Conference Sessions & Workshops of Japanese related topics

Friday, September 25, 2015

9:00 9:45 Strand D: Concurrent Sessions

Session 16: The Efficacy of Mnemonics Presentation in Learning Kanji
Presenter: Tomoko Kato, College of William and Mary
Kanji is a major obstacle for learners whose native languages use phonograms such as
alphabets. The learners often become anxious and frustrated; however, the ultimate goal of
Kanji study is to conduct intelligent and integrated linguistic activities. The presenter will
demonstrate her original Kanji learning method: Creating Your Own Mnemonics
Presentation + Five-Minute Daily Activities. This program is designed to encourage learners
to use grammar and vocabulary creatively.
Audience:
Language of Presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All Levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
E4, LE5, LE7

10:00 10:45 Strand E: Concurrent Sessions

Session 26: The Effects of Online Kanji Learning Exercises on Japanese
Language Students
Presenters: Yoshiko Mori, Georgetown University
Motoko Omori, Georgetown University
Kumi Sato, Georgetown University
Georgetown University implemented online kanji learning exercises in introductory and
intermediate Japanese language instruction in order to increase students awareness of the
compositional structures of kanji words and to familiarize them with effective kanji
learning strategies. The students in the First and Second Level Japanese courses learned 912 sets of new kanji words. Half of the sets were taught using online exercises, and the
other half were taught with conventional paper-and-pencil tasks. The results indicated
that students performance on kanji tests was statistically significantly higher for online
learning. In this presentation, we will show how the objectives are exemplified in these
exercises and discuss the pedagogical benefits of this project.

Audience:
Language of Presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All Levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
LT1, LT2, P2

11:00 11:45 Strand F: Concurrent Sessions

Session 39: Fostering Students Conversational Ability
Presenters: Minori Marken, Old Dominion University
Hiromi Lamberson, Green Run High School
Mayumi Hino, Ocean Lakes High School
Japanese language teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools started a horizontal and
vertical articulation project with an instructor at Old Dominion University three years ago.
This session will focus on the process and the outcomes of the writing project and the
newly started discussion on conversational ability.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
LT6, C5, PR5

2:00 2:45 Strand G: Concurrent Sessions

Session48: Urashima-Taro: Japanese Play Directed and Performed by
Students
Presenters: Manako Fujiwara, George Mason University
Meagan Delaney, George Mason University
The session introduces a Japanese play that takes place at GMU campus in April. The play is
directed by a student, and performed in Japanese. Students at all the levels of language
learning participate. It is a great opportunity for students to glean aspects of the Japanese
language and culture that they cannot learn in class.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
P7, LE5. LE6

3:00 3:45 Strand H: Concurrent Sessions

Session 59: Enhancing Instruction Through Collaborative Curriculum
Alignment between Schools
Presenters:
Yukiyo Moorman, Walt Whitman High School
Tomoko Hoogenboom, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Minori Marken, Old Dominion University
The session will highlight the work of two sets of educators that developed cross-school
teams in order to enhance their instruction. In the first project, four high school teachers
produced a county wide Japanese level-1 Final Exam. In the second project, a high school

teacher and a university instructor worked together to create vertical articulation for their
Japanese language programs by aligning the curricula and learning outcomes.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
PF4, P1, C5

4:00 4:45 Strand I: Concurrent Sessions

Session 70: Gateway to Authentic Literary Text: Short Stories by
Murakami Haruki (Part I)
Presenters: Ichiro Hanami, The George Washington University
Kumi Sato, Georgetown University
Takae Tsujioka, The George Washington University
Murakami Harukis writings are a gateway to advanced Japanese language learning through
authentic material. His writing style is simple and English-like, and yet, teachers shy away
from his stories due to the remoteness of magical realism, as well as their concern with his
stylistically un-Japanese bent often criticized by Japans literary establishment. In this
session, the participants will explore the advantages of using Murakamis short stories to
instill learners confidence and motivation.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
P9, LE5, LE6

Strand J: Concurrent Sessions 5:00 5:45

Session 82: Gateway to Authentic Literary Text: Short Stories by
Murakami Haruki (Part II)
Presenters: Ichiro Hanami, The George Washington University
Kumi Sato, Georgetown University
Takae Tsujioka, The George Washington University
The global popularity of Murakami Haruki makes him the ideal vehicle to introduce
Japanese language learners to authentic material. In this second session, the participants
will read one of his stories to highlight his use of magical realism. The presenters will share
examples of reading and analysis for high-intermediate learners, as well as how to initiate
higher-level discussions for advanced learners and above. The session will close with a
forum for participants to exchange ideas regarding other materials and activities to
facilitate learning of both the content and language.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
P9, LT1, LT3

6:00 9:30 FLAVA Reception and Awards

Everyone who registered by the Early Bird deadline is cordially invited to attend the
FLAVA Reception. We thank Vista Higher Learning for providing our guitarist.

FLAVA Reception (6:00 7:00)

Location:
Promenade
Presenters:
Annette Waggoner, FLAVA President
Rafael Scarfullery, Classical Guitarist, Composer, and Conductor

FLAVA Awards Dinner (7:00 9:30)

Location:
Adams
Presenters:
Annette Waggoner, FLAVA President
Katherine T. Sue Robertson, Chair, FLAVA Recognitions and Awards

Saturday, September 26, 2015

8:00 9:00 FLAVA Business Meeting and Keynote Address
FLAVA Business Meeting and Keynote Address
Location:

Auditorium

Presenters: Annette Wagonner, FLAVA President

Dick Kuettner, FLAVA President Elect
Linda Egnatz, Keynote Speaker
The program includes FLAVA election of officers and the Keynote address.

9:00 9:45 Strand K: Concurrent Sessions

Session 98: The Systematic Way of Approaching Japanese Phrase
Particles
Presenters: Akira Suzuki, University of Richmond
Tadao Uchisawa, Thomas Dale High School
Under the JUMP-system, the phrase particles are divided into two types: Composed of the
Primary particles, and composed of the Secondary particles. The presenters will introduce
characteristics and the roles of each particle types along with comparing Japanese and
English syntax.
Audience:
All levels / Japanese
Language of presentation:
Japanese
Location:
Room A
TELL Correlations:
LT6, C5, PR3

10:00 10:45 Strand L: Concurrent Sessions

Session 118: Revisiting How to Improve Students Katakana Recognition
Skills
Presenter: Yumiko Tashiro, Purdue University/Washington and Lee University
Because Japanese employs three different non-alphabetic scripts, learning its writing
system can be a challenging task for those whose first language is alphabetic. Katakana is
considered relatively easy to learn because it is sound-based and contains a limited
number of letters; however, even advanced learners are not comfortable reading katakana
words. The presenter will discuss the efficiency of online katakana word recognition
exercises for the novice learners of Japanese.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
LT1, LT2, P2

11:00 11:45 Strand M: Concurrent Sessions

Session 137: Process Matters Re-examining Research Projects
Presenters: Mieko Kawai, University of Virginia
Tomoko Marshall, University of Virginia
Teachers activate students intellectual curiosity and collaborative learning by engaging
them in a research project that motivates them to think critically. Projects that connect
learners to the speakers of the target language make language learning relevant and
engaging. The presenter will share the pedagogical rationale behind one such project, its
overview and timeline, the guidelines and handouts given to the students, examples of
student-student interactions captured in and outside of the classroom, sample final
products, evaluation criteria, and results of the post-project survey.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
P8, LT1, LT6

12:00 1:45 Professional Organization Luncheons

Session 158: MAATJ Luncheon
Presenters: Aiko Kitamura, MAATJ Co-President
Koji Otani, MAATJ Co-President
All current and prospective members who preregistered for the luncheon are welcome
to attend.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All Levels / Japanese

Japanese
TBA
PF1

2:00 3:30: Strand N: Concurrent Workshops

Session 162: What is Conversational Ability? Useful Classroom Activity to
Foster Conversation
Presenter: Minori Marken, Old Dominion University
One main goal of teaching Japanese is to develop students conversational ability or oral
communication skills. There are those who fear that conversation activities prevent
students from learning complete grammatical sentence structure. The participants will
define the conversational ability and the activities that foster the ability in the classroom. A
sample conversational activity will be presented. The session will include reports from five
groups funded by J-GAP USA, various aspects of Japanese language teaching, including
conversation, writing, and the dynamics of working in teams across grades and schools.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
LE5, LE7, C3

3:45 5:15 Strand O: Concurrent Workshops

Session173: Improving Students Oral Skills
Presenter: Noriko Gonzalez, South Kitsap High School
The presenter will discuss effective strategies to help develop a wide range of functional
oral skills that enable students to engage in real life conversations and express ideas. In this
hands-on, interactive session, the audience will actively learn how to improve their current
curriculum by including more opportunities for the students to develop speaking skills.
This session will serve to inspire developing articulation projects that have been actively
practiced among MAATJ member teachers since 2011.
Audience:
Language of presentation:
Location:
TELL Correlations:

All levels / Japanese

Japanese
Room A
P7, LE5, LE7