Read on for Japanese Language Training!!
The American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ)’s JOINT online course program is offering “Basic Concepts of Japanese Language Teaching” between March 12 and April 29, 2012 (six weeks of class plus one week of orientation and technology familiarization). The course facilitators are Professors Kazue Masuyama (California State University, Sacramento) and Eiko Ushida (University of California, San Diego).
This course is designed primarily for prospective or new teachers with up to 3 years of teaching experience, but it may also be useful for teachers with more experience who have not received much professional development in foreign language teaching.
The course features the use of interactive technologies and collaborative work by participants. It utilizes background readings and some existing materials as examples, but hands-on experience is emphasized, and participants will develop their own teaching philosophy and learning scenarios. Participants will work on assigned readings and lectures independently, hold online video conference discussions in small groups, keep a reflection journal, and work on projects individually and collaboratively in pairs. Assignments and evaluations are designed to accommodate the differing needs of those who are enrolled in the course. Teachers at both the K-12 and post-secondary levels, as well as both native and non-native speakers of Japanese, are invited to enroll.
Participants are expected to spend 5 to 8 hours a week on average on coursework: one or two hours for reading, one hour listening to an online lecture, one hour in real-time group discussion, and two to three hours working on assignments and projects. Participants must be available for a one-hour weekly online discussion on EITHER Thursday 6-7 p. (Pacific standard time), Friday 1-2 pm (Pacific time), or Friday 3-4 pm (Pacific time).
The cost of the course is $95.00. Graduate credit (2 units from the University of Colorado) is available for an additional fee of $120.00
Information on the course and on applying to participate can be found online at http://www.aatj.org/joint/BasicCourse.html
Questions can be addressed to Susan Schmidt, Executive Director of AATJ, at susan.schmidt@colorado.edu