Past Events
August 29, 2010
Teaching English to Young Learners: Strengthening Teachers to Strengthen Students
Speakers: Junko Machida, Rumiko Kido, Aleda Krause
July 11, 2010
Influences of Living Abroad on Individual Personalities and Identities
by Manami Tanaka
Using research cases as illustration, Dr. Tanaka will discuss the difficulties that people experience while overseas and share her own experiences during her stay in San Francisco.
Dr. Tanaka will focus on the following three points concerning persons living abroad:
1. The issues that overseas residents have faced concerning language, culture, circumstance, and society
2. How overseas residents・personalities have been changed: being more aggressive, positive, independent, and sociable.
3. How their identities have been changed relating to having more care for their families, becoming aware of one's Japanese-ness, and admiring Japanese culture.
Manami Tanaka is currently Assistant Professor at Tokyo Future University. She received her Doctor of Education in Multicultural International Education at the University of San Francisco in 1994. Her research interests include intercultural communication, intercultural education, identities, and Japanese American issues and culture.
June 13, 2010
JALT Omiya & ETJ Saitama Workshop: Sainokuni
May 9, 2010
Using Haiku to Develop Communication Skills
by Atsushi Iida
At this month's Omiya Chapter event, Atsushi Iida of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (US) will conduct three presentations. The following are the details for Atsushi's program:
1. Composing haiku for communicative purposes The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate how writing instructors can use haiku and teach haiku writing for the purpose of developing communicative skills with a greater sense of voice in Japanese EFL freshman college writing courses. The presenter shares a series of writing haiku activities to develop students' voice in writing.
2. Reading haiku for developing written communication skills The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate how reading haiku practice can be conducted in order for L2 writers to develop voice and audience awareness in EFL freshman college writing classrooms. The presenter shares a reading haiku activity, with a sample, for enhancing students' written communication skills.
3. The use of weblog in foreign language contexts The purpose of this presentation is to discuss various possibilities of using weblogs in FL teaching and provide suggestions regarding how language teachers can apply the technology in EFL contexts. The presenter discusses the feature of weblogs and then illustrates one practical model of weblog-based pedagogy in a JFL (Japanese as Foreign Language) context in the United States.
April 11, 2010
Do you wish you had more Time and Energy?
Manfred Delano Cannegieter
Like many of the world・s natural resources, time and energy is a limited commodity, not only for teachers but also for students. The presenter has found that having students present and videotape short ‘How to’ reports such as: “how to be a ‘good’ student, how to prepare for a presentation, how to be a good audience” have actually become useful classroom management tools. These simple, short and long termed projects did wonders for the classroom morale, which in turn had a positive effect on other more traditional classroom-based activities.
It is the presenter’s hope that these tutorial DVD projects coupled with additional ideas from the audience may help teachers and students to be more productive with their time! Come on out on Sunday and share your ideas with us.
Manfred Delano holds an M.A. in TESOL from Columbia University and is currently a full-time lecturer at Rikkyo University. He is a full-time dad while taking short breaks for scuba diving, ice-skating and photography.
Teaching Awareness and Use of Reading Strategies
by Jennifer Yphantides
A brief survey of some of the most widely used intensive reading textbooks shows that the majority of them feature a range of reading strategies and a variety of exercises which aim at helping students employ those strategies. However, EFL/ESL students often tend to approach the text with trepidation and choose to tackle it word by word despite activities prompting them to do otherwise. Because the literature in this field clearly demonstrates that efficient readers are metacognitively aware of their reading process and are able to employ a range of strategies to aid them in the comprehension of the text, the presenter chose to carry out an action research project which attempted to determine the reading strategies students already had at their disposal, raise students’ metacognitive awareness of strategies, and encourage their use. The presenter will outline the methodology of the project, based on a similar piece of action research conducted by Auerbach and Paxton (1997), carried out in a medium sized Japanese university with two first year Reading classes acting as participants. Particular focus will be put on the learning outcomes of the students and how explicit strategy instruction and use improved their comprehension of texts and, perhaps more importantly, their enjoyment of reading.
Jennifer Yphantides is a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies. She has been teaching ESL/EFL for the past 17 years and has enjoyed working in North America, Europe, The Middle East and Asia. Her current interests include Extensive Reading and Peace Education
February 13, 2010
(My Share)
May 9, 2010
Eureka! Finding a direction forward with research planning
By Andy Boon
In this workshop, the presenter will provide an overview of how to form and develop lines of inquiry when researching one's own teaching context. Participants will be encouraged to formulate or bring along research questions to work on. They will then be introduced to Cooperative Development (Edge, 1992) and Instant Messenger Cooperative Development (Boon, 2005, 2007, 2009), a non-evaluative interactional framework for supporting peer reflection, exploration and expansion of ideas and discovery. Through undertaking a Cooperative Development session with someone who is willing to listen and reflect back a participant's emerging thoughts, it is hoped that workshop members will go away with a much clearer and solid understanding of their individual research plans and how they would like to proceed with them.
Andy Boon is Associate Professor at Toyo Gakuen University and an Aston University PhD student. He has published articles on teacher development, motivation and methodology.
December 10, 2009
Publishing: Past, Present and Future
By Steve King
How did educational publishing get to where it is today? What is the current state of educational publishing in terms of where authors, publishers, educators and students stand? How will this look in five, ten or fifteen years from now and what clues do we have today that can shape any predictions we can make about the future?
In this talk, the presenter will take a short tour through the history of how educational publishing has developed into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today and examine several case studies from the present that make up a snapshot of how this industry will grow and develop in the coming years.
Steve King is the Market Research Manager for Pearson Education in Asia, the world's largest educational publisher. He completed a post-graduate Diploma in Publishing Studies in 2008 from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and is a frequent speaker on publishing related topics on the Japan ELT conference circuit.
How to publish an article in The Language Teacher
By Jerry Talandis Jr.
This workshop will provide an overview of what it takes to get published in JALT Publications・The Language Teacher. In addition to an in-depth tour of the journal, participants will be provided with tips for successfully navigating the submission process. After this overview, participants will be asked to brainstorm and begin working on an actual article for future submission. Those planning to attend should come prepared with an article idea in mind and a means of writing, such as a laptop computer or pen & paper.
Jerry Talandis Jr. has been teaching English in Japan since 1993, has an MSc in TESOL from Aston University, and is now working at Toyo Gakuen University. He is currently a co-editor of JALT Publications' The Language Teacher. His research interests include teacher development, exploring Web 2.0 technologies, and learner autonomy.
November 8, 2009
Student-selected Visual Images for Speaking More
By Kyoko Suzuki
This presentation shows the process in which TOEIC Part 1 test takers read pictures and choose one out of four statements they hear on audio tape. Three phases were discovered in the process: (1) evaluating pictures, (2) considering the candidate statements during listening intervals, and (3) eliminating other possible answers and selecting one from the choices. Ten mutually interwoven factors were observed and were analyzed. When test takers made the final decision, they were often influenced by familiar words. The results of an additional test indicated sentences rather than keywords (the content words) were necessary to construct meanings. When the stories in both visual literacy and listening (language) matched, learners were able to understand the meaning.
Ms. Suzuki is a MA candidate in TESOL from Teachers College Columbia University. She is currently teaching TOEIC strategic courses and Listening & Reading classes at several companies and university extension classes as a part-time teacher. Her current research interests include visual literacy in relation with language learning and interdisciplinary curriculum.
Let's Delve into the Minds of "Bad" Students: Alternative TESOL
By Jun Harada
In this presentation, Jun will be discussing the delicate question of "how to deal with students who "hate" English." Just like other teachers, Jun was tormented by such students who came to class to daydream, sleep or just fool around. Recently, Jun started interviewing a bunch of unmotivated students and discovered some interesting things about their unique characteristics that he would like to share with everyone. From his research, he found out that their ways of thinking are so different from other students! It seems that teaching them would be something out of conventional TESOL wisdom, and this is something he knew from his practical experiences in New York where he was able to put to the test!
Jun Harada After studying TESOL in New York, Jun taught ESL at a public school in a poverty-ridden area in the Bronx. Believe it or not, Jun came from Japan in order to teach English to Spanish-speaking kids in America. After returning to Japan, Jun taught at an alternative school for high school dropouts. The students there were mostly two kinds: hyperactive or inactive. Now Jun teaches full time at a Dokkyo Junior and Senior high school and part time at Rikkyo University.
Sunday, October 11th 2009
Implementing an Effective Program Using English Notebook
By Laura Blefgen-Togashi and Setsuko Terasaki
Conducting Foreign Language Activity Classes in public elementary schools should include fun, but learning must be happening. It is our job as teachers to provide children with a program that encourages, facilitates and is conducive to language learning.
In 2002, in coordination with the local Board of Education in Kunitachi City, I began working at several public elementary schools designing and implementing two programs, "Bamboo Shoots" for grade 5's and "Dragonflies" for grade 6's. From this April, I combined these two programs with the Ministry of Education's "English Notebook" and am presently conducting lessons.
In this workshop, I will explain and demonstrate how best to conduct lessons effectively using "English Notebook". At the same time, I will present various ways to improve upon specific lessons that will enhance the entire learning process.
This workshop will be presented in both English and Japanese.
September 13, 2009
Successful Use of Peer Feedback in the L2 Writing and Speaking Class & How to Set-up theNews English Class: Resources and Arrangements
By Fuyuhiko Sekido and Kazushige Cho
In this presentation, there will be two different topics related to L2 classroom, especially in university. First, we will present some activities related to peer feedback both in writing and speaking. In writing, blog will be introduced as an efficient tool to enhance interaction and involvement among students. In speaking, peer feedback as a preparatory task for presentation projects will be discussed. Like these, we will introduce several approaches for speaking and writing, and some video scenes and students・survey result will be shown. Next, we壇 like to talk about some criteria that need to be considered in choosing newspaper materials ? up-to-date, relevant to students・needs, vocabulary level, supplemental materials available, etc. and present some useful textbooks, online newspapers, and some tips to arrange such materials. Participants are expected to share their own ideas and activities in groups for better use of materials. We hope this presentation will be useful for your classes.
Fuyuhiko Sekido has been teaching English in Japan for more than 10 years, the last 5 years at universities. He completed his MA in American literature at Meiji Gakuin University in March, 2000. Mr. Sekido has been a part-time teacher at Rikkyo University since April, 2006. His recent research interests include the effective use of literature in English education and practical methods for the language classroom.
Kazushige Cho received his M.A. in Applied Linguistics (2005) from Georgia State University, Atlanta. At present he is a part-time at Keiwa College, Niigata University, Rainbow Language House (conversation school), and Takasaki City University of Economics, teaching L2 reading, writing, business English, presentation skills, and TOEIC. He is a member of JALT Niigata.
July 12th, 2009
Sainokuni Joint ETJ Saitama/Omiya JALT English Conference for Teachers of Japanese Youth
Let's game!
By Darryl Sumida
In the elementary and junior high school English "activities" or English classes, students are often expected to listen, repeat, remember and understand how to produce language. Today's students are the "video game" generation and listen and repeat activities are often rather boring to them. Today's activity will be one in which the teacher's talk time is greatly reduced and students practice the target language through a simple card game. The game can be modified for different age levels and grammar structures.
It's About Time
By Richard Bales
In English, it is not uncommon for native speakers and learners of English to tend to make generalized statements involving time, especially when people are speaking to their peers. However, many Japanese students studying English seem to have difficulties when trying to make generalized utterance regarding issues of time. It seems in many cases that it is not that students do not understand how to make a generalized statement, but rather a sense of uncertainty if a statement that is not specific is acceptable. Student uncertainties seem to become more evident the further they progresses through the education system. This problem may stem in part from the Japanese culture aspect of keeping exact times and schedules, little exposure of generalization by teachers, or few opportunities for students to create their own generalized utterances with positive teacher feedback resulting in increased student self-confidence.
During this mini-workshop, I will present a two-idea approach that may help your students gain the knowledge, practice, and/or confidence so that they will eventually be able to make general statements concerning time in casual settings.
June 28th, 2009
The 2009 Nakasendo English Conference
May 12th, 2009
"Drama: a Stepping Stone towards English Language Performance"
By Adriana E. Edwards Wurzinger
In this presentation, Adriana will briefly analyze the importance of using drama techniques as part of the strategies for teaching English to university students. In addition to the analysis of the theory available about this subject, Adriana will present some of the findings of her personal research on educational drama with students of Saitama University, Japan. It is Adriana's intention to offer a clear outline of the benefits and characteristics of drama as a bridge between language acquisition and language performance, and to provide information that may serve to aid further studies in this area.
The big question behind this presentation is: why should we consider drama as a tool for language learning at the university level? Adriana's answer to this question is ambiguous and probably not what you expect: why NOT? Drama exercises and techniques can contribute in many ways to build an active and enthusiastic learning experience. The list of benefits is long, but Adriana would like to focus on ten essential points that, in her opinion, provide the foundation upon which we can build a better understanding of the reasons why drama techniques should be considered effective tools for language learning. The analysis of these points is the result of a combination of her previous experience with different groups, the research that has provided Adriana with a body of theories about this subject, and the experience and observations collected during the workshops with Saitama University students.
April 12th, 2009
"Releasing Multilingual Dreams Today, Creating New Worlds Tomorrow"
By Ruby T. Ogawa
"Releasing Multilingual Dreams Today, Creating New Worlds Tomorrow" was the theme for the 34th Annual CABE Conference. The California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) has been active in promoting programs for bilingualism in California from the elementary to the high school levels in America. This conference was recently held on February 25th to 28th in Long Beach, California. As part of ongoing research here in Japan to continually improve the levels of teaching English, there will be structured language learning material that will be available to all interested participants.
Ruby T. Ogawa is an American of Japanese descent and had been working in Japan teaching at the university levels for the last three years. Originally, she was born in Long Beach, California and raised in American most of her life. She graduated from UCLA in a double-major: Cultural Anthropology and Ethnic Sociology. After graduating in 1982, she had worked for 12 years in the legal and business fields in Los Angeles, California.
Later, she pursued her Masters in Public Policy and Administration at CSULB. Ruby's graduate thesis was published in the International Journal of Public Administration in 2004 on "Culturally Appropriate Programs for Asian American Leukemia Patients". This research was based on her five years of working as the Director of the Japanese Task Force for bone marrow recruitment in Los Angeles, California from 1998-2003.
The opportunity to be in Japan occurred in helping to form JAPAN NICE, a nonprofit organization based in Saitama in October of 2003. After working with a number of bilingual individuals with the translation of legal documents and meeting the requirements to be a functioning legal entity, JAPAN NICE was accepted on March 3, 2004. She is currently the President of JAPAN NICE.
Now, in its fifth year of operation, JAPAN NICE has done multiple harp concerts with an American harpist in conjunction with local Japanese musicians, an art exhibition about the wartime period, and a homestay program in California for Japanese elders to be part of a volunteer team at various nonprofit or educational programs.
For this year, Ruby will start working at several universities while working on several writing projects and a work-in-progress documentary project about "Kizuna Sagashi" (finding one's roots in Japan) through the varied experiences of Nikkei-Americans stories before, during and after the war.
Doable Debate in the Japanese Classroom
By Harry W. Harris
Research affirms that debate can have an effect on thinking, speaking, and even writing skills. Students engaged in this activity learn about important issues and improve their ability to do research, think critically, speak logically, use language, and cooperate with others. They also learn that their efforts can have an effect on events around them. In this workshop, a methodology is introduced for doing semi-formal, classroom-friendly English debates, which have the potential to evolve according to the variables, and constraints, of different classrooms. With this explanation, handouts will be provided offering sample debate time frames, judging criteria, and score-keeping charts. It is hoped that those who attend this presentation will appreciate the pedagogical potential of debate and return to their classrooms with ideas that they can adapt to their own professional objectives and circumstances.
Harry Harris has an M.A. in Spanish linguistics and one in Applied Linguistics. He has taught English and Spanish at academic institutions in Japan, the U.S., and Bolivia. At present, he is involved in curriculum development in the new English Program at Hakuoh University, for which he has collaborated on writing skill objectives and organized the Writing component. He also participates in teacher training workshops in Japan and writes materials for a Japanese publishing company.
March 8th, 2009
On defining "good" language learners
By Joe Siegel
This workshop will examine the notion of "good" language learners (GLLs) in terms of learner characteristics from second language acquisition literature. GLLs in two different contexts will be discussed: traditional compulsory classrooms and private language schools. The hypothesis that certain learner characteristics may be more advantageous in one learning environment than the other will be offered. After an explanation of different learner factors and contexts, participants will create their own GLLs for one of the teaching contexts. A group discussion of the selected traits will be followed by a brief presentation from one teacher's point of view of GLLs. Some ideas on how learners can become "better" will also be considered. Final comments and questions related to the topic will then be addressed.
On defining "good" language learners
By Joe Siegel
Field (1998) points out that a large amount of listening practice "focuses upon the outcomes of listening, rather than upon the listening process itself, upon product rather than process." This three-part presentation promotes the de-emphasis of product in university listening classes. It will be argued that more attention be given to the process of listening if the skill is to be used beyond the classroom. Part one of the presentation will describe the current state of listening classes taught at one public university in Japan. This will be followed by a description of how direct listening strategy training was incorporated in one of these classes in an effort to teach the process of listening. Preliminary results from triangulated research into student use of and reaction to strategy instruction will be shared. Finally, in a segment related to curriculum innovation, the presenter will describe steps that might be taken to promote and implement such a shift throughout the university's English department.
Joe Siegel has been teaching in Japan for 7 years, and has also volunteered in ESL classrooms in the US, UK, and Turkey. He has experience teaching in conversation schools, elementary schools, and universities. Currently studying towards an MA in TESL/TEFL through the University of Birmingham (UK), his research interests include learner autonomy, listening, strategy use and teacher talk. Joe is always interested in participating in education-based discussion and teacher development. He can be reached at jojo.siegel@gmail.com.
February 8th, 2009
"Starting and Managing a Successful Study-Abroad Program"
By Mehran & Yuriko Sabet
There is no question that participating in study abroad programs brings language proficiency gains as well as cultural awareness, increased motivation, and improved social interpersonal skills. Starting and managing a short-term, study-abroad program is a time-consuming process that requires total commitment and cooperation on the part of all parties involved. However, when done properly, the positive results can be significant to the institution and students. This presentation looks at the step-by-step process of initiating and managing a study-abroad program as well as discussing measures that should be taken when administrators are faced with difficult, unfortunate, or unpredictable situations while students are overseas.
Let's Delve into the Minds of "Bad" Students: Alternative TESOL
By Jun Harada
In this presentation, Jun will be discussing the delicate question of "how to deal with students who "hate" English." Just like other teachers, Jun was tormented by such students who came to class to daydream, sleep or just fool around. Recently, Jun started interviewing a bunch of unmotivated students and discovered some interesting things about their unique characteristics that he would like to share with everyone. From his research, he found out that their ways of thinking are so different from other students! It seems that teaching them would be something out of conventional TESOL wisdom, and this is something he knew from his practical experiences in New York where he was able to put to the test!
Jun Harada After studying TESOL in New York, Jun taught ESL at a public school in a poverty-ridden area in the Bronx. Believe it or not, Jun came from Japan in order to teach English to Spanish-speaking kids in America. After returning to Japan, Jun taught at an alternative school for high school dropouts. The students there were mostly two kinds: hyperactive or inactive. Now Jun teaches full time at a Dokkyo Junior and Senior high school and part time at Rikkyo University.
January 11th, 2009
Open Office Workshop: An easy way to write exercises & presentations
By Lawrence Cisar, CP, RP, PhD
December 2008
MyShare
October 2008
What makes a good workshop?
By Phil Brown & Colin Skeats
This hands-on, interactive workshop will encourage participants to explore and discover the qualities of successful workshops. We will aim to demonstrate how to create a successful workshop and provide participants with both guiding principles and a practical framework. There will be opportunities for everyone to apply this knowledge and practice relevant skills in order to better design and facilitate their own workshops, presentations and/or classes. Audience members will also be given time to develop their own workshop ideas and seek feedback and advice, as well as contribute to the process of grassroots teacher development. Please think about and bring any ideas you would like to develop into your own workshop.
Phil Brown has taught English in Japan for over six years. He has three years experience as a teacher trainer and is an MA TEFL/TESL student at the University of Birmingham. He currently teaches part-time at kindergarten, universities, private companies, and government ministries.
Colin Skeates has taught English and Marketing in three different countries over the past 10 years. He teaches at 4 universities in the Tokyo area and will soon finish his MA TEFL/TESL (University of Birmingham).
Read Masa Tsunayasu's report on this event...
September 2008
Are they experienced?: designing projects for English language learners
By Michael Stout
July 2008
MyShare
June 2008
The 2008 Nakasendo English Conference
May 2008
Error Analysis of High School Student Essays
Asako Kato is a full-time high school English teacher in Saitama. She has been teaching at four Prefectural high schools with different academic levels within twenty-three years. She involves herself in organizing the annual high school writing contests as a member of Saitama High School English Teachers Research and Study Association. Her research interests include teaching writing and learning strategies and autonomy.
Read Masa Tsunayasu's report on this event...
Almost Zero Prep Activities
Fun and easy warm-ups, games and activities that require very little preparation or materials. Most of these are adaptable to use from elementary age students to adults. At the end, participants can share their own ideas in small groups.
April 2008
Presentation Zen: How to design and deliver compelling presentations in today's world.
Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications consultant Garr Reynolds shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Garr's "Presentation Zen" approach challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today's world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr will share lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication education and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this visual presentation will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.
Garr Reynolds is a leading authority on presentation design and delivery. A sought-after speaker and consultant, his clients include many in the Fortune 500. A writer, designer, and musician, he currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Garr is a former corporate trainer for Sumitomo Electric, and once worked in Cupertino, California as the Manager for Worldwide User Group Relations at Apple. Inc. A long time student of the Zen arts and resident of Japan, he currently lives in Osaka where he is Director of Design Matters Japan. Garr is the creator of the Web's most popular blog on presentation design, presentationzen.com, which features regular insights on presentations, communication, and creativity. His book Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery published by New Riders (Voices that Matter) is an international bestseller.
Read Masa Tsunayasu's report on this event...
March 2008
Peer-To-Peer Dialogue Journals
by Steve Connolly, Ed.D.
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February 2008
Coloring activities to enhance student motivation
by Miori Shimada
Read Masa Tsunayasu's
report on this event...