A Reflection on the Return to Face-to-face Classes Informed by the Experience of Online Teaching

Abstract

The authors taught online Japanese language classes for two years due to Covid-19, with face-to-face classes resuming in April 2022. This study reflects our experiences and thoughts about this as Japanese language teacher. In the face-to-face classes, we consider lessons that make the most of non-verbal communication, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and the fact the learners are in Japan. We conclude that efforts need to be made to build a 'new face-to-face' Japanese language class that also utilizes what we learned in making online classes convenient and efficient.