Today is the final section in the second unit of my motivational multi-literacy curriculum.
If this is your first visit to my site, please start at Unit 1 Nihongo Dreams and don’t forget the Unit 1 Nihongo Dreams Worksheets.
If you are returning for Unit 2 Discovering Your Nihongo Strengths, there are 4 posts.
Unit 2 Introduction (don’t skip this)
Unit 2 Language Worksheets
Unit 2 Create Worksheets
Today is the final session: Unit 2 Reflection
Confession
When i was a language student in college I did not keep a language journal. I did not take the time to think about what I was learning and ask questions. To be honest it was partially because I was frustrated going from an immersive learning environment to the audiolingual method which was confining for me. It was as if my growth and development was stunted for a time. Knowing what I do now about reflective learning I think I could have used a language journal to keep pushing forwards towards proficiency outside of class. Then again it was in the days before the internet and I had read all the books my college library had about the Japanese language.
What is a Reflective Blog / Journal?
Self study learners – please consider the benefits of starting a reflective blog –
Find out more below
In a language journal you can record observations, review what you have learned, post questions to yourself, and practice the language. It is a very private book of conversations with yourself. It is rarely dynamic on paper.
I prefer a reflective blog instead. My students are required to set up a blog on https://blogger.com because we use other google based apps on my campus. These blogs are primarily written in their first language. If it is not English, I ask them to provide me with a brief summary in English. A blog allows more interaction between classmates and provides a place to post links, videos, and images directly. They use their blogs to display posters of their kana and kanji studies, and photos of their language production assignments.
There are several required reflective blog posts: book reports, kana/kanji posters, cultural observations, writing or video assignments, etc. Each one has a series of reflection prompts.
- what was the assignment about
- what did they observe about how the language was used
- what did they observe about the culture
- how is this same type of situation handled in their first/most used language and culture
- how has their understanding of a situation changed or been influenced now that they have observed it the Japanese language/culture.
For students who have a lot they want to share, I encourage them to post as much as they want about the language and culture, or their experiences with it. It’s their blog and they should be allowed to take control of its direction.
Below is my message and reflective prompt for my students completing Unit 2. This unit has been about discovering their strengths and interests. Unit 3 takes them deeper into thinking about who they are as a language user. By the end of Unit 7 they have a detailed 10 year plan for attaining proficiency in Japanese.
Unit 2 Review
According to the Foreign Service Institute, Japanese is considered to be a Category IV language. This means it can take at least 2200 classroom hours to develop a professional working level of the language. You are just beginning your Japanese language journey.
Knowing that the grammar, writing, and cultural differences make the language more of a challenge to attain should not be discouraging. When you feel stuck, look at the strengths you have gained already, what you want to do in the future with the language and your art career.
In this unit you explored how to use Japanese language tools like Kanji-English dictionaries. Knowing how to access information in Japanese is a skill that you will continue to use as your language skills develop.
Japanese phrases are found in literature, posters, song lyrics, and in conversations. Knowing even a few idioms and standard phrases can help launch your interaction with others in the language.
Reflection Prompts
- In a short reflection (about 200 words), write about your strengths and interests you identified
- Post this reflection on your blog along with the 七福神 inspired collage you created
- Include the hashtags #possibleselves2 and #shichifukujin at the end of your blog post.
If you are joining me on this journey, please include #mynihongolessons.
Coming up
Next week I will share portions of Unit 3 from my motivation curriculum. Unit 3 focuses on the THINKING step of the Possible Selves method. Students will be encouraged to think about who they are as Japanese language users while exploring Maneki Neko (beckoning cats), adjectives, Japanese color meanings, and completing surveys in Japanese.
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If you would like to discuss how Possible Selves and multi-literacy programs can be adopted to your program, please contact me.
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