Faculty and Staff

YASUSHI MARUYAMA

Yasushi Maruyama, Ph. D. (Florida State University) is Professor of Philosophy of Education. He has served as an editor of various academic journals, including the editor-in-chief of Studies in the Philosophy of Education, a Journal of The Philosophy of Education Society of Japan. His research interests contain the philosophy of Wittgenstein, philosophy of mind, ethics of teaching, professional ethics education and postcolonialism.  Among his publications are “Tragedy of Education, the Other in Education: Beyond the Colonialism of/in Education” (in Forum of Modern Education, no. 11, 2002); “Conceptual Captivity and Emancipation: Wittgenstein’s Teaching of Philosophy” (in Studies in the Philosophy of Education, no. 96, 2006); “Ethics Education for Professionals in Japan: A Critical Review” (in Educational Philosophy and Theory, vol. 42, no. 4, 2010); and Pedagogical Theories of Moral Education (Kyodoshuppan, 2014).

HISASHI KUWAYAMA

Hello, I am Hisashi Kuwayama, mainly in charge of international students and some exchange programs in the Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University. I would like to support that both international and Japanese students enjoy their social and academic life in an intercultural/disciplinary atmosphere. And also, my research and practical interest is on international cooperation in education especially for developing countries by making the best use of historical and sociocultural experiences in Japan’s school education. I am looking forward to having collaborative work with researchers and educators for the sustainable development in education.

AARON SPONSELLER

My name is Aaron Sponseller, I am a member of the Department of English Language and Culture Education. I have an MA TESOL from San Francisco State University, and I am currently working on my PhD in Applied Linguistics at Temple University. My research interest is novel approaches to teaching English to young learners. I recently launched a pilot project called the “Family Reading Program” at an elementary school in Osaka. This program trains parents of first graders to read English language children’s books to their children. I am always interested in collaborating on research, so please contact me anytime if you think you’d like to work together.

REIKO SHIMAZU

I am Reiko Shimazu, assistant professor (special appointment) of the Graduate School of Education. I studied international and comparative education in my master course and my main research field is in New Zealand. I am also interested in early childhood education. In my Ph.D thesis at Hiroshima University, I researched parental involvement in early childhood education in Japan. My research interests include curriculum and key competencies in New Zealand, education for sustainable development (ESD), parental involvement, and sociocultural theory. I would like to support and collaborate with students and researchers who think globally and act locally.

MICKY AMUNE BABALOLA

Greetings, I am BABALOLA Micky Amune from Nigeria. I graduated from Retsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) Beppu, Oita Prefecture with a doctoral degree in Asia Pacific Studies with a focus on Environmental policy and administration. I have had the privilege as a student to participate in intercultural exchange activities with elementary, junior high and high school students from various places in Japan where I served as a language instructor and cultural ambassador. My research interest focuses on Environmental Policy, Environmental Impact Analysis, Environmental Pedagogy, Environmental Technology, Remote Sensing, System Dynamics Theories, and Multi-Criteria Decision Making.

BRETT WALTER

Hello, I am Brett Walter. I earned my Master’s in Elementary Education and my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, with a focus on Foreign and Second Language Education, at Florida State University. I have taught English in Japan for five years, initially through the JET Program at the kindergarten, elementary, and junior high school levels and then in a private English conversation school in Hiroshima. During the five years I studied at Florida State University, I also taught Japanese as a second language to undergraduates. My research interests include instructional methods for teaching foreign languages as well as methods for improving teacher training and introducing multicultural education at the university level.


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