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2013 J-LEAP REPORTOCTOBER, 2013: BREEZE ISSUE #72
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF JAPANESE

2013 J-LEAP REPORTBY HIROKO MAEKAWA
Bloomington High School North
Bloomington, IN
Hello. My name is Hiroko Maekawa, and I am currently working
as a teaching assistant at Bloomington High School North inIndiana. There are 62 students learning Japanese as a foreign
language dispersed across four levels; 1st, 2nd, 3rd year and AP.
I am involved in all levels, and have a variety of roles in and out of class.
One of my roles as a teaching assistant is to model Japanese speaking. Since my arrival, my co-teacher
and I have started a Q&A session at the beginning of each class. For example, I ask questions verball inJapanese, and the students answer the questions by writing in Japanese. We believe this task will help thestudents develop listening and writing skills. In addition, we speak Japanese as much as possible so thestudents will become accustomed to listening Japanese. They learn that even if they don’t understand themeaning of every word, they still get the gist of the message. I am also involved in giving directions about
how to write characters, giving quizzes and grading papers, checking homework, and other activities inthe classroom.
The greatest challenge is having 3rd year and AP students in the same class. We try to parallel teachduring this class, but it is still difficult for the students to concentrate on their own studies. When one
group is learning via PowerPoint, for example, it can distract the students in the other class sharing thesame room. We continue to think of better ways to help students understand and concentrate on theirwork.
My co-teacher gives students projects at the end of every unit, using the grammar they learned during thatunit. I completely agree with this goal, and feel the projects are enjoyable activities for the students.
We also have three student groups including Japan Club, Japanese National Honors Society (JNHS) andJapan Olympiad of Indiana (JOI). For Japan Club activities, students are planning to cook Japanese food,watch Japanese movies/dramas, and celebrate Japanese annual events. For JNHS, they will volunteer atthe library and elementary school reading Japanese folk tales through Kamishibai and teaching Japanesesong and culture. JOI is a competition for all high school students in Indiana, which will be held inFebruary, 2014. My role is to help them understand Japanese history and culture in greater depth. Privacy - Terms

I think the experience I will gain here will be very useful once I return to Japan. I have already found somedifferences between American and Japanese or Asian education. Asian countries seem to focus more on
grammar and pattern practices, while American education seem to focus more on activities and projects
using the target language. For example I feel that some aspects of American education are better, but thestudents need more basic practice before the unit projects and that is what I want to help with most.
I have set three personal goals while participating in J-LEAP. First, I want to help students become better
communicators and teach them about Japan through Japanese language. Second, I want to learn more
about American education and bring the most effective teaching methods back to Japan. Lastly, I want toexperience American life and improve my English, which will help me see the world through the students’eyes.
I think it would be a great joy for American students to be able to successfully communicate withJapanese students and understand each other through the lessons that my co-teacher and I create
together.

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2013 Group Tour Report: Steven Johnson

2013 J-LEAP Report: Amiko Nishijima

2013 J-LEAP Report: Hiroko Maekawa

2013 JET-MIP Essay: Ariana Foster

2013 JET-MIP Essay: Lian Eytinge2013 JET-MIP Essay: Rebecca Cook2013 JET-MIP Essay: Shannon Foremaster

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