TAKAKO AIKAWA: So my name is Takako Aikawa.
I'm a senior lecturer in Japanese.
As the leader of the Japanese language program,
I am shaping the direction or future direction
of the Japanese language program, and at the same time,
improving the existing language curriculum.
So the high-level overview of the Japanese language program
at MIT is, so we have three tiers--
beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses.
And each layer aims to develop four language skills--
reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
And our main focus, however, is to improve
so-called communicative skills, be able to communicate
with native speakers.
My first encounter with language teaching
was when I was a graduate student,
I applied for a teaching assistantship
for Japanese teaching.
I originally was trained as a theoretical linguist,
so I didn't know anything about language teaching.
But when I first taught Japanese,
I found a great gem in language teaching.
And since then, I'm very passionate about language
teaching.