2017 Japanese-Language Assistants’ Report: Activity Report
University of Malaya
MATSUDA Tomoko
I am currently on assignment at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. There is a preparatory course called the Special Preparatory Programme to Japan (also called "Ambang Asuhan Jepun" in Malay; hereafter referred to as "AAJ"), and AAJ students study Japanese for two years in this preparatory course with the aim of studying in Japan. In addition to Japanese language, students can study mathematics, chemistry, and physics in Japanese, and if they pass the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) and the final exam of AAJ, they will be able to enter engineering courses at Japanese public universities. In addition to the local teachers, AAJ currently has Japanese-Language Senior Specialists and Japanese-Language Specialists dispatched by the Japan Foundation, and Japanese teachers dispatched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to teach science subjects.
Description of Duties
Inside the school
The 60 first-year students who entered the school last May have been promoted to second-year students and we are now preparing to welcome the new first-year students. I will be teaching first-year students Japanese language again this year, as I did last year. Last year, there were six first grade classes with ten students per class, and I was the homeroom teacher for one of them. I am in charge of two to three classes a day, and the content varies from everyone's Japanese grammar classes and listening comprehension classes to conversation classes, composition and test feedback classes, etc. In addition to teaching classes, as a homeroom teacher, I am responsible for guiding students, giving make-up classes, and administering make-up exams. In addition to study, AAJ also hosts a variety of events. These include sports tournaments, speech contests, social events with Japanese people, and visits to Japanese companies in Malaysia. Supporting the planning and management of these events is also an important part of our work.
AAJ students live in a dormitory and are immersed in Japanese language and study from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. With short tests almost every class, daily homework assignments, preparation and review, the students' days seem to be extremely busy, and everyone is working hard on three to four hours of sleep. When I see students who entered the school not knowing a single hiragana, grow up to give speeches in Japanese after 10 months, I feel very happy and realize that their daily efforts are steadily bearing fruit.
A Year in Review
Hibiscus in bloom on campus
The curriculum progresses rapidly, and before I know it, a year has gone by. I feel a sense of responsibility and fulfillment from being involved in such an important time in a student's life, when they are deciding on their own path.
Also, by living in Malaysia, I was able to learn not only about Japanese-language education, but also about a variety of cultures, including Islamic culture, which was a great experience. I will do my best to support the students for the rest of my term.
- What We Do Top
- Arts and Cultural Exchange [Culture]
- Japanese-Language Education Overseas [Language]
- Japanese-Language Education Overseas [Language] Top
- Learn Japanese-language
- Teach Japanese-language
- Take Japanese-Language Test
- Know about Japanese-language education abroad
- The Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa
- The Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai
- Japanese-Language Programs for Foreign Specified Skilled Worker Candidates
- Japanese Language Education for Japanese Children Resident Overseas and for the Descendants of Migrants
- Archives
- Japanese Studies and Global Partnerships [Dialogue]
- JF digital collection
- Other Programs / Programs to Commemorate Exchange Year
- Awards and Prizes
- Publications