Hi, I’m Jisuk Park. 

Prior to joining the University of Toronto in 2021, I taught Japanese language courses from beginner to advanced levels at Columbia University in New York (2002-2019). In the summer I also taught at Princeton University’s Ishikawa Summer Intensive Program as well as Hokkaido International Foundation.  
Additionally, I served as an executive board member of the Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education from 2020 to 2024.
My research interests include language pedagogy, project-based learning, curriculum design, and the application of the Social Networking Approach to foreign language education, as well as assisting students with learning difficulties in recent studies.

FEATURED INTERVIEW

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invited talks

Nikkei Spotlight Series “They Don’t Use Our Language Right”: Examining the Impact of “Standard” through the Lens of “Beyond Unit Thinking”Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slV2vM1IHFk Why do people often assume the language you speak by your appearance? Why do some of the language assessments often focus on “accuracy” over effective communication? This talk will challenge the assumption behind these occurrences that “Japan” and “Japanese language” are both homogeneous and overlapping. The talk will thus shed light on the effects of the language standardization, nation-state ideology, and native speakerism. The presentation further analyzes them critically as results of "unit thinking" ― the problematic perception of the world as consisting of discrete, bounded units instead of fluid spectrum (Doerr 2022) and explores ways to overcome such unit thinking.
  CONSORTIUM WORKSHOP for Language Teaching and Learning
http://ealac.columbia.edu/consortium-workshop-award-fumiko-nazikian-and-jisuk-park/

 Social Networking Approach, Second Year Japanese Project, "Imagining an Alternative: What if?"    
Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc1CeDrtO2Q 
This presentation is part of a workshop exploring the application of SNA (Social Networking Approach) in language classrooms and focusing on examining the intercultural components with which students engage global issues.

online workshop

“Samazamana Tokuseeno aru gakuseeno shoogai/shooheki no rikai to shien to wa – “dekinai” “muzukashii” ni yorisou torikumi-[Understanding shoogai/shooheki and Assisting Learners with Learning Difficulties – what it means to emphasize with “it is difficult” and “I cannot do this” ]“ online. 2023 Tabunka Kooryuukamoku Online Symposium. Invited Speaker. July 1, 2023