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Grand Forum 2025
October 26, 2025 @ 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Join JALT Nagoya-Gifu, JALT Toyohashi, and TBLT SIG for the Grand Forum. The event will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2025, with doors opening at 12:30 pm. This event is held at Meijo University Nagoya Dome Mae campus near Ozone Station (JR, Subway, and Meitetsu) and Nagoya Dome Mae Yada Station (Subway). It is free for undergraduate students, members, and first-time guests. It is 1,000 yen for non-JALT members. Please enjoy the materials displayed by ABAX Publishing and the coffee from Warm Heart Coffee while listening to presentations from Dr. Natsuko Shintani, Dr. Justin Harris, local presenters, and student posters. Hope to see you there!
Schedule
1pm Opening Call
1:05-1:55pm Dr. Natsuko Shintani
Title:
Bridging Theory and Practice: Using Tasks in the EFL Classroom
Abstract
In this talk, I will examine task-based language teaching (TBLT) as an approach to developing learnersโ communicative competence. The talk will address several key questions for applied linguistics and pedagogy. What constitutes a task? How can tasks support the development of communicative competence? And how can they be effectively integrated into classrooms? I will begin by explaining the importance of learning through communication, drawing on insights from second language acquisition theory. Next, I will discuss the principles of task design and show how tasks can be adapted to different contexts and proficiency levels. Practical classroom examples will be used to illustrate these points. I will also distinguish between task-based and task-supported instruction, highlighting their different rationales and areas of application. Finally, I will consider how tasks can serve not only as teaching tools but also as instruments for assessing communicative competence.
Bio
Natsuko Shintani is a Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Language Studies at Kansai
University. Her research focuses on the intersection of second language instruction and
acquisition, with a particular emphasis on task-based language teaching, second language
writing, and L2 pragmatic development. She has extensive experience teaching applied
linguistics at the masterโs and doctoral levels internationally, having taught at Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore and the University of Auckland in New Zealand. She co-authored Exploring Language Pedagogy through Second Language Acquisition
Research (Routledge), and Task-Based Language Teaching: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press).
SESSION 2: LOCAL SHORT PRESENTATIONS
2-2.30pm
SHORT PRESENTATION 1:Nagoya JARAMIER
Title: Making Books in a Junior High School Communication Class
Abstract
This presentation explores the task of book creation in a Japanese junior high school second grade communication class. Students were tasked with writing original stories, then constructing and illustrating a short book. Students were introduced to the topic through conversations about their favorite books. They were then shown a teacher example of a created book. Next they made a plan, and wrote a first draft. The draft was proofread by the teacher before they wrote and constructed their books. Finally students shared their books with classmates, who wrote comments on the back of their books. This presentation shares the steps the teacher took to implement the lesson, their reflection on the process, examples of student production, as well as suggestions for how the activity could be adapted to other contexts.
Bio
Jaramiah Welty is an English teacher at a private senior high school in Aichi, Japan. He holds a master’s degree in TESOL. His research interests include conversation analysis, assessment, and task-based language teaching.
SHORT PRESENTATION 2 Dr. Jia LI & Dr. Reiko FURUYA (co-presenters)
Title: Learnersโ Response Difficulties in I-R-E Sequences: Insights from Japanese Classroom Interaction
Abstract
This presentation explores how international students in beginner Japanese classes deal with moments when answers donโt come easily. By analyzing classroom recordings, we show how gestures, gaze, and prosody help learners keep the interaction going, and how teacher and other students step in to scaffold communication. The talk highlights how these small, multimodal actions shape language learning and classroom participation.
Bio
Dr. Jia LI is a lecturer at Nagoya University. Her research focuses on interactional linguistics and conversation analysis.
Dr. Reiko FURUYA is an associate professor at Nagoya University. She teaches Japanese language to international students and is active in organizing programs that foster cross-cultural understanding and exchange.
SPEAKER 3๏ผTBA
coffee break & book display
3โ4pm
SESSION 3: STUDENTSโ POSTER PRESENTATION Session
(and ROUND Table session)
Poster 1: Renรฉ ARAYA, Gifu University
Title: From Imagination to Action: How Future Selves Shape L2 Acquisition.
Abstract
This study will explore how university students construct imagined identities and how these self-concepts influence their motivation and investment in foreign language learning. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, it integrates quantitative data from the Foreign Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire (FLLMQ-6) and qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. Findings are expected to reveal how learnersโ envisioned future selves shape engagement and identity negotiation, offering pedagogical implications for fostering inclusive, identity-affirming, and motivationally supportive language learning environments in higher education.
Bio
Renรฉ ARAYA is a Chilean English Teacher and MEXT grantee currently taking part in the Teacher Training Program at Gifu University.
Poster 2: Yukine HAYASHI, Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University
Title: Self-Growth Through TOEIC Learning
Abstract: Each year since 2020, seminar students at a small private university in Japan have written reflections on their TOEIC learning and self-development. These essays are compiled into a single volume and published on Amazon. This book is not a collection of TOEIC practice tests or explanations, but a record of personal growth. The lengthy process to publication is outlined in this poster session.
Bio: Yukine HAYASHI is a fourth-year undergraduate student with study abroad experience.
Coffee break 4โ4:15
4:15โ5:15 pm Justin Harris
Title: Utilising the Non-Linguistic Outcome to Create Engaging Language Learning Tasks
Abstract
In task-based language teaching (TBLT), one of the key principles is that tasks should lead to a non-linguistic outcome, but this is often misunderstood. When used effectively, such outcomes can boost motivation and engagement. This talk will use classroom examples to show how outcomes can enhance learnersโ enjoyment and support successful language learning.
Bio
Justin Harris is a professor at Kindai University in Osaka, Japan. He has been teaching for over 20 years in many contexts in Japan including elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities, as well as conducting in-service teacher training. His research interests focus on language learner motivation, particularly in relation to task-based language teaching (TBLT). His research papers have appeared in journals such as Language Learning, Language Awareness, and Language Teaching Research. Justin is founder and president of the JALT TBLT special interest group and he is conference chair of the biennial TBLT in Asia conference. He has also co-authored three series of EFL textbooks which feature a TBLT approach, one of which was nominated for a British Council ELTonsโ award.
5:30pm CLOSING CEREMONY
6-8pm +PARTY
