DGS students at Pembroke College Oxford for Japanese taster day
On Friday 24th January 2020, Pembroke College hosted 50 Year 10 & 12 students from Dartford Grammar School (DGS) for a Japanese Studies at Oxford taster day. Following the success of this initiative’s first iteration in November 2018 that welcomed 15 Year 12 students from DGS, both sides agreed to continue and expand the programme.
DGS is an ideal partner due to its unique approach to language education. All students take either Japanese or Mandarin from Year 7 meaning that the school boasts one of the highest numbers of Japanese learners in the UK. In 2017, DGS introduced a new Japanese Excellence Programme, a highly intensive language course, and the Year 10 students from the firs
t cohort all joined the Japanese Studies taster day at Pembroke.
The students participated in lectures and tutorials delivered by volunteering faculty members on an array of engaging subjects including robots and Japanese society, classical Japanese and hip hop, and post 3.11 trauma literature. In addition to an ‘Oxford hall’ lunch experience, there was also an Oxford-style networking ‘soft drinks reception’ where 15 current Oxford undergraduate and postgraduate students mingled with the DGS teenagers to informally discuss Japanese language learning, Japan-related opportunities and life at the university.
Find the full story in the Pembroke College magazine at https://www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/news/integrating-japanese-teaching-public-engagement-and-outreach
