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"Practice" outside of the classroom is key to learning a second language

My research theme is applied linguistics, in particular, second language acquisition. I am studying these fields primarily as they pertain to Japanese language teaching. After studying Japanese, English, and linguistics in undergraduate and graduate schools, I obtained my PhD in applied linguistics at the University of London. When I was a child I lived in the United States because of my father's work. Although I had no prior contact with English, I was suddenly thrown into a local school and had to learn a second language from zero. This is where my interest in these fields originated. At first I had no idea what my classmates were even saying. Gradually I came to understand the conversations taking place around me, but for a while I could not get myself to join the conversation. It was by chance that I began speaking with my friends in English. After I was an adult, I learned that this phenomenon can be explained in academic terms as the "process of acquiring a new identity by joining a community of practice."

When I was young, I was involved in the making of a language-teaching video ("Let's Learn Japanese" series) developed by the Japan Foundation, and I appear in the series as a teacher. This series is still broadcast on TV around the world, including in Australia, the United States, and Southeast Asia. In Asian countries, some people utilize the program's videos to study Japanese independently. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in creating the multilingual multimedia teaching materials ("TUFS Language Modules") developed by TUFS. These teaching materials can be used in the classroom as instructional materials, and are also useful as resources for people to study a language independently or review the material outside of the classroom.

Partly as a result of these experiences I developed an interest in studying how language learners are able to make progress independently. Let me give you one student's example. The student is an international student from Southeast Asia. He did not know how to carry on a conversation with Japanese people or how to establish relationships with them, and he struggled significantly. He struggled because learning Japanese in Japan and interacting with friends outside of the classroom are two different things. For a while, this student was unable to be his fun self. Then one day, he made friends with a group of Japanese classmates, and his home became a gathering place for them. As a result, he learned how to have conversations with Japanese people and his Japanese skills improved dramatically.

My research focuses on this question of how learners of Japanese (as a second language) develop their Japanese language (second language) proficiency, via different opportunities to be with Japanese people outside of the classroom as well as access to resources. I am currently in the process of gathering data through various means.

By this point, you may have picked up on the fact that, although my focus is on learners of Japanese in Japan, I have used English a great deal to study and present my research. In Japan, applied linguistics has generally been considered synonymous with English language education. However, in fact, applied linguistics has a framework that is shared across the target languages. There is significance to making these research achievements known throughout Japan, but there is also significance to sharing them with people and researchers around the world. To do this, you need to present your research and write about it in English--the de facto world language. My seminar treats Japanese language teaching and the teaching of other languages equally, while attaching importance to reading English literature, and aims to develop professionals who can make themselves heard in the world.

There is in fact an advantage to considering Japanese language teaching in this context. During my studies at the University of London and in my experiences with international academic societies, I have found that, in the world of applied linguistics, it is still very much mainstream for English native speakers to conduct studies that focus on English language teaching. There is a growing awareness, however, that research on the theme of learning "languages of minor countries in the Far East" has new perspectives to offer, and that these insights became evident precisely because they are "minor languages." In addition, there are phenomena that can be identified that would not have been known if only the English-speaking zone had been looked at. These perspectives could be of profound interest also to native English speakers.

There are thus promising opportunities for people learning and studying Japanese language teaching. For people who are about to enter the world of Japanese language teaching, it is important that they acquire foreign language skills, especially English communication skills. If you have ever learned a foreign language, then you understand fully the thoughts of people taking Japanese classes. It will also open up a new world for you. I believe these experiences will allow you to welcome people who have diverse views that are entirely different from yours and to see yourself and the views you hold in a new light, and in doing so, shape a new world together with people around the globe.