ABSTRACT

A note from Ken Goodman: Mieko Iventosch shares practical ideas for teachers of Japanese as a foreign language. Like the author of a good cook book, she has tested every recipe and they all work. Her teaching suggestions are based on her years of experience as a master language teacher and her deep understanding of linguistics and the nature of language learning. And she also understands that language is not autonomous: it resides in a culture. A teacher of Japanese, she is committed to keeping the language development within the cultural concept of Shitaisei: “the awareness and power to play a central role as a ‘subject’ for learning, making decisions and taking actions with responsibility.”