The Current State of Japanese Language Education in Australian Schools

4.4.3 Operating within the Australian Environment

There have been concerns expressed that teachers who are recruited directly from Japan, or soon after arrival, sometimes have insufficient English and understanding of the Australian education system and culture, both of which can lead to problems with classroom control and with engagement with the school community. These are issues which teachers themselves worry about especially in the first few years of teaching, even when they are judged by their peers to be doing a competent job. Teachers who are the sole Japanese teacher in the school feel particularly vulnerable, and often lack adequate support networks to help them adjust to the Australian educational environment.

There are some examples of successful mentoring and support programs run by teacher associations, and informal mentoring also frequently occurs within associations and other teacher networks. However, there are many areas where such support is not available, and the normal mechanisms for mentoring new teachers that apply in schools are insufficient to deal with either the scale or the nature of the problems some individuals face. This is an area which should be given priority in future staffing and funding decisions.

Not all teachers born overseas have these issues and if they do, many receive the support to overcome them. Several of the pioneers of Japanese language education have been first generation Japanese- Australians, and there are many talented and competent teachers born in Japan who are well respected by students and their peers. The numbers of background speakers of Japanese currently studying in schools is increasing, and they will provide a significant source of future teachers, particularly if the teaching they themselves are receiving is inspiring and effective, and develops their skills to the highest levels possible.

Some of the most effective Japanese programs employ a combination of native and non-native speaker teachers. In general, these teachers work well together, and are able to draw on each others’ strengths and compensate for each other in areas of relative weakness. In most of the Japanese language teacher associations as well, native and non-native speakers work together on committees and on projects. The ability of native and non-native speakers to cooperate, the degree of mutual respect and the lack of conflict between them, was commented on by several informants as a source of strength for Japanese language teaching.

4.4.4 Japanese-specific Methodology Training

Figures for the number of teachers with specific qualifications in Japanese language teaching are generally not available. However, the proportion with some training in language pedagogy seems to have increased in comparison with earlier years, although such training is still far from universal, and the situation varies in different states and territories and sectors. The number of teachers who have recent training, and who have training specifically relating to the teaching of Japanese is even less.

4.5 Language Assistants

Japanese language teaching has benefited enormously over several decades from the contributions of a large number of native speaker ‘language assistants’, many of whom work on a voluntary basis. The use of assistants in association with properly trained teachers has been extremely positive. The assistants provide native speaker models for students, as well as a much needed ‘second pair of hands’ in the classroom. They assist in developing materials and they can also contribute to the language maintenance of non-native speaking teachers by providing opportunities for them to use Japanese.

A perhaps less recognised benefit of language assistants derives from the fact that they are often young, and recently arrived from Japan, and thus provide a direct link for students with contemporary Japanese culture and society. Assistants also often provide a link to schools and communities in Japan, both while they are in Australia and after they return, which can be the starting point for sister school programs and exchanges.

Most assistants are provided through commercial companies or private arrangements, and the quality and preparation of recruits in some programs is variable. Some states and territories have organised their own ‘official’ programs targeting students who have some teacher training, who generally receive better conditions and better training and support on arrival than those recruited through private organisations. Some of those in such programs are recent graduates who have majored in the teaching of Japanese as a foreign language in Japan, and bring considerable expertise to their roles. Education authorities and individual schools also employ locally recruited assistants on a paid basis, sometimes recruiting Japanese graduates from teacher education programs who have insufficient experience in Australia to find a full language teaching position immediately, but who often gain substantially from the experience and later become excellent fully fledged language teachers.

Many teachers interviewed for this project indicated that they would like to see extra funding for Asian languages invested to increase support for language assistant programs. In future, professionally organised programs should be expanded to increase the overall quality and effectiveness of assistants in schools.

4.6 Professional Development

Teachers of Japanese are regular and enthusiastic attendees at professional development sessions. The Japanese Language Teachers Associations (JLTAs) provide practical and relevant professional development seminars. Most JLTAs organise an annual or biennial Japanese language teachers’ conference. In some states and territories, the various sectors and the Modern Language Teachers Associations also provide valuable professional development, as does the Japan Foundation, the MCJLE and the sectors.

In some states and territories, the various sectors work cooperatively to provide professional development by either jointly organising activities or inviting teachers from all sectors to participate in each other’s seminars. This is particularly efficient in small states and territories with small numbers of teachers, but in all instances it allows for the best possible outcomes for teachers by providing access to more and varied professional development seminars and networking opportunities.

A feature of professional development that is sometimes lacking is ensuring that teachers consider how and why new ideas or strategies fit into their overall program. Teachers are keen to learn practical ideas and techniques, and to gain access to new games, worksheets and resources that help engage their students. There is a danger, however, that professional development focusing on activities and resources may be piecemeal, and does not assist with the renewal of curriculum as a whole or with major changes in methodology and focus.