Volume 10 of the APU Journal of Language Research opens with a memorial feature honoring the legacy of Dr. Shun Korenaga, former President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, who passed away last year. First, current APU President Hiroshi Yoneyama situates Professor Korenagaʼs contributions, underscoring their universal significance. Then, in the Introduction, Associate Professor Wenqing Zhang provides an overview of the essays, memorial letters, and academic papers that comprise this commemorative volume. The second section introduces three research articles coming from current and former faculty members of the Center for Language Education. These teacher-researchers' contributions come from a passion for language education similar to Professor Korenagaʼs, and demonstrate the deep reflection and dedication to the teaching of Japanese, English, and the core of the Asia Pacific Language program.
The first, a Japanese paper by Mr. Takahisa Mito, compares “dyadic” narration between narrator and listener alone and “triadic” narration between narrator and listener via the image painted by the narrator, and analyzes and discusses the differences between the two in terms of narrative structure and narrative form. This discussion makes us think about the possible contribution that image painting, a form of non-verbal self-expression, can make to narrative.
The second paper, presented in English, comes from Ms. Anne Herrera. Ms. Herrera has worked tirelessly in recent
semesters to inculcate a spirit of inclusivity through the implementation of multimodal approaches to teaching. She
surveys each learner at the beginning of each semester to determine their preferred learning methods and then builds on the characteristics and strengths of each class to tailor her teaching methods to encourage learning of all skills, including those that learners identify as their most difficult. This paper will be of great interest to all teachers who strive to implement active, inclusive classrooms, and especially for those teaching students who have grown up in Japanese school systems. Her research demonstrates some important heterogeneities among Japanese students in English classrooms.
The third paper, also in English, comes from Mr. Michael Phillips. Mr. Phillips is another profoundly dedicated
educator, also clearly evidenced in his research into critical reflection on teaching practices. Mr. Phillipʼs dedication can also be seen through his extensive field notes on each of the classes he teaches. This paper is the first to discuss a case study of the implementation of all four perspectives of critical reflection for teachers as advocated by Stephen
Brookfield and will certainly inspire educators who are committed to developing best practices in their classrooms.
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