Ayae Uwabo-Dodson: Designing Podcasts for Listening and Cultural Learning in Japanese Courses

This presentation introduces podcasts developed for Japanese I and Japanese III to supplement textbook dialogues and expand students’ exposure to Japanese culture. The podcasts were designed around the grammar introduced in each lesson of the textbook used in MIT’s Japanese program and centered on culturally grounded topics not always addressed in regular class time and were implemented in Fall 2025 and IAP. To examine student listening behavior, learning perceptions, and cultural engagement, an exploratory class-level survey combining scaled questions and open-ended comments was conducted. Results indicate that the podcasts served different pedagogical functions across proficiency levels: beginners benefited from repeated listening and expressed growing interest in cultural topics such as Japanese festivals and music, while intermediate students engaged more deeply with contextualized language use and culturally specific themes such as onsen (public hot spring) etiquette and regional cultures. The presentation shares practical insights into designing and implementing podcasts in language courses and outlines potential expansion into Japanese II and Japanese IV.

Muna Bruce: Language as Memory and History

This presentation shares a practice-based, interdisciplinary approach to teaching poetry in an Intermediate-Low Arabic course. It shows how students can use poetry to practice language, think critically, discuss ideas, and make cultural connections, by using a short poem and guided classroom activities such as close reading, small-group discussion, and short creative responses.
The approach is guided by ACTFL frameworks for interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills. Existing ideas about poetry and interdisciplinary teaching support this approach, but the focus is on what worked in the classroom.

Leanna Rezvani: Teaching an Intro to French Literature Course in Today’s World: Challenges and Strategies for Success

Based on my experiences in the classroom this fall, this presentation will discuss the challenges and triumphs of teaching an introductory French literature course to MIT students at the present time. I will discuss specific strategies for diversifying the curriculum, creating opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to make the material more relevant to our students, and utilizing various technological resources such as a course website, Spotify, and AI. I will conclude with specific examples of AI-resistant assignments that were both challenging and engaging for students and are easily adaptable to other languages.

This event requires an MIT Zoom account, and can be accessed at https://mit.zoom.us/j/94864898851.