JAPN 320S: Advanced Japanese SL
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MLOs and Evidence:
MLO 1 - Language and Communication
1.1 Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes:
interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
1.2 Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse, and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.
• We fulfilled MLO1 in this course through consistent use of Japanese language to describe our activities, as well as through presentations and our final papers.
MLO 1 - Language and Communication
1.1 Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes:
interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
1.2 Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse, and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.
• We fulfilled MLO1 in this course through consistent use of Japanese language to describe our activities, as well as through presentations and our final papers.
In this course, we taught a Japanese language and culture course to elementary school students once a week. In order to meet our goals and learning outcomes, we tailored our lessons to include subtexts of global awareness, inclusivity, and respect for other cultures. Mostly, we taught our students about the ways in which Japanese life differs from American life, usually focusing on something seasonal. For example, during the month of December, we talked about how New Year's traditions in Japan differ from those in America. By comparing two different cultural groups the students were able to learn concepts of social privilege concerning different lifestyles and cultures.
During our very first activity on the very first day, we asked our students to draw what their image of Japan was. They were most familiar with American pop-culture that included Japan (i.e. Tokyo Drift). Our students also knew a bit about sushi and other Japanese foods. This made myself and my fellow service learners aware of the ways our embroilment in our own culture shuts us off from other cultures. We also became aware of how a lack of awareness of other cultures leads to massive misunderstandings that can be perceived as disrespectful and have harmful side-effects in broader society. For example, many students thought Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultural norms were all the same. We disabused them of this notion through our lessons. In this way, we have taught our students to be more open-minded, aware, and conscious as they face social issues related to other cultures. Part of our coursework that prepared us for this task was our reflections on various readings related to learning outcomes for the course.
One challenge we faced is that we weren't afforded much time for actual lessons; our day always began with helping students with their homework. Thus, we had to be efficient at maximizing our Japanese teaching time from day one. I feel that we did this incredibly well, which may be because so many of us had prior teaching experience. All of our lessons were content-rich, engaging, and brief. This is something I will carry with me in my future, especially if I am able to participate in the JET program. Also, I feel I will be well-prepared for any coursework related to acquiring my teaching credential, which is my ultimate goal.
Though there were many areas in which I feel we succeeded, there were also some minor failures. I feel, for example, that we could have spent more time teaching actual language. However, this would have required a longer class time. Schedule permitting, it would have been nice to teach language more thoroughly. We had vocabulary lists each week, but they were intended to enrich our cultural lessons rather than teach the students words that would stick with them. The most important goal for me was creating a foundation of interest in other cultures -- and especially Japanese culture -- for the students. I think we succeeded in doing this even as we failed to instill linguistic knowledge.
During our very first activity on the very first day, we asked our students to draw what their image of Japan was. They were most familiar with American pop-culture that included Japan (i.e. Tokyo Drift). Our students also knew a bit about sushi and other Japanese foods. This made myself and my fellow service learners aware of the ways our embroilment in our own culture shuts us off from other cultures. We also became aware of how a lack of awareness of other cultures leads to massive misunderstandings that can be perceived as disrespectful and have harmful side-effects in broader society. For example, many students thought Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultural norms were all the same. We disabused them of this notion through our lessons. In this way, we have taught our students to be more open-minded, aware, and conscious as they face social issues related to other cultures. Part of our coursework that prepared us for this task was our reflections on various readings related to learning outcomes for the course.
One challenge we faced is that we weren't afforded much time for actual lessons; our day always began with helping students with their homework. Thus, we had to be efficient at maximizing our Japanese teaching time from day one. I feel that we did this incredibly well, which may be because so many of us had prior teaching experience. All of our lessons were content-rich, engaging, and brief. This is something I will carry with me in my future, especially if I am able to participate in the JET program. Also, I feel I will be well-prepared for any coursework related to acquiring my teaching credential, which is my ultimate goal.
Though there were many areas in which I feel we succeeded, there were also some minor failures. I feel, for example, that we could have spent more time teaching actual language. However, this would have required a longer class time. Schedule permitting, it would have been nice to teach language more thoroughly. We had vocabulary lists each week, but they were intended to enrich our cultural lessons rather than teach the students words that would stick with them. The most important goal for me was creating a foundation of interest in other cultures -- and especially Japanese culture -- for the students. I think we succeeded in doing this even as we failed to instill linguistic knowledge.
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