The annual JTAN AGM and mini-conference will be held on Wednesday 15th November. Participation is free for financial members of JTAN.

The JTAN AGM & Conference will be held Online via Zoom. Zoom link will be sent to members prior to the event.

Registrations will open at 4:25pm for a 4:30pm start and the event will conclude at approximately 7:00pm.

The Annual General Meeting will be accompanied by a keynote speaker.

AGENDA

4:25pm – Registration (Zoom)

4:30pm – Welcome

4:35pm – Keynote Presentation: Student motivation and teaching practice at tertiary Japanese programs Ikuko Nakane and Toshiyuki Nakamura

6:00pm – AGM

6:30pm – Small group discussion about issues in languages education / teach meet

7:00pm – Close

There will be NO FEE to participate in this event to further support our members.

Interstate participants who are members of their state Japanese Teachers’ Association are also welcome to attend. Please email enquire@jtan.org.au with proof of membership and your details to be added to the list of of participants.

Keynote Presentation
Student motivation and teaching practice at tertiary Japanese programs
Ikuko Nakane and Toshiyuki Nakamura

Approaches to language education are evolving constantly in a fast-changing world, while student motivations also shift due to increasingly diverse learning opportunities and environments. While Japanese language education in Australia has been resilient in the face of various challenges, there is a sense that its sustainability is at risk. In this context, we ask ourselves – how can Japanese language programs and teachers inspire students to ensure the best outcomes possible, and how do we motivate students to continue studying Japanese at university after completing secondary school programs?

We first report on recent survey and interview results from a project led by the Australian Network for Teaching of Advanced Japanese, focusing on tertiary Japanese teachers’ teaching practice and perspectives on language education. Following this, we present the results of a survey and interviews on student motivations conducted by a group of researchers at Australian universities, addressing: what has inspired intermediate-advanced level students to choose to study Japanese, and what factors/activities in and outside the classroom they find inspiring in their current learning experience? Gaps emerging between
teachers’ approaches to tertiary Japanese language education and motivating factors for students will be examined. While we need to address these gaps to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, advocacy and collaboration are also required for the sustainable engagement of students through pathways from secondary to tertiary Japanese language education.

Ikuko Nakane is an Associate Professor at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. Ikuko’s areas of research are applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, including institutional discourse, multilingualism and language variation. She has been teaching Japanese, sociolinguistics and intercultural communication at Australian universities for over 20 years. She is a co-representative of Australia for the Global Network of Japanese Language Education and a co-lead of the Australian Network for Teaching Advanced Japanese.

Toshiyuki Nakamura (PhD) is Lecturer in Japanese in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Before coming to Australia, he worked for universities in South Korea and Japan. His research interests include language learning motivation, language identity, multilingualism, and Bakhtin’s theory of language.

JTAN Annual General Meeting

All members are invited to attend the JTAN Annual General Meeting. If you are unable to attend the AGM, you may participate in the decision-makings by completing the Proxy form (click here to download).

Committee positions available: Several committee positions will become available at this year’s AGM, as outlined below. We encourage all members to step up and be part of the committee – without members stepping up to become part of the committee we cannot continue to provide the level of professional learning and support we currently do.

Please express your interest in joining the JTAN Committee 2023-24 by completing the relevant nomination form before the AGM (click here to download). You do not need to be Sydney based to join our Committee! If you would like further information about any position please contact enquire@jtan.org.au

Vice President

• Supports president (training role for future president)
• Act on behalf of president when required
• Liaises with university contacts and Japanese community networks
• Contact and organise presenters and materials
• Oversees and supports any JTAN sub-committees, e.g. Primary, Exam Committees
• Attendance at core JTAN events including exam writing and HSC speaking days (Beginners and Continuers)
• This position attracts a $3300 honorarium

Treasurer

• Make and manage outgoing payments (e.g. teacher honorarium payments)
• Manage financial and taxation affairs together with President and liaise with accountant
• Manage bank account and prepare financial reports
• No knowledge of accounting software is required, but willingness to undertake training (paid by JTAN) essential
• Attendance at core JTAN events including exam writing and HSC speaking days (Beginners and Continuers)
• This position attracts a $3300 honorarium

Administration Officer

• Good communication skills to enable effective management of the Enquire JTAN email
• Good technical skills to assist with website support with event management (event ads, capacity, opening/closing dates) – training provided
• Assist workshop coordinators with online event management
• Attendance at core JTAN events including exam writing and HSC speaking days (Beginners and Continuers)
• This position attracts a $3300 honorarium

Workshop Coordinator (2 positions available) 

• Work with committee to plan events (approx. 15 per year, split across 2 workshop coordinators with additional support from committee, most events now afternoons/evenings, no more than 4 Saturday events per year, including AGM)
• Liaise with presenters, organise venue hire and catering (face to face) and support presenters and participants as required during events
• Communicate with workshop participants re: workshop details
• Manage online events with the platform Zoom, assisting the presenter and taking attendance
• Manage distribution of workshop handouts (print or digital)
• Attendance at core JTAN events including exam writing and HSC speaking days (Beginners and Continuers)
• This position attracts a $3300 honorarium

Ordinary committee member (2 positions available) 

• Commitment to supporting the aims of Japanese Teachers’ Association of NSW
• Assistance with the running of JTAN events/activities as determined by the committee
• Attendance at core JTAN events including exam writing and HSC speaking days (Beginners and Continuers)
• This position attracts a $1000 honorarium.

Unless otherwise advised, all JTAN workshops in 2023 will count as “Elective PL” for NESA purposes.