Jagiellonian University
KURIHARA Sachiko

I took up my position as a Japanese-Language Specialist (hereinafter “Specialist”) in Jagiellonian University in Poland’s ancient capital Krakow in October 2019; nine months have passed since then. The role of the Specialists here is mainly to support Japanese-language education in Jagiellonian University, the institution to which I have been dispatched, and in Poland. The global coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has had several different effects on Poland. In this report, I would like to introduce some of my activities as a Specialist, and follow this by trying to write about the kind of changes that have occurred due to the effects of COVID-19.

Japanese Language in Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University is the oldest university in Poland which was established in 1364, and there are currently around 100 students studying Japanology here, ranging from bachelor’s to doctoral students. The Specialists are responsible for the Japanese-language subject known as “Practical Japanese language” for everyone from first year undergraduates to first year master’s students. The “Practical Japanese language” classes are taught in teams with my fellow teachers by splitting the grammar, reading comprehension, and conversation, etc. between us; the classes for which Specialists are responsible mainly focus on developing learners’ Japanese proficiency.

From the middle of March 2020, Poland decided to close educational institutions as a measure against the spread of COVID-19. With the closure of Jagiellonian University, face-to-face classes were banned, and we were instructed to move to remote lessons—the classes for which Specialists are responsible also switched to online classes using a video conference system. As the online classes that we had suddenly started progressed, we spent our days in mutual trial and error, wondering how we could maintain the students’ desire to learn and improve their Japanese language skills, and which activities are suited to this format. On the other hand, there are merits to these classes when compared to classroom lessons—for example, it is easy to share screens and use online resources, and the students tackled the activities with motivation.

In Poland, there was a period when there were quite strict restrictions on going out: even parks were temporarily closed, and we were not permitted to go out other than for the bare minimum, such as going to medical institutions and buying daily necessities. Since face-to-face classes were banned, many students returned to their family homes, and in some regions there were Internet connectivity issues; there were also students who raised many different concerns and issues such as their ability to concentrate. In these circumstances, there were students who felt stressed, and we tried our best to continue with the classes while considering the students’ states of mind.

Nihongo Salon

I have continued to run the Nihongo Salon that successive Specialists have hosted. The Nihongo Salon is an exchange activity in which students in the department of Japanology and Japanese people who live locally enjoy free conversation in Japanese. The theme of the first meeting was “The start of a new school year,” and, helped by the fact that this was the first gathering of the year, there were around 50 participants—more than I expected. It was a great success.

Enjoying talking in the Nihongo Salon

Since the University has been closed, I have tried holding Nihongo Salons online. There weren’t many participants, but some people participated from Japan since the Salons have moved online, and it seems that they were all able to have an enjoyable time.

The Southern Poland Japanese Teachers Network

In addition to the Polskie Stowarzyszenie Nauczycieli Języka Japońskiego (Poland’s Japanese Teachers Network), Poland also has the Southern Poland Japanese Teachers Network set up by my predecessor. (See the 2018 report for more information.)

Trzaska, giving a training program report
at the South Poland Japanese Teachers Network

At the first meeting, we held a study session on the theme of “assessments.” First, there was a training report from a teacher who had participated in training program at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa, and then we held a seminar and workshop on assessments.

As I noted above, all educational institutions within the country were closed in March, so we decided to hold the second study meeting online, with the theme of “online classes.” There are a lot of teachers who work alone as volunteers in their respective areas in the Southern Poland Japanese Teachers Network, and conversation focused on the situation in each institution since starting remote lessons and practical reports. In addition, on another day, we exchanged opinions on assessments in online classes.

At the moment, the number of new daily infections in Poland isn't really decreasing, and we don't know what form the new semester (which starts in October) will take. However, people are starting exchange activities that cross national and regional borders by making good use of the special characteristics of the Internet. We will likely search for a “new normal” in Poland, too. I hope that we can move forward with flexibility, putting all our health and safety first.