Gifted and Talented in Japanese – How to sustain their motivation
Report by Junko Bracefield based on a paper presented at the AFMLTA Biennial Conference in Sydney, July 2009.

Practice and pedagogical effectiveness of online interactive bi-directional learning project
Report on a paper presented by Chikae Sayer, lecturer in Japanese at AUT University, presented at Education Reform – IT Strategy Conference in Tokyo, September 2009.

Action research for the teaching and Learning of Japanese at Years 7 – 8 level in New Zealand:
Does developing a rich repertoire of formulaic expressions in Japanese increase L2 output?
Report on a paper presented by Kelly Clarke, teacher a Te Atatu Intermediate, at the 2008 NZALT Conference.

Strategies for Kanji learning in the classroom
Report on a paper presented by Dallas Nesbitt, senior lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, at the 2008 NZALT Conference. In this paper Dallas Nesbitt reports on four specific teaching practices she uses in a Japanese kanji class at AUT. She discusses how these practices can influence student motivation and performance in areas such as self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes towards teacher, task satisfaction, preparedness to practise regularly and perceived opportunity to practice.

Integration of ICT for Effective Learning, Teaching and Assessment
Report on a paper presented at WorldCALL 2008: Using Technologies for Language Learning 3rd International Conference, Fukuoka, August 2008, by Debbie Corder, Associate Head of School (International Languages)at AUT. So-called emerging technologies such as wikis, blogs and e-portfolios are becoming familiar learning and teaching tools. Social networking websites including Facebook, and VLEs such as Second Life are also being explored for their educational potential for language learning. This paper discusses examples of how technologies have been integrated into language courses to achieve desired learning outcomes.

Exploring the relationship between the production of modified output and the acquisition of negation of adjectives in Japanese as a second language.
Abstract of a report presented by Masayoshi Ogino at the JSAAA-ICJLE Conference, Sydney, July 2009.