Contact UsSEARCH

Site Map

2012 J-LEAP REPORTNOVEMBER, 2012: BREEZE ISSUE #61
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESETAE OKUDA
Verdugo Woodlands Elementary SchoolGlendale, CAHi, My name is Tae Okuda, and I am currently working as ateaching assistant at Verdugo Woodlands Elementary
School in California.
Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School has a uniqueprogram called the Foreign Language Academy ofGlendale - Japanese （FLAG Japanese）, where thechildren learn their subjects evenly in both English and inJapanese. The program started in 2010, and there are currently 148 students enrolled in grades K through3.
The program is very unique in that students learn all subjects in both languages, as opposed to studying
one particular language in Japanese and another in English. Unlike the way adults learn a second
language, such as through the Grammar Translation Model, children in our program actually learn
Japanese thorough content area instruction.
FLAG Japanese students have varying backgrounds, meaning some children are almost as fluent as native
Japanese speakers, while others are better in English, and some children have parents with Japanesebackground, while others do not. The mix of Japanese and non-Japanese speaking students is about halfand half. As you can imagine, there are tremendous challenges for both children and teachers in ourprogram. Since there are different levels of Japanese language proficiency in each class, I cannot help but
wonder how a teacher can effectively differentiate in the classroom, or how children can acquire a new
language without any direct grammar instruction (like the way Japanese language schools teach).
Children in our program are actually learning subjects such as social studies or science in both Englishand Japanese. For example, 3rd grade just finished learning the subject of “Economy” in Japanese. As you
can imagine, the subject itself is new to all the students, but in addition, the language used in the class(Japanese) is also new to many students. In order for the students to understand the concepts, the teacher
always has to come up with or consider ideas like visualizing the word using a sketch or preparing extra
steps for the explanation.

Privacy - Terms

One of my roles as a teaching assistant is to model Japanese speaking; I am only allowed to speak
Japanese in the class to encourage the students to speak Japanese themselves. I try to speak to thestudents in Japanese as much as possible, even if they don’t understand what I am saying. This is reallyone of the most challenging parts of my role at the moment. When I have to discipline some children whodon’t understand Japanese well, it becomes especially challenging. They tend to be less attentive due tothe lack of understanding. In such cases, I need extra effort to communicate with them, and I do notalways succeed.
I am also involved in the 3rd grade‘s Kanji study, homework club, for those who have less command ofJapanese, and other activities in the classroom. For the Kindergarten class, I mainly support the main
Japanese teacher and make sure that all the children can understand their activities and the teacher’s
instructions. The greatest part of being in the kindergarten class is that I can observe how children who
are completely new to the Japanese language acquire Japanese from scratch. It has been almost 2
months since I started working with them. In the beginning, some children seemed to have no clue what
was going on in the class, but now, they can say some greetings, ask permission, ask help, count from 1 to
10 and name colors. It is really a pleasure to see their improvement day by day.
I am thinking that the experience I gain here could be used very well in Japan. It would be helpful to think
about non-native Japanese learners who are studying in Japanese public schools and who don’t get muchsupport in the classroom. I feel that I have plenty of opportunities to examine some of the hypotheses
made by various researchers studying how children learn languages and become better second languagelearners.
Finally, I have set 3 goals for J-LEAP. First is to have a concrete idea about what the Japanese immersion
program is. Second is to have specific skills for class management, especially skills to communicate anddeal with children who have less Japanese skills. Lastly, while I am here, I also hope that I can introduce
as many Japanese books as possible, because I think reading is very important for second language
learners. I have started reading some books to the 3rd graders every week. If they come to know theenjoyment of reading in Japanese in the end, I would be more than happy.

Breeze #62

Breeze #61

2012 JET-MIP Report Part 4/8

2012 J-LEAP Report: Tae Okuda

2012 J-LEAP Report: Yukiko Homma

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Curtis Fortenberry

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Emily Domingue

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Jessica Lee

Privacy - Terms

2012 JET-MIP Essay: Sophie Charles

Breeze #60

Breeze #59

Breeze #58

Breeze #57

Breeze #56

Breeze #55

Breeze #54

Breeze #53

Breeze #52

Breeze #51

Headquarters

New York Office

Center for Global PartnershipJapan Related LinksVolunteer

ボランティア募集

Job Openings (Updated)

5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
P. 323.761.7510

Annual Report© 2019 The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Web Design.

Privacy - Terms