More Than Storytime: Interactive Read-Alouds That Spark Thinking and Feeling! by Alison Hasegawa
July 19 @ 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Presenter
Alison Hasegawa holds a B.Ed. (Hons) and an M.A. in Teaching English to Young Learners. She began using picturebooks to introduce English to children in Fukushima (1989โ2012). As a teacher trainer at Miyagi University of Education (2012-2022), she explored dialogic picturebook reading to cultivate active learning. Currently a Specially Appointed Professor at Rikkyo University, Alison guides students to critically analyze picturebooks on her popular course Exploring Childrenโs Literature.
Abstract
โAre you sitting comfortably? Then Iโll begin.โ This iconic phrase was used by presenters of the BBC childrenโs radio programme “Listen with Mother” (1950โ1982) and remains deeply embedded in British culture. It evokes the ritual and intimacy of shared storytelling, a traditional practice that continues to hold significant pedagogical value today.
Picturebook read-alouds in the classroom are a highly engaging and motivating activity for learners of all ages. They support the development of listening skills in a low-anxiety, content-rich environment and foster multiple literacies, including visual, emotional, and cultural literacy. Furthermore, they provide a strong foundation for language acquisition and emergent literacy.
Unlike passive listening experiences such as radio broadcasts or, more recently, YouTube videos, interactive picturebook read-alouds create opportunities for genuine dialogue and critical engagement. As Megan Dowd Lambert suggests in Reading Picture Books with Children (2015), a picturebook can serve as โa meeting space, that โplayground for the mind,โโ where adults and children interact through words, images, and design.
This workshop will introduce participants to these essential aspects of picturebooks and show how they collaborate or complement each other to weave magic. After this, a simple three-stage framework for interactive read-alouds, including pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading phases, will be modelled. Emphasis will be placed on participants noticing and then developing effective questioning techniques, as well as linking engaging extension activities, such as drawing, writing, craft, and drama, that support language development and critical and creative thinking.
Finally, participants will collaborate in small groups to plan and deliver a mini picturebook read-aloud. The workshop is designed for language teachers, teacher trainees, literature enthusiasts, and anyone interested in sharing childrenโs literature, whether in classrooms or at home.
Event
The event will be held at Keio University, Hiyoshi, Raiosha Building 2F (Map Below)
It is free for JALT members or first-time non-JALT members and ยฅ2,000 for others.
