Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn
Oct. 12-15 2012, Act City, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
http://jalt.org/conference
Here you can find details of upcoming events held throughout Japan by our chapters and SIGs.
Click on the underlined links to see full event details.
Meetings are open to all, but an admission fee is usually required. JALT membership allows for either reduced or free membership to many of the events. Click on an event title to view full details.
Note that the calendar archives of events from 2001 to November 2008 are still available online.
See the news archives to find out what's been going on.
Please pre-register at the chapter website http://ibarakijalt.blogspot.jp/
(The venue has rather strict regulations, and we are required to pre-register to attend the meeting.)
May 12th Program
Session I: 14:00 - 15:20 - Featured Speaker Presentation
David Barker, Tokai University
Title: What is “English conversation,” and how can it be taught?
1:00 - 2:20:
Title: Learners' Lives as Curriculum: Using Student-Created Texts in the Language Classroom
By Yasue Kawamorita and Tom Edwards
2:40 - 4:00
Title: Fluency? Fluency. Fluency!
Practical and Theoretical Approaches to Fluency Development
By Peter Parise and Anne Takata
4:10 - 5:00
Chapter Business Meeting - All participants are invited to attend.
December Year-End Meeting
Presentation: Teaching reading and research methods
Speakers: Suzanne Bonn, Atsuko Ueda, and Takayuki Nakanishi
Description: We have three speakers lined up to present some innovative ideas about language teaching.
1. First presentation (13:00 - 14:15)
Featured Speaker: Suzanne Bonn, Nanzan University
Presentation Title: From Reading Circles to Culture Circles
Presentations:
1. Flow and Anchoring in T.E.Y.L. classes (10:00-11:20)
by John Wiltshier (Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University)
Please sign up at http://www.bobnariver.net/home/jalt_sign-up_page_2 if you plan to attend the meetings on Sat. and/or Sun. You can also reserve a room to stay overnight at the center. Deadline to sign up is May 26.
May 29th Program
Session IV
10:00-10:45 My Share 2
Joyce Cunningham
Ibaraki University
Title: Getting to Know Canada through its Music and Culture
.. You can sign up for the meetings (Saturday and/or Sunday) at http://www.bobnariver.net/home/jalt_sign-up_page_2/ ..
May 28th Program
Session I
14:00 - 15:20 - Featured Speaker Presentation
Mark Shrosbree
Tokai University
Title: Computer Skills for Language Teachers: Tips, Tricks and Techniques
*
Program I: 13:00 - 14:00 - Featured Speaker Presentation
by: Charles Browne, Meiji Gakuin University
Title: A Brief Introduction to Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
This session will introduce participants to the basic "facts" and statistics of second language vocabulary acquisition including the importance of learning high frequency vocabulary, research on the specific problems Japanese learners of English face with regard to vocabulary learning and its relation to reading skills development.
Program II: 14:15 - 15:15 - Featured Speaker Presentation
by: Clair Taylor, Toyo Gakuen University
Title: Building vocabulary study habits with unmotivated students
L1 – L2 flashcard applications designed to manage vocabulary learning and review are extremely powerful tools for language learners (Nation, 2001; Spiri, 2008; Nakata, 2008). However, without support from their teacher, students may not take advantage of these resources. This paper will report on an action research project, which aimed to encourage students at a private Japanese university to study vocabulary regularly outside of class using the free Web 2.0 application Smart.fm.
Program III: 15:30 - 16:30 - Featured Speaker Presentation
by: Charles Browne, Meiji Gakuin University
Title: An Even Briefer Introduction to Online Resources for Vocab and Reading
This session will quickly introduce participants a wide range of online resources which can be used for analyzing, researching, teaching and creating classroom materials related to vocabulary acquisition, including several that were developed by the presenter.
A. Featured Presentation:
Title: The Creative Classroom - Using Jazz Chantz, Poetry, Storytelling and Song.
Speaker: Carolyne Graham
Summary: This program will focus on the power of rhythm as a language learning tool. The brain loves rhythm and music and this leads to very fast memory. Teachers will learn how to create and perform Jazz Chants which are based on the powerful rhythm of American Jazz. This rhythm is exactly the same as the beat of spoken American English. Ms. Graham will present materials suitable for students of all ages and will describe step by step how to create and perform a Jazz Chant.
Bio-data: Carolyn Graham is an author, teacher-trainer and musician best known as the creator of Jazz Chants. She taught at New York University for twenty five years and at Harvard University for nine summers. She is currently training teachers in the NYU School of Education and presents a Public Lecture once a year at Columbia Teachers College in Tokyo. She presents teacher training workshops throughout the world, most recently in Malaysia and Peru. She is married to Eralp Akkoyunlu and lives in Istanbul and New York.
B. Chapter Member Presentations:
1. Title: JALT 2010: Sharing the Best of "Creativity: Think Outside the Box"
Presenter: Anna Motohashi
Summary: For all those who couldn’t make it to Nagoya this year, this presentation reviews the highlights of the JALT annual conference at the end of November. Touted as “something beyond the usual workshops and plenary speeches”, JALT 2010 suggests it will encourage participants to step outside the confines of everyday norms to consider our potential for personal and professional creativity. I’ll offer a summarized version of the proceedings along with practical sound bites for classroom application.
Bio-data: Originally from Wales, Anna taught English in the UK and Spain before coming to Japan. She has a Master’s degree in TESOL from Temple University and teaches at Kawamura Gakuen Women’s University in Chiba prefecture. Her research interests include the use of technology in the classroom, motivating students and English as a global language.
2. Title: Teaching the Star Spangled Banner (as accompanied on the shamisen)
Presenter: Adam Lebowitz
Summary:It is always a fun and interesting break to have one lesson of an English course dedicated to learning a song. While many teachers prefer songs with “international” content, I teach The Star Spangled Banner (aka, The National Anthem). The song is easy to teach because many students have heard the melody on at least one occasion. Because the song is a fixture of professional sports events, it is also significant to understanding American culture. In this talk I demonstrate strategies for teaching this song, beginning with identifying rhythmically-stressed words and reciting in tempo. Following a short comparison of anthems from different countries, the meaning of the song is demonstrated in the context of contemporary American politics and society.
When teaching music, teachers usually have students sing to a recording (which is easier than bringing a piano into the classroom). However, I prefer an instrument – the shamisen -- in the classroom to control tempo, pitch, and volume. Aside from being a beautiful and highly expressive instrument, the shamisen in the hands of the English instructor can be positive for the classroom because the teacher will appear interested in Japanese culture. In addition, through the instrument I encourage university students to devote this stage of their education to developing the ability to express thoughts and beliefs in both Japanese and English.
Bio-data: Adam Lebowitz is an Associate Professor at the U of Tsukuba. He was born and raised mainly on the east coast of the US, and has been living and teaching ESL in Japan for 20 years. He has been practicing the shamisen with teachers from the Fujimoto School for over 10 years.
C. Business Meeting
D. Year-End party after the meeting at a nearby restaurant
JALT Ibaraki chapter meetings are open to all interested in learning and teaching languages. Also check our website: http://ibarakijalt.blogspot.com/ for further information.
The Ibaraki Chapter will be co-sponsoring this symposium along with West Tokyo, Gunma, Shizuoka, and Tokyo chaprters to be held at Tokai University's Shonan Campus.
Theme: Helping Learners Build Multiple Skills by setting Clear Goals, Developing Effective Methodologies, and Creating Appropriate materials.
Paticipating organizations: West Tokyo JALT, JALT Gunm,a, JALT Shizuoka, Ibaraki JALT, and Tokyo JALT.
Details of the symposium can be found at: http://teach.flc.u-tokai.ac.jp/teacher/course/view.php?id=42.
09:30 Registration begins
10:00~11:45 (Morning Session)
Simple Sentences for Young Learners
by Sanae Kawamoto and Hanna Schnack
In this workshop, the presenters will show you how to teach vocabulary and simple sentences in a communicative way to young learners. This method can be used in adult classes too, especially for low-level beginners. The presenters will show you a couple of games using easy sentences that can help students learn in a fun way.
Sanae is an author, as well as the owner of the English conversation school "English Time." She currently has two English Time locations in Saitama. She started to learn English when she was 32, which is considered quite late to start learning a language in Japan. Sanae was a self-taught student and never attended any English conversation schools or studied abroad in her pursuit of learning English.
Hanna is an English communication teacher at Miyahara Junior High School and Omiya Besscho Elementary School in Saitama. She also works as a private teacher for the language school "English Time!". Hanna graduated university in Germany in Applied Cultural Sciences. Her main interest lies in foreign cultures and languages. That is the reason why she spent almost 2 years in Australia and currently lives in Japan.
11:45~:14:00 Lunch Break A Relaxed Stroll to the Food Court in Tsukuba Center
14:00~17:00 (Afternoon Session)
14:00 What Can I Do as a Member?
by Lawrence Cisar
What are your rights under the NPO law as a member of JALT? How do I do anything? How does a Chapter fit in the situation? This brief workshop will look at the NPO law and parliamentary procedure for the chapter member. The workshop will be done as an open discussion session.
Larry is a certified Parliamentarian and a Registered Parliamentarian. He has been teaching in Japan for 36 years and has been working with Parliamentary Procedure for several years. He loves sake and cold red wine.
15:00
Japanese Students’ Perceptions of Peer Feedback
by Tomoka Kaneko
This study investigated the nature of interaction during peer editing activities between Japanese university students who were not familiar with these types of activities. The analysis of the data indicated that the participants had little resistance toward the peer editing activities. Also, it proved that the participants’ good relationships as learners contributed to their positive perceptions of the peer editing activities. This resulted in their making most use of their peers’ feedback in their revisions.
Tomoka is teaching mainly at Ibaraki University. Her area of expertise is TESOL. Her interest in this area ranges widely, including nature of Japanese students' interaction in English and ways to improve each of their English skills. She is currently interested in what should constitute Japanese English learners' communicative competence considering both the globalized world and Japanese contexts and how the learners can achieve their goals.
16:00 Chapter Business Meeting & Annual Elections
(Book Fair will continue throughout the day.)
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