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This semester, Williams House in particular has had an immersion in Japanese language with the introduction of The Early Childhood Language Program, where each preschool group participates in a weekly two-hour Japanese session. This program is an initiative of the Department of Education and Training and has been established in selected early childhood centres across Victoria. Its aim is to provide children with the opportunity to develop and strengthen their cognitive flexibility, thus enabling them to develop a unique insight into the fact that objects, places and people can be attributed with different names, and yet remain the same. This skills development, when nurtured during the early years, has been proven through research conducted at the University of Melbourne, to benefit student's cognitive ability throughout their educational journey. Each Japanese session begins with a brief interactive mat time, where the children are given the opportunity to practise their new skills in a supported environment. The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Japanese culture through songs, video clips, visual stimuli/ props, picture storybooks and games. Each week we build on the foundations laid in previous sessions. The focus topics are aligned with the current interests of each group and existing programs to ensure the learning is meaningful and child-centred. For example, in Term 3 the Koalas Kinder group at Williams House began exploring the mixing of primary coloured paints to create new colours. This was a perfect opportunity to share the vocabulary surrounding colours in Japanese. We have also learned daily routines and the names of family members during our celebrations for Fathers' Day, different foods and drinks in Japanese and even met students visiting from our sister school in Japan. The children's daily snack time was a fantastic opportunity to build a rapport with each child, and at the same time encourage them to practise their new language skills.
Butterfield House Japanese Program
Working with our preschool students has been delightful. Their enthusiasm, natural curiosity and willingness to have a go led to fun and engaging sessions each week. It has been rewarding to see the students flourish as learners and develop bilingual skills and cross-cultural understanding; there is solid evidence that supports the fact that developing these attributes, assists children to grow in a range of learning areas long into the future.
Williams House Japanese Program
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