Abstract
Foreign Language Learning could be lonely tasks, memorizing endless lists of vocabulary, grammar, and sentences. In this post pandemic era, it is extremely important for foreign language learners to feel a sense of community when they learn a foreign language. Building a community and promoting a sense of community is a very important part of the language learning process. There are many benefits of community building in the classroom. Classroom community should be a positive learning environment for students. When students feel comfortable in their classroom environment, they are more likely to take academic risks that are necessary for developing different language skills. Cate Denial, an author of “A Pedagogy of Kindness” (2019) mentions that the importance of the teacher having a mindset of collaboration with students in the classroom. She emphasizes that a teacher needs to be a partner with the students in the learning process. In this paper, I point out the importance of having a sense of community when learning a foreign language. I lay out how I promote a sense of community inside and outside of the classroom with my students who are learning Japanese as a foreign language. As qualitative quotes, I list up students’ comments on their pair work and group work in my classroom from their LERs (Learning Experiences Reflection Report). Their positive comments confirm that building a sense of community inside and outside of the classroom definitely help students improve their foreign language skills.
Author Information
Yoshimi Maeno, Wellesley College, United States
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2024
Stream: Teaching Experiences
This paper is part of the IICE2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Maeno Y. (2024) Promoting a Sense of Community in the Japanese as a Foreign Language Classroom and Beyond ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2024 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.49
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.49
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