ABOUT US

The Japanese Language Teachers Association of Victoria was founded in 1972. About 20 people, being probably almost all the secondary and tertiary Japanese language teachers in Victoria at the time, plus at least one high school principal and one official from the DSE (the Directorate of School Education, currently the Department of Education and Training) got together and decided to form an association. The initial committee had about 6-7 members, and committee meetings were held in private homes, schools and universities.

Some years later, the Victorian government decided to formally introduce Japanese language education to high schools, and the JLTAV worked together to formulate the high school Japanese language curriculum.

In the 1980s, the federal and state governments began to allow funding for the establishment of foreign language education in schools. At that time, the Japanese economy was growing at a rate that seemed unstoppable, and as a result, many high schools began Japanese language programmes. Japanese became the most commonly taught language in Victorian schools, and as a result, the JLTAV Committee grew and its network strengthened. The JLTAV was registered as an incorporated association in 1992.

Through the 1980s, most teachers in the committee were high school teachers, but from Lynn Gourlay’s presidency (1989-1991) and onwards, the number of primary school teachers increased dramatically. This coincided with the formal introduction of Japanese language instruction to primary schools. All of the Presidents from 1998 to 2012 were, in fact, primary school teachers. However, Lois Booth (President 2011-2012) pushed to recruit more high school teachers to restore a balance and help serve teachers at both levels.

For many years, the JLTAV ran a segment of the MLTAV (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria) Annual Conference, especially under the guidance of Les Mullins and Megan McLaughlin. In 2003, Sue Hodgson (President 2001-2003) and Pam Spiegel (President 2004-2006) started the annual jLTAV Statewide Conference in its current format, in order to support teachers’ professional learning.

In 2007, the first JLTAV website was launched by incumbent President Naoko Nishikawa and the committee, with the support of a grant from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) in Victoria, and the MLTAV (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria).

Today, the JLTAV remains one of the largest single language associations of teachers in Australia. The JLTAV runs many events throughout the year for teachers and students, as well as competitions for students. The website was relaunched in early 2016.

Text by William Blakeley. Based on memory, hearsay and reasonable guesses by Hiroshi Honda, President 1994-1995 and Committee Member 1987-2004, 2009-present.

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