Report: Project-Based Learning with 21st Century Skills for the Japanese Language Classroom

Abstract

This report is a summary of "Project-Based Learning with 21st Century Skills for the Japanese Language Classroom" presented during the International Workshop on Advanced Future Studies from March 14-16, 2016. I work for the University of California San Diego as a Japanese language instructor. American education standards have changed in the past decade, and "21st century skills" are now incorporated in teaching for a more global education. The Japanese for Professional Purposes course is designed not only to teach the Japanese language, but also to guide students in conducting research, developing a feasible project, and putting it into action by using Japanese as their communication tool. In order to learn and implement the skills necessary for a global education, I conducted a hands-on project-based course which provided students with the opportunity to contribute to the community in San Diego. In this paper, I describe the process for creating the course curriculum, national standards and skills for a 21st century education, how to implement these skills into a language classroom, and the Japanese Aging Society project I supervised in spring 2015.