Holland Park High currently offers students the opportunity to study Japanese (Years 7 -12). Language Studies allow students to acquire an understanding that language and culture affect how we develop our own set of values, attitudes, and beliefs. Studying a foreign language enables students to develop practical language skills that allow them to express their needs and opinions and communicate in everyday situations.
Through studying a foreign language, students will:
- Develop practical written and spoken foreign language skills to discuss real-life issues.
- Gain an understanding and appreciation of a different culture, lifestyle, and perspective.
- Develop and expand upon communication skills.
- Develop skills to problem solve and find ways of expressing themselves.
In addition to learning to speak a foreign language, other benefits for students include enhanced:
- Higher and lateral thinking skills.
- Logical and systematic thinking skills.
- Oral and written communications skills.
- Analytical and interpretation skills.
- Creative skills.
Subjects Offered
| 7, 8 | - Japanese
- Japanese Immersion Program:
- Proficiency
- JLPT preparation program (N 4/5)
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| 9, 10, 11 & 12 | - Japanese
- Accelerated Japanese (available for selected students to complete Senior ATAR Japanese in Year 11)
- JLPT preparation program (N 3/2)
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For further information and details about the units of study, please refer to the year level handbooks.
Head of Department Arts and Languages – Dean Fanning
Tennoji Sister School
For more than 20 years Holland Park State High School has had a very close and active reciprocal relationship with our sister school, Tennoji, located in Osaka, Japan. Every year Tennoji sends a small number of students to Holland Park for a two week period in March.
During this time they are hosted by our students who share with them the Australian culture and lifestyle. These students come from Japan to study and usually have a very good grasp of conversational English so all students, including those not part of the Japanese Language courses, are encouraged to host and interact with our guests.
Every year our visitors share with us what it is like to study in Japan and how the lifestyles differ. It is a great experience for our students to communicate with native Japanese speakers and learn about Japan’s unique and diverse culture. Each year these two weeks seem to fly by, and all those involved always have a wonderful time, and more often than not come out wishing it was greater length of time.
One of the many opportunities afforded to the students of Holland Park is the opportunity to study a foreign language through to Grade 12. Students who participate in the study of the Japanese language are invited to attend the Holland Park State High School Japanese Study Tour in grades 10, 11 and 12, with select students in the junior school also invited. As we share a reciprocal relationship with Tennoji Senior High School in Osaka, Japan, students across the year levels who volunteer to host one Tennoji’s students every March are also extended an invitation to experience a guided tour of Japan.
These study tours give students a first-hand look into the unique culture of Japan. They are updated regularly to allow students to experience the best of both Modern and Ancient Japan during the last two weeks of the school year – what a nice way for students to end a year of diligent study!
As we are a small school, generally these tours will be run every two to three years depending on student interest and staff availability. However, being a small school means that students get a more personal approach to these tours allowing the itinerary to incorporate more of their interests.
In general, these tours focus on a homestay that takes place with our Sister School, Tennoji. During homestay our students get to experience the life of a Japanese high school student for a week; including attending class and extra-curricular club activities. However, we also tour sites of national and international importance such as Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo. An alternating program is being looked at to allow students to experience the best of Japan’s early winter and to cover a greater range of what this country has to offer.
During these tours we aim to have an interactive approach to learning. Students don’t just see or hear about something, they get to work with it, make it, build it, and explore it. Some of the things that our current tours will be doing differently include staying in a Buddhist temple in the heart of the most traditional city in Japan, Kyoto; fishing for our own food in Zauo restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo; and wearing traditional Japanese clothing as we explore the night-time scenery of the island, Miyajima. The students who participate in these tours always learn a great deal and gain a new appreciation for the world beyond their own borders.