Jeff Contreras, Matt Potter, David Garwood, Raymond Hoogenboom, Heather McCullochAfter a long hiatus during COVID19, Gunma JALT will be returning to in-person meetings in style with our 6th Annual MyShare. This year our speakers will share their valuable insights spanning a wide variety of teaching contexts and rich experiences, from elementary school education to university […]

Joachim CastellanoStorytelling often implies entertainment, however it can be educational and has been used as such throughout history. Storytelling has received attention in the SLA field as well. Most published research on storytelling in an L2 has involved young learners and has investigated its impact on linguistic skills (Lucarevschi, 2016), and the term storytelling itself […]

Lily ThukralAs inclusive language policies become more widespread in the real world, it is generally absent from English language learning textbooks and can be regarded as a hot-button issue, yet it is important for English learners to understand and consider these practices. This 2-hour online presentation and workshop will focus on the topic of inclusive […]

Sayo NakamuraAs the communicative approach and active learning have been continuously promoted at all school levels by MEXT, more university professors and lecturers in Japan now practice performance tests as the final exam instead of traditional paper-and-pencil tests. One way to evaluate such tests is by using rubrics. While well-written rubrics can be helpful guides […]

Face-to-Face Event “One effective approach to connecting physical wellbeing, and achieving a sense of calm, is to engage in mindfulness practices. A calm teacher is likely to be better able to cope with the pressures of language teaching and create a positive atmosphere in class.” – Mercer & Gregersen (2020) Spring in Japan is the perfect time […]

Dennis KoyamaThis presentation explores critical thinking (CT) and its assessment. Some CT research has identified problem-solving methods, including deductive reasoning, as essential in creating CT assessments. However, when discussing CT in classrooms, other researchers have emphasized the individual nature of CT and focused on learner dispositions, such as open-mindedness. Emily Lai’s (2011) scoping review of […]

Takaaki HiratsukaFor over 30 years, hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals have set foot on Japanese soil as foreign assistant language teachers (ALTs) through the government-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program (CLAIR, 2022). The job of the ALTs is to teach English in public schools, in tandem with Japanese teachers of English (JTEs). Despite, […]

Daniel HooperIn today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, the role of educators goes beyond imparting knowledge; it involves nurturing future leaders who can adapt, innovate, and lead in diverse fields. This presentation/workshop introduces an autonomy-supportive approach to leadership training that transcends language learning and can be integrated into a range of different disciplines. Central to this […]

Duangsamorn HaruyamaThis event is online via Zoom. Using a survey questionnaire completed by students at the end of three prior semesters, as well as through personal observation during that span, I noticed that there was something in my teaching that needed to be improved, such as classroom management, materials preparation, or sufficient task explanation. To […]

Dan FerreiraIn the past decade, universities have increasingly invested in Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to enhance language learning, aiming for efficiency and flexibility. However, LMS adoption alone does not guarantee success; multiple factors include instructor attitudes toward technology and system quality. This paper delved into these factors that shaped LMS adoption by examining teacher perceptions […]

Justin HarrisMotivation plays a key role in achieving success in language acquisition. However, motivation levels in language learners fluctuate over time. An important role of foreign and second language teachers therefore is to maintain high levels of motivation among their learners. Materials that teachers use play a large part in this. This presentation will begin […]

Any participantLet’s get ready for the upcoming school year with a Materials Exchange! Attendees are asked to bring some kind of classroom material or idea they can present in five to ten minutes. Lesson plans, activities, games, textbooks, worksheets – anything is welcome! Attendees will take turns explaining their materials in groups, with multiple presenters […]

David GannThis presentation will examine pedagogical merits of online text reconstruction exercises (OTREs) and examines their efficacy in teaching argumentative writing (AW) and students’ experience of learning through them. It looks at a specific type of OTRE called WebSequiturs and that application’s unique pedagogical affordances. Quantitative data shows that following OTRE sessions, frequency of the use of […]

Kenji KawaiThis event focuses on the use of illustrations for pre-, during, and post-reading activities. First, if learners negotiate written texts by considering illustrations before and during the reading of the texts, what kind of learning effects might it have on their reading performance? On the other hand, illustrations could be used as a post-reading activity […]

John LarsonGrading performance tests in large classes can be a daunting task, especially when the assessments involve subjective grading assignments such as essays, projects, or oral presentations. The problems that arise can be divided into two categories: those of objectivity and those of time.  This presentation will demonstrate a method that uses group-based ranking to […]

Heather McCulloch, Sylvain BergeronPresentation 1 – Heather McCulloch Illuminating the path for blind and visually impaired students with UDL When we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), our minds often turn to issues of gender and ethnicity. However, disabilities—especially those related to vision—are less frequently highlighted. As we strive for equitable access to education, […]

Thatcher A. Spero (M.Ed, Ph.D)As the seemingly inexorable global and national pressures that face Japanese society and its higher education system continue to mount, Japanese universities have increasingly warmed up to the idea of internationalizing. However, with so many stakeholders and perspectives to consider at the macro, meso, and micro levels, realizing this ideal is […]

Andriana Holubka & Tomoseki WatanabeAre you interested in the Direct Method? Would you like to experience a lesson from a student’s perspective? Do you want to learn some basic Ukrainian? Then this lecture is just for you! In this session, Andriana will conduct a Ukrainian language lesson for novice learners using the direct method, where only […]

James McCrostiePredatory publishers and conferences threaten academia around the world. This presentation defines predatory publishers and conference organizers as publications and events produced by a for-profit company that aim to maximize profits, employ deception, and have no genuine concern to contribute to academic knowledge. Research shows that both predatory journals and conferences outnumber legitimate journals […]

Douglas EmmettThis workshop introduces a custom-built Writing Tutor designed for Japanese high school students. Developed by the presenter using Google Workspace and the ChatGPT API, this tool provides real-time, personalized feedback on paragraph structure, fluency, and grammar. Pilot study results show significant improvements in students’ writing skills, along with high satisfaction rates. The study highlights […]

The challenges of foreign language teachers (FLTs) in Japan are complex and relate to language, culture, and institutions. Additionally, the interconnected constructs of integration and belonging adds to this complexity, affecting professional efficacy, identity(ies), well-being, and institutional commitment. However, little attention has been given to how these concepts manifest in FLTs in Japan. Through purposive […]

Getting Japanese students to speak in class can be challenging. One reason is that certain aspects of Japanese culture are magnified in the language classroom, where they can hinder communication and learning. In this workshop, I will share nine practical, classroom-tested strategies that acknowledge and work with those cultural realities, based on 25 years of […]

Self-publication is a timely way to get effective materials into the hands of students minus the need to go through editors and the long  publishing house processes. This presentation will show: (1) how to produce a publication quality booklet and how to arrange content ready for publication, (2) how a well-designed standard layout can be […]

Date: 2025 December 14 (Sunday) Time: 2:00 pm ~ 4:30 pm Location:  Kyoai Gakuen University Link to Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hfomn8z5b68beNAZ8 Admission: FREE For December, Gunma JALT will try out something new: An event in which participants share about a work of […]

Location: Kyoai Gakuen University, 1154-4 Koyaharamachi, Maebashi, Gunma 379-2121 Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8rqs319MoSRdn6oW9 This session examines internationalization in practice at a Japanese national university, using Gunma University’s Global Frontier Leaders (GFL) Program and related initiatives as a case study. It highlights how these programs are designed and implemented, what students learn through them, and the challenges institutions […]