Faculty Profile: Yoshiko Jo

Background

Yoshiko Jo

Selected Presentations

  • The 18th Annual Conference The Japanese Language Teachers Association of New England June 2004, Wellesley College, MA. Present a paper in “Using Dialogue Journal in Elementary level Japanese Language Classes”.
  • The Associate Teachers of Japanese (ATJ) Seminar, March 2004, San Diego, CA. Present a paper in “Content-based Teaching: Waka poetry in Japanese Language Classes”.
  • International Conference on World Englishes, Ninth Conference on World Englishes, October 2002, Urbana, Illinois. Present a paper in Speech Act Data and the Teaching of English Speaking of Japanese Students”
  • Associazione Italiana Didattica Lingua Giapponese, Second Conference on Japanese Linguistics and Language Teaching, March 2002, Napoli, Italy. Present a paper in “Using Visual Representaions in Advanced Reading Classes”.
  • The Ninth Virginia Pedagogy Workshop, June 2001, College Park, MD. Present a paper in “The Dialogue Journals: Personalizing Language Instruction”.
  • Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), The Thirty Fifth Annual Conventions and Exposition, March 2001, St. Louis, MO. “Journal Writing in the Second Language Environment”.
  • The Fifth Symposium of Europe Japanese Teacher's Association, August 2000, Helsinki, Finland. Present a paper in “Is Student Orientation for Overseas Necessarily?; Effective Approach for Preparing Students”.
  • The Seventh Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Workshop, May 1999, Princeton, NJ. Present a paper in ” Why and When Do You Use Electric Dictionaries? A Case Study from Homestay Program”.
  • The Fourteenth Southeast Association of Teachers of Japanese Conference, March 1999, Winston-Salem, NC. Present a paper in “Learning Language from Host families: Using dictionary”.
  • Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting (AAS), April 1996, Honolulu, HI. Present a paper in “Omission in Japanese”.

Interview

When did you come to work at Swarthmore?
Fall 2002.
What were you doing before you came here?
I taught Japanese at Princeton University for seven years.
What made you come here?
I wanted to be a part of start of a new Japanese program at Swarthmore.
Which places (abroad or in the US) are "your places," besides Swarthmore?
Manhattan, Princeton and Kobe (my hometown).
Who is the public figure in Japan whom you most admire?
Ichiro Suzuki. He made American baseball more fun! Of course, watching big guy's hitting homerun is always exciting but in my opinion his play focuses on many of the team aspect of the game, not simply on having a high RBI.
Describe the best meal you have eaten in a Japanese home or restaurant.
Everything I make eveyday! I have a couple of very good Japanese cooking books and I love to try various recipes from there. Typical dish I make is fish, veggie and rice.
If you could choose the visual images; films; works of literature; songs that would travel into space on the next Voyager to represent humanity to the universe, which would you choose?
The Lord of the Rings. I have watched it at theater for four times and I have found something new details each time I saw it.
What is much better in Japanese culture than anything you see in the US?
Hot Springs! I miss it so much especially winter when I go skiing. It is very nice to dip ourself in outside hot springs while it snows gently. And, it is always fun to chat with friends there too.
What do you appreciate most about Swarthmore?
Students are brilliant and studious. I admire hard working people.
Do you feel like a different person when you are speaking (insert your language), and if so how?
I speak Kansai-dialect when I speak causally in Japanese. Kansai-dialect is known as a 'comedian language' and somehow really funny idea or utterance start coming up when I speak it.
What is your favorite activity in a language classroom?
I like anything which allows me to get to know a student's personality further.
What do you like doing when you aren't reading or writing brilliant works of scholarship?
I have completed nine full marathons including four NYC marathon. I love sewing (I make cloths), writing letters, drinking wine, browsing Chinatown (NYC or Philly) and baking.
What are your personal connections with Japan?
All of family members live in Japan.
What is your favorite place on campus?
The Scott Amphitheater. It is such a special place and I love to listen trees and birds singing in the morning.
What do you do to stay fluent in (insert your language) or up-to-date in (insert your special interest) culture and events?
I usually spend summer in Japan. So, I usually spend 9 months in the States and 3 months in Japan. This has kept a good balance to up-to-date my Japanese identity.

Back to Faculty & Staff Profiles