Namiko Tsuruta shares her insights on how her foreign language and interdisciplinary studies have influenced the way she approaches language teaching in the classroom and with training teachers. Listen to how educational businesses like GLI are supporting schools, the community, and businesses through innovative and sustainable programs. Let’s help our language learners gain more lifelong skills by giving them more access to real-world knowledge through both the physical and virtual worlds.
Namiko Tsuruta’s career in teaching began as a preschool teacher in the States after graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in psychology. Her unique boarding school experience at Choate Rosemary Hall and her music and liberal arts education at Michigan allowed her to explore many courses of study, as she encountered many brilliant educators and classmates who have continued to influence her greatly.
She returned to Japan in 1998 and has taught in various educational, community, and business environments. She is a bilingual returnee, and her own language learning experiences in ESL, Japanese and French have been most insightful. Her teaching experiences using drama and music, as well as applying what she is continuously learning in SLA, have greatly influenced her interdisciplinary approach to language teaching and teacher training. She
hopes to inspire her learners (and in-service teachers) to become more curious in learning (for their professional development) and help their learners become active agents in their ever-changing world.
She is currently Program Director and Manager at Global Language Institute and Creative Director of thetokyolife.jp.