Dr. Naoko Ozaki, Lecturer in Japanese, received the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching at a campus-wide ceremony on April 26. Ozaki, known to students as Sensei, has been a part of the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication (CLIC) since fall 2015. She became an immediate student favorite with her lively, interactive teaching style.
Japanese is challenging to learn and Ozaki lets students know her expectations on the first day of class. “When I tell them that we have the first quiz on day two, some students realize that they are too busy to take this demanding class and sign up again when they have more time,” she said. The students who stay clearly value her teaching. “Ozaki-sensei did an excellent job of not just teaching a single course, but generating interest in the subject as a whole. She kept the information flow interesting and varied by discussing real-world examples of concepts, telling interesting anecdotes, and leading interesting activities. I did not want to miss these lectures because each was fun and engaging,” one past student commented.
“The George R. Brown Teaching Awards are based on the votes of alumni. Alumni are asked to select the three most effective or outstanding teachers they had at Rice. The University Committee on Teaching reviews the data and determines the nine winners of the George R. Brown Awards for Superior Teaching by taking into account school affiliation, title and class size,” explained Dr. Helade Scutti Santos, Director of CLIC and a member of the Committee on Teaching. Colleagues at CLIC were pleased to hear about the award. Several attended the award ceremony and reception hosted by Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence in honor of the award recipients.
Ozaki’s student evaluations are consistently positive. For example, one student wrote, “Dr. Ozaki provided various ways to learn a language. She was always more than willing to help a student if they needed help. What I appreciate the most from Dr. Ozaki is how she graded each assignment. Every single assignment she provided specific feedback to the students.”
Ozaki uses many personal stories, which she calls Ozaki Theater, in her teaching. These stories incorporating onomatopoeic expressions are easier for students to understand even in the first months of learning Japanese. “I try to give the students a sense of accomplishment and achievement in small increments, hoping that it further encourages students to study the language.”
CLIC is committed to maintaining excellence and rigor in the classroom while also making sure that students are doing okay. “Naoko is an excellent instructor who is not only very effective and serious about her teaching but also extremely caring and accommodating with her students. She spends long hours with students in her office and she makes sure not only that they learn Japanese but also that they are doing well with the rest of their academic life as well as their personal life,” said Dr. Santos. “This award is a recognition of her outstanding work and a reassurance of the approach we take towards teaching.”
One former student who commented “Favorite prof ever” echoes this conclusion.