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JLEU #48

NOVEMBER, 2017: BREEZE ISSUE #121
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESE
JAPANESE LANGUAGE EDUCATIONUPDATEAMERICAN ASSIATION OF TEACHERS
OF JAPANESE / JAPAN FOUNDATION,LOS ANGELES
The 2015 survey conducted by the JapanFoundation on the state of Japanese language
education indicates a 9.7% increase inJapanese language learners in the UnitedStates (compared to 2012), however thenumber of Japanese teachers has decreasedby 8.8%. As a result Japanese programs are disappearing as teachers retire and schools
cannot find replacements. AATJ and the Japan Foundation are collaborating to encourage thedevelopment of new Japanese teachers to meet this need. Starting this year AATJ and JFLA aretrying a new outreach model: combining leadership training with local Japanese language
teachers’ association meetings.
On September 8-10, 2017, AATJ and the Japan Foundation organized the Global Competency &Japanese Language Education leadership workshop which was hosted by the Japanese
Teacher’s Association of Texas (JTAT) in San Antonio, Texas. The workshop included: a keynote
talk by Yoshihisa Nagatani, the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, “The Presentand Future of Japanese Language Education in Overseas Enterprises”; and presentations onACTFL’s national language advocacy program “Lead with Languages” and the principals of JCAN (Japanese-Core Practices, Articulation/Advocacy, and Network).
Mr. Nagatani’s Presentation
Mr. Nagatani noted that while Toyota’s US divisions and offices commonly speak English, Toyota
management incorporates the Japanese way of thinking. Importantly for Toyota that way ofPrivacy - Terms
thinking incorporates the concepts of Andon, Karakuri, Mendomi, and Nemawashi -- concepts

which are hard for the non-Japanese to fully embrace. Mr. Nagatani also indicated thatindividuals that embrace the concepts of “ningen ryoku,” or interpersonal skills such as
leadership skills and consideration for others, are the employees that Toyota most values. He
noted that Toyota’s extensive internship program -- which eventually leads to employment for
between 20 – 40 percent of the interns – evaluates interns, in part, on their knowledge andpractice of these concepts. Thus he encouraged not only Japanese language education but
education that cultivates an understanding of Japanese culture, history and “ningen ryoku”
skills.
Lead With Languages
Mr. Nagatani’s message highlighted a key reason behind ACTFL’s “Lead with LanguageCampaign”. 46% of US businesses need multi-lingual and multi-cultural employees and 1 in 5 US
job is dependent on international trade, however less than 10% of US citizens speak a language
other than English and only ¼ of US K-12 educational institutions even offer a language otherthan English. ACTFL’s “Lead with Languages Campaign” is an effort to highlight these facts andreverse the decline of language education throughout the US educational system. For more
information on this campaign please see: http://www.leadwithlanguages.org/

Articulation High School to College
High school students and teachers are increasingly facing a dilemma. Many college placement
tests focus on grammatical accuracy while world languages programs and, business needs,need to focus on communication which includes both language and culture. Universities andcolleges may want to revisit their placement tests so they align with the national movements
mentioned above and accept more credits from AP Japanese Language and Culture exam. See
generally (https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-japanese-language-and-culture/exam?
course=ap-japanese-language-and-culture)
Core Practices:
Participants had lively discussion on how to teach Japanese language and culture in highschool and college classrooms. The session introduced the six points of Core Practices withexamples: (1) Use Target Language for Learning; (2) Design Communicative Activities; (3) Teach
Grammar as Concept and Use in Context; (4) Use Authentic Cultural Resources; (5) Plan withBackward Design Model; and (6) Provide Appropriate Feedback. Please see
https://wlclassroom.com/2017/03/19/actfl-core-practices/ for more details.

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2017 J-LEAP Report: Asako Sakamoto2017 J-LEAP Report: Yui Kimura

Japanese Language Update #48

2017 Teacher Training Program Participant: Colleen Laird

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