Several members of the Department’s Japanese cluster went to Iloilo to participate in the joint events, “Japanese Beyond Words: Content-Based Approaches for Effective Language Education” and “41st Philippine Nihongo Teachers’ Forum.” The conference-workshop, which ran from 25 to 26 September 2026, was co-organized by The Japan Foundation, Manila, West Visayas State University, and the University of the Philippines Asian Center.
Lecturer Cris Dofitas facilitated the workshop, “Designing class activities around plays: new activities inspired from board and card games.” Former Senior Lecturer Ken Kurusu meanwhile presented in the featured panel, “Kobanashi Beyond Laughter: Kobanashi as an Educational Production, Through the Lens of Filipino Values, Culture & Community.” Senior Lecturer Junilo Espirutu, who also serves as the president of the Association of Filipino Nihongo Teachers (AFINITE), was a reactor at the panel.
Instr. JM De Pano meanwhile talked about “How Do We Go Beyond? Reflections on Merging Grammar-Focused Class Outcomes with Communication-Based Activities,” and Instr. Brian Baran read his paper, “A Comparative Componential Analysis of Japanese aisō, Tagalog/Filipino pakikisama, and Cebuano/Binisayâ pakig/panag-uban: From Textbook Readings to Intercultural Interaction.”
Asst. Prof. Ria Rafael and Senior Lecturer Farah Cunanan also assisted in the two separate workshops facilitated by the Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (AJALT).
Published by UP Department of Linguistics
