November, 2015: Breeze Issue #97

A Free Monthly E-Newsletter for Friends of Japan & Teachers of Japanese

Come to JFLA's booth (#1129) at ACTFL in San Diego

by Amanda Rollins, Japanese Language Program Coordinator

Japanese teachers listen up! It’s November again, which means it’s time to gear up for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) 2015 Convention and World Languages Expo. This year it’s in San Diego, so JFLA staff will be taking a road trip down south for an intense week of activities.

Our JFLA booth (#1129) is going to be extra special this year! First, staff from the Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles will join us on Saturday to share information about the JET program. The Japan-America Society of Southern California will visit us to spread awareness about the national Japan Bowl. We’ve also invited some current participants in our Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP) to stay at our booth and talk to K-12 teachers who might be interested in hosting an assistant teacher. In addition, we’re setting up a corner for attendees to complete the Japan Foundation’s Survey on Japanese-Language Education. Stop by to chat about your Japanese program, learn about our grants, support programs, and free resources, and get a goodie bag!

Japan Foundation will team up with JPT America to talk about the Marugoto textbook series in the Exhibit Hall. If you’re curious about this popular new series, drop by the JPT America booth to flip through the books and talk to Yoko Kijimi, one of the authors of Marugoto.

But the Japan Foundation booth is not the only booth of interest in the Exhibit Hall! The Japanese Pavilion is a section of the hall that is dedicated to the Japanese language, so come on by and be welcomed by your community.

But ACTFL isn’t just about the Exhibit Hall. Twelve participants in this year’s Leadership Workshop (co-organized by the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles and the American Association of Teachers of Japanese) will be running around ACTFL learning how to become leaders in the field of Japanese language education. Participants will be presenting sessions, discussing current challenges and possible solutions, and networking with Japanese language teachers across the country. Let’s Go Leaders!