Are you interested in the Direct Method?
Would you like to experience a lesson from a student's perspective?
Do you want to learn some basic Ukrainian?
Then this lecture is just for you!
In this session, Andriana will conduct a Ukrainian language lesson for novice learners using the direct method, where only the target language is used for instruction, in contrast to typical methods that employ both the target language and a medium language (e.g., English). The lesson incorporates common practices from Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) instruction, and Tomoseki will provide insights into the background of this method and ongoing reforms in JSL education, especially in terms of grammar instruction.
The lesson will give participants the chance to feel what it’s like to be a student learning a language they don’t know at all. At the same time, it will show just how much can be learned — and taught — using the Direct Method when the right strategies and planning are in place.
This session is part of a larger research project. Participants will be invited to complete a short questionnaire to share their thoughts and experiences. The survey is optional, but it will help us better understand how the Direct Method functions in actual teaching and learning situations. Additionally, the perspectives and opinions of other language teachers would be very valuable.
Andriana Holubka is Assistant Professor in the Global Initiative Center at Gunma University and a new member of Gunma JALT. An aspiring researcher, she is a graduate of Kyiv National University. Andriana moved to Japan from the Ukraine in 2022, after the start of the Russian invasion of her home country. She has been a student at Gunma University, and worked as an ALT in the Primary School Affiliated with Gunma University.
Tomoseki Watanabe is Lecturer and International Exchange Coordinator at the Global Initiative Center, Gunma University. He is a graduate of International Christian University, a new member of Gunma JALT, and a life-long learner of English. Tomoseki taught Japanese in CIS countries and is a former specialist in Japanese Language Education for The Japan Foundation.
