Tae Kunisawa

4200 Altura Vista Lane NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110

E-mail: tkuni.unm.edu/tae0315@hotmail.com; URL:  http://www.flj.info

 

Personal information

·         Nationality:                           Japan

·         Immigration status:                Green card holder, USA

 

Education

            2004-Present   Ph.D. student at Educational Linguistics, the University of New Mexico, New Mexico,                         USA

2000~2004     Ph. D. student, accepted by the Department of Secondary Education at the University of      Alberta, Canada

1995                        Master of Education Degree, East Carolina University, North Carolina, USA

1976              Bachelor of Arts Degree, British and American Literature, Kochi Women’s University,               Kochi, Japan

 

Special Program           

1996                        Attended  the Department of Linguistics at Stanford University for summer session, USA

1994                        Received advanced training in Japanese language instruction at Columbia University, USA

1994            Participated in the 11th Summer Seminar at the University of California in Santa Barbara by The National Council of Teachers of Japanese, USA

1993~1994 Received training in foreign language instruction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

1993                        Received advanced training in Japanese language instruction at Bryn Mawr College, USA

1991~1993 Received training in the Exchange in Teaching Program sponsored by the U. S. Japan Foundation, USA

 

Certification

1996                        Certified as a Japanese teacher in North Carolina, USA

1976            Certified as an English teacher by the Kochi Prefecture Board of Education, Japan

 

Honor                                    

                2000~2002                Academic scholarship from the University of Alberta, AB, Canada

1999            Compaq’s Teaching with Computer Grant Technology Award, USA

1997            Nominated for The Richard M. Jewell Award, NC, USA

1994            Academic scholarship from The National Council of Teachers of Japanese, USA

1994            Writing Project Award from Carnage Middle School, NC, USA

1993                        Academic scholarship from Bryn Mawr College, PA, USA

1991~1993                Academic scholarship from U. S. Japan Foundation, NY, USA

 

Strength

·         Speaking in Japanese with students approximately twenty minutes after instruction using my gesture-imitation method, providing their native language skills are normal

·         Creation of Asian Puppet Shadow Show to learn Japanese and perform the show at auditorium, inviting an audience of six hundred people

·         Creation of an effective Origami lesson

·         Fluent in Japanese and English

·         Working with diverse populations of global communities

 

Computer Skill

·         Hardware:                 Windows 98, 2000 and XP

·         Software:                Microsoft Works (Word, Excel, Power Point)

Hyper Studio

Endnote

Coral Magic 20,000

Netscape Communicator (creation of homepage)

Microsoft Onenote

 

Work Experience    

·         Research Assistant: AB in Canada and NC in USA

2000-2004                           Rearch assistant for JASPER Project pilot research to assist educational reform and second language education in Japan, and project assistant for the “Wearable, Wireless, Physical Monitor (WWPW) project, the University of Alberta, AB, Canada

Duties:  To translate documents and provide training to Canadian professors to develop a mutual understanding for their successful projects with the Japanese government

 

1996-1997                      Research Assistant, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA

       Duties:         To assist a principal investigator with a co-operative action research project.

Also to compare the effectiveness of satellite classes and regular classes regarding the motivation of high school students at Broughton High School, Raleigh NC, and Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill NC, USA

 

·         Instructor, College Level: AB in Canada, NC and GA in USA, Kochi in Japan and QLD in Australia

1996- 1999                Japanese Instructor, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, USA

Duties:        To start up a successful Japanese language and culture program.

Taught elementary Japanese;  founded internship programs with Japanese companies at the Research Triangle Park in NC; assisted in The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program; organized the Japanese Puppet Shadow Show; assisted in the Annual Japanese Speech Contest at Duke University; assisted in the Japan America Conference; involved in the International Internship Program.

1996-1998                      Visiting scholar for The Japanese Language Teacher Training Program for pre-college and college teachers, Georgia Southwestern State University, GA, USA

Duties: To provide effective training for Japanese teachers at the pre-college level.  Due to a lack of a qualified trainer for the pre-college level, it was urgent for them to get the trainer.

1986~1991: Japanese instructor, the University of Kochi, Kochi, Japan:

1988 (August) Japanese Language and Origami instructor, the University of Queensland, QLD, Australia

 

·         Instructor, High School Level: NC in USA and Kochi in Japan

1991- 2000                Japanese Teacher, Wake County Public School System, Raleigh, NC, USA

Duties:        To revitalize high school Japanese language and culture program. 

Taught level one to level four at high school; Enloe High School, and Broughton High School; organized annual Asian Puppet Shadow Show; founded computer assisted  instruction in Japanese language; used e-mail with Japanese schools in Japan;  established internship programs with Japanese companies at the Research Triangle Park in NC: made a homepage for a Japanese club; found and supervised a Japanese club; organized outings to Japanese companies and Japanese restaurants; helped American students appreciate and understand Japanese culture; organized an annual Japanese camp for Broughton High School students with Japanese host families who lived in NC; edited and published a Japanese student newsletter; organized a Japan Day for the Foreign Language Week; produced a video tape and banners of Japanese activities

1986~1991 Head of English language teachers, Shiroyama High School, Kochi, Japan

Duties: To revive failing and poorly implemented students council activities, to increase successful college entrance and to improve English language instruction.

Taught level one to level three; team teaching with native English speakers from Canada, England, USA, Australia and New Zealand on a weekly basis; assisted in the Prefectural Speech Contest, the American Field Service's Study Abroad Program, and students in their preparation for the English Proficiency Test; founded and ran an English club which met regularly, had meetings and outings with native speakers, helped students being exposed to the American culture, organized an annual English camp in the mountains giving students opportunities to experience outdoor activities with English speaking people 

Leader of the Student Council, Shiroyama High School, Kochi, Japan

 Organized students’ annual cultural and sports events, such as drama productions and sport days, which all faculty members and students participated in

Counselor, Shiroyama High School, Kochi, Japan

Counseled students for college, juvenile delinquency, and helped with job offers.

Author of textbook on English conversation, Shiroyama High School, Kochi, Japan

 

·         Instructor, Middle School Level: NC in USA and Kochi in Japan

1991~2000                Japanese Teacher, Wake County Public School System, Raleigh, NC, USA

Duties: To restore a deteriorating and inadequately implemented middle school Japanese language and culture program. 

Taught level one and two at Carnage Middle school; created video tapes for origami lessons; organized an international night; founded computer assisted  instructions in the Japanese language;  created a homepage and materials for an annual Asian Puppet Show;

e-mailed with Japanese schools in Japan; organized outings to Japanese companies and Japanese restaurants; helped American students appreciate and understand Japanese culture.

                1974~1975            English Teacher, Ino Middle School

 

·         Instructor, Elementary School Level: Kochi in Japan

1974            Elementary School Teacher, Nishigawa Elementary School, Kochi, Japan

Taught all subjects

 

·         Instructor, Handicapped School: Kochi in Japan

1978~1982                Teacher, Hidaka Handicapped School, Kochi, Japan

                                Taught all subjects

 

·         Instructor for Adult Education; NC in USA and Kochi in Japan

1997-present: Japanese instructor for executives of US companies

1972~1986: English teacher at night school, Yamada Night High School, Kochi, Japan

 

·         Translator: Kochi in Japan

1988~1989                Translated Professor Akiyoshi Torii's book

Origami Which Children Fold To Play With.  Tokyo, Ayumi Publisher, 1990.

 

Leader ship

                2000                        Director of Nippon club, USA (Japanese organization in NC)

1980~1985 Director of Women’s Department at Labor Union Sohyo, Kochi, Japan, when the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was founded in order to ratify the "United Nations Women's Decade" by United Nations.

1985~1990                Director of the Women’s Department at a teachers' union and labor union, Kochi, Japan

1977~1980                Director of a nursery school, Kochi, Japan

Grants received:                 

Nippon Club Grant (2000 & 1998), North Carolina Central University Foundation Grant (1999), PTSA at Broughton High School Grant (1995~1999), Ajinomoto America Inc.(1998)  The Vision 360 Books-(1996), Japan Foundation Teaching materials (1994~1997), Kobe Steel Company, Japan Forum Teaching materials (1994)    

                                                                                                                                                                               

Publication

1.        Urashima,Taro with Technology and Multicultural Education”,  2nd Annual Conference of Emerging Technology in Teaching Language and Culture Proceedings. Yoshiko Saito Abbot  ed.  Monterey, CA, USA:  California State University in Monterey Bay, 2000

2.         "Japanese Club Homepage for college, high school and middle school.”  Tae Kunisawa ed.  Raleigh, NC, USA:  Broughton High School, 1999

3.        "The Puppet Shadow Show Momotaro." The Fourth Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Workshop Proceedings.  Seiichi  Makino ed.  Princeton, NJ, USA:  Princeton University, 1996

4.        "The Greatest Risk in My Life."  Coastal Plains Writing Project. Patrick Bizzaro, ed.  Greenville, NC, USA: East Carolina University Department of English, 1992

5.        "English," English Subtext book.  Tae Kunisawa, ed.  Kochi:  Shiroyama High School, Japan, 1990

 

Major Presentations

1.        “Gesturing: Its Impact on Language Learning.” At The 12th Mid-Atlantic Japanese Pedagogy Workshop, Washington DC at George Washington University, USA, June 2002.

2.        “Gesture Imitation: Neuroimaging Studies” University of Chicago, Chicago, USA, April 2002.

3.        “Storytelling with Total Physical Response (TPR-S)” at the Intercultural and Second Language Council (ISLC), Edmonton AB Canada, USA, March 2002.

4.        “TPRStorytelling, Japanese Folktale and Technology.” at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Boston, USA, November 2000

5.        “Japanese Folktales with Puppet Shadow Show, TPR Storytelling and Technology.” 4th International Conference on Foreign Language Education and Technology co-sponsored by The International Association for Language Learning Technology, The Language Laboratory Association of Japan and The Korea Association of Multimedia- Assisted Language Learning, Kobe, Japan, August 2000. 

6.        . “Multicultural Education and Japanese Language Instruction by Technology.”   3rd Annual Conference of the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages, Washington DC USA, May 2000.

7.        Urashima,Taro with Technology and Multicultural Education”,  2nd Annual Conference of Emerging Technology in Teaching Language and Culture at California State University at Monterey Bay, Monterey, CA, USA, March 2000

8.        Urashima, Taro by Puppet Shadow Show, TPR Storytelling and Technology,” Southeast Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ) 15th Annual Conference at Emory University, Atlanta, GA,USA, March 2000

9.        "The Puppet Shadow Show, The Little Inch , to help high school  and college students' comprehension with computer assisted materials."  Conference on Virginia Regional Workshop in Japanese Language Pedagogy at Georgetown University, Washington D. C., USA, June 1999.

10.     "How to teach four skills in the Japanese language to pre-college students," Conference on New York Japan Society, NY,USA,  November 1997.

11.     “Kagee, Momotaro.”  Conference on the Fourth Princeton Japanese Pedagogy Workshop at Princeton University, NJ, USA, May 1996.

 

Major Interests

Second language education;  Gesture Imitation study;  Sign Language;  Vygotsky; Grammar: Puppet shadow show; Neuroscience;  Japanese pedagogy;  Computer assisted materials; Folktales; Japanese culture (origami, tea ceremony, brush writing, and cooking)

References will be provided upon request