Takako Aikawa and three collaborators awarded MISTI Hayashi Seed Fund for project “Connecting Language Learners Around the World: The Curriculum & Evaluation of JaJan”
GSL lecturer Takako Aikawa, along with three collaborators has been awarded a MISTI Hayashi Seed Fund for the project “Connecting Language Learners Around the World: The Curriculum & Evaluation of JaJan.”
JaJan is an educational technology being developed at MIT as a collaboration between MIT (Takako Aikawa, Sr. Lecturer in Japanese at Global Studies & Languages and Kevin Wong, a graduate student at the Media Lab), and Kanda University of International Studies (Chiba, Japan). JaJan connects learners across distances and puts them in a context where they can practice their new language in a way that is motivating, engaging, and authentic. There is evidence that the most effective learning involves individual interest and social supports, and JaJan is a great example of a technology designed for this type of “connected learning.” There is also a growing body of research showing that online tools can be effective modes of language learning, including computer-mediated social learning experiences.
This project will aim to design effective curriculum that can support this tool, and then evaluate both the technology and approach. Louisa Rosenheck from the Education Arcade at MIT and Takako Aikawa will be collaborating with a team from the Kanda University of International Studies, who are experts in language teaching and curriculum design.