Areas of Expertise

Yaeko Kabe specializes in Japanese pedagogy and online distance education, teaching the language through Learning Management Systems (LMS) and various digital tools and resources. She primarily teaches Elementary and Intermediate courses. In addition to her teaching, she is a freelance translator and writer and teaches an introductory translation course and a Japanese for professional development course.

Teaching Interests

Having lived in different countries across three continents and having acquired several languages, Yaeko believes that intercultural skills are key to the language learning process. She is particularly interested in helping learners to be autonomous and find a Third Culture (not mine, not yours, but blended and integrated) to have a more balanced view of the world and function efficiently in diverse cultures. Yaeko’s teaching philosophy aligns with the progressive Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century promoted by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Research

Yaeko Kabe’s research interests focus on fostering global individuals who can use their language skills to bridge from one culture to another, bring different perspectives to other cultures, and express their thoughts in different languages.

Representative Publications

• Kabe Y. (2024). The Use of Generative AI for Japanese Language Learning: Applications in a Professional Development Course. Japanese Language Education Methods, 31(1), 80-81.
• Kabe Y. (2023). Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. [Japanese Translation of Revised Version] Tokyo: 3A Corporation.
• Kabe Y. (2023). Embracing Language and Culture: Teaching Japanese in a Japanese Campus of an American University. Ja-Net 106, 4.
• Kabe, Y. (2022). Teaching Japanese Culture and Language through a Translation Course. Japanese Language Education Methods, 29(1), 74-75
• Kabe, Y. & Watabe, M. (2021). The Use of ICT for Inclusive Education. Association on Higher Education And Disability Japan Annual Conference.
• Kabe, Y. (2021). Integrating ICT into Japanese Learning: Effect of Online Tools During COVID-19 Pandemic. Japanese Language Education Methods, 28(1), 58-59
• Kabe Y. (2014). Teaching Japanese in Intercultural Context: Theory of Thirdness in Japanese Pedagogy. AATJ Annual Conference.
• Kabe Y. (2011). The Effect of Growing Up in a Multicultural and Multilingual Environment. Ja-Net 56, 1-2.
• Kabe Y. (2010). Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. [Japanese Translation] Tokyo: 3A Corporation.

Education

• MA in Japanese Pedagogy, Columbia University
• MA in Linguistics, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• BA in Philosophy, Towson University
• BA in French Literature, Meijigakuin University

Previous Appointments

Prior to joining TUJ in 2018, Yaeko worked in various institutions in the United States to teach Japanese to American, international and heritage students. She initially taught at the Lawrenceville school (NJ) at The College of New Jersey, and then since 2011, she has been teaching remotely at the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Professional Associations

• American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ)
• Japan Association of Foreign Language Education (JAFLE) 
• Japanese Language Education Methods (JLEM)