This page contains answers to questions received at the online seminar held on Sunday, December 11, 2022, titled "Learn about the front lines! Supporting Japanese language education for multicultural coexistence."
*Answers will be added at any time.
Q1. Environment for using UD digital textbook font
Sorry for the basic question. What do I need to have installed to use the UD Digital Textbook Font? I love the UD Digital Textbook Font and personally use it often. While it comes pre-installed on newly loaned PCs (Windows 10 or later) and Word, my older ones don't, so when I create teaching materials in Word and distribute them at school, I often have to use the existing textbook font. Also, when I ask students to give presentations using PowerPoint, they always end up using their native font, which means they lose points for incorrect kanji.
I would also like foreign students to use the UD digital textbook font, but I am not sure how to guide them since I do not know all the devices that students have. It is called universal design, but can it actually be used on computers in different countries?
Thank you for your continued use of UD Digital Textbook Fonts. For those using PCs older than Windows 10 or Macs, we recommend the annual contract service "MORISAWA BIZ+." For personal use, 55 UD fonts are available for one year for 3,960 yen (tax included).https://www.morisawa.co.jp/products/fonts/bizplus/
If you would like to use it on a school basis (100 or more devices), there is a service called "MORISAWA BIZ+" for public organizations, and the discount rate varies depending on the number of devices, so please contact us via the website above. As we cannot decide on the standard features of other companies such as Google and Apple, we would appreciate it if you could send user feedback to each company.
If you are using Windows 10 or later, you can use the UD digital textbook font overseas. Although it is not supported by our company, some people are using "MORISAWA BIZ+" overseas. (Answer: Morisawa Corporation)
Q2. How to use UD Digital Textbook Font in Keynote and Pages
I teach Japanese to international students at a Japanese language school. This is a specific question for Morisawa. Are there any plans to make UD digital textbook fonts available as standard in Mac applications like Keynote and Pages? Currently, I subscribe to "Morisawa Biz+" to create slides and other materials. During class, I sometimes switch devices and project materials onto an iPad. It would be extremely helpful if it were available as standard, just like Windows.
Thank you for your continued use of UD Digital Textbook Font. As we cannot decide whether other companies, such as Google and Apple, will include it as standard, we would appreciate it if you could share your user feedback with these companies. (Answer: Morisawa Inc.)
Q3. I want to know the URL that was introduced in the seminar.
[URLs introduced in the seminar]
■Teaching Materials・Kanji stroke order teaching materials can be downloaded herehttps://go.morisawa.co.jp/l/896081/2021-07-07/w6fc
・Hiragana stroke order teaching materials can be found herehttps://fontswitch.jp/post/8236
・Report on the Japanese language education seminar held in May 2022https://fontswitch.jp/post/11457
■Report on a training session for Japanese language teachers
・The Japan Foundation Mexico Japanese Cultural Center
"Special release of training video: Training session for Japanese language teachers that brings out the appeal of UD fonts, delivered by Morisawa"https://fontswitch.jp/post/12840
・ABK Gakukan Japanese Language School: "Solving the problems of Japanese language teachers! Fonts and layouts that reduce barriers to learning"https://fontswitch.jp/post/9167
■Interview with a Japanese language teacher: "After being posted to Thailand, I realized the difficulty of reading, and why I recommend the UD digital textbook font to beginners"https://fontswitch.jp/post/10441
■ "Teach U" - a digital teaching material distribution site for special needs educationhttps://musashi.educ.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/jlt/
(Answer: Morisawa Co., Ltd.)
Q4. Handling UD digital textbook fonts in Keynote and Pages, and projecting PDFs
Are there any plans to make the UD Digital Textbook font available as standard in Mac applications like Keynote and Pages? I currently use an iPad to project materials during class because it's easy to carry around and allows for easy page turning. I thought I'd create slides using the UD Digital Textbook font on my Mac using "MORISAWA BIZ+," then convert them to PDF on the iPad and project them on the TV. However, the PDF format doesn't allow for full-screen display, and the text becomes too small, so I end up just opening the materials (in standard textbook font) in Keynote on my Mac and showing them on the iPad.
The UD Digital Textbook font features large, easy-to-read characters, making it particularly useful in schools with many vertically oriented classrooms, where students in the back can easily see it. It also seems that an increasing number of teachers are using tablets in addition to PCs to teach. Furthermore, in online classes, PDFs and other documents cannot be sent to students participating on smartphones, so Google Slides and other formats are convenient for easily sharing materials. It would be extremely helpful if it were available as standard on any device environment, including not only Windows but also Mac, iPad, Google Slides, and other devices. Increasing the number of environments in which it can be used would allow it to be used by more people in more situations, leading to greater adoption. We appreciate your consideration.
Thank you for your continued use of UD Digital Textbook Font. As we cannot decide whether other companies, such as Google and Apple, will include the font as standard, we would appreciate it if you could share your user feedback with them.
I'm not sure if this will solve the problem, but if you're using Keynote on a Mac, why not try pasting the PDF data into Keynote?
We will continue to make efforts to ensure that the service can be used in your various environments, so we appreciate your continued support. (Answer: Morisawa Inc.)
Q5. Support for students who have difficulty reading texts
Some of my students have such difficulty reading sentences that I am concerned they may have a learning disability (they read kanji characters one by one, and probably cannot read them while grasping them as words). I would appreciate any advice on whether this is because they are unable to remember the vocabulary, or if it is a visual-cognitive problem, and what kind of support or teaching materials I can provide.
UD digital textbook fonts are said to be easy to read even for people with learning disabilities, but just as important as font selection is how you use them. We also hold seminars for Japanese language teachers on how to use them, so please refer to this website for more information.
Training session for Japanese language teachershttps://fontswitch.jp/post/12840
Furthermore, even among students who have the same reading difficulty, the causes vary from student to student. The causes and the corresponding considerations often cannot be resolved by changing fonts or typesetting alone, so please ask the student what considerations they are looking for, or consult a specialist institution.
(Answer: Morisawa Co., Ltd.)
Q6. Creating materials with ruby
This is just my personal opinion, but I'd appreciate it if the ruby annotation function were more comprehensive. Currently, ruby annotations cannot be added in bulk, and creating materials with ruby annotations takes two to three times the usual time. In junior high school, each teacher creates questions for regular exams, but even if ruby annotations are added, there are cases where they are not checked properly and there are mistakes, or ruby annotations are added to numbers and hiragana, making the text difficult to read. If you have any advice on how to shorten the process of creating materials with ruby annotations, please let me know.
The "AccessReading" website, run by the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, has a function that automatically adds furigana to text. It appears that you can copy and paste it into Word. While it's aimed at elementary and junior high school students, it also seems to allow you to select which kanji you want to add furigana to. While it may not be what you're looking for, it may be useful.https://accessreading.org/furigana/
(Answer: Morisawa Co., Ltd.)
Q7. Guidance for children who have not yet arrived in Japan
I am the homeroom teacher for a child who recently arrived in Japan. I try to be considerate in class and in daily life, but it is difficult to provide opportunities for individual learning. The child's parents also have overseas roots, so I am aware of the difficulties of home study.
① How to guarantee individual study time
② Tips for studying at home
I would appreciate any advice on this.
① We understand that it is extremely difficult to create new opportunities for individual learning within a limited time. I believe that the principal, vice principal, and other administrative staff at the school have already drawn up learning plans for the students, but what about organizing and implementing a "special educational curriculum" within the school?
(Although it is simple, I have attached the URL from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for your reference.https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/clarinet/003/1341926.htm)
In addition, additional Japanese language teaching assistants (https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chousa/shotou/121/shiryo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2016/03/14/1367601_09_1.pdf) so one option is to first share information with the Board of Education, create a learning plan that meets the learning needs of the children, and then institutionally guarantee it.
② Regarding home study strategies, while they will vary depending on the child's Japanese language level, academic history, and residence history, it's important to share with parents what they're currently doing and why they need this study. For parents with limited Japanese language proficiency, communication can be difficult, so it's also necessary to bring in supporters to translate and interpret. At a school I know, parents observed classes while studying. If home study seems difficult, one option is to partner with local Japanese language classes or Japanese language support study groups. Since children are immersed in Japanese every hour, they may want to relax in their native language at home. Collaborating with school, local Japanese language classes, and home can provide a change of pace. Teachers, let's work hard together! I'm rooting for you.
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)
Q8. Guidance for students from non-kanji countries
I get the impression that many students from non-kanji-using countries want to learn Japanese, but don't try to learn kanji seriously because they find it painful. Compared to students from kanji-using countries, these students are at a considerable disadvantage, so they seem to have given up on acquiring kanji. How can we get them interested in kanji?
Many students here come from non-Kanji-using countries, and they share the same concerns. When I talk to my students, I find that many have never studied kanji step by step. Japanese children studying Japanese begin in the first grade with basic kanji radicals, then move on to more complex kanji. Research has shown that international students learn these words as single, complex shapes, rather than as a collection of elements. This can be both challenging and extremely painful, so one approach is to first explain basic radicals and structures using pictures. (We are currently working with Morisawa to develop this material, so please wait for its release.) As an aside, in my classes, we offer hands-on activities such as creating your own name using kanji and explaining its meaning (a style similar to ateji) and writing your favorite kanji in calligraphy.
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)
I'm not sure if you're interested in kanji itself, but I've created and distributed these teaching materials. Please try them out. These are teaching materials in which katakana and kanji are transformed and connected.https://musashi.educ.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/02046-2/
(Answer: Professor Goto)
Q9. In Professor Iwasaki's testing, did you notice any reactions from students regarding katakana?
We are very sorry to say that we will begin a demonstration experiment for katakana in February. In a pilot survey conducted in advance, many people responded that "UD Digital Textbook Font makes it easy to see the direction of writing."
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)
Q10. If there is any research that international students can do, I think we can visit the school.
*In this seminar, Professor Iwasaki presented an interim report on the demonstration experiment and called for cooperation from participants. Details are explained in the archived video from 33:30 to 35:35.
Thank you for contacting us. I'm very happy.Application FormCould you please enter it here?
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)
Q11. About activities to spread "Easy Japanese"
I'm very interested in activities to spread "easy Japanese," but at the Japanese language school where I currently work, most of the students are from China who are going on to higher education, so they often study to obtain N1 certification or prepare for university entrance exams. This is also what the students want. I find this very rewarding, but I would also be very happy if I could shift my focus to activities to spread "easy Japanese" in the future. Are there any specific actions I can take to achieve this? For example, I would appreciate it if you could tell me about institutions where I can study, activities I can participate in while working, or qualifications that I should obtain.
There are two types of "Easy Japanese": "Easy Japanese," which was devised by Professor Kazuyuki Sato of Hirosaki University to convey disaster information to non-native Japanese speakers during disasters, and "Easy Japanese for Resident Support," which is being promoted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. There are many ways to learn "Easy Japanese," but the first thing to do is to start with the Agency for Cultural Affairs' "Easy Japanese Guidelines for Resident Support."https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/kokugo_nihongo/kyoiku/92484001.htmlYou can learn the basics at the "Easy Japanese Tourism Study Group." (Unfortunately, Professor Sato's website was closed in 2020.) Currently, training sessions are being held in many regions and municipalities, so please check the information.https://yasashii-nihongo-tourism.jp/However, you can gain a lot of information. Also, since you have taken the time to study, I hope you will put it to good use. I apologize for speaking from my own perspective, but when it comes to the lives of international students, I believe that "disaster prevention" and "easy Japanese" are inseparable. Therefore, after taking the "fire and disaster prevention management course" to gain the necessary knowledge, I convert the words in the textbook into "easy Japanese."
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)
Q12. How can I get school teachers to understand the advantages of "easy Japanese"?
When I want to change PTA documents to plain Japanese, the teachers and staff say, "Let's keep it the same as before." How can I get the teachers at school to understand the advantages of plain Japanese? How can I get them to adopt it? Please tell me some tips.
I think each school has its own policy regarding the use of easy Japanese in PTA activities. The school I work for is planning to offer easy Japanese courses for PTA members this year. In the future, we would like to be able to send out announcements from the PTA in easy Japanese.
(Answer: Mr. Maeda)
Q13. Percentage of companies that require easy Japanese
Regarding easy Japanese, what percentage of companies that employ foreigners actually feel the need for it? I get the impression that many companies get by by having their senior colleagues from the same country act as interpreters.
Sorry, we don't have specific numbers at hand.
This is just my personal feeling, but I feel like the need for it or not depends on the Japanese language level of the foreigners you employ.
When hiring foreign employees, I don't think they need easy Japanese. On the other hand, I think they feel the need for it in the case of technical intern trainees.
(Answer: Mr. Maeda)
Q14. Information necessary for accepting students with foreign roots
When children of overseas origins start school, not only do they need to be able to study, but they also need to pave the way for their future careers. I feel that there is a lack of knowledge about immigration law and what is needed going forward, and that local governments are still feeling their way around as to what they should know and how much they should know. I feel that it would be nice to have some kind of rough guide to the process, but are there any established procedures out there?
I don't have any information on procedures that have been compiled, but I would like to share some information from someone who is researching education for children with foreign roots. I hope this information will be helpful.
https://www.shaplaneer.org/curry2021/int02_01/
(Answer: Mr. Maeda)
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has published a "Guide to Accepting Foreign Students"https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/clarinet/002/1304668.htmThe end of the book also contains URLs for related websites, which is very helpful.
"Children's Japanese Language Education Research Group"https://www.kodomo-no-nihongo.com/We also have workshops and lots of information available. We hope you find it useful.
(Answer: Professor Iwasaki)