JALT2008

Shared Identities: Our Interweaving Threads
31 October – 3 November, 2008
National Olympics Memorial Youth Center
Tokyo, Japan

— Download the JALT2008 Conference Handbook PDF for full scheduling details —

Our JALT2008 International Conference promises to be a very special event for language learners and educators alike. It will not only mark the 34th annual JALT conference but also the 7th joint conference of the Pan Asian Consortium (PAC) as well as the 6th Asian Youth Forum (AYF). We are pleased to be hosting PAC members from ThaiTESOL (Thailand), KOTESOL (Korea), ETA-ROC (Taiwan), FEELTA (Russian Far East), ELLTAS (Singapore), and PALT (Philippines) as well as many visiting young people from across Asia who will be participating in the Asian Youth Forum.

The conference theme, Shared Identities: Our Interweaving Threads, reflects the international focus of the conference. It also refers to the important interrelationships between learners and teachers, languages and cultures, communities and nations, as well as the connections between thought and language, interdisciplinary studies, elementary and secondary education, oral and written communication, theory and research, and much more. We are looking forward to a productive conference sharing ideas, issues, and concerns which face language learners and teachers throughout Asia today. The presentations by members of JALT, ThaiTESOL, KOTESOL, ETA-ROC, FEELTA, ELLTAS, and PALT will focus on content areas currently in the forefront of dialogues in these respective organizations. We are also pleased to have the added perspective of our future educators through the discussions and presentations of participants in the concurrent Asian Youth Forum.

Through the collaborative efforts of presenters and participants from diverse language and cultural backgrounds, everyone will benefit in a multitude of ways. This interweaving of ideas from our many unique experiences, our cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and our different teaching and learning situations will produce a spectacularly colorful tapestry of shared ideas to take back to our homes and educational institutions. May the 34th International JALT Conference also strengthen the ongoing sharing of ideas and interweaving of our lives with our colleagues and friends in PAC. We look forward to your participation.

Caroline Latham & Alan Mackenzie, JALT2008 Conference Chairs