The Current State of Japanese Language Education in Australian Schools

3.8.4 Online and Multimedia Resources and ICT Facilities

Increasingly, both print-based and digital resources are being distributed through the web. The Japan Foundation website has an abundance of resource material for both primary and secondary levels that teachers can download. The Le@rning Federation, managed by Education Services Australia, has developed Japanese content which is available to all Australian and New Zealand schools through differing media, including online, CD and DVD. State education departments also provide online learning resources, such as Vic’s Languages Online and NSW’s and WA’s materials for senior secondary students.

In addition to resources specifically designed for schools, there is now a wealth of material available on the web in general that is useful to teachers of Japanese and students. Use of such material, however, relies on both teachers and students having easy access to ICT facilities in their schools (and ideally at home). In addition, the ability to freely access and incorporate authentic materials, and the confidence to encourage students to explore beyond teacher-provided materials, requires a level of competence in Japanese (and in the use of technology) which many teachers do not possess. Despite the growing volume of online and computer- based resources, many teachers still complain that they are unable to access adequate facilities to use them. Another common complaint is lack of support for the use of ICT facilities, such as DVDs and games in non-standard formats, or technical support for using video links with Japan or programs such as Skype to facilitate interaction.

It is to be hoped that the Australian Government funding for language and science laboratories will go some way to making ICT facilities more accessible to more students more often. Technical support and eacher training will also need to be provided at adequate levels to ensure that computer equipment and rooms are utilised in an optimum way.

3.8.5 Resource Centres and Bookshops

In addition to the general language resource facilities operated by state education departments, there are two key resource centres which supply materials for the teaching of Japanese on loan: The Sydney Language Centre operated by the Japan Foundation, and the MCJLE Resource Collection, housed within the Monash University library. There are also several specialist bookshops with knowledgeable Japanese- speaking staff supporting teachers of Japanese in the major capital cities and they travel to most Japanese language conferences to provide service to all states and territories.

The Nihongo Tanken Japanese Language Centre is located on the grounds of Kirrawee High School in NSW. The Centre features a Japanese style room, a fully equipped technology room and a Japanese garden. The Centre runs programs for students of Japanese from all sectors catering annually for 3,500 students from Years K–12.

3.9 Sources of Support for Japanese Language Education

The following sections detail some of the organisations which have been important in supporting the establishment and continued development of Japanese language teaching in Australian schools. While there are also important organisations that support languages in general, the focus here is on those that are specific to Japanese. In the provision of support, governments and system authorities have tended to structure their efforts around languages in general, with additional financial support for Asian languages, usually treated as a homogenous group. This is very effective and efficient for certain purposes, and has served to unite those involved with different languages in ways that have strengthened the field as a whole. However, it has sometimes meant that the specific needs and circumstances of teachers and students of individual languages have not been catered for sufficiently. Japanese has been extremely fortunate in being very well served by language specific support, outside of the normal channels, and the continuation of such support remains essential to its future success.

It is also worth remarking that the provision of support outside normal education systems (government, Catholic and independent) has also been a catalyst for cooperation and unity within the field. For example, where the Japan Foundation has provided professional development activities or supplied consultants to state education authorities, there has been an expectation that they will be open to all teachers of Japanese. This has encouraged jurisdictions and teachers to work together, a situation which ultimately benefits all.

3.9.1 The Japan Foundation

The Japan Foundation is sponsored by the Japanese Government and ‘aims to promote cultural exchange between Japan and other nations’ (www.jpf.org. au/01_aboutus/jpf.htm). It organises a diverse range of activities focusing on Japanese culture and society (such as exhibitions, film showings, concerts, lectures and forums), supports cultural exchange activities and coordinates various programs promoting and supporting Japanese language education overseas.

It has had an Australian office since 1977, and established the Japan Foundation Sydney Language Centre in 1991 to support language teaching, particularly in primary and secondary schools.

The support of the Japan Foundation has been extremely important to the establishment of Japanese language teaching in Australia at all levels. It has provided funding for an enormous range of activities over the years, both those initiated by the Foundation, and those initiated locally and funded through grant programs, including numerous conferences, forums and visits by experts. It also supports Australian teachers visiting Japan for language and methodology upgrading, and to teachers and academics conducting research and developing teaching resources. It is noteworthy that the Japan Foundation has picked up the challenge of developing resources to suit Australian conditions, recently producing materials useful for intercultural language learning and cross-curricular units (such as ‘Art Speaks Japanese’ developed with the Art Gallery of New South Wales). The Japan Foundation organises the national final of the Australian Japanese Speech Contest, which in 2009 celebrated its fortieth anniversary, and initiated a new video competition for students in 2009.

The Japan Foundation has also supplied personnel, seconded to state education departments. Sometimes these consultants were the only source of central language-specific support for teachers and they played a crucial role in providing advice, information and professional development, and in developing resources. While the Japan Foundation no longer fully funds such positions, they have recently entered into partnerships with several states and territories to jointly fund Japanese consultants.

Unfortunately, with the recent economic downturn, the Japan Foundation has scaled back its operations in several areas. It is also facing increasing demand from the continuing rapid expansion of Japanese language teaching globally.

In addition, the Japan Foundation has recently indicated that it will move from a position focusing on supporting local needs to one which provides more central direction and structure. To this end, it is currently in the process of producing the Japan Foundation Standards for Japanese Language Education, modelled on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which is now in its draft version (The Japan Foundation, 2009).