From not knowing Japanese, to knowing Japanese.

What does the path look like from not knowing Japanese to knowing Japanese? 

While as a teacher, I have a very good understanding of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed to move from being a novice (not knowing) to being proficient (knowing) a language, I would like students to also be able to track their learning growth in Languages.

As part of the “Teacher Impact Fellowship” that I am doing with the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership, I am working with our students to find out what makes sense to them in describing the steps to becoming better in Japanese. Students tell me to ‘keep it simple’, so I have been trialling three baby ring stacks as a way of illustrating both where a student is up to, and what their next steps might be. 

Complexity: word, sentence, complex sentence, simple conversation, complex conversation.

Number: 1-3, 4-10, 11-20, 21-50, 50-100+

Independence: repeat, memorise, make it up with help, make it up independently, make it up on the spot.

As a whole class we looked at how many rings a particular work sample might be, and what possible next steps.

This work included a ‘simple conversation’ with 4-10 exchanges, and was made up independently.

The next steps could be either to add complexities such as adjectives, conjunctions, and open questions using where, what, why etc, OR increase the number of exchanges, OR make it up on the spot, without writing it down first. 

Students tell me this way of seeing their progress and next steps makes more sense than other ways we have tried.

Please let me know if this also makes sense for you as a parent by emailing the office with your thoughts.

Ja ne (see you around)

Susan