Event Report, Saitama Chapter November 2017

Hello everyone,
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Stefanie Pillai all the way from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The details regarding her presentation are the following:
One problem that many tertiary institutions face in relation to English language education is that students’ use of English may be limited to their English language classes. The Language Unit of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya conducts compulsory English language proficiency classes to all undergraduates at the university. In order to create more opportunities for students to use English beyond the classroom, and to motivate students who are not very proficient in English, two signature programmes for English language have been initiated by the Language Unit. The first programme is ‘English is Awesome – Let’s Perform’, aimed at students who are at CEFR A1-A2 levels. The second is, ‘English is Awesome – Let’s Write’ for students at CEFR B1 level. The aim of these programmes is to provide guided out-of-classroom opportunities to use English. Both programmes have a competitive element with prizes for the best play and essay. In this presentation, I will explain how these programmes are carried out. I will also provide samples of the output of these programmes, and discuss the feedback on these programmes by participants and their mentors.
We had a solid turnout of members and took her out for lunch after the conclusion of the event. It was a great success and we received positive feedback from our members. We may possible have one more event after the JALT 2017 Conference to close out the year, so please stay tuned for any updates.
Thank you for your time.
 
Respectfully,
Saitama JALT Team