Teacher Development

Greetings! On this page, we will provide an overview of our group, in order to familiarise you with our activities, and hopefully inspire you to get involved with our SIG.   

Our Focus

First formed in 1993, the TD SIG has a dedicated following of approximately 150 members. As the name of our group suggests, our SIG is committed to helping ourselves and our peers to become more effective language teachers in order to better serve learners. As such, our varied interests include continuing professional development, teacher research, and reflective practice. We understand that all JALT’s SIGs are concerned with helping members develop as professionals too, so we therefore believe that one of our main aims is to provide a space for networking and collaboration with other groups and specialisms. Our membership is diverse, and our events attract a range of different teachers, from junior high school to college and university educators. Our SIG offers opportunities for different teachers to come together, for careful and critical reflections and explorations of their practice, with a view to developing as professionals.

Our Programs

Our SIG organizes and cosponsors various activities throughout the year. Our biggest event is the annual Teacher Journeys conference held in June at different venues throughout Japan. This year’s conference was held at Sojo University in Kumamoto. We also coordinate forums annually at both the PanSIG, and the JALT International conference.  At the 2019 JALT international conference, we will be cohosting a PechaKucha style forum with the CUE SIG. Additionally, TD also hosts various workshops related to Teacher Development throughout the year. Finally, TD encourages its members to organize local reflective practice sessions. Members interested in organizing events are encouraged to contact the SIG directly. We strive to help connect with our members through the various events held throughout the year, and are also open to non-TD SIG members.

Our Publications

TD SIG has published Explorations in Teacher Development (ETD), a journal for teachers, by teachers, for around 25 years. Our journal is currently published twice yearly and includes peer-reviewed narrative and action research articles and reflective explorations of practice by teachers. Submissions include papers from presentations given at our forum at the JALT national conference and from our annual Teacher Journeys conference. The journal also includes non-peer reviewed sections, with less formal teacher reflections, such as accounts of a typical or an extraordinary incident; or reflections on career paths and the decisions involved in them, and conference reports. SIG Members receive the journal in PDF format as part of their SIG membership, with back issues made available on our website to all shortly after. We invite you to explore our archive to see the full range of what ETD includes.

Our Publicity

We keep an active online presence through our monthly newsletters, Facebook and Twitter posts, and our YouTube channel. Our newsletter is distributed via email to all our SIG members and it comprises detailed information on upcoming SIG events, reports of past workshops and events, JALT activities, TESOL conferences throughout Asia, special member requests, and more. On Facebook and Twitter, information is shared in a more bite-sized format. We also use these sites to interface directly with our members and those interested in our group. Our YouTube channel is our most recent addition, and currently hosts recordings of featured speakers’ presentations from our Teacher Identities and Emotions workshop earlier this year, with plans to add more content soon. On our website, visitors can learn more about our various SIG activities, and find links to all our social media and event pages.

We would love to welcome you as a member (or an officer) of our SIG, see you at future events, or receive an article or presentation proposal from you. We’re a flexible group, open to new ideas and potential collaborations. Feel free to get in contact with us for more information.

Our Contact Information:

• SIG email: jalt.td.sig@gmail.com
• Journal email: jalt.ted.ete.editor@gmail.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyh0CMnZrzBl-iePXQeRxfA

The TD Spirit and Support

In the spirit of understanding and collaboration, the SIG strives to support its members and JALT membership as a whole. Offering our support to fellow Chapters and SIGs remains one of our values, as we continue to put on research seminars with others. Moving forward, we have discussed how to support our membership and related academics who seek to develop their self and practice as teachers. To this end, the TD is eager to announce our new “Up-and-Coming Research Grants” which are now open for applications.

Please see the condensed information here and find full details in our “Group News” and “Pages of Interest” sections below.

(1)    TD SIG Related Conference or Presentation Attendance Grant

For JALT Teacher Development SIG Members who are in good standing (membership fees paid for current year up to 6 months following the grant application) and who work in the field of EFL as a teacher (or teacher-in-training) or are studying at university to become an EFL teacher. This does not include exchange students or anyone under the age of 18 years old, and if the applicant is a graduate school student, it should be in a field related to education or TESOL.

The applicant will not have access to research funds (e.g. research budget from your institution whether work or school) and will be planning to present at a TD-related conference or presentation, and subsequently submitting a summary write-up of the conference or presentation to our ETD journal.

The money awarded by the SIG as a grant can be used to pay the cost of attending the conference itself, and also for travel to and from the conference venue (within Japan), up to a maximum of 30,000 yen. Please give a detailed outline of estimated costs when applying for the grant.

(2)   Small Research Grant

For JALT Teacher Development SIG Members who are in good standing (membership fees paid for current year up to 6 months following the grant application) and over the age of 18 years old (not a high school student or exchange student). If the applicant is a graduate school student, it should be in a field related to education or TESOL.

The applicant must not have received or be receiving funds for the related project from other sources such as MEXT or other external grants. Likewise, must not hold any research budget from your institution (work or school). This grant requires submission of a research proposal related to EFL education, wherein you outline the research/project. It shall include various details and outlined with conciseness (read the full details in our “Group News” and “Pages of Interest” sections below); the applicant should outline how the grant will assist them and what the grant will be specifically used for.

The money awarded by the SIG as a research grant can be used to pay for necessary materials related to the needs of the project, including but not limited to, the purchase of books, and other materials, or for payments to participants taking part in the study, up to a maximum of 30,000 yen. Please give an outline of estimated costs when applying for the grant. Ethical approval must be received by the researcher from any institutions in which the research takes place. The TD SIG cannot take any liability for any issues arising from failure to adhere to required ethical responsibilities. Proof of ethical approval may be requested by the SIG.

Application Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfinZn7vM6mGWyZBSKOOJ9yLLhN3JsjoI29SL_A-Sq8C6tKAQ/viewform