1 Oct.) I start teaching Beginners 2. In the 1st lesson, I need to check how much the students can speak, read, write and listen. Very likely we will revise Hiragana reading (and writing for homework with use of handouts). We will use Genki Book 1 for the major textbook (+cd). Some other reference materials will be used for vocab. increase, grammar application, script based skills increase etc at times. Also (just as I use for other groups too,) I will teach Japanese songs, bon-dance etc for language and culture teaching and enjoyment of learning Japanese and being part of the class.

One student, who I teach in weekly tutorials and who is a (very busy and versatile!) company executive, is going to Japan shortly to take 2 weeks’ Japanese language and culture course in Tokyo (and after that, he will enjoy a few weeks’ enjoyable trip around the land for holiday). He has been mostly concentrating on Genki Book 1 (and its Workbook) in the recent weeks, since the above school uses that book (series) in the course. He has studied up to Unit 6. Also he has been studying Japanese for Everyone (and he likes that book).  

Another tutorial student is also very keen, passionate and effective in learning. She has finished up to the middle of Unit 8, Genki Book 1. Recently I taught her with use of other reference books (e.g. HSC books) for adjectives (both i-adj. group. and na-adj. group, their conjugations for present tense, past tense and negative forms with those tenses) and the names of goods at department stores in Japan.

As for culture, (I have been recently very busy and did not have much time to see NHK TV news or read news on Japan except checking how the Japanese government/PM Abe’s reform of the part of the Constitution went), on 29.9 (SBS TV), NHK TV news reported: the Japanese organisers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games nominated eight new sports for possible inclusion at the above Games. They included baseball (yakyuu that is hugely popular in Japan), softball, karate (having originated from Japan), roller sports, sports climbing, surfing, bowling and squash.

Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson

1.10.15