General Meeting

Sunday, November 13, 2022 - 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Overview

Welcome LLL-SIG members and all who are interested in Lifelong Learning! We will look back at the programs the SIG offered in 2022 and discuss what the participants would like to see offered in the upcoming year. Take a look at our 2022 accomplishments at our new home page: https://living4now.org/. Looking forward to seeing you there.

The session will take place during the final 30 minutes of our SIG FORUM slot, which will begin at 12:30 PM in the same location. So, come early and enjoy our forum.

Electing LLL-SIG Officers
https://forms.gle/4z2Vp4VLQDYDb85b7

Location: Fukuoka International Congress Center, Room 407

JALT2022 International Conference Four Corners Tour

Location: AIINA - Rm 806

Our first face-to-face in event in almost three years.

The facilitator will use counter-storytelling as a theoretical underpinning and share “asset-based” Culturally Responsive Teaching activities that she and her colleagues have designed to engage participants in hands-on activities to examine the social context of our students’ personal and educational stories as well as our own. Powerful stories, arts, and poetic modes of expressions from students from systematically underserved and under-represented backgrounds will be shared.

Yilin Sun is a tenured professor (Emeritus Professor) who directed faculty development programs at the Seattle Colleges in Seattle, WA, U.S.A for the past three years before her retirement. She has served the field of TESOL for over 35 years as a classroom teacher, program leader, teacher educator, and researcher with many higher education institutions in China, Macau, Canada, and the USA. Dr. Sun is a former president of the TESOL International Association (2014-2015) and the founding president of Macau Association for Applied Linguistics (MAAL). In 2021, The English Language Specialist Program of U.S. Department of State recognized Dr. Sun as one of thirty specialists who have made a lasting impact on the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) field since 1991. Dr. Sun is also serving as Chief Editor of the series Foreign Language Teacher Education and Development: Selected Works of Renowned TESOL Experts published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. Over the years, Dr Sun has given numerous keynote/plenary and featured presentations at international professional conferences. She has authored and coauthored books, book chapters, and journal articles. Her research interests include curriculum development, program assessment and evaluation, L2 reading, vocabulary learning, critical thinking, classroom-based action research, teacher education, ESP/EAP, Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), and NNEST/bilingual/multilingual English speaking teachers in the ELT field.

Event Access: https://www-aiina-jp.translate.goog/soshiki/2/21.html?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_...

All Nara Chapter members are invited to join this year’s AGM, to be held online on Zoom on the first Sunday of October from 9:00–10:30. The Zoom link and password, along with the agenda and details, will be sent out to chapter members in the October edition of the Dear Nara JALT newsletter. While this is the chapter’s official business meeting, it is also a great opportunity to get to know chapter operations, so please be sure to join.

All current Kyoto members are invited to attend our annual general meeting (AGM), which will be held on Sunday, November 6, from 13:30 JST via Zoom (Registration through our 14:00 JST event below). Meet your new and continuing officers, hear about what we’ve achieved this year, and work with us to help plan what to do in the coming year and beyond.

This year’s AGM will precede Kyoto JALT’s Critical Realism in Applied Linguistics online seminar, which is scheduled to begin at 14:00 JST.

You will receive the AGM Zoom link by registering for Kyoto JALT's Critical Realism in Applied Linguistics event.

Title: Graduate Student Reflections on their MA TESOL Program
Abstract
In the master’s program at Akita International University (AIU), students are taught to explore the juncture between theory and practice. In addition to learning best practices in SLA, there is an emphasis on practical classroom teaching through a series of practica in which students design and implement lessons in authentic contexts, such as in secondary schools or the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at AIU. At every stage of their learning, students are encouraged to reflect on their developing understanding of what constitutes quality teaching as well as what it means to be considered an “expert” by virtue of their advanced degree.
In this presentation, students will share their struggles, shifting perspectives, budding research interests as well as “ah-ha” moments from their learning journey. Perspectives from first year students to those having recently graduated will be explored.
Presenters:
Alaric Davis
Rintaro Ikegami
Naoko Ishimaru
Nabila Nurdjaman
Sora Oouchi
I-ting Tsai
Xier Xi
Yuto Yokokura
Wenxin Zhang
Ying Zhou
Format:
There will be three concurrent sessions with three to four presenters in each room.
Each presenter will speak for 15-20 minutes. Observers will be free to move from room to room. Questions and comments from the audience is encouraged.

Title:
Reddit—the ultimate tool for reading, writing and learning informal language in authentic context

Abstract:
If you have ever asked yourself questions such as…
・How do I get my students interested in reading in English?
・How do I cater to different interests in my student group?
・Where do I find spaces which reflect modern cultural, political and language trends of English-speaking cultures?
・How do I teach slang through reading and writing in meaningful contexts?
… then this talk is for you! In fact, the answer to all of these questions can be found in a single online discussion forum. Reddit has become an important part of the (predominantly American) cultural landscape visited by 430 million (!) active monthly users. With over 100 thousand communities (subreddits) dedicated to topics ranging from cooking and gardening to nuclear physics, relationships and politics, Reddit is a source of unending flow of information, often presented in short, digestible chunks and casual language. It offers our students opportunities to become an organic part of a large English speaking community and makes English instrumental to their learning pursuits.

In this talk, together we will explore potential activities and ways of integrating Reddit in classroom teaching and informal students’ learning and ways of navigating potential pitfalls in the process—with a focus on informal language style, reading and writing practices.

Date: June 25th (fourth Saturday of the month)
Time: 2:00–3:15ish
Location: ZOOM
*All current members the Akita Chapter have been sent a link to the meeting. Other Members of JALT who would like to join may email the Akita chapter and request a link to the meeting.

Abstract
Machine translation has become an integral part of life for many people around the world and it is playing a larger role in language education in recent years, sometimes in beneficial ways and other times in ways that cause concern. In this workshop, participants will discuss the potential affordances and drawbacks that machine translation can have in language learning contexts, considering areas such as task scaffolding, academic integrity, and teacher/student training. Participants will learn about (and share their own) ways to use machine translation to develop learners’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. They will have the chance to see demonstrations and use different tools (DeepL, Language Reactor, etc.) for a range of activities. In addition, the workshop will explore how teachers can determine the kinds of guidelines that are most suitable for their courses and formulate plans on when and how to address this issue effectively with their students. This workshop is primarily for teachers who would like to enhance their students’ understanding of how to use machine translation effectively for language development and set boundaries for acceptable use.

Speaker’s BIO

Louise Ohashi is an associate professor at Gakushuin University who specializes in second language acquisition and language education. Her main research interests are learner autonomy, motivation, and the use of digital technologies for language learning and teaching. She is an avid language learner who speaks Japanese, Italian, French, and a little German. Twitter: @OhashiLou

This will be our first face to face meeting since January 2020 and be held in Heartfelt Square

"Extensive reading ABC: Agency, Books and Counting"

Extensive reading (ER) is the practice of reading many easy and enjoyable books. Advocates claim ER is the best way for students to improve their English, and they have to claim this: in order to get results from ER, or indeed any other student practice, the students must believe in it, and take control of their learning. Books are also critical to the ER success, and without some kind of counting, we do not know how much the students have read, and whether the reading is extensive. Come to the presentation to find out more.

Biography: Mark Brierley teaches English at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture. He edits the JALT ER SIG newsletter and works on the Extensive Reading Foundation Placement Test. As well as Extensive Reading he is interested in Low Energy Building.

Date: April 23, 2022
Time: 2:00–3:15ish
Venue: ZOOM

(Akita Chapter members will be sent a ZOOM link. Those wishing to join should email a request to akita (@) jalt.org. Please state your FULL NAME and affiliation.

Abstract
After two years of the pandemic, it is still difficult to say what a “normal” classroom will be like anymore. What important lessons were learnt in these past two years, and are there benefits to online learning beyond virus prevention? The author examined perspectives and experiences on what it was like learning remotely as a university student over the course of two years. Surveys and one-on-one interviews were conducted on a target demographic of students. The research had surprisingly mixed results both positive and negative. Students were asked which style of learning they preferred—online, face-to-face, or a blend of both. Curiously, there was a three-way split between all options in the first year. In the second year, a majority favored online or blended learning. Although many students and teachers are quick to assume that face-to-face learning allows young people to enjoy a more “normal” university life—the results indicate that there are cases where the merits of online learning exceed those of face-to-face classes.

Speaker’s BIO

Miguel Mision is an instructor at the University of Nagano and the current President of the Nagano JALT chapter. Miguel did his undergraduate in engineering and international studies with a major in Japanese at the University of Technology, Sydney. Once upon a time he was an engineer and worked for Toshiba Corp in Australia. He came to Japan in 2009 and worked as an ALT teaching all levels from kindergarten to high school to corporate. Miguel has an MA in Education majoring in TESOL with the University of Wollongong. His research interests include both Computer Assisted Language Learning and Student Well-being.

In this informal HYBRID get-together, the speakers will discuss the successful ideas that they have seen and/or used in their classrooms. It is hoped that this open discussion will inspire and encourage both teachers and students of English. In addition to individual talks, there will also be discussion concerning the programming for the Yamagata JALT Chapter for the rest of 2022. Active audience participation is encouraged.

Contact- Eamon Watters, (yamagatajalt@gmail.com)
* Please contact Eamon at the email above to receive Zoom ID and password.