Presenter’s name: Coreena Allen
Position: Languages Advisor, Languages and Culture
Target audience: 7–12
Presenter biography: Coreena is an experienced, passionate Japanese, Indonesian and Chinese teacher, Languages Advisor, and the Hunter languages network leader. She has worked in primary and secondary schools including Merewether High School - an academically selective school and the Secondary College of Languages and is a MLTANSW Committee member.
She loves empowering students to take ownership of their learning, engage in independent tasks that explore the language and develop deeper understanding. She also enjoys exploring technological applications to support fun and interactive language learning activities to engage students and connect them with others.
Supporting both teachers and students to find their most enjoyable and effective language teaching and learning experiences in inclusive, fun, and engaging learning environments underpins her work goals.
Session name: Support for one is support for all - strategies for high potential and gifted students that can be considered for all learners.
Session outline: Strategies developed to support a particular group of learners are tools that can support all learners. This session focuses on identifying and implementing strategies to engage and support your high potential and gifted students, but these strategies can be used to create an inclusive environment for all learners in your language’s classroom.
Identifying individual student needs, practical teaching and learning activities and the impact of supporting our high potential and gifted students will be explored.
Presenter's name: Chika Akutsu-Hughes
School: Northbridge Public School
Target audience: Stage 3
Presenter biography: Chika is a permanent Japanese teacher at Northbridge Public School and has over 20 years of teaching experience K–12. She has been an HSC marker, examiner and judge, participated in the writing of textbooks and examinations, been an MC for conferences, a Japanese language consultant for ABC for Kids as well as doing voiceovers for commercials.
Session name: Japanese Bread Day incursion
Session outline: This presentation will outline the Japanese Bread Day incursion that was introduced at Northbridge Public School post COVID and has been very popular amongst students, teachers, and the community. Chika will share related activities, resources, and the happy vibes!
Presenter’s name: Jarrad Cox
Position: Secondary Curriculum Coordinator, Curriculum Secondary Learners
Target audience: 7-12
Presenter biography: Jarrad is a former Head Teacher of Teaching and Learning from Dharug Country in Western Sydney. Currently working as a Secondary Curriculum Coordinator in Curriculum Secondary learners, he is most passionate about building explicit teaching, programming practice and effective assessment in schools.
Session name: Creating a convivial culture of communication.
Session outline: This address responds to the conference theme, Empowering teachers, inspiring learners. Jarrad will discuss the great joy of communication, the amazing work of teachers, and enriching students' learning experiences.
Presenter's name: Liberty Campbell
School: Catholic Schools Broken Bay Diocese
Target audience: 7–12
Presenter biography: As a Learning Partner for K–12 projects in the Broken Bay Diocese, Liberty is specifically supporting language teachers. She has taught Japanese in both primary and secondary settings for over 20 years and is an experienced presenter and workshop facilitator, having previously presented at the National Symposium of Japanese Language Teaching as well as various other conferences and workshops.
Session name: Mixed Up!
Session outline: This presentation is for anyone who has taught/is teaching a 'mixed class', for example, Years 9 and 10 together, Year 11 Beginners and Continuers together, a Year 8 class where half the students have studied Japanese in primary school and have been exposed to most of your planned content, or a class where no one seems to remember what you taught last term. This workshop will cover ideas for explicitly teaching text types, creating multi-skill, themed assessments, and scaffolding the use of grammatical structures in contexts.
Presenter's name: Masayo Colley
Business: ArtLab Masayo (artlab.colley@gmail.com)
Target audience: K–12
Presenter biography: Masayo is currently teaching primary school students in her art school, running sumie workshops in high schools and community events.
Session name: Sumie workshop
Session outline: Sumie is a Japanese traditional art form using sumi, black ink, and Japanese paper. Sumie is not only an art activity, but also has a deep connection to Zen philosophy and mindfulness. I would like to introduce this art to young students.
Presenter's name: Nikolas Djakovic
School: Oran Park Anglican College
Target audience: 7–12
Presenter biography: Nikolas is an early career teacher who established a broad program of curricular and co-curricular activities at his school, leading to very pleasing growth in the Japanese language program. He has established a Japanese club, sister school visits, online exchanges, and organised cultural workshops as well as YouTuber meet and greets.
Session name: Making noise! How to make your subject stand out
Session outline: Creating a shift in your school community can be challenging. This presentation will articulate ways for educators and students to ignite enthusiasm for Japanese as a subject, enhancing not only educational outcomes, but also developing a strong community of global learners.
Presenter’s name: Katy Gilles
School: North Sydney Boys High School
Target audience: K–10
Presenter biography: Katy has over 20 years’ experience having taught K-12 and is currently teaching at UNSW as a practicum tutor.
Session name: Practical solutions for integration of shuwa and realia towards communication
Session outline: This hands-on workshop will provide opportunities to create realia including Kamishibai, patterns for a map of Japan, finger puppets, learning with tactile puzzles and using Montessori techniques. Participants will receive a 10-week program integrating the realia.
Presenter’s name: Mark Grace
School: Westfields Sports High School
Target audience: K–12
Presenter biography: Mark has taught Japanese for 21 years, as well as having experience in the teaching of technology mandatory. He enjoys making digital interactive tools to further engage students in their learning.
Session name: Digital tools and technology integration
Session outline: This is a presentation about technology as a mind set and adding bells and whistles to save time.
Presenter's name: Jessica Honda
School: AoYama Japanese Camp (AYJC)
Target audience: 7–12
Presenter biography: Jessica has been teaching Japanese for 10 years in Australia and Japan from preschool through to university level. She started AYJC in 2021 with the goal of creating meaningful opportunities and environments for students to use their Japanese language skills and to keep them motivated to continue their language learning beyond high school.
Session name: Meaningful experiences outside the classroom with AYJC
Session outline: This presentation will look at how meaningful experiences outside the classroom can motivate and boost student interest in learning Japanese. This presentation includes an overview of AYJC's mission statement as well as incursion and school holiday program options.
Presenter’s name: Angela Hong
School: Sydney Technical High School
Target audience: Aspiring Head Teachers
Presenter biography: Angela is the Head Teacher (HT) Teaching and Learning and Languages at her school. She has a multi-disciplinary background in English, TAS, and Visual Arts which has enabled her to develop and deliver relevant and effective professional learning for teachers from a range of teaching backgrounds. Angela is highly engaged in high potential and gifted education and has extensive experience with teaching EAL/D students as well, working on whole school initiatives which target their respective needs. Her goal as a Languages Head Teacher is to increase awareness of Languages at her school and grow the faculty through strong marketing of the subject and the development of a range of culturally and educationally rich projects and events.
Session name: Supporting and Managing a Languages Faculty
Session outline: This presentation will look at ways to support and manage a Languages faculty/team as a HT who is not a Languages teacher.
Presenter’s name: Cindy Huang
School: Sydney Technical High School
Target audience: Stage 6 Continuers
Presenter biography: Cindy began her teaching career in 2019 at St George Girls High School. She is a Japanese and Chinese teacher who has worked with high potential and gifted education students for the past 5 years. She is currently serving as a Year Advisor and coordinates Stage 6 Japanese and Chinese. Cindy has a deep passion for languages and believes that languages education is essential for fostering intercultural competence and building the required skills to be a valuable global citizen.
Session name: Stage 6 non-HSC style assessment tasks
Session outline: This presentation will focus on examples of Stage 6 non-HSC style assessments for implementation in 2024 and beyond.
Presenters’ names: Joji Ikezu and Shoko Adachi
Organisation: The Japan Foundation
Target audience: 7–12
Presenter biography: Joji is a Senior Language Consultant at the Japan Foundation, Sydney. He has undertaken 10 different postings in locations across Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe over the past 35 years. Shoko is currently working as a language consultant at the Japan Foundation, Sydney. Previously, she taught Japanese to diplomats, researchers, and university students from various countries.
Session name: Exploring teaching and learning resources
Session outline: In this session, participants will explore teaching and learning resources from the Japan Foundation and develop ideas on how to use them in the classroom. Various websites and applications will be introduced throughout the session. Feel free to bring your smart phone, tablet, or any other device you would like use for viewing.
Presenter’s name: Shanelle Ingram
Position: Languages Advisor, Languages and Culture
Target audience: K–10
Presenter biography: Shanelle Ingram is a Languages Advisor with the NSW Department of Education providing support to Public Schools NSW staff and schools for the teaching and learning of languages. She has over 25 years’ experience teaching Japanese in large comprehensive secondary schools in the Hunter Region. Shanelle has a passion for Asian literacy, engaging students in the classroom and supporting beginning teachers. She was the recipient of the 2019 NSW Premier's Language Teacher Scholarship and received a 2023 Macquarie Japanese Studies Centre Grant to complete a research project in Japan.
Session name: The history and charm of traditional Japanese kokeshi
Session outline: In 2023 I completed an in-country research project in Naruko Onsen in Miyagi Prefecture, visiting traditional kokeshi makers and learning about the history, skills, and characteristics of kokeshi. Shanelle will provide insight into the project and introduce an activity package she designed for Stage 4 and 5 students from her research. The package can modified to suit your own context.
Presenter’s name: Britta Jensen
School: Newington College
Target audience: Stage 6 Extension
Presenter biography: Britta is a teacher of modern languages and philosophy and has worked closely with Japanese teachers to assist with philosophical questions and dialogue regarding the Extension Japanese course. She uses the tools of philosophy to enrich student engagement with the conceptual side of subject content.
Session name: Ethical questions for teaching the Japanese Extension text ‘Like Father, Like Son’ by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Session outline: This presentation will highlight a set of ethical and philosophical questions that arise from the new core prescribed text for Japanese extension: ‘Like Father, Like Son’ by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Consideration of and discussion of these questions will empower teachers to assist extension students to form responses for their extended responses.
Presenter’s name: Larissa Mitchell
School: Northmead CAPA High School
Target audience: 7–10
Presenter biography: Larissa has 14 years’ experience as a Japanese teacher and her dedication to enhancing language programs to keep students engaged is paying off with elective numbers increasing. She is always looking for ways to improve outcomes for students and is eager to share her experiences and insights with others.
Session name: Exploring innovative teaching methodologies – insights from the Japan Foundation course in Urawa
Session outline: This presentation will start with a brief overview by Ben Trumbull, Program Coordinator from the Japan Foundation, about the courses available in Urawa and how to apply for them. In addition, Larissa will share insights of her experience from the 'Comprehensive Japanese Teaching Methods Program – Autumn 2023' course. Participants will hear about the benefits of participating in the program, how it may influence teaching practices, and some of the resources that have been developed will be showcased.
Presenter’s name: Sally Mizoshiri
School: North Sydney Girls High School
Target audience: Stages 5 and 6
Presenter biography: Sally has extensive experience teaching Japanese in a selective high school from Stage 4 to Extension Japanese classes. Creating and selecting engaging resources, and curating them for the new curriculum, is a passion for her. Sally has experience presenting at NSW Japanese teachers' conferences as well as JTAN NSW conferences and is currently Vice-President of JTAN NSW.
Session name: Engaging resources for Stages 5 and 6 Japanese
Session outline: This presentation will show you ways to use engaging online resources to enrich units of work and lessons.
Presenters’ names: Himiko Negishi-Wood and Hiroko Langdon
Organisation: The Japan Foundation
Target audience: K–10
Presenter biography: Himiko and Hiroko are Language Consultants at the Japan Foundation in Sydney. Himiko is a secondary-trained teacher in Australia, with over 20 years' experience working in teacher training and resource development. Hiroko has taught Japanese at different levels, from diplomats at the US Embassy, to high school students in the US and China, as well as provided training to aspiring Japanese teachers.
Session name: Art of Kamishibai
Session outline: Have you seen a Kamishibai performance? Kamishibai is a traditional Japanese paper theatre which has been loved by Japanese people over the years and has performed lots of Japanese folktales. In this workshop, we will introduce Kamishibai as a dynamic interactive medium for teaching multimodal communication using our new bilingual Kamishibai, "Straw Millionaire”. Kamishibai not only develops students’ language skills but also provide students with the opportunity to enter and explore Japanese language and culture by engaging their imagination. Come and immerse yourself into the world of Kamishibai with us!
Presenter’s name: Linden O'Brien
School: West Wallsend High School
Target audience: 7–10
Presenter biography: Linden has over 12 years’ experience teaching Japanese in a variety of secondary contexts as well as achieving her Masters in Inclusive Education. She has used her knowledge and experience to create activities that motivate and engage disconnected students in learning Japanese and has presented on this topic at conferences in NSW and Victoria. As a NESA Curriculum Reform project Teacher Expert, Linden is well acquainted with the syllabus changes, ensuring all activities meet the requirements, and is hoping to foster a sense of excitement and confidence in the freedom the new curriculum gives language teachers.
Session name: Engaging the TikTok generation in the new curriculum
Session outline: TikTok culture has a major influence on the lives of our students as they share information and start trends through short form videos. This presentation will demonstrate ways you can meet the new curriculum outcomes through learning activities that embrace TikTok trends and engage students. These activities can be completed without the use of mobile phones while also fostering engagement with Japanese outside of class. Ideas for differentiation for student ability and resources access are also included to ensure all activities are achievable across a variety of contexts.
Presenters’ names: Mieko Shida and Taka Yoshino
School: Tanken Centre
Target audience: 7–10
Presenter biography: Mieko has taught Japanese in comprehensive and selective high schools and joined the Tanken Centre in 2013. Taka has taught in comprehensive high schools and joined the Tanken Centre in 2016. With over 2000 students visiting the centre each year, Mieko and Taka provide engaging and culturally authentic activities to motivate students to continue their Japanese learning. They also provide significant support for teachers of Japanese across NSW.
Session name: Engaging students in Japanese classrooms
Session outline: This presentation will outline what teachers can do to engage their students, providing the opportunity to build ideas of how to engage students in Japanese classrooms through theory, participation in various activities and discussions.
Presenter’s name: Dominique Smit
School: Oxley High School
Target audience: K–10
Presenter biography: Dom has over 12 years’ experience in the language classroom, in Stages 4 and 5 in a large rural high school. She is committed to aiding colleagues in delivering effective language lessons and fostering student success in language acquisition. Having sought out diverse professional development with international leaders in Comprehensible Input (CI) language pedagogy, participated in ongoing international collegial curriculum exchanges, and attended Comprehended! online CI conference from 2018 to 2022, Dom has a diverse understanding of CI and Acquisition-Driven Instruction (ADI). Dom has also taken on a student’s experience by engaging firsthand in multiple language classes to try out different CI approaches from a learner’s perspective, ensuring she effectively connects theory and practice.
Session name: What is Comprehensible Input and can I do it too?
Session outline: Delve into what Comprehensible Input (CI) and Acquisition-Driven Instruction (ADI) are, the various approaches, SLA theories behind the pedagogy, studies of the benefits, how CI ties into the Modern Languages K–10 syllabus, simple CI strategies you can start in class tomorrow and where to go to learn more.
Presenter’s name: Renetta Wolfe
School: Denison College Bathurst High School
Target audience: 7–10
Presenter biography: Renetta has taught Japanese for over 20 years in rural schools and maintained elective and senior classes throughout this time. She worked with the Languages and Culture Team for 2 years as a Curriculum Implementation Officer for the new Modern Languages K-10 Syllabus and is currently the Network Leader for the Central West and Riverina Languages networks.
Session name: Managing 'Interacting' activities in complex and busy classrooms
Session outline: Join me on my journey to effectively engage and differentiate for Year 8 students, while implementing interacting tasks for the new syllabus.