I came to Rutgers in 2019. Before joining Rutgers, I previously taught at Vanderbilt University from 2012–2019. I received my B.A. from Nanzan University in Nagoya Japan, where I studied intercultural communication and education and my M.A. from Columbia University, where I studied Japanese Pedagogy.
I believe students learn languages most effectively when they play an active role in the classroom. As an instructor, I try to create an environment where students have opportunities to initiate conversations and ask one another questions. I also believe that language education involves learning to see the world from a different perspective; it is not merely memorizing sets of rules, though this is surely important. To understand alternative viewpoints requires both reflections on differences and similarities between one’s native tongue and the target language and culture.
My scholarly interests are various forms of integration of technology in language education and heritage language learning. My current pedagogical interests include community involvement and the use of extensive reading materials in beginning-level language education.
I look forward to seeing you in Rutgers’s Japanese language classes!
Publications
Courses
- Elementary Japanese
- Intermediate Japanese