Visualizing Japanese Grammar

Professors Shoko Hamano and Wakana Cavanaugh received the 2011 MERLOT (The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) World Languages Classic Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources for their online learning resource Visualizing Japanese Grammar.

MERLOT recognizes and promotes outstanding online resources designed to enhance teaching and learning. The award is granted to honor the authors and developers for their contributions to the academic community. As an exemplary online learning resource, Professors Hamano and Cavanaugh’s website is posted on the MERLOT website here. The original website is here.

The MERLOT World Languages Editorial Board has this to say about the learning material:

This is an excellent resource that would add value to the study of Japanese grammar through engaging graphics, informative text, and helpful audio explanations. The use of animation, color change in the key words, well thought out timing of the text and images coming out on slides, alongside the audio narration has made the structure of Japanese grammar more readily accessible to learners.

Professor Hamano represented the team and received the 2011 Classics award plaque at the 2011 MERLOT/Sloan-C Emerging Technologies Conference on July 12th in San Jose, California. Click here.

Basic Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook

Professor Shoko Hamano and Assistant Professor for Teaching Takae Tsujioka have published a textbook called Basic Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook (Routledge, 2010). If our students at GW picked up a copy, the lessons may not look too familiar, but there are some grammatical explanations and exercises that may look familiar.

The following is a description from the publisher.

This book presents 25 grammar units, covering the core material which students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning Japanese. Divided into two parts, the first part outlines fundamental components of Japanese including the writing system, pronunciation, word order, particles and conjugation patterns, while the second part builds on this foundation by introducing basic grammatical patterns organised by the task they achieve. Grammar points are followed by contextualised examples and exercises which allow students to reinforce and consolidate their learning. Basic Japanese is suitable both for class use and independent study making it an ideal grammar reference and practice resource for both beginners and students with some knowledge of the language.

Wanna Practice Japanese?

Calling all Japanese Language students. And if you’re reading this, this means YOU! Studying in the classroom gets you all the basic tools and information you need to speak, but to become fluent, you must practice… and practice… and practice. Well, at GW you have the opportunity to practice your Japanese every semester. Yes, that’s right. Every semester. The Mount Vernon Language Café, sponsored by the GW Language Center and the Office of Academic Affairs at Mount Vernon, offers light refreshments along with language practice three more times this semester in Eckles Library on the pastoral campus of Mount Vernon. There you can practice your Japanese with Hanami sensei on September 20, October 18, November 15 and December 6, from 2:30 to 3:30 in the afternoon. The rumor is that there will be pizza. You know Hanami sensei will be there. All levels are welcome—Yes! Even those of you in JAPN 001! Come and introduce yourself to the RiceBall man. 「わたしのしゅっしんはXXX」and all that good stuff.

If you’re studying Japanese, take advantage of these opportunities. It should be fun, rewarding, and best of all, no quizzes.

From GW Today

" The Japanese Language and Culture Institute is an 11-credit program that integrates the study of the Japanese language with culture through film. Students choose between a basic and an intermediate language course, depending on their proficiency, and all students take the same film class, where they watch Japanese movies with English subtitles. "

To read more--and to see a photo of our Aerobics-in-Japanese class (that's Mrs. Onigiriman up front)--click this link to the original article.

Bender Teaching Award

Congratulations to Professor Takae Tsujioka, Teaching Assistant Professor in Japanese Language, recipient of the Bender Teaching Award for 2010. "This caught me by surprise but I'm delighted and deeply honored. Thank you very much for all your guidance and encouragement. I simply owe this to the warm and generous support of my wonderful colleagues and students," said Tsujioka sensei when she learned of receiving the award.

Bender Award recipients are selected by a committee of faculty and students based on the demonstrated use of pedagogically sound teaching practice, innovative teaching techniques, a high level of involvement and intellectual excitement by students in her classes, a strong commitment to student learning, and the setting of high academic standards and expectations for student achievement through challenging and rigorous assignments and examinations.

Intermediate Japanese (JAPN 003) student Xiaolong Jiang said, “She is extremely helpful. One of the best professors I have ever met in GW,” undoubtedly reflecting her involvement with students and the intellectual excitement she instills. We—colleagues and students—are privileged to have such a dedicated teacher in our midst.