This is an archive of the old (pre-2025) JALT website.
For the new website, visit https://jalt.org
Join us for an incredible opportunity to network with local educators from around the Kyushu area. We will have games, trivia, snack and much more.
We hope to see you at this professional powwow.
More information to come..
Professor of applied linguistics in the TESOL Program at Hawaii Pacific University. Her research interests include interactional competence development, second language learning, conversation analysis, classroom discourse, and Vietnamese applied linguistics.
How do second language learners improve their language while getting their job done at a workplace? This presentation addresses this question by analyzing a guest-relations officer`s social interaction with international guests at a hotel in Vietnam focusing on her changes and pronunciation of the word massage over 10 months. The findings provide implications for language, teaching and workplace communication skills training.
Teach For America`s regional supervisor, CQ Wilder, joins us to talk about teacher coaching, peer mentoring, and how vital it is for successful practice.
"I'll focus on coaching and areas that TFA focuses on when coaching our teachers and what an ecosystem of support looks like "
Meeting will be held via zoom.
Join us for a family friendly picnic / fund raiser
Games, food, drinks, and community.
Kokura castle garden area
Core Toyohashi JALT member Laura Kusaka will share insights from 30+ years of teaching university students and adults, engage in dialogue about issues in the ELT field, and suggest drawing up New Year’s resolutions addressing concerns of the audience.
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Laura L. Kusaka, Ed. D is professor emeritus of Aichi University, Junior College.
Held in spring to coincide with the beginning of the academic year, the NaraJALT MyShare event is a round-table discussion for sharing practical teaching ideas. We want to hear your best, tried-and-tested, practical language-learning activities.
Participants, or MySharers, in this open forum are given the choice to share one activity. No slides or elaborate presentations are necessary. Rather, to help explain the activity, MySharers are encouraged to bring a printed handout in the style of The Language Teacher's MyShare column. Each MySharer will have around five minutes to explain their activity with additional time for follow-up discussion.
📌 Summary
✔ Round-table discussion; informal
✔ Anyone can choose to share an activity; around 5 min per person
✔ Bring handouts; no projector
But wait, there's more!
Lunch & Hike on Mount Ikoma
There will be a post-event social outing with lunch and hiking on Mount Ikoma from 11.30. Details are posted separately here.
Make a day-out of your trip to Nara by attending the MyShare event in the morning and enjoying lunch and a pleasant spring hike on Mount Ikoma in the afternoon.
If you attended JALT2024, you can share the best ideas from presentations you heard with your Sendai fellows at our traditional “Best of JALT” meeting in January. Once you’ve picked an idea (or two) worth sharing, sign up to present in January.
And if you didn’t attend JALT2024 - come to find out what you missed!
Venue: Katahira Shimin Center Meeting Room #2 (片平市民センター 第2会議室） https://goo.gl/maps/fNG1ET2GoWK2xsnZ8
Fees: Free for JALT members; ¥1,000 for non-members; ¥500 for students; free for first-time attendees.
We will have a short talk about Extensive Reading from Patrick Conaway on Sunday 23 February 19:00-20:00. The event will involve a short 20-30 minute casual talk from our PresentER, followed by around 20-30 minutes of questions and discussion. PresentERs takes place on the last Sunday of each month online on Zoom. It is free for anyone to attend.
Children who have been read to for pleasure are said to be more likely to become avid readers themselves. In University extensive reading classes in Japan, students often start reading without such a foundation of listening to stories for pleasure. Pat Conaway highlights these challenges and describes the small weekly read aloud program at Shokei Gakuin University where he reads to students during the lunch break.
Willingness to Communicate
-Japanese students before and after short-term study abroad-
This presentation explores students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and how chaperones can maximise the benefits of short-term study abroad programmes. The study is set in Melbourne, Australia, where students from the University of Fukuchiyama attended either General English or English for Academic Purposes at the Deakin University English Language Institute (DUELI).
For future instructors of international preparation courses, this presentation offers practical advice on addressing language barriers, motivating students and reducing anxiety. Chaperones often face unpredictable situations, including varied homestay experiences and unexpected health issues. We will discuss effective strategies for supporting students while abroad.
One of the most critical aspects of programmes is how students are engaged upon their return to Japan. Returnees play a crucial role in shaping perceptions both positive and negative, which can influence future participation. This presentation examines strategies for encouraging students to share their insights and how they managed their time effectively. Involving returnees in preparation courses for future cohorts provides them with closure while helping new students prepare for potential challenges.
Finally, this presentation will also be relevant for those involved in study abroad programmes at the junior high school and high school levels.
Anthony WALSH (Tony) holds a Master of Education from the University of Southern Queensland and a Graduate Entry Bachelor of Secondary Teaching, specialising in Society and Environment, from Charles Sturt University. Since April 2021, he has been an Associate Professor coordinating the English program at the University of Fukuchiyama, located in the northern region of Kyoto Prefecture. Tony enjoys incorporating anecdotes into action research and engaging with his audience, so feel free to share your experiences with him.
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 2025 May Spotlight.pdf | 91.95 KB |
Come join us for some friendly peer-, near-peer-, and community mentoring and networking at our annual hanami social in Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park)! It's FREE and open to everyone, so please bring family, friends, colleagues, students, pets, and acquaintances, or come alone if you prefer. All are welcome! Look for our blue JALT banner on the south side of the park, due south of the castle (and south of the south moat), and directly north of the NTT Building and to the west of the bus parking area. It's a short, easy walk from Morinomiya or Tanimachiyonchome metro stations or JR Loop Line. We'll have plastic sheets to sit on and a few snacks to share, so stop by with a beverage and possibly more food to share, and maybe an additional sheet to sit on to be sure we have plenty of room to stretch out. Most importantly, be sure to bring a happy vibe to celebrate the cherry blossoms, the coming of spring, and the start of the new academic year!
Please stop by whenever you can for as long or as short as you like. We look forward to seeing you!
In case of rain, this event may be canceled, so please check back closer to the date to be sure it's on. Fingers crossed for good weather!!
