CJLEA Newsletter  
A publication of the Colorado Japanese Language Education Association
January 2001
The CJLEA Newsletter encourages articles of interest to instructors, researchers, administrators and students at all educational levels on theory, research, and classroom practice in language teaching. Articles dealing with pedagogical strategies, materials and curriculum development, language teaching technology, the teaching of literature, assessment, community awareness projects and international studies would be equally welcome; the foregoing list illustrates the range of concerns that might be addressed in submissions. We welcome manuscripts from teachers at all levels. Contact Keaton or Slotsve.


* * * Happy New Year * * *
by Kyoko Saegusa

Dear CJLEA members:

Here are some of the issues that I feel are relevant and important to our membership in the new year and beyond. What’s going on at CU seems to reflect the state and national pictures. I will explain what it is that we are facing at CU, and see if I can put it in perspective.

First, in 2000 the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at CU added a new undergraduate track in the Japanese BA program in which students do not concentrate on literary study. The MA program has had this “non-literary” track since its inception three years ago, and we have had our first MA holders with concentrations in language and civilization. Our departmental name change from a couple of years ago reflects that same trend. The Japanese program is housed in a literature department, but the majority of basic level language course enrollees are engineering, computer science, and other “hard science” majors. Those students in basic level courses who have taken Japanese at high school and continue their study of Japanese, and those who are currently high school students, are also for the most part science-oriented. Students who are minoring in Japanese are half science and half business.

The implication of this current trend and student clientele is that we must urgently implement more diverse and organized upper level Japanese language courses at CU. It is inevitable that colleges change their upper division curricula to meet the needs of those students who have had extensive training in Japanese at high school. Articulation is not an option; it’s a necessity.

Another pillar in Japanese education is teacher training and professional development. In 2000, the State of Colorado mandated total revamping of the teacher certification programs in the state. Ericson sensei was directly involved in the process at Colorado College, and I would like her to give a presentation on this topic at our spring assembly. At CU, those who are involved in teacher education had to rewrite our methods-course syllabi according to the state standards. Just as each high school subject has a set of content standards, so do education courses, and the courses must be taught accordingly. This is a top-down mandate, but, aside from that, I personally don’t have problems with standards per se. That’s because I have had the opportunity to think about standards for the past few years. I think what Kleinkopf sensei and Williams sensei have done as far as standards-based instruction is concerned must be disseminated widely among teachers throughout the country. The Alliance (AATJ) is sponsoring a conference in February, 2001, where representatives from universities where they have teacher certification in Japanese come together and discuss teacher training. The condition was that each institution send a pair of reps, one from the language department, and the other from the school of ed. Unfortunately, the school of ed at CU couldn’t produce a rep, so I am going all by myself. I look forward to hearing what other people have to say about this issue.

The next issue is recruitment of students. In the course of struggling with standards and articulation, we all come to realize that introduction of Japanese at an early stage is imperative. As Sakakura sensei said at the fall assembly, we need to expose elementary school children and their parents to Japanese, and to ensure that those who learn Japanese at elementary school can continue their study in middle and senior high school. This is a long shot and requires lots of work, but it is indeed a very important task. People such as Tim and Mako Beecken sensei and Ajisaka sensei are already doing it, and I believe CJLEA is in the position to take the initiative on this matter. CU has been pushing so called outreach activities for the past few years. Japan Day was funded partly by the CU Outreach Committee. In 2001, the Teaching East Asia Project will become part of our department, and we will further our effort in outreach activities. While sending our students to elementary schools and doing language and culture presentations is a small act, every little bit counts. I have great expectations for the CJLEA Outreach Committee on this one.

Another, more urgent issue is to help stabilize and expand existing secondary Japanese programs, and start new ones. Howe sensei, who is our MA candidate and teacher at Niwot High School, has gotten permission to start one Japanese course in the fall of 2001. Howe sensei was able to draw greatly from Kleinkopf sensei’s experience and expertise in preparing his proposal to the school board. CU is going to try everything to support his effort by sending interns to his class, and so on. It was very sad to see the Fairview program end in 2000. So as not to see another program suffer a similar fate, we must understand what is going on in each high school Japanese program and give as much support as we can to those who are holding forth. Beecken sensei, would you like to start another survey?

Last, but most important, we need to strengthen communication among currently working teachers. When we had some grant money to implement articulation and standards-based instruction and assessment, my biggest concern was to pump some money into things that promoted and enhanced our communication. It helped a little while the money lasted. Ultimately, for the time being, someone must always be finding some incentive (a carrot in front of your eyes, so to speak) and coaxing and pushing the members. That someone is none other than you. Our membership fluctuates and changes, but, we are by now a legitimate, professional organization. I believe we are ready to think for a greater good and find things we can and must do. In fact, CCFLT has asked us to do culture demos at their spring conference, and they have reserved a room for us, along with German, French, and Spanish contingents. I know you are saying, “But, but, I am nobody,” as you read this. That self-effacement, I realized a few years ago, could turn into evasion of responsibility. I have no intention of preaching at you, but it would be good for all of us if you could give some thought to what it means to you to be a CJLEA member in the coming century.

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* * * Happy New Year * * *

by Kyoko Saegusa

　２００１年の抱負、というと大げさですが、新年、また向こう数年間、ＣＪＬＥＡにどんな課題・使命があるか、 私が考えていることを、書いてみます。ＣＵで起こっていることは、州、また全国で起こっていることを反映していると思われるので、ＣＵの事情をお話しながら、 それがより大きい動きの中でどういう意味があるか、を考えてみたいと思います。

　まず、ＣＵの東アジア言語・文明学部では、２０００年から、学士課程にも、言語・文明専攻という、文学を芯にしないで学位がとれる道ができました。 修士課程には、すでに文学専攻でない卒業生も出ています。２年前に学部の名前を言語・文明学部としたのもそういう流れの一環です。ＣＵの日本語科は 文学部の中にありますが、基礎の言語のクラスを取る学生の大半は工学、コンピュータ、その他いわゆるhard science の学生です。高校で日本語を取り、ＣＵで続ける学生、また、高校生で、ＣＵの初・中級のクラスをとる学生も、ほとんどが、 科学等に興味のある学生です。副専攻にしたい学生も科学と商科の学生が半々です。

　これが、私どもに何を意味するかといいますと、上級の語学のクラスを、拡大・充実させることが急務だ、ということです。中等教育での日本語が充実するにつれ、 大学で続ける学生の受入態勢を変えなければならないのは、明らかです。Articulationはオプションではなく、 不可欠です。

　もうひとつの柱、教員の養成と継続訓練ですが、２０００年はコロラド州が、教育学部に教員養成プログラムの大幅改革を命じた年です。 エリクソン先生は、 実際にそのプロセスにかかわったので、春の総会にはぜひ話をしていただきたいのですが、ＣＵでも、教員養成プログラムに必要なコースはすべてそのシラバスを、 州の定めたStandardsに基づいて書きなおしをさせられました。各教科に Content Standards が定められているように、教職課程もすべて、 standardsとそれにもとづく assessmentsを作って教えなければならないということです。Top down の決まりであるということはさておいて、私は個人的には、問題ないと思っています。そう思えるのは、ここ数年、 standardsに関して、いろいろ考えて、それなりに理解したという確信があるからではないかと思います。 クラインコフ先生とウィリアムズ先生の経験を、私は、全国の先生に知ってもらいたいと思います。二月に、 アライアンスの主催で、全国で日本語の教職課程のある 大学が集まって会議をします。教育学部の代表とペアで出席してください、と言われたのですが、ＣＵの教育学部からは、結局誰も来てくれないので、私が一人で 行ってきます。どんな話が聞けるのか、大いに楽しみにしています。

　次は、どうやって日本語を盛り立てるかですが、Standardsとarticulation と取り組むうちに、語学の早期教育は不可欠だ、という理解が深まったと思います。坂倉先生が秋の総会で お話しなさったように、小学生、そしてその親たちに、日本語を知ってもらう、そして、もし小学生で始めたら、それが継続できる制度を作っていく、これは、 気の長い、また面倒な仕事ではありますが、大変重要だと思います。すでにベーケン先生たちや 鰺坂先生のように、種まきを始めている先生たちがいるのですから、 ＣＪＬＥＡがそれをやれる位置にいると思います。ＣＵはoutreachということを大変押していまして、 Japan Dayなどもその一環ですが、私どもの学部は、２００１年から、The Teaching East Asia という団体が加わり、いっそうoutreachが充実すると思います。 初・中等教育のクラスに出かけて行って日本・日本語に触れてもらう、そんな小さいことでも、ちりも積もれば。。。と思います。ＣＪＬＥＡの Outreach Committee、がんばっていただきたいと思います。

　それから、もっと、早急に、中・高での日本語のプログラムを、安定させ、拡張し、新設する、これも大切です。ＣＵの修士課程にいて、 Niwotで教師をしているハウ先生が、がんばって、２００１年の秋から、日本語を１クラス、 始める許可をもらいました。ハウ先生は、クラインコフ先生の豊富な知識と経験を大いに活用することで、大変 整ったプロポーザルを書くことができたようです。 ＣＵとしては、internを送ったり、できるだけの協力をするつもりです。 Fairviewは本当に残念でしたが、こういうことがまた起こらないように、ＣＪＬＥＡは高校の先生たちの 現状を把握して、支援する必要があると思います。ベーケン先生、また、アンケートしますか。

　最後に、実は一番緊急で大切なことですが、現職の日本語教師間のコミュニケーション。Articulation　と standardsでお金をもらったとき、私は何よりもそれを強化したいと思い、お金のある間は、 たしかにすこし活発になりました。ですが、これは、今のところ、つねに誰かがみんなのお尻をたたいて、incentive （目の前の人参ですね）を探してこないといけない。その「誰か」は他ならない皆さんしかいないのです。Membership に浮き沈み・変動はありますが、ＣＪＬＥＡは確立した、プロフェッショナルな団体だと思います。 会員ひとりひとりが、”greater good”の為に、どんなことができるか、考えるところに来ていると思います。 現にＣＣＦＬＴから、春の大会で文化のデモをしてほしいと頼まれ、また、ドイツ語、スペイン語、フランス語と並んで、会合のために部屋を１つとってくれました。 「私なんか。。。」という皆さんの気持ちは、よく分かります。ですが、その謙遜は、責任逃れにもつながるということを、数年前私は気付きました。お説教するつもりは 更々ありませんが、皆さん、新しい世紀の初めに、ＣＪＬＥＡの一員であることの意義を考えていただけたら幸いです。

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January WWW Resources:

New Year

Coming-of-Age Day

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Monthly Member Biography

Kathy Ajisaka

I am a Japanese American Sansei born and raised in Tokyo until the age of fourteen. Although my brother and I were born in Japan, my father, a Nisei born in Los Angeles, wanted to raise his children as U.S. citizens with an American education. We attended dependent American schools (schools on US military bases) while in Japan and grew up biculturally and orally bilingual. In those days they did not offer Japanese language in American schools and in fact, students were reprimanded for speaking Japanese in school. Therefore, my academic study of reading and writing of Japanese did not begin until my undergraduate work at CU-Boulder.
     My B.A. and M.A. degrees are from CU-Boulder. My M.A. is in Comparative Literature with emphasis in modern Japanese women’s literature. I also have all but a semester of student teaching to complete the Colorado Secondary Teachers’ Credential.
     I have taught Japanese off and on for the last 12 years in K-16 and I freelance as an interpreter/translator. Because I am a “full time part-timer,” there are too many projects I have been involved with in the past to list in this bio.
     Currently, I work part-time for ATJ (Assn. Of Teachers of Japanese) as an Executive Asst. and also freelance. I taught at CCD (Community College of Denver) this semester (Fall 2000). The class will be offered again in Fall 2001.
     I also teach through Gakko Project sponsored by Sogo Way, a non-profit organization which provides funding for instructors to visit various K-12 schools in the Denver metropolitan area to teach about Japan, its culture and people. The motto of the project is “teaching the pleasure of learning using Japan as a tool.” Through this project I am currently working with terminally ill children at the Children’s Hospital in Denver and visit various schools whenever teachers request a “Japan expert.” I design the presentations according to the students’ and teachers’ needs which may include anything from language to dancing to flower arranging.
     My special hobby is travelling and I hope to do more of it now that my youngest daughter will be going off to college in the fall.

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アウトリーチ・コミッティ  by Takeko Sakakura

２０００年４月のCJLEAの例会で、日本語のクラスに 質量共に良い学生を集めるには 何をすべきかと言う課題を 坂倉が発議し、 参加者それぞれの意見が出された。 将 来 日本語を選ぶ可能性を広げるために、若い年齢層を 主に対象にすることの効果な ど、実際にしている事などを交えて 話し合った。三枝先生、サンドリン先生、スロ ツヴィ先生、坂倉がサブコミテイに入って 更に検討する事にした。

現在まで、１０月の例会での中間報告を交えて、電子メール、電話などによるメン バー間の話し合いの他は、未だ具体的な活動は始まっていないが、ポスターを作って 希望者に配ることを準備している。これからの活動の方向としては、短期的と長期的 な対策を 考えて行きたいと思っている。短期的には、特に高校のリクルートの時期 にあたり、どんな事ができるか等の情報交換、 長期的には、各自の地域で どんな種 まきが可能か等の研究及び実験を考えている。目標は、現在 すでに行われている事 を組織化して、効率を上げる事と、宣伝する事、そして将来は 地域の日本関係行事 と学校をつなげる事等に置きたいと思っている。

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Kudos

Kinki Japanese by Kaoru (Horiuchi) Slotsve was on TV!

My only publication (so far), "Kinki Japanese" was on T.V. in Japan in November. The show is "ほんパラ！関口堂書店/Honpara! Sekiguchi-doo shoten" on TV-Asahi, which introduces ten books according to each week's theme. The theme of the week was "Books on Osaka," and "Kinki Japanese" is a book explaining dialects and pop culture of Kinki (Kansai) region for foreigners. I didn't know anything about this airing until a friend of mine who happened to watch the show and noticed my book sent me an e-mail. The web address of the show is http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/honpara/. Click これまでの放送から, click 第26回11月25日放送「大阪の本」then click ８位. (The book was ranked 8th out of 2600 books on Osaka, but this ranking has nothing to do with actually selling.)

The co-author, D.C. Palter and I were working at the same company in Kobe at that time (1993), and one day, we came up with an idea to write about Kansai dialect as a memory of Kansai, because we both were about to leave Japan for the U.S. As I was not a Kansai native, I tried to find someone for the project (I never dreamed myself of writing something to publish) at first. However, I noticed that many Kansai natives are not conscious of the dialect they speak and they believe much of Kansai vocabulary is hyoojungo, standard Japanese. Then, I found my background, having moved to Kansai at age17 and learned Kansai dialect as a new comer helpful to write such a book. It took almost a year to find a publisher, but the tough part was to finish writing; D.C. was living in Los Angels and I was in Wyoming. We spent many hours e-mailing each other and a trip for me out to L.A. to complete it.

Thanks to this book, we had some unique experiences. D.C. was excited to find a client of his company bought the book before the client's first trip to Kansai without knowing D.C. wrote it. It was fun to hear that British employees including executives of a British company in Kobe use Kansai dialect vocabulary for fun while I was working there. We have also received nice e-mail from readers in Norway and in India.

Kinki Japanese : The Dialects & Culture of the Kansai Region
by Kaoru Horiuchi & D.C. Palter: Charles E Tuttle Co., 1995
ISBN: 0804820171

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Upcoming Events & Conferences

January

February
  • 8 (Thu.):
    Prof. Richard Minear of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will present a slide/lecture talk on "Dr. Seuss and Japan, 1941-54" at 4:30 PM. This is an annual endowed lecture made possible through the Gaylord Endowment for Pacific Areas Studies. Max Kade Theatre (Colorado College campus, 3rd floor of Armstrong Hall). Contact Joan Ericson at (719) 389-6567 for more information.
  • 22 (Thu.) ~ 24 (Sat.): CCFLT Spring Conference
  • 24 (Sat.):