NCF Faculty Development Program:
Building a Corps of Highly Qualified Filipino Teachers of Nihongo

March 15, 2017by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF tagged , , , ,

On August 9, 2015, The Nihongo Center Foundation held its first Faculty Development Program (FDP) meeting at its Makati campus.

Fast forward to 2017 and the program has not only elevated the teaching skills of individual teachers but has also fostered serendipitous collaboration among faculty members, which ultimately supports the school’s innovative works in developing and improving Nihongo instruction in the Philippines and maintaining its position as the preeminent institution for Japanese Language education for Filipinos.

In the following interview, FDP program manager, Ms. Carmencita K.C. Biscarra or “Keli Sensei” as she is fondly referred to at NCF, talks more about the background of the program and her insights into being a Filipino Nihongo teacher.

Q: Why was the FDP program started?

KS: Management felt that NCF/PIJLC teachers needed to upgrade their teaching skills to meet the increasing demand for Nihongo classes by various industries.

 

Q: What are the specific goals of the program?

KS: Aside from providing training for teachers to expand their teaching/career skills, the program also aims to develop standard teaching techniques so that we will be able to provide quality Nihongo courses in all classes.

fdp1

Keli Sensei heading a discussion at a recent FDP at NCF Makati

Q: How do you conduct the training sessions/meetings (i.e. training flow, regular activities, materials used in the training, etc.)?

KS: The program for each meeting includes a study session regarding Nihongo Education—most often we would have workshops and sharing to reflect on our teaching methods and learn from other teachers’ techniques.

New teaching techniques are introduced by having the faculty members experience these techniques first hand (like Shadowing). Sometimes teachers are requested to handle a session by sharing what he/she considers a useful teaching technique.

There is also an update every meeting regarding admin policies and reports on activities related to the school, like when we attended the ASCOJA symposium in Bangkok last year, or when we visited schools and universities in Japan to look for possibilities for exchange programs.  

Q: What significant accomplishments have happened since NCF started the program?

KS: We’ve been able to develop our own rigid teacher-training program, which was implemented for the training of our four new teachers who have graduated and are now actively teaching at the school.

In the teacher-training program, aspiring Nihongo teachers are asked to attend workshops to learn the basic process in teaching a lesson, and then write lesson plans for the first course that they will be handling (Basic Japanese 1).

They are then required to do class observations for an entire Basic Japanese 1 course, each time writing a reflection on the techniques observed and comparing one’s lesson plan with the class flow. Discussions regarding this reflection sheet would then be held with me.

At the end of this class observation phase of the training, the trainees move on to handle their own Basic Japanese 1 class, where I would be observing each session. At the end of every class, we hold a discussion to assess how the class went and share points for improvement.  

fdp2

Teachers listening attentively during a sharing session at an FDP meeting

Q:  Other thoughts about the FDP and teacher-training program of NCF?

KS: The FDP has been an avenue for us teachers to improve our skills and develop camaraderie among faculty members—experienced teachers and newcomers alike.

Through the program, we have also become more involved in school matters, which is also beneficial to NCF. The frequency of the faculty meetings resulted in increased input of ideas from the teachers with regards to school matters and an overhaul of the courses/materials of the school.

For the teacher-training program, it’s done one-on-one, so it takes a lot of time and dedication both on the part of the trainee and trainer. In that sense, you can see that our training is designed for aspiring teachers who really have a heart for teaching and can see themselves working as a Nihongo teacher for years to come.

Feedback about the FDP has been very positive with the participants concurring that the regular meetings and sharing have helped them evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and find ways to improve their teaching skills. They also believe that it’s high time to have a professional development program like the FDP and standardize teaching techniques so that they can deliver quality lessons each time to their students.

The Faculty Development Program is open to NCF and PIJLC teachers who meet the following requirements:

  • Must possess Nihongo knowledge of JLPT N2 level

*N3 passers may be considered, provided that the individual continues to take JLPT N2 regularly until he/she passes N2.
*JLPT N2 takers will be required to attend FDP review sessions  

  • Must possess a baccalaureate degree, or have definite plans to acquire a degree in the near future
  • Must commit to participate in the FDP
  • Must not be an owner/co-owner of an institution offering Nihongo Courses

 

FDP meetings are done quarterly on a Sunday morning loosely set on February, May, August, and November (i.e. four times a year). The alternating venues are NCF Makati and Manila campuses.

For more details on how to be part of the Nihongo Center Foundation faculty, you may contact:

Makati Campus
Tel. 892-4916 to 19
E-mail: makati@nihongocenter.com

Manila Campus
Tel. 735-3179
E-mail: ncfmanila@gmail.com

=================

Resources:

PowerPoint Presentation: Introduction of the FDP
PowerPoint Presentation: Opening Remarks of NCF Pres. Philip B. Sanvictores on 1st FDP Meeting, August 9, 2015
FDP Photos

NCF Promotes Japanese Traditional and Pop Culture in 2016 Open House

February 8, 2017by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF tagged , , , ,

Fun cultural activities and free Japanese language lessons welcomed visitors to this year’s Nihongo Center Foundation (NCF) Open House. Held last October 8 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Makati Campus, NCF students and guests participated and enjoyed activities like karaoke, cosplay, origami, and even got a chance to show off their drawing skills through the event’s annual drawing contest.

After the morning registration for visitors, the Open House kicked-off with the Kana Writing contest where participants displayed their writing skills in Hiragana. It was followed by the open-theme Drawing contest where the contestants’ artworks were judged based on neatness and the creative use of colors and shades.

In the afternoon, the much-awaited Karaoke contest drew an excited audience as 10 hopefuls tried to deliver their best renditions of their favorite Japanese songs. Songstress, Ms. Ruu Kurosawa, took the top prize for her performance of the song “Sandpiper.”

Also a major yearly activity in the NCF Open House was the Cosplay contest where participants dressed up in elaborate costumes and detailed make-up based on different popular Anime and video game characters. Pictures of the contestants were taken in the morning and posted for voting. Attendees of the Open House all had a chance to vote for their favorite cosplayer and winners were announced at the end of the day.

Aside from the cultural activities and contests, there were also games and booths from NCF’s partners in spreading Japanese Language and Culture like Heart International Corporation, Jellyfish Education Consultancy, Chikyujin, and Anizone. All visitors were also invited to posts their photos enjoying the activities on their Facebook account. Guests who got the most number of likes for their picture took home some cool prizes and gift certificates courtesy of NCF, The Philippine Institute of Japanese Language and Culture (PIJLC), and Kake Educational Institution.

Other activities that were lined up throughout the day included:

Kirigami – a variation of Origami where paper is folded and then cut to create different paper artworks.
Furoshiki – traditional Japanese cloth used for wrapping gifts and other goods.
Omikuji – Japanese fortune-telling paper strips
Yukata No Kitsuke – Wearing of Japanese traditional summer kimono called “Yukata.”

Asked about the annual NCF Open House, Japanese language teacher and event organizer, Ms. Frances Mendoza, explained:

“The Open House is held annually to provide a venue, not only for our students but for anyone who is interested, to experience Japanese cultural activities and pop culture. Smaller in scale and scope than Japan Foundation’s event, it has a community feel, a bunka matsuri atmosphere. Nihongo Center aims to foster not only love of language but also culture, which is an integral part of language acquisition.”

For the list of winners and event photos, please refer to the links below.

=============

References:

List of Winners NCF Open House 2017
NCF Open House Photo Album

NCF Officially Starts Japanese Language Training for 9th Batch of Filipino Nurses and Care Workers for Japan

December 8, 2016by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF tagged , , , , ,

The Nihongo Center Foundation (NCF) together with the Japan Foundation Manila Office (JFMO) officially welcomed the 9th batch of Filipino Nurses and Care Workers who will undergo the Preparatory Japanese-Language Training Program under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Key speakers graced the opening ceremony held last November 4 at the President Jose P. Laurel Hall of The Philippines-Japan Friendship Center – Manila. They included NCF President Philip Sanvictores, JFMO Director Hiroaki Uesugi, and Director Nimfa de Guzman of the Welfare Employment Office of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). Head teacher for the program, Josef Orillio-sensei and Secretary Hiroyuki Enoki, Labor Attache of Japan in the Philippines who all gave their inspirational words to the more than 100 candidates present at the event.

The training will run for six months — until May 19, 2017. Thereafter, the students will undergo another six months of training at a Japanese language institute in Japan before finally getting assigned to hospitals and caregiving facilities all over the country. After building up on their experiences, the nurse and care worker candidates will be required to take the Japanese national examination for nurses or certified care workers, based on which their work in Japan would continue..

Challenges of Learning Nihongo

About learning Nihongo, Pres. Sanvictores explained the challenges that lie ahead:

“…in Japan – at your work place, when you meet people – you will have to speak and use proper Nihongo so that you don’t get misunderstood. It’s not as if you put a USB drive into your head and then you speak perfect Nihongo. Learning Nihongo will take time, it will take effort, it will take your passion, and dedication.”

Moreover, Orillio-sensei explained that learning a language is like becoming a child again and that it is deeply connected to customs and culture:

“These coming months of language training will be a time of discovery. I invite all of you to meet this challenge with the open-mindedness and the enthusiasm of a child discovering a way to make his feelings and thoughts understood, and experience the wonder of sharing a common language that can bridge the distance between nations and cultures.”

Support and Encouragement

Director Uesugi, meanwhile, encouraged the students to study hard but also to enjoy their time in the program:

“We will do the best we can to help you learn Japanese language as quickly and as effectively as possible while you are here. Alam kong mahirap ang Japanese Language pero sana matuto kayo nang mabuti sa pamamagitan ng programang ito.  Mag-aral kayo nang mabuti at gusto ko sanang mag-enjoy rin kayo.”

Director De Guzman had more words of support for the select group of participants:

“Our advice is for you to just believe in yourself, follow the teachings of your sensei (teachers), enjoy while imbibing the unique and beautiful culture of Japan and by the Grace of the Almighty, you can do it (pass level N5 of the Japanese Proficiency Test)—and who knows, even better!”

Reading a speech on behalf of Japanese Ambassador to Manila, Amb. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Secretary Hiroyuki Enoki conveyed that the Ambassador is very happy about the development of the program and would like to extend his gratitude to the people and organizations behind it:

“I would like to congratulate our 9th batch of kangoshi and kaigofukushihi candidates on passing the selection and matching process.

I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing my gratitude for everyone who is behind this program, most especially for our friends at DOLE, POEA, TESDA, Japan Foundation, Nihongo Center Foundation, and PAD Foundation. I commend all of you for your hard work in contributing to the success of this program for nurses and careworkers. With the new chiefs of the Philippine government agencies, we would like to continue our effort for the further improvement of this program.”

As a reply to the words of support and encouragement, Ms. Marian Vanessa Cristobal Lualhati spoke on behalf of her fellow students. “I am now 30 years old and came to the point in my life wherein I want to make something bigger and more meaningful, as such I am joining JPEPA,” said the nurse who has been working at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for nine years.

Lualhati added, “I believe that caregiving is one of the most gratifying jobs…Taking care of someone can transform life — mine, yours, ours — forever. That is what life is all about.”

For the 9th batch, as with previous batches, the objective of the program is to help candidates acquire basic knowledge and usage of Nihongo and learn specific terms and expressions essential for their line of work. They will also be given lectures on culture and general life in Japan and how to develop habits for continuous and autonomous learning even after they graduate from the program.

Resources:

Full speeches of the key speakers:
Philip B. Sanvictores, NCF President
Hiroaki Uesugi, JFMO Director
Nimfa de Guzman, POEA
Amb. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Japanese Embassy, Manila
(delivered by Hiroyuki Enoki, Labor Attache of Japan in the Philippines)
Josef Orillio, Program Head Teacher
Marian Lualhati, Student Representative

Photo Album

Nikki Gevaña Bags Top Prize at 6th Kake Gakuen Speech Contest

September 24, 2016by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

An admirer of Japanese food and culture, Nikki Gevaña, emerged as top winner in this year’s 6th Kake Trophy Nihongo Speech Contest held last September 10 at the Nihongo Center Foundation (NCF), Makati Campus. Besting four other contestants, Gevaña also received the honor to represent the Philippines in the international round of the speech competition to be held on November 25, 2016 at the Okayama University of Science in Okayama, Japan.

Gevaña, who started studying Japanese last year, delivered her speech on the common theme “私にとって一番大切な物” (Watashi ni totte, ichiban taisetsuna mono/The Most Important Thing for Me). The speech, which won her an educational trip to Japan, cash prize, and tuition incentives, highlighted the importance of education and how it can be an impetus for improving one’s life and achieving success. Moving into the international competition, Gevaña also has a chance to grab a 2-year scholarship at any of the three universities under the Kake Educational Institution.

Other winners in the contest include Leah Uychiongco who came in at 2nd place and Maria Roldan at 3rd place. Uychiongco’s speech expressed how human life is the most important thing for her while Roldan talked about love and how it helped her get through life’s struggles.  

Tatsuo Kitagawa, director of the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), together with Yoshiya Yoshimi, director of Kake Educational Institution, and Kenjiro Ogata, academic advisor of The Philippine Institute of Japanese Language and Culture (PIJLC) and NCF made up the prestigious panel of judges. PILJC and NCF president, Philip Sanvictores welcomed the guests and participants with his opening remarks, while faculty member, Josef Carlo Orillo took on the emcee’s role during the event.

The Kake Trophy Speech Contest is an annual competition showcasing the Japanese Language skills of PIJLC and NCF students. Winners get scholarships and tuition fee waivers from its main sponsor, Kake Educational Institution based in Okayama, Japan, and co-sponsor, PIJLC and NCF. The event is also supported by JICC representing the Embassy of Japan.

==============

References:

6th Kake Trophy Speech Contest Program
Nikki Gevaña, speech: 私にとって一番大切な物
6th Kake Tropy Speech Contest Winner Announcement
Leah Uychiongco, speech: 私にとって一番大切な物
Maria Roldan, speech: 私にとって一番大切な物
6th Kake Trophy Speech Contest Photo Album

2016 NCF MANILA AND MAKATI UPCOMING CLASS SCHEDULES

January 14, 2016by Philip Sanvictores in PIJLC-NCF

NIHONGO CENTER FOUNDATION, INC.

Manila Campus

Contact number: (02) 735-3179 | email:manila@nihongocenter.com

http://www.nihongocenter.com/manila-campus.php

—————————————————–Beginners————————————————-

COURSE: Elementary 1
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 60 Kanji; 400 Vocabulary words. MNN Lessons 1-10
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete

Tuesday & Thursday

6:00PM–8:00PM (2Hrs)

34 Days

68 Hours

Saturdays

 9:00AM–12:10Noon  (3Hrs&10Min) 22 Days

68 Hours

*Minimum of 10 enrollees to START a class.
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TARGET START DATE: January 16, 2016 (Sat Class) and January 19, 2016 (Tue/Thurs Class)
**ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING ; 

 *****************************************************************************

COURSE: Elementary 2
DESCRIPTION:
Continuation of the study of basic grammatical patterns, Simple Conversation, 143 Kanji characters; 700 Vocabulary words. MNN Lessons 11-20
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete
Saturdays 2:00PM – 5:20PM  (3Hrs&20Min) 20 Days

64 Hours

*Minimum of 10 enrollees to START a class.
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TARGET START DATE: January 23, 2016 (Sat Class) 
**ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING ; 

*****************************************************************************

COURSE: Nihongo Kaiwa 1 (Marugoto)
DESCRIPTION:
Plain Conversation course. NO READING & WRITING.
TERMS: one-time payment upon registration.
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete
Tuesday & Thursday 6:00PM – 8:00PM (2Hrs) 12 Days 24 Hours

*10-16 participants in a class. (Student must be at least 15 yrs. old) 
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TARGET START DATE: January 26, 2016 (Tues. & Thurs Class)
*ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING; 

 *****************************************************************************

COURSE: Intermediate 1 
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 580 Kanji; 1500 Vocabulary. MNN Lessons 41-50
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete
Saturday 9:00AM – 5:00PM (8Hrs) 10 Days 64 Hours

*Minimum of 7 participants in a class. 
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TARGET START DATE: January 23, 2016 (Sat. Class)
*ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING; 

 

NIHONGO CENTER FOUNDATION, INC.

Makati Campus

Contact number: (02) 892-4916 to 19 | email : makati@nihongocenter.com

http://www.nihongocenter.com/makati-campus.php

—————————————————–Beginners————————————————-

COURSE: Elementary 1
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 60 Kanji; 400 Vocabulary. MNN Lessons 1-10
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete

Monday, Wednesday & Friday

9:00AM–12:10NN (3Hrs&10Min)

22 Days

68 Hours

Monday, Wednesday & Friday

 2:00PM-5:10PM (3Hrs&10Min) 22 Days 68 Hours

*Minimum of 10 enrollees to START a class.
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TENTATIVE START DATE: Feb. 1, 2016 (Mon/Wed/Fri Class 2:00pm-5:00pm) 
**ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING for MWF Class ;

*****************************************************************************

COURSE: Elementary 3
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 258 Kanji; 1000 Vocabulary. MNN Lessons 21-30
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete
Saturday 9:00AM – 12:10PM (3Hrs) 22 Days 64 Hours

*Minimum of 10 enrollees to START a class.

*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TENTATIVE START DATE: TBA (Sat. Class)
**ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING ;

*****************************************************************************

COURSE: Elementary 4
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 383 Kanji; 1300 Vocabulary. MNN Lessons 31-40
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete

Monday, Wednesdays & Friday

9:00AM–12:10NN (3Hrs&10Min)

21 Days

64 Hours

*Minimum of 8 enrollees to START a class.
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TENTATIVE START DATE: TBA (Mon/Wed/Fri Class)  
**ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING ;

*****************************************************************************

COURSE: Intermediate 1
DESCRIPTION: Comprehensive course:
Conversation, Reading and Writing course with Hiragana, Katakana & 580 Kanji; 1500 Vocabulary. MNN Lessons 41-50
SCHEDULE:

DAY

TIME per Session

Number of Sessions to attend

Total Number of Hrs. to complete
Saturday 9:00PM – 12:10PM (2Hrs) 22 Days 64 Hours

*10-16 participants in a class. 
*FIRST COME FIRST SERVE POLICY. | LIMITED SLOTS AVAILABLE
*TARGET START DATE: TBA (Saturday Class)
*ENROLMENT STILL ON-GOING ; 

 ——————————————————Non-beginners————————————————–

Students who studied Nihongo in other institutions, as well as, NCF students who stopped even for one semester are required to take an EVALUATION EXAM in order to assess his/ her current level of proficiency in Nihongo. This is to ensure that he/she is able to enroll in the course which is most appropriate for his/her level. Examinee should arrange the examination schedule with the Admin office and should pay the examination fee of PHP 250.00.

For Intermediate and Advanced Courses, please reach us at the above contact details.

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