Japanese uni students lifting skills

Published: 8 May 2011
By: Karl Brien

University students from Japan make some new friends at St Anthony's, Alexandra Hills

STUDENTS learning Japanese at three Catholic schools had a chance to practise their language skills with a recent visit from 39 university students from Japan.

Students from the Shukutoku University, Saitama, all studying to become primary school teachers, split into three groups of 13 and, over three days, rotated between St Mary MacKillop School, Birkdale, St Anthony's School, Alexandra Hills, and St Rita's School, Victoria Point.

During the visit the university students were able to observe how primary students in another country and culture learnt and behaved in the classroom environment.

St Anthony's Japanese teacher Kathryn Tominaga said many of the university students commented on "the ability of Australian students to concentrate for long periods of time".

She said in Japan, lessons went for 45 minutes and then they had a five-minute break.

"The university students were impressed by the primary students' ability to stay on task through a two-hour session and noticed also the techniques teachers used to create variety in their lessons so the students remained attentive," Mrs Tominaga said.

She said they observed how lessons flowed well throughout the day and commented on the friendly relationship among staff and the environment created at each school to foster this relationship.

St Anthony's Year 7 student Daniel Flood said it was great having the Japanese students in the classroom as it gave them a chance to practise their language skills.

"We found it great that we were able to talk in Japanese with them one-on-one," he said.

Mrs Tominaga said at the end of the visit the students wrote a one-page summary of their experience in an Australian primary school.

"Overall they all seem to have had a wonderful time and found the experience worthwhile," she said.

She said English would become a compulsory subject in Japanese primary schools from 2011.

However, she said this was not the primary reason for the visit; it was more of a general observation experience for the students from Japan.