In Week 5, from Monday, February 24th to Friday, February 28th, we were delighted to welcome three student teachers—Ryan, Amy, and Sae—and their professor, Jang, from Maebashi International University in Japan.

They observed the first Japanese lesson of each class that week, gaining insight into how students learn and the teaching techniques used in Australia. This gave them a deeper understanding of the Australian educational system.

For the second Japanese lesson in each class, the student teachers took an active role in teaching. Sae (Saeka) introduced the Japanese seasonal event, Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival for girls), to the Year 2 and Year 3 classes. The students had fun colouring Hina dolls and learned related vocabulary.
Amy (Ami) taught the Year 4 and Year 4/5 classes about Hinamatsuri as well, and the students enjoyed making their own origami Hina dolls. They also practiced writing Hiragana and decorated their origami dolls.
Ryan (Ryota) shared a fun and creative lesson with the Year 5 and Year 6 classes on how to create Japanese hand fans called Sensu. Each student received a plain fan and learned about lucky Japanese plants. They then designed and decorated their hand fans with their own artwork.

Our students greatly benefited from this cultural exchange. They not only learned about Japanese customs, language, and art but also had the chance to engage with the student teachers in a way that made learning both fun and memorable. The opportunity to interact with teachers from a different country broadened their global perspectives, fostering cultural understanding and curiosity.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for their warm support in welcoming the Japanese student teachers to our school. I hope this exchange has been an enriching experience for both our students and the visiting teachers. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome more international visitors in the future!

Hiroyuki Yamamoto

Japanese Language Teacher