JALT2023 Plenary Speakers

Meet the Plenary Speakers

Stop by to get a photo together, ask a question, get a book signed, or just to say “hello” to our plenary speakers.
Location: Table 1 in the Multipurpose Hall (1st floor of conference center)

• Saturday, 11/25, 4:00-5:00 PM: Judy Noguchi
• Sunday, 11/26, 1:00-2:00 PM: Gary Barkhuizen
• Sunday, 11/26, 4:30-5:30 PM: Kathy Kampa

Gary Barkhuizen

University of Auckland

Sponsored by JALT

Teacher Mindset Stories: What Happens When Teacher Identity and Teacher Mindsets Meet?

Plenary Presentation

Saturday, Nov 25, 9:45 am – 10:45 am

Teacher identity refers to how teachers see themselves as teachers and how others see them as teachers. A teacher growth mindset refers to a teacher’s belief system that sees professional learning as a possibility, even in the face of challenges and disruptions. In this presentation, I outline what teacher identity means, and why it is important for teachers to know about their changing identities in the contexts in which they work. I also suggest narrative ways of exploring those identities – that is, to generate and understand teachers’ identity stories. I then briefly describe what mindsets are and share several stories told by teachers and teacher educators that reveal how their identities and their mindsets interconnect. I show how this interconnection does not always reveal a growth mindset or a belief in learning. To try to explain this situation, I present a professional development framework consisting of a number of interrelated mindset continua that aims to achieve, through teacher narrative inquiry, some sort of equilibrium or stability in the lives of hard-working teachers.

Narrative Inquiry For Busy Teachers and Teacher Educators: An Introductory Workshop

Workshop

Monday, Nov 27, 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm

Narrative inquiry involves gathering and constructing stories to learn about the experiences of language teachers and learners. Stories are central to narrative inquiry. In this workshop, we begin by discussing what stories are and then move onto a brief overview of some methods for collecting and analyzing stories in narrative inquiry. These methods are those that teachers (and teacher educators) can incorporate into their busy lives as practitioners. In other words, the aim is to explore opportunities for teachers to conduct narrative inquiry as ongoing, classroom-based teacher research. Workshop participants will have the opportunity, in pairs and small groups, to examine and interpret authentic language teacher and learner stories. They will also consider ways in which narrative inquiry can be embedded in their classroom practices. In sum, the interactive workshop will be an introduction to narrative inquiry for those who are interested in stories and how they can be used to explore their work environments in order to learn about themselves, their students, and the work that they do. Experienced researchers are also welcome!

Gary Barkhuizen is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of language teacher education, teacher and learner identity, study abroad and narrative inquiry. Originally from South Africa, he obtained his MA from Essex University in the UK, and his doctorate from Teachers College, Colombia University. His latest book is Language Teachers Studying Abroad: Identities, Emotions and Disruptions (2022, Multilingual Matters).

Watch an interview with our plenary speaker Gary Barkhuizen on YouTube

Judy Noguchi

Kobe Gakuin University

Sponsored by JALT

Learning: The Never-Ending Life Adventure

Plenary Presentation

Saturday, Nov 25, 2:35 pm – 3:35 pm

The world today is facing trying times with democracy in crisis around the world, extreme weather events, and state fragility coming on the heels of a global pandemic. However, crises have been the driving force in the evolution of human society. The problems confronting us today cannot be resolved by one organization or one country alone. What is needed is effective communication among peoples, groups and countries. Even with technological advances in machine translation and AI tools, we as language teachers have much that we can do. This talk will suggest the importance of building social capital through communication, present evidence-based education concepts for efficient teaching, and examine how to work with Gen Z students. Education for a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity must prepare students to learn how to take charge of their own learning experiences and thus develop a growth mindset to embark on a never-ending life-long adventure of learning. They can thus contribute to social capital and a better human society.

Cognitive Apprenticeship for Life-Long Learning

Presentation

Sunday, Nov 26th, 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm

Communicative ability on a global scale has never been as important as it is today. After addressing the issues that are confronting us in the plenary talk, this paper will present specific examples of how the concepts presented can be applied in the classroom. The focus will be on considering language as a conglomeration of genres that can be subjected to analysis in order to metacognitively grasp how they can be used for effective communication. Rather than try to aim at mastery of another language, a more realistic, attainable goal would be to aim for a multi-competence perspective, recognizing that the learners can become competent users of specific genres that they may need to express themselves. To promote effective learning, using a cognitive apprenticeship approach to ESP (English for specific purposes) concepts can offer students the scaffolding they need to develop self-regulated learning. This can promote a growth mindset that can serve them throughout their lives. Examples from classroom encounters will be presented to illustrate the concepts.

Judy Noguchi, Professor emerita, Kobe Gakuin University, does research, materials development and teaching in English for Specific Purposes. MEXT’s Dispatched Expert to SEAMEO Centres 57th RELC International Conference, 13-15 March 2023. Publications (2022): Reviewing the scientific review article, The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Communication; Genre-based, corpus-supported writing courses for science and engineering students at Japanese universities, STEM English in Japan (Palgrave Macmillan); Ecdysis for globalization: ESP in Japan today, World Englishes 41 (2022).

Watch an interview with our plenary speaker Judy Noguchi on YouTube

Kathleen Kampa

Independent

Sponsored by Oxford University Press and JALT

Planting the Seeds of a Growth Mindset

Plenary Presentation

Sunday, Nov 26, 3:10 pm – 4:10 pm

How can we nurture a growth mindset in our classrooms? What “seeds” do we need to plant? How can we create nutrient-rich “soil” for these seeds to grow in? What extra support do we need to give our “seeds,” so that they will blossom into life-long learners? As teachers, we become the “gardeners” of our classrooms. Our students come to us with a variety of needs and require different amounts of time to grow. It is our challenge to help each student blossom. We need tools and strategies to help our students develop a growth mindset. In many classrooms, we can find examples of both fixed mindset and growth mindset. By being able to identify these mindsets, we can tailor our classroom language by teaching phrases such as, “I’m not able to do this . . . YET.” By being aware of the types of feedback we give students, we can support their growth as confident, independent learners. We can create an environment where students are ready to embrace challenges.

Cultivating a Climate of Growth in Your Young Learner Classroom

Workshop

Saturday, Nov 25, 4:25 pm – 5:25 pm

When you watch a group of young learners, you can see how they explore their environment with all their senses. They jump. They skip. They bend down and look at ants crawling on the ground. They are filled with wonder and amazement. Each day young learners seem to be successfully learning something new. Our classrooms need to continue nurturing children who are just learning about the world. How can we nurture their growing bodies, their brains, and their hearts? We can teach lessons for young learners with activities that sprinkle growth mindset thinking strategies throughout. The language we use in the classroom with our students is a powerful tool in shaping the way our students think. We can choose to teach chants, songs, and fingerplays that remind students of growth mindset. We can use stories and puppets to build a growth mindset. During our textbook activities, we can use strategies to help students know what their next steps are. Even during our class transitions, we can help our young learners grow. Together, these strategies can create a climate where our students are able to realize their full potential.

Kathleen Kampa is a teacher, teacher-trainer, author, and songwriter who specializes in working with young learners. Kathy promotes an inquiry-based approach to teaching through which students develop 21st century skills. She is a co-author of four ELT primary courses published by Oxford University Press, including Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, and Beehive. In addition, she creates songs, chants, and movement activities for young learners, and has produced two albums for children.

Watch an interview with our plenary speaker Kathleen Kampa on YouTube