サキヤ　ジョン　エドワード

My research interests include speaking, listening, and pragmatics (語用論).

My research focus is effective teaching methods for listening and speaking. By practicing skills used in real interactions, students can improve their communication abilities and confidence.

In the future, I plan to teach students how to have effective group discussions. Students will learn skills such as how to begin discussions smoothly, keep the conversation going, and solve communication problems. Group discussions are more complex than one-on-one discussions so practicing these skills really helps students to be ready for real-life situations. 

I am originally from Los Angeles, California, in the United States. I have been in Japan since 2009, and have lived in Kanagawa, Okayama, Kyoto, and Osaka. My hobbies are weight training and cooking.

Learning a new language is challenging, but that does not mean it should be boring! If you make language learning fun, you are more likely to continue studying. Then if you continue studying, you will get better and better. As the English proverb says, “practice makes perfect” （継続は力なり).