LOTEHAT 2 Project Investigation Showcase 2012

1. LOTEHAT 2 ProjectInvestigation Showcase 2012 Name: ShungoSawaki School :The Macrobertson Girls High School Investigation Title: Teaching beyond high school VCE LOTE.

2. What I did: • How can my students begin to see language learning as an enjoyable part of their life long learning journey. • Pretest • Invite students to keep diary focusing on what learning meant for them and what role LOTE learning plays. • Scheduled informal chat with individual student.

3. What I learnt: • Many of my students and parents see LOTE as just one of subject to get higher ATAR score. Almost all of them were hoping to get into medicine, law degree course at Melbourne University. • Students and parents primary focus is to obtain ATAR score of 99.95. This is evident that the average ATAR: 95.13; the median ATAR: 96.7; ATARs above 99.00: 15.7% • Destination matters not the process. (I have been personally questioning this my whole teaching career)

4. Where to from here: • Continue to engage students to give vision about life beyond the ATAR score. • Consultation to shift culture, ways of thinking about Language learning and beyond. • Not just mark, beyond school, preparation for LIFE. • Facilitate a power of having an idea/ possibility. 1+1=is whatever you want to be.

5. Change is happing, cultural shift • I have learnt how to be who I want to be, not what I want to be. I am in Year 12 now. I am finally being asked to take control of my own life and while that is liberating, it is also very intimidating. It is easy to get caught up in all the assessment and anxiety, but Mr Sawaki has shown me that it is actually quite exciting; that life is exciting, despite being or because it is so scary. He has done that by challenging us, prompting us and allowing us to work out meaning for ourselves, so that we become independent thinkers. He has taught us Japanese by showing us that the people who speak this language are real; they do not just exist in a textbook. In making our learning about something real, about ourselves and how we relate to others and how we see the world, Mr Sawaki has motivated all of us to work hard in our studies because we want to, not because we have to. • You're dedication towards our class is one of the reasons that I have continued Japanese and what makes class so enjoyable. With any subject, it is always disappointing when your teacher doesn't care about your subject, but you knowledge and commitment to the class really does make our learning so much more enjoyable. • You have also helped me within myself. All your messages, I try to keep them with me. Whenever something happens and I'm trying to feel better about it, most of the time it's one of your messages that comes to me and helps me get through it, whether it's "Keep your face to the sunshine and you won't have to see the shadow" or taking time out to have some お茶, it really is so effective. Also, your long message on sawatree, whenever I come back to them, it always gives me some inner strength, some confidence and accepting of who I am. • because you've always told us to never give up and keep going, because our input will determine what results in the end. That SAC scores and test scores don't matter, it's what you learn from your mistakes that matter. I took everything you've said to heart and applied it to my subjects. • 先生, your little life lessons made such a difference. Each lesson, my eyes will be opened and I would be so inspired that I would actually feel emotionally drained. It’ll be like someone turned a really really bright light on in a dark room (omg I’m so corny ahaha) and I’d walk out of L208 a new person, going ‘YES I CAN DO THIS!” You taught me that the little things don’t matter – it’s only 5 cents after all! And I’ve really taken that to heart. I don't let the little things worry me – I focus on the big fish, and it has really helped me when life throws me 318927391 balls and everything seems pointless. You’ve taught us to leave the negatives behind us, and focus on the positives (your sun quotes helps me with everything!) I think, the reason why you’re so extraordinary, is because you actually care about us. You actually try to get to know each and everyone of us. And it’s such a foreign concept to me because I’m so used to being just another invisible name on the roll. It means a lot to me. Thank you for caring. Thank you for being there.

6. I like that unlike the other teachers, grades are not your priority. I like that you want us to bond as a class and become a family, instead of letting us stay in our own little groups. I like that you’re always emphasizing how important it is for us to feel like L208 is our home, and how important it is for us to have someone there for us. I like that you encourage us to tell you things because you know it’s bad to keep it all bottled up inside. I like that about you. I think that’s what sets you apart from the other teachers. I know I haven’t opened up to you entirely yet, and that I haven’t given you my diary or anything to read (I’ve started it though, I swear I have), but I think that one day, before we graduate, I’ll probably let you into my life. • But an education is not just about getting good marks or passing exams. Learning Japanese is not about having perfect grammar or having an impressive vocabulary. Instead, learning Japanese is about understanding the culture that propels that language. It is about understanding different people and different ways of looking at the world. Indeed, an education is not just about learning how the world works, or what the world is like, but about learning who we are, ourselves and how we, individually and uniquely, understand the world around us. That is what Mr Sawaki has given me. He has taught me that you have to work for what you want, because if it is worth wanting, then it is worth working for. He has taught me to always try my best and never settle for anything less. He has taught me that life is not easy, but it is actually not that hard either, because failures make us stronger, not weaker, and everyone is different, we don’t all take the same paths.