On-line Resource for Teaching and Learning Culture Being Developed

The Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) is participating in a multi-language project called LangNet (www.langnet.umd.edu), which is creating an online database of resources for teachers and learners of 14 world languages. This online resource will be available free to all teachers and students.

In the coming year, the database development task force will concentrate on materials that are easily available and can be used to make culture an integral part of Japanese language education. A task force of K-12 and college-level teachers has been formed to evaluate materials and write reviews and recommendations for their use in the classroom. Emphasis will be placed on materials that are easily available–for example, downloadable online.

As the first step in the process, the task force has developed a survey to assess teachers’ needs and available resources. Please help by (a) completing the survey at www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj/ATJ/langnetq.html, and (b) asking other teachers you know to complete the survey. Thank you!