Designing a Business Japanese Curriculum
The JOINT online professional development program of the Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) – now American Association of Teachers of Japanese – offered “Designing a Business Japanese Curriculum” in Fall of 2011. This course, which may be offered again in the future, is designed for teachers and/or business trainers who are currently teaching or planning to teach a Business Japanese course.
The 7-week online course aims to help participants understand and design or revisit a Business Japanese course with a special emphasis on developing a roadmap of the course curriculum to reflect individual institutional needs. The course features the use of interactive technologies and collaborative work by participants.
Description: The course introduces essential elements of teaching Business Japanese. Background readings and some existing materials will be used as examples, but hands-on experience is emphasized, and course participants develop their own Business Japanese curriculum based on their situation and the needs of their students. Participants work on assigned readings and lectures independently, hold online video conference discussions, keep a reflection journal, and work on projects individually and collaboratively. Assignments and evaluations are designed to accommodate the differing needs of those who are enrolled in the course. Anyone who is interested in teaching Business Japanese is welcome. The expected proficiency level of participants is at least the Intermediate-High level or equivalent using the ACTFL proficiency scales. Both native and non-native speakers of Japanese are invited to enroll.
Faculty: Yoshiko Saito-Abbott (California State University, Monterey Bay); Motoko Tabuse (Eastern Michigan University).
Schedule: This course is delivered entirely online. Participants are expected to spend about five hours a week on average on coursework: for reading, one hour listening to an online lecture, one hour in real-time group discussion, and two hours working on assignments and projects.
Materials: Selected reading materials are made available online.
Language: English: Sample materials, sample materials, lectures (PowerPoint); Japanese: Interview video, lectures (voice, scripts), group discussions (switch to English if necessary); English or Japanese: Reading materials, reflection journal, projects, correspondence, manuals.
Required Technical Background for Participants: Participants should be familiar with basic Internet features such as looking for information, reading online materials, downloading materials, sending and receiving emails, and online chatting. Experience with using Skype (voice and/or webcam) and a collaborative writing tool such as Google Docs or wiki would be a plus. A fast Internet connection (Ethernet or wireless) will be needed to work on various online activities; dial-up modem connection is not recommended. Participants who do not have a webcam and microphone built into their computers will need to purchase one for course participation (the cost for this equipment is usually about $25). A headset (or set of iPod earphones) are also necessary for video conference discussions.
* JOINT program courses can be offered at a low fee thanks to the support of several organizations: the Japan Foundation, the Toshiba International Foundation, the Shoyu Club, and the US-Japan Foundation.
