Robert Peacokc, Oxford University Press, Takeshi Kikuchi, Iwaki Meisei University, Clay Bussinger, Tokiwa University, Jeroen Bode, University of Tsukuba, Deborah Grow, Tsukuba University and The English Garden

June 1st Program
Session I (14:00 – 15:20)
Speaker: Robert Peacock, Oxford University Press
Title: Academic Reading Skills for Student Success
Academic reading provides several challenges to students and teachers alike including how to learn the relevant vocabulary in a systematic, engaging way and how to learn the relevant skills such as predicting, summarizing and making inferences. In this session we will be looking at the vocabulary and skills students need for successful academic study and how reading ability can be linked to oral fluency. Through practical classroom activities we will explore some ways of bringing the topics to life, learning essential vocabulary in context and engaging students’ critical thinking skills so that they can assimilate information from reading passages and use that knowledge as a basis for discussion. Overall, we will see how high-interest topics can make the class content relevant to the students and set them up for academic success.
Session II (15:40 – 16:40)
Speaker: Takeshi Kikuchi, Iwaki Meisei University
Title: University Students’ Views on an English Program
The focus of this presentation is on the results of a questionnaire to university students. 246 university students of a private university who take English subjects of a common English program answered the questionnaire. The departments they belong to are humanities department, engineering department, and pharmacy department. Of the 246 students, 205 students are first year students and 41 are second year students. In this university, only pharmacy department students need to take English at their second year. In the common English program, students are divided into three groups based on the score of a placement test at the begging of their first year. They use common textbooks although the subjects they are required to take differ depending on their department. The topic of the questions includes the students’ general views on learning English, the difficulty levels of textbooks and evaluation on the whole program and each subject. The students answered the questions anonymously in the second week of December of 2012. Based on the results of the questionnaire, the presenter will talk about overview of the common English program along with implications for teaching.
Session III (16:50 – 17:25)
Speaker: Clay Bussinger, Tokiwa University
Title: Creative Writing in ELT: Organically grown stories
Many EFL/ESL students do not experience the benefits of writing stories in English: expanding knowledge of literature, using their language skills, learning new language structures and vocabulary. Students are often more motivated by engaging in creative writing exercises. Despite not having the luxury of a creative writing course, it is possible to include a creative writing component into various ESL classes. This article outlines one genre/process method of having students produce stories that grow in stages, scaffolding from concept, word, lines, to story. Students find the process interesting and non-threatening, and gain confidence sharing their stories.
17:35-18:20 Business Meeting
June 2nd Program
Session IV (10:00-10:50)
Speaker: Jeroen Bode, University ofTsukuba
Title: Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of language learning
In this talk I will introduce from a practical viewpoint the value that literature can bring into the language learning process, identifying first possible learning and teaching material for university students and teachers. On a university level it is possible to use simplified (graded readers) and unsimplified material (Strand/original) of selected Sherlock Holmes stories. In the reading process (read: language learning process) students will also look at theoretical material such as Nation’s on vocabulary acquisition as well as other reference materials on literary elements that are relevant to both the understanding of the stories and progress in language learning. Related classroom activities include research projects in groups, updating individual notebooks (vocabulary journal, information gathering reports, and more), presentations, writing projects with group members and teacher assistance. This case study is based on university classes; for lower educational institutions (junior and senior high) this teaching program needs to be modified according to students’ language level
Session V (11:00-12:00)
Speaker: Deborah Grow, Lecturer Tsukuba University and Owner, The English Garden
Title: Letʼs Get Real – Fun and Useful English Projects for the Real World
Let’s Get Real – Fun and Useful Projects for the Real World will address the rapidly changing world in which we live and for which we are supposed to be preparing our university students to enter in a few short years. From the hard experience of a business person who knew virtually nothing about technology and had to learn to function in the real business world, I realized our students must gain some practical skills in the classroom if they are going to be able to compete in the ever more competitive job market. A variety of multimedia projects will be introduced with examples of how they worked in first year university classrooms of various levels.
Overnight stay including two meals = 3,500 yen
(For details and schedule changes, please go to our chapter website http://ibarakijalt.blogspot.com)