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Hi! I’m Thomas Stringer. This portal features resources for learners, practitioners, and researchers on language learner autonomy or related topics.
It’s really hard to get good at something unless you really love it. Because how do you get good at something? You practice, practice, practice. Obsess, obsess, obsess. Gather feedback, gather feedback, analyze it. And you have to be really devoted to do all that if it’s something you don’t like. Find something you really like and are good at…Something in which you, for whatever set of reasons, you’re a little bit better than most people at it, and that you know that it’s the kind of thing that will light you up every day, and that will even keep you up at night.
– Dubner, S. & Bennett, D. (Hosts). (2025, November 11). What Happens When You Turn 20 [Podcast Episode]. In Freakonomics Radio. Freakonomics Radio Network. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/what-happens-when-you-turn-20/
May 2026 Feature Post:
Beyond The Abstracts: The Learning Mindset Notebook – Satoko Kato and Mioko Yoshinaga (S2e5)
You don’t have to start from the beginning. You can simply pick the activities that match your needs or interests. So, we really hope you explore different ways of using it and find what works best for you
– Professor Mioko Yoshinaga
In this episode Satoko Kato and Mioko Yoshinaga introduce The Learning Mindset Notebook. The video has chapters on YouTube for easy viewing.
The notebook, published in 2026 by Candlin & Mynard, is a practical resource to support reflective language learning inside, alongside, or outside classrooms. In our conversation, the authors show how their academic and practice expertise informed the eight principles and 31 helpful activities in the book.
The authors use the notebook to help the host, Tom Stringer, plan his own Japanese learning, and also discuss resources from the book that are available freely online. This talk should interest learners, educational practitioners, materials designers, and researchers from diverse fields connected to language learning, teaching, advising, and support.
And now, here is my conversation with Satoko Kato and Miyoko Yoshinaga:
Satoko Kato
Satoko Kato is an Associate Professor at the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education at Kanda University of International Studies, in Japan. She holds an MA in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a PhD in Education from Hiroshima University. As a learning advisor, she has conducted thousands of advising sessions, supporting learners in developing autonomy and deep reflective awareness. Her research, publications, and professional practice focus on learner and teacher autonomy, advisor and teacher education, and the use of reflective dialogue to support both learners and educators.
Mioko Yoshinaga
Mioko Yoshinaga is a Professor at the Center for International Education and Exchange at the University of Osaka, in Japan.
She completed her doctoral coursework at the Graduate School of Language and Culture at the University of Osaka and holds a PhD in Language and Culture Studies. She has extensive experience teaching Japanese to international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, a well as in training programs for Japanese language teachers. Her research interests include applied linguistics and Japanese language education.
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