About the instructor

Dr. Keiko Kaku-MacDonald is a native Japanese speaker and a Ph.D. linguist specializing in second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and semantics. Her academic research informs her teaching approach, helping students develop strong communication skills and deeper language awareness.

She has over 20 years of experience teaching Japanese to children, teens, heritage learners, and adults, and has developed curriculum for learners across a wide range of proficiency levels. She has taught Japanese language, culture, and film studies at the university level, including at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Ottawa. Her courses consistently maintained strong enrollment and received excellent evaluations from students and peers.

Dr. Kaku-MacDonald helps students prepare for language assessments and proficiency-based evaluations, guiding them to develop advanced speaking and writing skills.

She founded ことばのたね (Kotobanotane), a community initiative promoting Japanese language learning and children’s literacy through reading activities. In 2026, Kotobanotane received 100 Japanese children’s books through a generous donation from the Itochu Foundation (伊藤忠記念財団), expanding access to Japanese-language books for children in the community.

Through EastsideJapanese, she is committed to helping students build confidence, develop strong communication skills, and deepen their understanding of Japanese language and culture. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, learning the cello, baking cakes, swimming, and walking, and is active in the community as a USA Swimming volunteer.