Michael Crawford (Dokkyo University)

Co-sponsor : Ibaraki University 

Featured Speaker Presentation 

1. Notetaking in L2 listening instruction: Theory and practice
by Michael Crawford (14:30~16:00)
(Dokkyo University)
Listening instruction is often seen as lagging behind instruction in other skills. One common criticism is that rather than being taught, in many cases listening is simply being tested. If students just listen to a passage and answer comprehension questions about it, as many of them do, what is happening is actually closer to testing than teaching. Another criticism is that typical instructional methods foster passivity, in particular when students are looking at comprehension questions as they listen. These questions end up directing students’ attention to specific, and undoubtedly key, aspects of the passage, but therein lies the problem. Students should really be trying to figure out for themselves what is important and what is not.
So, what is to be done? One solution is to teach listening strategies, and fortunately more and more teachers are doing this. Another solution is to teach notetaking skills. This will be the focus of this presentation. After a brief overview of the overall field of listening instruction, the presenter will examine the role of notetaking in this area. Research carried out in various contexts, including research conducted by the presenter, will be introduced, and implications of this will be considered. This will be followed by practical advice about how to teach notetaking skills to students of various levels. It is hoped that the presentation will give participants a clear understanding of the benefits of notetaking instruction, as well as some practical ideas that they can take home and try out in their own classes.
Michael Crawford has been teaching at the university level in Japan since 1999. He currently teaches in the Zenkari English Program at Dokkyo University in Saitama, where he is a coordinator for the second-year listening program. His main research interests are listening instruction and content-based instruction.
2. Business Meeting (16:15~17:15)
Saturday, December 20, 14:00 – 17:15
at
Ibaraki University, Humanities building Room C205
(Doors open from 14:00 p.m. No pre-registration required!)
JALT Members: Free Non-Members: 500　
JALT Ibaraki chapter meetings are open to all interested in learning and teaching languages. Abstracts for the presentations and access information for the venue, as well as further information for future events are available on the chapter home page.
http://ibarakijalt.blogspot.jp/
. . . and afterwards join us for the
Annual Chapter Year-End Party
Starts at 17:45 p.m.! At Coji Coji
Support the Chapter Book Fair!
Donate your unwanted books – and get used books for 50!