CJLEA Newsletter  
A publication of the Colorado Japanese Language Education Association
May 2001

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• CJLEA Mid-Year Report
• Materials Development Workshop in July
• Regional and National Japan Bowl Competitions
• NCOLCTL Report
• フィールドトリップ感想文
• Did You Know about These Benefits?
• May WWW Resources
• Monthly Member Biography
• Candidate Available
• Professional Development Funding & Grants
• Upcoming Conferences & Events
• Links to Professional Organizations
• Membership and Renewal

The Spring Assembly on March 31st at the Colorado State University at Fort Collins was extremely successful. Members I have talked with cited the useful presentations, the chance to network, and the delicious Japanese lunch as being reasons to view this meeting as being so memorable. We are extremely grateful for the $250.00 in donations from the Colorado State University College of Liberal Arts, Asian Studies Board and Foreign Language Department. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Mako Beecken, Yoshiko Kuno and Kuniko Matsuura-Cassidy, for hosting the assembly.

Some issues we discussed include the following:

• The need for articulation not only between high school and university, but also between junior high and high school. I hope that issues at the high school level will be addressed at the fall meeting.
• Having a workshop to learn how to write grants. We encouraged the CJLEA members of K-12 to apply for a variety of existing grants, such as the Alliance Development Fund.
• Learning more about the Total Physical Response - Story Telling (TPRS) method, which has been shown to be one effective teaching methodology. A study group was formed at the Spring Assembly and it is planning to hold a workshop in July.
  
• Continuing the activities of the outreach committee. We started discussions with the Scott Shirai, Executive Director of the Japan America Society of Colorado (JASC) on possible collaborative efforts, including more active CJLEA presence in the annual Speech contest and the Japan Bowl. Mr. Shirai presented an overview of JASC.
  
• Continuing to gather new members. Since the fall of 2000, CJLEA has been more active in recruiting new members, including Atsuko Ooura, Kuniko Matsuura-Cassidy, Susan Moreland, Naomi Hashimoto Kraft, James Sayler, Dale S. Howe and Wendy Meyers. We are very pleased that Teaching East Asia, the K-12 outreach group based at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has also joined. We look forward to working together with this group on promoting Japanese culture and language throughout the state of Colorado. We have updated our Listserv to provide an easier way to communicate among members. Please let us know if there is a change in your e-mail address.

I will be in Japan for the next academic year as Resident Director of the Japan Study Prgram at Waseda University. I will "pass the baton" over to my Co-President, Keaton, to continue the work as President of CJLEA. Please keep in contact with me while I am in Japan at jericson@ColoradoCollege.edu. I look forward to hearing about your activities during the coming year.

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July 6th (Fri), 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC), Rampart Range Campus
July 7th (Sat), 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), Fairchild Hall

The TPRS Special Study Group, formed during the last CJLEA Spring Assembly, is planning to hold a two-day workshop in Colorado Springs in July to come up with teaching modules based on the National Standards (the K-16 Japanese National Standards) in order to create materials that will accommodate the requirements of K-16 articulation for all institutions in Colorado and Wyoming.

Our goal is to produce sample teaching materials (prototypes) towards the end of the workshop. Workshop participants will share their knowledge and experiences to find ways to integrate National Standard based instruction, issues in articulation and various teaching methods. This workshop is intended neither to learn specific classroom techniques nor to discuss the National Standards and/or their articulation. Its focus is to produce teaching materials that can be used as a supplement for all teaching techniques, including TPRS. We will also discuss the writing of organizational mini grants at the end of the workshop so that we can apply for Mini-Grant programs next academic year.

Sign up today and take advantage of this great professional development opportunity!

Tentative Schedule:
July 6th (9:00 am to 4:00 pm at PPCC)
9:00 - 9:30: Continental Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30: Exchanging/sharing information on textbooks, curriculum
designs & lesson plans. teaching techniques
10:30 - 11:30: Exchanging/sharing information on placement/validation
testing & articulation
11:30 - 12:30: Lunch
12:30 - 1:30: Brainstorm session - 1: List Vocab categories, Themes, Grammar
points, etc.
1:30 - 2:30: Brainstorm session - 2: TPRS and other communicative speaking
activities
2:30 - 3:00: Coffee break
3:00 - 4:00 Brainstorm session -3: Materials development -- ideas

July 7th (9:00 am to 4:00 pm at USAFA)
9:00 - 9:30: Continental Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30: Exchanging/sharing information on materials development &
technology
10:30 - 11:30: Exchanging/sharing information on materials development based
on the National Standards/articulation, etc.
11:30 - 12:30: Lunch
12:30 - 1:30: Brainstorm session - 4: Materials production: prototype:
phase-1
1:30 - 2:30: Brainstorm session - 5: Materials production: prototype:
phase-2
2:30 - 3:00: Coffee break
3:00 - 4:00 Wrap up session & discussion for the future workshop planning &
Grant proposal ideas/writing

The TPRS has a growing interest in K-12 institutions and great potential for application in high school and undergraduate language courses in an effort to beef up student speaking ability. Yet, a lack of adequate teaching materials and systematic/structured strategies in teaching due to relatively new concepts and underdeveloped areas in the field of Japanese language teaching have meant that many K-12 teachers are struggling to use TPRS teaching techniques effectively.

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On Saturday, March 10, 2001 thirty-four teams from Colorado and Wyoming high schools and colleges competed in the 4th Annual Regional Japan Bowl competition sponsored by the Japan America Society of Colorado. In the morning, students competed in preliminary rounds closed to the public. Students were tested on their knowledge in such areas as Japanese grammar, culture, kanji, katakana, kotowaza, and kasanekotoba. The students also enjoyed participating in cultural activities such as the tea ceremony, a calligraphy contest, and watching anime.

After a pizza lunch, the final rounds began in which the top three teams at each level from the preliminary rounds competed. At the conclusion of all four exciting final rounds, the winners were announced. Winners at the three high school levels won a trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at the national competition. The winners were:

On Saturday, April 14, 2001 the three teams from Colorado competed at the 9th Annual National Japan Bowl Competition in Washington, D.C. All teams performed extremely well with the following outcomes:

All teachers are strongly encouraged to have their students participate in the Japan Bowl next spring. It is a wonderful way for students to test their knowledge of the Japanese language outside of the classroom. It is sure to be an experience you and your students will enjoy.

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The fourth annual conference of the National Council of Associations of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) was held in Arlington, VA (just outside Washington, DC) April 6-8, 2001. The conference brought together researchers and language policy experts for three days of presentations and discussions on both common problems and language-specific issues for the "less commonly taught languages" (LCTLs) -- languages other than Spanish, French, and German.

Japanese is one of the most commonly taught among the LCTLs, which also include Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Korean, Czech, Norwegian, Hebrew, and various Celtic, Slavic, Turkic, African, Scandinavian, native American, and Southeast Asian languages. Teachers and speakers of all of these languages attended the conference, and the sounds of many languages being spoken by groups in the hallways and lounges was one of the enjoyable aspects of the gathering.

A number of presentations focused on Japanese, and CJLEA members were well represented. Ryoko Yoshida Keaton and Yumiko Guajardo demonstrated the technology they have developed for course work and language maintenance; two of Guajardo-sensei's students from the Air Force Academy, Zachary Hickman and Kathy O'Brien, also came to the conference for the demonstration, and explained how they use the technology-based courseware for their language study. Laurel Rasplica Rodd participated on a panel discussion of LangNet, an ambitious multi-language project to establish an on-line database of learning materials for learners with specific needs and goals. The Japanese section of LangNet is focusing on learners with different needs in the area of reading.

Other presentations at the conference dealt with topics like the diffusion of Japanese pre-college instruction in Oregon and Indiana (Kazue Masuyama, NY), expressing plurality in languages without a plural marking rule (Naoko Nemoto, MA), peer interaction among students in language classes (Tetsuya Sato, AZ), character learning strategies for Chinese and Japanese (Helen Shen, VA), cross-linguistic influence on topic management in Japanese L2 oral narrative (Yuko Nakahama, DC), nonverbal behavior in Japanese L2 refusals (Nicholas Jungheim and Sayoko Yamashita, Tokyo), development of reading skills in Chinese and Japanese (Michael Everson, Frederick Jackson, and David Red, IA, DC, VA), and mentoring of new K-12 teachers in public schools (Julie Cain and Leslie Schrier, IA).

Heritage language learning and teaching were a major theme at the conference. A number of presentations described programs for heritage learners of Korean, Japanese, Hmong, Lao, Chinese, Greek, and native American languages. David Ingram, a keynote speaker from Australia (where Japanese is a most commonly taught language, having the largest pre-college enrollments of any language other than English), described the way schools in Australia are developing a community centered emphasis in second-language instruction, using heritage speakers and other resources to shape the curriculum.

Technology was another major focus. Several sessions focused on on-line assessment instruments that are being developed for use in several of the LCTLs, on self-study programs that are now available, and on the design of fonts for non-alphabet-based languages.

A third area of emphasis at the conference was advocacy. A number of speakers from national organizations emphasized the importance of foreign language education for the nation's future, and the need for all teachers to advocate for their programs and for the importance of language education at the local, state, and national levels.

For the CJLEA members who attended (including your correspondent) the conference was a chance to learn more about developments in other LCTLs besides Japanese and to realize the importance of working together to advance the cause of language education.

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Last March, Kaoru Slotsve and 28 of her students had the opportunity to make a two-day field trip to Denver from Casper, Wyoming. They visited places like the Buddhist Temple, the Japan Consulate and a Japanese Restaurant, and competed in the Japan Bowl. Here are some of the students' thoughts about the trip.

The Japan Bowl this year was pretty cool. I felt more comfortable because I knew more this year than last year. We did not make it to the finals, but we got to watch and see what to look forward to next year. - Melanie

The part I enjoyed most about our Denver Trip to the competition was the Buddhist Temple. It gave my class a look into a new culture, and opened doors for exploration into another religion other than Christianity. - Allie

In the art museum, I really liked the samurai armor, some of the Japanese art was interesting also. Later we visited the Consulate General's office, we were
legally in Japan. The thought of that was cool in itself. - Joe

We had lunch at Samurai restaurant. The food was good and the atmosphere wasn't too bad either. I sat in the tatami room, not too bad of a place for it being in a strip mall. - Jeremy

The restaurant was really fun. I ordered the sashimi and tempura lunch. It was so colorful and pretty! The fish was good, but I liked the tempura even better. The Kendo demonstration was so neat! It was loud and the ceiling almost broke, but it was awesome. The competition itself was the most exciting part. We (Zach, Allie and myself) almost won. We were two questions off from being in the finals. All in all, it was the best part of Japanese class, and I will never forget it. - Leah

The last place we went was to the Japan bowl. There, the second year students competed against students from all over the Northwest. First year students still had the chance for calligraphy. It was a unique experience, and I would encourage all Japanese students to go. - Brittney

More about the trip!

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• 4 issues of "Oshirase" newsletters
• a special discount registration price to the annual ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Conference in November
• eligibility of a Teacher/Administrator Awards
• participation of your students in the annual Nengajou contest and the Japanese National Honor Society

For more information, their e-mail address is ncjlt@hotmail.com or you can check their Web site at www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj/ncjlt/index.html.

As for ATJ (Association of Teachers of Japanese) membership, the annual fee is $45 and is also on a calendar-year basis. The membership entitles you to:

• receive the journal, "Japanese Language and Literature" (2 issues)
• receive the "ATJ Newsletter" (4 issues annually) & other publications including "Occasional Papers"
• present research at and attend at no charge the annual day-long ATJ Seminar in conjunction with the annual AAS (Association of Asian Studies) Conference
• have access to job opening announcements and other members-only information on ATJ's web site
• receive preferential consideration for funding to attend workshops and other professional development opportunities.

For more information, check our web site at www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj or
contact us at atj@colorado.edu.

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Golden Week (ゴールデン・ウィーク)   

• "Golden Week"
  Kids Web Japan, Japan Information Network
• Golden Week
  Schauwecker's Guide to Japan

Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日) 

• Constitution Memorial Day
  Kids Web Japan, Japan Information Network
• 日本国憲法
  
• THE CONSTITUTION OF JAPAN
  

Children's Day (こどもの日)   

• Children's Day
  Kids Web Japan, Japan Information Network
• Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day)
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Boys' Day Musha-Ningyo, A Page for Japanese Dolls
  Dr. Judy Shoaf, Director, Language Learning Center, University of Florida

Mother's Day (母の日) 

• Mother's Day
  Kids Web Japan, Japan Information Network
• Haha no hi (Mothers' Day)
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

These are a few examples of what you find on the Internet. You may conduct your own search using search engines. One of the recommended is Google.

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Rieko McAdams

I am the Japanese language instructor and the Program Manager of International Education at Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC). I have taught Japanese culture and language at the undergraduate level and elementary level for over ten years.

As the program manager of International Education, I take care of all activities for International Education, such as faculty travel arrangement, International students scholarship programs, home stay programs and Danish exchange students activities. One of the largest projects is the Title IV-B grant program. PPCC has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to promote international business education and provide assistance to businesses in the area. One aspect of the grant activities, which began on July 1, 1999, is to assist small to medium-sized local businesses to gain a competitive advantage in the Pacific Rim area. This will be done through cross-cultural business communication instruction, seminars and workshops, which focus on the Pacific Rim, and individualized international trade consultation.

I enjoy teaching Japanese culture to students. My philosophy of teaching is "to make learning fun" so I created my class activities to become more fun. I directed a Japanese "play" at PPCC in 1998 and last year. I created, directed and produced an authentic Samurai Love story. I am planning to produce another "Nihongo Geki" next March.

At the end of each semester, I provide a Japanese dinner to the PPCC faculty members and to the Japanese classes. As you can see from the picture of me, I often wear traditional Japanese kimono for special occasions at PPCC.

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Atsuko Ooura, Looking for a teaching position in CO

TEL/FAX: (614) 438-0119
E-mail: a.ooura@worldnet.att.net

I have six years of experience teaching Japanese in the United States and an additional three years of experience teaching English at a middle school in Japan.

In 1992, I had the opportunity and privilege to work with Mr. Fred Lorish at South Eugene High School in Oregon. Through team teaching, I was able to gain extensive experiences as well as improve my skills in developing curriculum and teaching materials, and managing the classroom efficiently. In the same year, I completed an intensive training program for Japanese teachers at University of Oregon under the supervision of Dr. Hiroko Kataoka.

After I earned a M.S. in TESOL from Central Connecticut State University in 1996, I taught Japanese for three years to a variety of ages and grade levels at a public elementary school in Norwalk, Connecticut. Subsequently, I taught Japanese at an intensive Japanese program for high school students which was founded by the state of Connecticut. Then , at Central Connecticut University, I worked with Dr. Shizuko Tomoda, a Japanese professor at CCSU, to develop a lesson plan, curriculum and conduct oral-aural assessments. Since 1999, I have been working at an elementary school in Columbus, Ohio as a full-time Japanese teacher. In all these teaching situations, I have successfully raised the students' motivation to learn Japanese, which is perceived to be a difficult language, by combining several different methodologies according to students' levels and needs. I am also certified in Japanese both in Connecticut and Ohio.

In summary, during the past nine years my teaching experience has ranged from elementary schools to colleges. Each different teaching situation offered me a broader scope of responsibilities and the opportunity to utilize my expertise as effectively as possible. My past experience can be successfully drawn upon in a teaching capacity to motivate students at any level. I feel I have the expertise, willingness for further personal development, interest, and patience required to work with students, and I am confident I could become a valuable asset to any school.

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AATJ
The Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese has established a fund for the purpose of helping K-12 teachers who are members of the Association of Teachers of Japanese (ATJ) or the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers (NCJLT) take advantage of professional development and in-service training opportunities. A limited number of grants are available to individual teachers for a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $600. An individual teacher may request funding only once each calendar year. Funding may be used to cover workshop or conference attendance, but not tuition costs for credit. Grant funds may also be used to hire a substitute teacher while you engage in an activity.
For more information, visit AATJ Professional Development Funding Page

CCFLT
The Grants Committee of the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers (CCFLT) reviews requests to fund special projects. Requests are accepted from foreign language professionals who have been CCFLT members for one full year prior to submitting the grant application. Grants awarded for the year may include the $1,000 Ronald W. Walker Memorial Grant, one $500 grant, and two $250 grants. Applicants must be specific in providing budget details. The postmark deadline for the Walker Memorial Grant is November 15th. In addition, the Grants Committee welcomes grant application in the $250 and $500 categories both November 15th and March 15th. CCFLT will notify applicants of the result within 45 days of the deadline.
For more information, visit CCFLT Grants Page

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May

• May 6 ~ 25: The Study of Japanese Economics and Politics
  Japan Center for Michigan Universities
• May 12 (Sat.) ~ 13 (Sun.):
  The Ninth Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Workshop
  
• May 22 (Tue.) ~ 26 (Sat.): IALL 2001 Bi-Annial conference
  

June

• June 8 - July 18: Middlebury Summer Language and Pedagogy Institute
• June 11 - August: Japanese Language Village, Concordia Language Villages
• June 18 - August: CARLA Summer Institutes for Second Language Teachers
• June 20 - July: CLEAR 2001 Summer Workshops
• June 20 - August 17: 16th Annual Homestay and Study Program
  Hokkaido International Foundation 2001
• June 27 - June 30: JSAA Biennial Conference 2001
• June 30 - July 1: さくらまつり, Denver

July

• July 6 - July 7: ALAA 2001
• July 9 - July 28: The Intensive Training Program for Teachers of the Japanese Language from U.S./CANADA/U.K. in Urawa, Japan
  Contact: Japan Foundation
• July 12 - July 18: Japan Foundation Los Angeles Office & Language Center, Ninth Summer Workshop for Pedagogy for U.S. / Canada K-12 Teachers of Japanese

August ~

• August 2 - 3: TPRS Workshop, Denver
• August 16 - 19 : CAJLE 2001 Annual Conference
  カナダ日本語教育振興会
• October 6 (Sat.): CJLEA Fall Assembly
• November 9 ~ 11: AJLS Tenth Annual Meeting
  Association for Japanese Literary Studies
  
• November 15 (Thu.) ~ 18 (Sun.): ACTFL 2001
  

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Japanese Language:

• ATJ (Association of Teachers of Japanese)
• AATJ (Alliance of Association of Teachers of Japanese)
• NCJLT (National Council of Japanese Language Teachers)

Foreign Languages

• ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)
  Standards for Foreign Language Learning - Acrobat Reader
  
• CCFLT (Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers)
• CSC (Central States Conference)
• NCOLCTL (National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages)
• SWCOLT (Southwest Conference On Language Teaching)
• MLA (Modern Language Association)

Computer Assisted (Language) Learning

• CALICO (Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium)
• IALL (International Association for Language Learning Technology)
• LLT (Language Learning & Technology)
• NEALL (Northeast Association for Language Learning Technology)
• SALT (Society for Applied Learning Technology)

Others

• AAS (Association for Asian Studies)
• AJLS (Association for Japanese Literary Studies)
• CDE (Colorado Department of Education)
  Colorado Model Content Standards for Foreign Language - Acrobat Reader
  
• International Internship Programs
• Japan America Society of Colorado
• Japan Foundation
• Japan Foundation & Language Center in Los Angeles
• SSEC (Social Science Education Consortium)
• United States-Japan Foundation

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Please consider our invitation to join or renew membership in the Colorado Japanese Language Education Association (CJLEA). The aims of the Association are to promote interest in and improve the quality of instruction of Japanese language at all levels in the state of Colorado, and to provide for the professional/educational growth of the membership. The CJLEA was established in April 1995, with a grant from the Japan Foundation Language Center. Among the benefits of membership are receiving a newsletter, attending events and networking with Japanese educators and other professionals.

Membership is open to teachers and students of Japanese language and others interested in Japanese language and culture education.
Membership and Renewal Form

For additional information, please contact:
Joan E. Ericson, CJLEA Co-President
jericson@coloradocollege.edu
or
Ryoko Yoshida Keaton, CJLEA Co-President
Ryoko.Keaton@tbr-inc.com

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