AOTS Journal 2018 SPRING No.12 (ENGLISH)

10/18

JOURNAL8AOTS has been offering Japanese language (Nihongo) education to technical trainees and others from over 170 countries for over 50 years. Reecting the need for practical Nihongo at the real scenes of technology transfer, AOTS has conducted very practical education with emphasis on communication in a short and intensive manner. Today, the scope of educa-tion has been widened to include nurses and care workers as well as foreign business persons. This issue of the Journal introduces you to more details of AOTS Nihongo Education Programs by the Japanese Language Training Center (JLTC).Q1Tell me about Japanese language education by AOTS as a whole.A1Nihongo education by AOTS features the following characteristics:1. Short and intensive learningAs our technical trainees need to acquire essential Japanese language ability in just several weeks before moving to practical training at enterprises, our education places emphasis on short but intensive learning in a more efcient manner.2. Teaching method to develop speaking and listening through verbal practiceIn order to develop minimum but essential communication ability for practical training within a limited time frame, our students can acquire ‘speaking’ and ‘listening’ ability by means of intensive verbal drills.3.Direct Method where Nihongo is taught in NihongoOur instructors teach Nihongo in Nihongo without using any mother tongues of the students. This ensures more exposures to Nihongo for the students.4. Practical CurriculumIn order to obtain usable communication ability, our classes offer more activities outside such as conversational practice with community residents or eld work, in addition to conventional study by textbook.Q2What is the role of the Japanese Language Training Center (JLTC)?A2JLTC supports various programs of AOTS in the matters concerning Nihongo education such as:1. Development of a Nihongo Training CurriculumJLTC develops a curriculum of Nihongo training by AOTS. With consideration being given to the purposes of training, back-grounds of the learners, level of targets as well as requests of the learners, JLTC prepares the most suitable training plans and selects appropriate teaching materials.1) Training for technical trainees Japanese Government Funded Programs 2) Training for nurses/care workers candidates based on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) 3) Self-initiated programs by AOTS: - Short and intensive program to upgrade practical Japanese - AOTS Nihongo e-Learning - Custom made Nihongo training for corporate customers - Group training by subject/occupation, and others2.Development of Teaching MaterialsJLTC develops teaching materials necessary for learning. AOTS has edited such titles of teaching materials so far as follows:-Shin-Nihongo-no-Kiso/Chukyu (New Foundation of Nihongo/Intermediate): a comprehensive textbook for learning Nihongo sentence patterns for beginners and intermediate learners. -Nihongo for Nurses/Care Workers by Scene: Teaching material for non-Japanese who work at medical/nursing institutions in Japan -Business Nihongo Series for International Students---Human Capital: a learning material for international students who wish to get employed in JapanJapanese Language Education by AOTSA typical Nihongo classNihongo Learning Materials published by AOTS