As part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Japanese Studies Department at the University of Sydney, Professor Satoshi Uehara from Tohoku University will be presenting the following seminar: 
The cognitive theory of subjectivity and the invisible speaker in a cross-linguistic perspective:
Zero 1st person pronouns in English, Thai and Japanese

When: Wednesday 22 March 2017, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Where: School of Languages and Cultures Common Room
Level 5, Brennan MacCallum Building (A18)

​For further information and to RSVP, please visit The University of Sydney Department of Japanese Studies website.

Due to cancellations, the Tanken Centre have the following dates available for small groups to combine:
- Friday 31 March: to combine with a group of thirteen Year 9 students
- Tuesday 27 June: to combine with a small Year 12 Continuers group (great opportunity for speaking practice).
Please contact the centre as soon as possible if you would like to book these dates by phone (02) 9542 5746 or email nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au

The Tanken Centre website is moving.
Please bookmark the new site: https://cms.det.nsw.edu.au/curriculum/languages/nihongo-tanken-centre

On Monday, 13 March 2017, the staff from the Nihongo Tanken Centre (Mieko and Taka) ran their first ever Adobe Connect session for teachers of Japanese. The session was designed for teachers who are the only Japanese teachers at their school and enabled teachers to chat about everyday lesson challenges and the Japanese language and culture.

Mieko and Taka would like to thank all participants for getting involved, and are keen to run a follow-up session.If you have any topics you wish to discuss with other teachers, please send your questions to Nihongo.Tanken@det.nsw.edu.au 

Topic examples may include:               
‒  special games my students absolutely love
‒  How true is it that Japanese people eat KFC on Christmas day?
‒  successful cooking lessons in Japanese classes.

Mieko and Taka look forward to seeing you again in the next session.

Ballina Coast High School is seeking a Japanese teacher from Term 2 until the end of Term 4 2017. The teaching load consists of Stage 4 Japanese and Year 12 Japanese Beginners.
Please complete the two page EOI by 17 March 2017.
​Contact Cassandra Middleton (DP) for further information. 

The Tanken Centre is offering a 30 minute Adobe Connect webinar for teachers of Japanese to share their ideas regarding Strategies to use the target language in the classroom. 
13 March 2017 from 3:30 – 4:00pm
You can log in using any computer with Internet access: https://connect.schools.nsw.edu.au/nihongo/
Speakers are essential to hear or a headset with mic. A webcam is optional. 

​This webinar is for any Japanese teachers who would like to be exposed to some professional learning in Japanese, focusing on strategies to use Japanese in the classroom. This is a great opportunity for teachers who are the sole language teacher in their schools.

If you would like answers to specific questions about Japanese language and culture, please send the questions before the session to Mieko.Shida4@det.nsw.edu.au.
All questions are welcome, including questions regarding intonation and pronunciation.
 
The following strategies will be covered:

• - increasing the use of Japanese in the classroom
• - broadening students’ interest in Japanese culture and motivating them to study beyond HSC
• - organising engaging classroom activities and providing clear directions.

 
The session can contribute 30 minutes of teacher-identified PL addressing Standard 7.4.2.

The Tanken Centre is looking for schools with a small group of students to share the following dates:
- Friday 31 March to combine with a Year 9 group 
- Monday 31 July to combine with a Year 8 group.
 
Please contact us if you are interested in combining with these groups.
Mieko Shida
Coordinator
Nihongo Tanken Japanese Language Centre
T: (02) 9542 5745 F: (02) 9542 5749
E: nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au