Biography
Professor Koishi-Johnson received an MA in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy from the University of Oregon in 1998. Prior to that, she earned an MS in Bilingual Education from Western Oregon University. She has been teaching at Willamette University since 1998.
Professor Koishi-Johnson offers the following courses:
JAPN 131/132 Elementary Japanese
JAPN 231/232 Intermediate Japanese
JAPN 380 Practicum; Japanese Language Facilitation
She is an experienced continuing instructor. She has taught Japanese language and Japanese Pedagogy at five universities including International Christian University in Tokyo. She was an interviewer for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program and a judge for the Japanese Speech Contest sponsored by the Consular Office of Japan in Portland, Oregon.
Her teaching practices put emphases on four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing with an overall emphasis on culture. Her enthusiasm for teaching, her good sense of humor, well-organized curriculum, and her fairness and thoughtfulness are well regarded by both students and colleagues.
Her class is enhanced by the use of new technology, many up-to-date images, and a language partner system. Each student is assigned a Japanese native speaker as a language partner. This is a great opportunity to make Japanese friends, practice Japanese in a real-life setting, and to motivate and prepare for study abroad in Japan.