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Japanese Online Language Pedagogy series image, with woman smiling and looking at a laptop and with wooden shoji screens in the background.

    2025 OLP Series: Japanese Online Language Pedagogy

    • August 4, 6, & 8, 2025
    • Project Lead(s): Naiyi Xie Fincham
    • Facilitator(s): Sarah Boutin

    2025 Japanese Online Language Pedagogy (OLP) Summer Workshop

    This NFLRC professional learning opportunity is part of the Online Language Pedagogy (OLP) series and has been designed specifically for online Japanese language teachers. Each panel focuses on one of the following key areas of teaching Japanese online*: 

    1. Course Design – Revae Bostwick, Stephen Luft, Magara Maeda, & Kazuko Saito
    2. Learner Interaction – Revae Bostwick, Lisa Kobuke, Magara Maeda, & Saori Nozaki
    3. Learner Support – Lisa Kobuke, Stephen Luft, Saori Nozaki, & Kazuko Saito

    *  Key areas were identified by the NFLRC through a survey distributed to online Japanese language teachers throughout the United States.  

    Panelists

    Picture of Ravae Bostwick

     

    Revae Bostwick

    North Carolina Virtual Public School
    Picture of Lisa Kobuke

     

    Lisa Kobuke

    Kapi‘olani Community College
    Picture of Stephen Luft

     

    Stephen Luft

    University of Pittsburgh
    Picture of Magara Maeda

     

    Magara Maeda

    University of Wisconsin – River Falls
    Picture of Saori Nozaki

     

    Saori Nozaki

    Yale University
    Picture of Kazuko Saito

     

    Kazuko Saito

    Hunter College, CUNY

    Format

    Three daily interactive live sessions followed by related asynchronous tasks (e.g., sharing of resources, posts related to the day’s topic, etc.), which are to be completed after each live session.

    TED-Ed Lessons

    We’ve divided the three panel sessions up by interview question, providing you with a quick and easy way to access the particular content you want in the time you have. Resources mentioned in the clips are included in the Dig Deeper sections, and we encourage you to share your own responses to the interview questions in the Discuss sections.

    Japanese OLP Panel 1, Question 1

    Which aspects of Japanese do you think are the most challenging to teach online?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Stephen Luft, Magara Maeda, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 1, Question 2

    How do you work with scaffolding when students are reading or writing? Where are Japanese students more likely to need scaffolding in an online classroom?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Stephen Luft, Magara Maeda, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 1, Question 3

    What criteria do you use to determine if a resource is appropriate for your online classroom?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Stephen Luft, Magara Maeda, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 1, Question 4

    How can we use authentic materials to teach cultural content to online learners?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Stephen Luft, Magara Maeda, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 2, Question 1

    In the context of online language teaching, what are your biggest challenges using Japanese during learner-to-learner interaction? How do you address those challenges?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Lisa Kobuke, Magara Maeda, & Saori Nozaki
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 2, Question 2

    How do you use technology or online resources to successfully facilitate synchronous activities?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Lisa Kobuke, Magara Maeda, & Saori Nozaki
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 2, Question 3

    How do you provide feedback that’s necessary to learn while encouraging students to partake in learner interaction in the online environment?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Lisa Kobuke, Magara Maeda, & Saori Nozaki
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 2, Question 4

    What kinds of things are unique to Japanese that can make giving feedback more challenging for students? How do you address this?
    Panelists: Revae Bostwick, Lisa Kobuke, Magara Maeda, & Saori Nozaki
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 3, Question 1

    How do you start teaching beginner reading and writing in online Japanese courses (kana, sound systems, characters…)?
    Panelists: Lisa Kobuke, Stephen Luft, Saori Nozaki, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 3, Question 2

    How do you teach students kana and kanji in an online environment?
    Panelists: Lisa Kobuke, Stephen Luft, Saori Nozaki, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Japanese OLP Panel 3, Question 3

    What are some challenges students face when learning to type using kana?
    Panelists: Lisa Kobuke, Stephen Luft, Saori Nozaki, & Kazuko Saito
    Facilitator: Sarah Boutin

    Panel recordings

    And for those who prefer to watch everything all at once, the full video recordings for all 3 panels can be found on our NFLRC YouTube channel

    Shared resource links

    Please note that the listing here does not suggest endorsement by the National Foreign Language Resource Center or the U.S. Department of Education. These are solely recommendations from our panelists and attendees.

    Panel 1 (Monday, August 4, 2025): Resources shared by panelists

    Other resources shared by attendees during Panel 1

    Panel 2 (Wednesday, August 6, 2025): Resources shared by panelists

    • Blooket. Contributed by Revae Bostwick.
    • Canvas. Mentioned by multiple panelists.
    • Class is a software that will overlay Zoom so that you have a more classroom-like experience. It is an overlay to Zoom integrated into Canvas that provides a classroom-like virtual environment. You can share different materials in different breakout rooms, see what is happening in all breakout rooms with a birds eye view, and other features. Contributed by Magara Maeda.
    • Extempore. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • Google Docs. Mentioned by multiple panelists.
    • Google Slides. Mentioned by multiple panelists.
    • H5P – Memory Cards, Flashcard (typing answers), Dialog cards (flashcard), Question Set, Game Map, Branching Scenario, Interactive Book. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • Kahoot! Contributed by Saori Nozaki & Revae Bostwick.
    • Mizou. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • Nearpod. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • Padlet. Contributed by multiple panelists.
    • Speakology (paid service – Canvas integration optional). Contributed by Magara Maeda.
    • Survey on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 2021 (Japan Foundation Los Angeles). Mentioned by Magara Maeda.
    • UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Students. Contributed by Lisa Kobuke.
    • Zoom Whiteboard. Contributed by Magara Maeda.

    Other resources shared by attendees during Panel 2

    Panel 3 (Friday, August 8, 2025): Resources shared by panelists

    Other resources shared by attendees during Panel 3

    Additional resources provided by panelists

    Japanese Online Teaching Community Survey

    Online Japanese language teachers, this is a survey to explore the formation of a Japanese online teaching community or SIG, an idea that emerged during the course of these panel sessions. Please participate if interested.

    Hands-On Activities

    As part of the requirements for the digital badge (see below), three of our badge awardees submitted some wonderful hands-on activities they’ve developed in response to the Japanese OLP panel sessions. We’ve gotten permission to publish them here and share them with you. Enjoy!

    Digital Badge

    Successful completion of this workshop (attendance in all 3 live Zoom panel sessions and completion of all asynchronous tasks by August 31, 2025) will be certified with a digital badge conferred by the National Foreign Language Resource Center (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa). Please see Digital Badge Criteria section below for details. Badge earners may be eligible to earn a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) towards maintaining their professional qualifications.

    Badges are not available to those who are not able to attend the 3-day workshop in person. Session recordings and resources will be made available after the event as OERs.

    Digital Badge Criteria

    The Japanese OLP badge certifies that the badge recipient:

    • Learned about course design, learner interaction, and learner support related to teaching Japanese online;
    • Attended all three live Zoom panel sessions;
    • Participated substantively and collegially in asynchronous tasks following each live session, including 3 posts per session in the Japanese OLP Padlet and the creation and submission of three hands-on activities;
    • Completed a 3-2-1 Reflection for each live session.
    • Completed our Exit Survey 

    NOTE: See the Q&A section below for instructions on how to complete the required badge tasks.

    The digital badge can be requested at the end of the Exit Survey form.

    Completion Due Date: August 31, 2025.

    CEU Credit 

    Participants who meet all the criteria listed under “Digital Badge” above can be eligible to earn continuing education unit (CEU) credit. In order to earn the CEU credit, one requirement is to fulfill a minimum of 10 contact hours during the workshop, which means participants have to attend all 3 webinar sessions (6 hrs) and participate in asynchronous tasks and reflections afterwards (4 hours). 

    If you are from the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), you will automatically be considered for CEU credit. If you are from a school OTHER than NCVPS and you wish to earn CEU credit, please provide the name, title, and contact info (phone and/or email) of the supervisor who will be responsible for approving/awarding your professional development credit when you submit your Digital Badge / CEU request form.

    Completion Due Date: August 31, 2025.

    Q&A

    Live Zoom panel sessions

    • How do I access live panel sessions in Zoom? All sessions can be accessed via the link provided to registered attendees in the registration confirmation email.
    • What topics will be covered during the live panel sessions? Course design, learner interaction, and learner support.
    • What should I do if I have a question about Zoom? Visit the Zoom Help Center for more information.

    Asynchronous tasks (following live panels)

    • What are the asynchronous tasks? The asynchronous tasks come in two parts. First, there are postings in the Japanese OLP Padlet, and second, there are 3 hands-on activities (see below for details).
    • How do I participate in the Japanese OLP Padlet? After each live panel session, participants will respond to the day’s prompts by making posts in the Japanese OLP Padlet at their leisure. This may involve discussing an aspect of the day’s content, sharing resources, and so forth. Participants should make at least three posts for each of the three session days. Be sure to include your full name with your posts, so you are appropriately credited for your contributions.
    • What are the hands-on activities? You will be creating a lesson with components based on the topics and discussions from our three panel sessions. Instructions and template for all 3 hands-on activities available here.
    • Are there opportunities to publish our hands-on activities? Yes, we plan on publishing some of the great hands-on activity ideas we receive right here on this webpage. If you would like your submissions to be considered, you can indicate so on your Digital Badge / CEU request form.

    Final Project: 3-2-1 Reflection

    • What is the 3-2-1 Reflection? The 3-2-1 Reflection is a brief summary report that you need to complete after each live panel session. For each one, you need to provide a summary of three things you learned, two things you plan to implement in your class, and one question that you still have.
    • Where can I find the 3-2-1 Reflection template and how do I create my own copy? Here is our 3-2-1 Reflection Template.
    • How do I submit my 3-2-1 Reflection? You can submit the URL to your 3-2-1 Reflection document (or MS Word version) via our Japanese OLP Digital Badge/CEU request form.

    Exit Survey / Digital Badge Request Form

    When you have completed all requirements for the Japanese OLP Digital Badge / CEU (see above criteria), the last step involves completing the Exit Survey. After you submit your exit survey responses, a confirmation message will appear on the next page, containing the link to the Japanese OLP Digital Badge / CEU Request form, which you can complete if you are pursuing either.

    More Online Language Pedagogy (OLP) resources

    For more resources, check our our main Online Language Pedagogy (OLP) series webpage.