Mayumi Ishida
Senior Lecturer
Appointments
Senior Lecturer
Japanese Language Program Director
Biography
I am a Japanese language educator, curriculum designer, and program leader with more than three decades of experience in higher education. Since joining Dartmouth College in 1993, I have taught Japanese at all proficiency levels and currently serve as Japanese Language Program Director. In this role, I oversee curriculum development, course sequencing, assessment and placement, instructional materials, and the training and supervision of undergraduate teaching assistants.
My work in Japanese language pedagogy focuses on proficiency-based and performance-oriented instruction, project-based and experiential learning, authentic communication, and content-based curriculum design. I am particularly interested in developing curricula that help students progress systematically from beginning through advanced levels while connecting language learning with Japanese society, culture, and professional contexts.
For more than twenty-five years, a central focus of my work has been the pedagogically informed integration of emerging technologies into language teaching and learning. Beginning with web-based materials and online learning communities in the early 2000s, my work has explored multimedia and video, blogs and wikis, mobile and tablet-based learning, asynchronous communication and feedback, and digital material development. More recently, my research has focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI for language learning, teaching, writing, and assessment.
I have published and presented regularly on Japanese language pedagogy at regional, national, and international conferences, including ACTFL, AATJ, JLTANE, SEATJ, and CASTEL-J. My recent work has focused particularly on generative AI and language education, including an invited presentation and discussion on the pedagogical implications of generative AI at the 2025 SEATJ Annual Conference.
My experience also includes extensive teaching and program leadership in intensive and study-abroad language programs in the United States and Japan. I have served in instructional and leadership roles at Middlebury College, Beloit College, the University of California, Berkeley, CET Academic Programs in Osaka, and Kanda University of International Studies. At Dartmouth, I have also directed Japanese study-abroad programs and developed curricula for language instruction in Japan.
Beyond the classroom, I serve as Faculty Advisor to the Dartmouth Japan Society and support opportunities for students to use Japanese and engage with Japanese culture through activities such as the weekly Japanese Language Table, Onigiri Hour, and other cultural events. I also contribute to the broader professional community as a board member of the Japanese Language Teachers Association of New England (JLTANE) and as a reviewer of technology-related conference proposals for the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ).
In addition to my work in language education, I am a trained English–Japanese and Japanese–English translator and interpreter with more than two decades of professional experience, particularly in medical translation and interpretation.
Education
B.A. Musashi University
M.A. Musashi University
M.Ed. Carthage College
Taught Courses
Publications
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Ishida, Mayumi. "GPT: How Can You Help Students Learn Languages?" Proceedings of the Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2024): 20–30.
Ishida, Mayumi. "How Are Students Learning the Language Outside the Classroom?" Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2023): 95–102.
Ishida, Mayumi. "What Would Stay? What Would Be Gone? Language Education After the Pandemic." Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2022): 151–159.
Ishida, Mayumi. "Designing a Self-Reflection Project." Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2020): 251–263.
Ishida, Mayumi. "Improving Oral Proficiency by Reading Effectively." Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2019): 47–60.
Ishida, Mayumi. "Effective Project Work Through Authentic Communication." Proceedings of the Thirty-Third Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2018): 86–103.
Ishida, Mayumi. "Authentic and Practical Activities for Developing Proficiency in Japanese." Proceedings of the Thirty-First Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (2016): 29–40.
Ishida, Mayumi, and Yasuhiro Omoto. "Sharing Japanese Teaching Materials Online: Developing Copyright Free/Safe Materials for the Online Community." Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the Central Association of Teachers of Japanese (2001): 35–43.
Speaking Engagements
SELECTED INVITED LECTURES
"How Can Generative AI Assist Japanese Language Educators?" Invited Speaker and Discussion Facilitator, 40th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, March 2025.
SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
"Leveraging AI for Language Education: A Paradigm Shift in Higher Learning." American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, November 2024. Presented in English.
"Effective Uses of GPT in Japanese Language Education." Japanese Language Teachers Association of New England (JLTANE) Annual Conference, Wesleyan University, CT, May 2024. Presented in Japanese.
"Utilizing the Popularity of Pop Culture in the Japanese Classroom." American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention, Boston, MA, November 2016. Presented in English.
"Creating Curricula for Advanced-Beginning Level Courses Based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 2012." American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, March 2016. Presented in Japanese.
"Effective Use of Visual Aids for Intermediate and Advanced Level Courses." American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention, San Diego, CA, November 2015. Presented in Japanese.
"Asynchronous Synchronous Communication with Students Using Technology." Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) Annual Convention, Boston, MA, March 2013. Presented in English.
"Effective Use of iPad for Foreign Language Education." Co-presented with Satoru Shinagawa. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA, November 2012. Presented in English.
"Japanese Language Program for the New Millennium." Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University, New Haven, CT, February 2000. Presented in English.
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