The latest edition of JTAN’s newsletter is now available. It includes information on:
- JTAN Culture Day (8 May) – an excellent excursion opportunity for students (please apply by 24 April)
- the winners of the 2018 JTAN Yokai Competition (winning entries will be displayed in Kinokuniya from 7             April)

• - MJS grant details​

- Noosa workshop flyers (registered professional learning).

The MJS Centre (Japanese Studies Centre for Teaching Development) would like to invite applicants to apply for a MJS grant for Japanese language teachers in Australia.

Departmental teachers: Applicants would need to discuss and obtain support for their project from their principal before submitting their application online and follow the relevant guidelines and policies. 

Grant applications need to be submitted online via https://mqedu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8css6ePZJXT2gw5 by 1 May 2019.
 
Grant description
The MJS Centre’s grant scheme is provided by the Nippon Foundation Fund for Japanese Language Education Program (NFJLEP). All grant recipients will also receive a lifetime membership of the NFJLEP Fellows.  
 
The grant scheme is designated to support the professional development of Japanese language teachers anywhere in Australia to enhance their aptitude to become leading exponents of the Japanese language in Australian schools. 
 
The grant may be used for example for language/cultural immersion and/or field work in Japan, enrolment in a formal Japanese language course, conference presentation and/or teaching relief for such activities. It may also be used collectively (such as by a group lead by a Japanese language teacher) for the development/establishment of a workshop, website or resources for the professional development of Japanese language teachers.  
 
Each grant, of the seven (7) available, will provide $3,000 to the successful applicant. The MJS Centre Committee will make the final decision regarding the allocation of each grant and no further correspondence or communication shall be entered into once a decision has been made.
 
Eligibility and conditions

• Applicants must be Japanese language teachers, currently working in a primary or secondary school (full-time or part-time) in Australia.


• The applicant must clearly articulate the aim, significance, benefit(s), justifiable budget and details of proposed activity. CV must be provided.


• Provision of supporting documents (for example confirmed acceptance of a conference presentation, agreement for a journal/book, book chapter publication, acceptance from a host Japanese organisation, receipt/enrolment record for a Japanese language course, supervisor’s agreement, a reference letter) will be beneficial.


• The applicant must only be one person even in the case of a collectively developed project.
• The grant must be fully spent by the end of 2019.


• Grant recipients will be required to submit a completion report via the MJS website, by 1 Feb 2020.

Please email arts.mjscentre@mq.edu.au and/or mio.bryce@mq.edu.au if you require any further information. 

​Please note, the beginning Japanese teachers' workshop to be held at the Nihongo Tanken Centre on Friday 8 March is now full. The centre will not be accepting any further enrolments.

Please download the Japanese teacher information pack which contains details of important dates in 2019 for upcoming professional learning, grants and contests, as well as contact details for the Japan Foundation. For further information, please contact the Japan Foundation.

The Tanken Centre will host a workshop for beginning Japanese teachers on Friday 8 March 2019.

This workshop is to support new secondary Japanese teachers in:

• - building their skills in using Japanese in the classroom
• - learning more about the Tanken Centre
• - networking.

 
Date: Friday 8 March 2019
Time: 9:30am-2:30pm
Venue: Tanken Centre, Kirrawee HS
Target audience: Beginning (in their first 3 years) teachers of Japanese
Cost: $55 (including lunch)
 
This workshop is designed for you to experience the activities run by Tanken Centre, with the aim of using the ideas and strategies in your own classroom. You will also have the opportunity to network with other Japanese teachers.
 
Please refer to the attached program for full details.
 
Travel and accommodation subsidies are available for temporary/permanent rural and remote teachers, through the department’s Rural and Remote strategy. To apply for a subsidy, please email aris.cao1@det.nsw.edu.au with your details.
 
This workshop has 20 places, allocated on a first-come first-served basis. If you are interested, please resister:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1C6Br0C49yWnbOHzGl-SQeCkv6_zxkX78Ed313Ba4tQ0/edit
When your place is confirmed, we will contact you via email.
 
For more information contact:
Nihongo Tanken Centre
Email: nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au
T: 02 9542 5745
 
Standards
Attending this meeting will contribute 5 hours of Teacher Identified professional development towards maintaining Proficient Teacher accreditation in NSW, meeting standards 6.2, 6.3 and 7.4 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Some teachers have identified that their attendance at the NSW Cross-sectoral Japanese Teachers' Conference 2018 is not appearing on eTAMS. This could be due to either of the following reasons:
1. You have not been registered in MyPL as attending.
2. Your MyPL profile does not contain your NESA Institute number.
 
If you are a non-DoE teacher and have NOT YET created a MyPL profile, please:

• - read the attached instructions and follow the steps
  
• - email darlene.knowles@det.nsw.edu.au by 17 December 2018, once you have completed the above steps.
  
• Please ensure that your profile contains your NESA Institute number.
  

 
If you are a non-permanent (casual or temporary) DoE teacher or non-DoE teacher and have already registered on MyPL, please check that your MyPL profile contains your NESA Institute number so that it can connect to eTAMs and transfer the registered hours.
 
You can easily add your NESA Institute number to your profile by:
- logging into MyPL and choosing “My Account” from the hamburger drop-down menu on the top right
- choose “Edit’ from the drop-down "Actions" menu, then scroll down to the correct field and add your NESA Institute number.
 
If you have any issues, send an email to the MyPL team at mypl@det.nsw.edu.au and they will be able to support you.

The Tanken Centre will host a workshop for beginning Japanese teachers on Friday 8 March 2019.

This workshop is to support new secondary Japanese teachers in:

• - building their skills in using Japanese in the classroom
• - learning more about the Tanken Centre
• - networking.

 
Date: Friday 8 March 2019
Time: 9:30am-2:30pm
Venue: Tanken Centre, Kirrawee HS
Target audience: Beginning (in their first 3 years) teachers of Japanese
Cost: $55 (including lunch)
 
This workshop is designed for you to experience the activities run by Tanken Centre, with the aim of using the ideas and strategies in your own classroom. You will also have the opportunity to network with other Japanese teachers.
 
Please refer to the attached program for full details.
 
Travel and accommodation subsidies are available for temporary/permanent rural and remote teachers, through the department’s Rural and Remote strategy. To apply for a subsidy, please email aris.cao1@det.nsw.edu.au with your details.
 
This workshop has 20 places, allocated on a first-come first-served basis. If you are interested, please resister:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1C6Br0C49yWnbOHzGl-SQeCkv6_zxkX78Ed313Ba4tQ0/edit
When your place is confirmed, we will contact you via email.
 
For more information contact:
Nihongo Tanken Centre
Email: nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au
T: 02 9542 5745
 
Standards
Attending this meeting will contribute 5 hours of Teacher Identified professional development towards maintaining Proficient Teacher accreditation in NSW, meeting standards 6.2, 6.3 and 7.4 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. 

Japanese teachers are invited to attend a TeachMeet at Epping Boys High School on Thursday 29 November from 2:00pm.

Teachers are invited to present a favourite resource/teaching strategy to a small group with break time included for discussion and general conversation. Presentations should be limited to 5 minutes.
 
There will not be any cost or paperwork associated with the day although a letter will be provided as evidence of attendance. All resources will be shared afterwards through the JTAN website.

As a suggestion, teachers should arrange to have the last period off and bring their lunch.
 
If you are interested, please email Ben Gibb.

The Japan Foundation is offering the following programs (in Japan) for the 2019-20 Japanese financial year.

Applications are now open until 3 December 2018.

• - Basic Training Program (six months)
• - General Language Program (six weeks)
• - Teaching Methods Program
• - Training on a Specific Theme
  


• All programs are run at the Japanese Language Institute – Urawa.


• Further details are available on the Japan Foundation website.