PROFESSOR YOSHIKO SAITO-ABBOTT
Presentation 1: Current Status of Language Education in the U.S.: Promoting Global Competency in Japanese Language Classrooms
In this session, the presenter addresses the current status of world language education in higher education in the U.S. While universities are putting their efforts into internalization, enrollment in language courses is declining. This session discusses how to prepare globally competent graduates in Japanese language classes in this globalized world.
Presentation 2: Collaborations and Challenges: Designing curricular space for
language education among B.S. and B.A. majors
to meet the needs of Global Society
In this panel, the presenter will discuss a process of creating a university-wide language requirement to meet the new reform of General Education in California. This reform generated the question of the need for world languages skills and knowledge in the 21 st century especially for B.S. students who do not have curricula space for languages, what it might look like. It is based on survey data from B.A. and B.S. students and a year-long discussion among faculty that came to an agreement to establish a university wide-language requirement by reforming the language curriculum.
Outcomes of world language requirements, criteria, that were crafted to meet B.S. student needs at a lower level of proficiency will be shared. In addition, lessons learned from the process of crafting language that meets the expectations of students, faculty, and community and which is also aligned with data from Business and Government sectors will be explored with a call for the need to shift language learning experiences in higher education in the 21st century.
About Dr. Saito-Abbott
Yoshiko Saito-Abbott is a Full Professor in the School of World Languages and Cultures at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). She received her Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education at TheOhio State University. She has been actively involved in Professional Development activities regionally and nationally. Since 1998 she has maintained the state and federally funded professionaldevelopment project, Monterey Bay World Language Project, housed at CSUMB for World language teachers. She was the President of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) during 2016-2018 and she is currently serving as the Professional Development Director of the AATJ. She also served on the editorial board for Foreign Langauge Annuals during 2009-2017. She has given numerous presentations and workshops on Standards-based instruction, instructional technology, second/foreign language acquisition, and has published through journals such as AATJ, CALICO, College Board, Foreign Language Annals, and Modern Language Journal.
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