Position: Lecturer
Office: 518L Nebraska Hall East
Email: tsmith56@unl.edu
Takako joined the Programs in English as a Second Language at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015. Before teaching at UNL, she served as the director of the ESL program at Bellevue University for 11 years. She also taught all subjects and levels of ESL courses at Metro Community College for five years. Her research interest focuses on practical application of language acquisition theories to actual classroom teaching. Besides teaching ESL, she is a certified Zumba instructor and has been enjoying teaching Zumba for several years. She also enjoys sewing (she makes most of her own clothes), gardening (she loves to grow unusual organic vegetables), and making ceramics (her favorite piece is a two feet tall flower vase).
Courses
Takako has taught Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, and Usage in the Intensive English Program (IEP) from High Basic to Advanced levels as well as Credit English for Academic Purposes (CEAP).
Areas of Expertise
Grammar, Vocabulary strategies
Degrees and Universities
Ph.D., Second Language Acquisition, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.A., Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
B.S., Finance, Illinois State University
Publications
“Shame, Honor, and Duty” Most Honorable Son Outreach Project,
www.pbs.org/mosthonorableson/shame. 2007.
“Japanese Enough? A Korean’s Journey to Japanese Identity.” Multicultural Education Magazine of the National Association for Multicultural Education, 1998, pp. 17-19.
“The Development and Validation of a Scale Measuring Desire for Control on Examinations.” Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1996, pp 710-718.
“Things Have Changed a Lot, Father” Chicago Tribune, 1989, p. 15.
Honors and Recognitions
ConAgra Distinguished Professorship Award
Paul and Edith Babson Fellowship
Professional Organizations
MIDTESOL