Various, with 52 presentations!

Back to School 2025 is Osaka JALT’s 15th annual spring conference sharing ideas on a wide range of topics related to language teaching and learning in a low-key environment to help everyone in the new academic year. This year’s conference will again be in person at Osaka Jogakuin University, near Tamatsukuri station on the JR Loop Line and Nagahori Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Metro line. It will also again be an Open Campus day at OJU, so there will be additional presentations that participants in the conference can attend as well.

Please pre-register here to help us be better prepared and to be able to let the security guards know how many to expect. The SCHEDULE of presentations is here. Please join us on Sunday, April 27th for what is sure to be another great day of learning and sharing at OJU!

After the conference, plan to join us for more sharing and networking at our post-conference dinner party at Asu Shoku restaurant (near Morinomiya station, 10 minutes walk from OJU). RSVP here.

The presenters’ bios and presentation abstracts can be found here, and here are this year’s presenters, their affiliations, and their presentation titles:

Margarette Anne Abelar (Osaka City Board of Education)
Best Practices in Teaching English to Students with Special and Additional Needs

Olivia Allanson (AEON)
Phonics Phun! (Fun!)

Heather Austin (Kansai Gaidai)
Seeing language everywhere: engaging ELLs through linguistic landscape projects

Manuel Avenido Jr. (Kyoto Sangyo University)
The Writing-focused Lesson: Building Up Students’ Writing Ability / The PRAC Approach in Teaching English Oral Presentations

Zoe Barber (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Bridging barriers: Supporting students with mental health challenges in the language classroom

Shizuka Brooks (Kyoto Sangyo University)

Enhancing TOEIC listening comprehension through phonological instruction: flap T, linking, reduction

Oliver Cakebread-Andrews & Zoe Barber  (Kwansei Gakuin University)
A Comparison Study of Digital Literacy among Japanese University Students

John Carle (Kindai University & JALT MW SIG)
How students can make better eye contact in presentations / The English Gym series: Designed specifically for Japanese university English courses

Gordon Carlson, Margaret Kim, John Jackson, Brian Nuspliger, & Evelyn Toth (Otemae University)
Lessons from the Classroom: Teaching in Culturally Integrated ESL Classes

Christopher Davis (Kansai Gaidai)
The Benefits of Frequent, Low-Stakes “Speaking Tasks” in Improving Presentation Skills

Rick Derrah (Kindai University), J. Scott Shinall (Kansai Gaidai), & Peter Ferguson (Kindai University)
Foreign Teachers in Thai and Japanese Classrooms: Expectations and Challenges

Sean Elliott (Ritsumeikan & Ryukoku Universities)
Implementing the results of a Needs Analysis in an In-Work BE Environment.

Paul Goldberg (Xreading)
Ten Principles of Successful Extensive Reading Programs

Tim Green (Crush-It-Club)
The Neuroscience of Learning, Memory & Mastery

James Henry (Kyoto Sangyo University)
Building Confidence Through AI: Psychological Impact on Language Learners

Michael Herke (Setsunan University)
Three Complementary Approaches to Understanding, Discussing, and Writing About Movies

Todd Hooper (Setsunan University)
Promoting student talk in literature-based discussion courses with open-ended questions

Simon Humphries (Kansai University)
Creating ideal classmates: The power of peer videos

Sandra Huynh (Kindai University)
Less Reading, More Speaking: Improving Presentations with PechaKucha

Samia Haseeb Khan (Mukogawa Women’s University)
Sports and Linguistics

Hiroki Konishi (Kansai University)
What challenges do non-Japanese Global English university teachers face?

David Lees (Kyoto University)
Automated Quizzes and Report Cards: Being Efficient with Google-Forms and Sheets

Thomas Legge (Momoyama Gakuin University)
The role of taking IELTS in teacher and trainer development

Andrew LePla (University of Nottingham)
How do assessments shape language learning motivation in a Japanese junior high school?

Morgen Livingston (Ritsumeikan University)
Perception vs. Reality: Examining Adolescents’ Study Abroad Expectations

Peter Lutes (Kagawa University)
New researchers: How to Plan and Use Likert Scales for Your Research

Paul Lyddon (University of Shizuoka)
Developing language and critical thinking skills with logic puzzles as communication tasks

Harmony Martin (Kansai International Academy)
Using blackout poetry to build extended skills of reluctant readers

Regulus Miranda (株式会社OTC)
A Reflection on Student-Centered Instruction of Oral Communication Classes

Chihiro Morioka (Kyoto University of Advanced Science)
Effects of the Timed-Retelling Activity in University English Reading Classes

Wade Muncil (retired)
& Steve Porritt (Osaka Jogakuin & Kindai Universities)
Taming the AI Dragon: Teaching Writing in the Age of AI

Yosuke Ogawa (Kobe University)
Japanese Epenthetic Vowel Modification in English

Daniel Orozco (Ritsumeikan & Ryukoku Universities)
Is perfection really necessary for language acquisition

Daniel Parsons (Shiga University)
Addressing the value alignment problem in AI for language learning

David Paul (Language Teaching Professionals)
Building up students’ ability to discuss a wide range of topics / The qualities of an effective course for Japanese elementary school children

James Rankin (universities in Kansai)
Leveraging Icons for Storytelling in ESL

Christopher Regier (Kyoto Prefectural University)
Exposure to communication and stress: Navigating an optimal EFL learning experience

Christopher Samuell (Kyoto Institute of Technology)
The Future of English Teaching in Japan: Insights from Global Perspectives

Drew Sanford (Kansai Gaidai)
Introducing the Alabama super IES study abroad preparation program at Kansai Gaidai

Manami Sato (Kyoto University of Advanced Science)
Examining microaggressions: University students’ experiences and implications for inclusion

Alex Serebriakoff (Momoyama Gakuin University)
Teaching Pragmatic Competence for IELTS Speaking Success

Alexander Sheffrin (Ritsumeikan University)
Let’s Talk About Money: Financial Literacy Activities in Classrooms

Emi Shibuya (Otemon Gakuin University)
A discussion of communication skills through professional sports performance

Motoko Teraoka (Kindai University)
Be a Transformer in Vocabulary Learning!

Stuart Warrington (Nagoya University of Commerce and Business)
Empowering Japanese university students: Effective use of self-access language learning resources

Krystle Wright (dispatch university instructor)
Dispatch vs Direct Hire: A comparative exploration of teaching English in Japan.

Miyako Yoshida (Osaka University of Health and Sport Science), Elisabeth Fernandes, & Julia Kimura (Mukogawa Women’s University)
Classroom Activities to Help Engage Students

Yumiko Yoshida (Doshisha University)
Grammar is not Boring: Making Grammar Learning Engaging, Fun and Useful