Instructor Insights

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Instructor Insights

Woman wearing glasses and smiling.

When I first taught Japanese, I found a great gem and since then, I’ve been very passionate about language teaching.

— Takako Aikawa

In the following dual language videos, Senior Lecturer Takako Aikawa describes various aspects of how she teaches 21G.503 Japanese III.

View in English:

View in Japanese:

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

This course is the third part of a six-course sequence. The sequence continues in 21G.504 Japanese IV. The first course in the sequence is 21G.501 Japanese I. The second course in the sequence is 21G.502 Japanese II.

Requirements Satisfied

GIR

Offered

Every fall semester

The Classroom

  • Classroom with four rows of tablet desks facing a chalkboard.

    Room 1 of 1

    Seminar

    Class sessions were held in a classroom with moveable tablet desks, chalkboards, and an A/V system.

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by daily grade. 10% Daily grade
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by quizzes (lesson, vocabulary, dictation & Kanji). 50% Quizzes (lesson, vocabulary, dictation & Kanji)
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by interview tests (2) and one-hour exam. 20% Interview tests (2) and one-hour exam
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by homework. 15% Homework
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by projects. 5% Projects

Instructor Insights on Assessment

Takako Aikawa shares her insights about assessing student learning through a daily grading system and interviews.

Student Information

39 students took this course when it was taught in Fall 2016.

Breakdown by Year

Mostly undergraduates

Breakdown by Major

Mostly electrical engineering and computer science

Typical Student Background

Many students are motivated to learn Japanese because of their interest in anime and Japanese games.

Enrollment Cap

21G.503 has several sections, each capped at 16 students to ensure that participants have adequate language development support from instructors.

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

In Class

4 hours per week
  • Met 4 times per week for 50 minutes per session; 53 sessions total.
  • Class activities included grammar lessons, drills, readings, dialogues, dictation, and quizzes.
  • Students were given a daily grade based on their performance in class.
 

Out of Class

8 hours per week
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. Grammar session scheduled. Class meeting scheduled.
2 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled.
3 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Grammar session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
4 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled.
5 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Grammar session scheduled. Drill scheduled.
6 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled.
7 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. Interview test scheduled.
8 Grammar session scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled.
9 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Grammar session scheduled.
10 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
11 Class meeting scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. No session scheduled. Grammar session scheduled. Class meeting scheduled.
12 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
13 Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled. No session scheduled. Drill scheduled. Drill scheduled.
14 Class meeting scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. Interview test scheduled. Class meeting and exam scheduled.
15 Class meeting scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. Class meeting scheduled. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when class meetings are held. Class meeting
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when grammars are held. Grammar session
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate dates when exams are scheduled. Exam
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when drills are scheduled. Drill
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when interview tests are scheduled. Interview test