JALT Event

We will have a short talk about Extensive Reading from Liling Kurakane on Sunday 31 March 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.

This month’s PresentER is Liling Kurakane. Liling's presentation examines the implementation of extensive reading within a four-year Japanese university setting, without institutional support. Facing financial constraints, the presenter explored alternative resources, attempting to find the most suitable free resource to integrate extensive reading practices in her classes. After the presentation, there will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

ONLINE – Please RSVP to wamalcolmjalt2008@gmail.com. Your name and email address will be registered and you will receive instructions on how to log-in.

1. Researching Teaching Emotions in ELT: An Action Research Perspective – Peter De Costa
Given the action research (e.g., Banegas & Consoli, 2021; Ustuk, 2021) turn in applied linguistics, I briefly explore how this methodology can be deployed in order to explore issues related to teacher emotions from a sociopolitical perspective. Such a perspective takes into consideration issues of power an inequality that ELT professionals have to negotiate at the workplace. I start with a brief and broad overview of the language teacher emotion landscape. Following that, I present underlying principles that characterize action research. The remainder of the talk examines how these principles can be applied to better understand the increasing pressures teachers encounter in educational institutions as a result of neoliberal demands placed upon them.

2. Warranting the Quality of Life through Exploratory Practice in ELT – Takaaki Hiratsuka
This presentation delineates the adoption of Exploratory Practice (EP) (Allwright & Hanks, 2009) within the ELT field. I begin by defining EP and discussing seminal studies that have influenced the field and my own work. I then outline various EP studies I conducted specifically in Japan (e.g., Hiratsuka, 2016, 2018, 2021; Hiratsuka & Barkhuizen, 2015; Hiratsuka & Nall, 2023, 2024), highlighting key findings and implications. Finally, drawing on my experiences as an EP practitioner and researcher, I address practical and empirical discoveries and challenges encountered during these studies. Through this discussion, I cast light on the potential of EP as a methodology for enhancing language education and fostering a better quality of life for both teachers and learners in diverse contexts.

Indulge in a cup of coffee, tea, and snacks while we explore strategies for fostering well-being in the teaching journey. Join us for a comforting chat where we'll navigate the challenges and celebrate the triumphs together!

To secure your spot as a presenter or participant, email Wayne Malcolm.

See you on Sunday, April 21!

Maximize the Success and Joy of Your Family's Bilingual Journey

What are the "best practices" for parents seeking to raise bilingual or multilingual children? How can you generate as much rewarding progress as possible over the childhood years while avoiding common pitfalls along the way? Join Adam Beck, a long-time leader in the field of child bilingualism, for an informative and encouraging talk about maximizing the success and joy of your family's bilingual journey.

Biodata:

Adam Beck is the author of the widely-read books Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability and Bilingual Success Stories Around the World. He is also the founder of the influential blog Bilingual Monkeys (https://bilingualmonkeys.com), the long-running forum The Bilingual Zoo (https://bilingualzoo.com), and the private coaching program Bilingual SuperKids (https://bilingualsuperkids.com). A longtime resident of Hiroshima, he and his wife have two bilingual children, raised in Japanese and English, who are now 19 and 17.

Island Insights: Unveiling Challenges and Dreams of Future Language Teachers in Curaçao

Larger island nations like Japan have numerous universities. Smaller islands like Nauru (21 km²) in the south-pacific offer university courses while Curacao (444 km²) in the Caribbean features a university that educates language teachers. This presentation examines challenges faced by outer circle students, offering insights for teacher trainers. It focuses on future non-native language teachers at the University of Curaçao, Dr. Moises Da Costa Gomez, based on surveys and interviews with first-year and graduated students. The presenter will discuss Curaçao's multicultural aspects, introduce the university, present demographic data of local student teachers, and delve into their experiences. The presentation aims to provide a vivid portrayal of students' lives, aspirations, and challenges. Drawing from personal experience as a multilingual, non-native English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher, the presenter seeks to engage the audience in reflecting on their teacher training and study abroad experiences, inviting them to share insights on enhancing the preparation of future language teachers, and to help problem-solve global non-course related challenges.

Biodata: Kinsella Valies is an assistant professor at Jissen Women’s University and Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan. She holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics from the University of Limerick, and has published articles on speaking assessment, teaching and assessing with film and TTRPG, motivation, and teacher supporting students. She is also co-author of the chapter Black Women’s Ibasho - Creating a Space of Belonging in Multilingual Matters’ New Perspectives on Language Education, Reimagining Dialogue on Identity, Language and Power (2023).

Fostering Language Learner Autonomy: Focusing on studies of first-year university students in Japan from the past five years, Ashley’s presentation will explore the nuanced landscape of autonomy and related terminology, and ways to foster autonomous learning in the classroom. Her research draws insights from her master’s dissertation, “Examining Teaching Approaches for Fostering Language Learner Autonomy in Japan: A Qualitative Research Synthesis”.

This presentation will discuss the current discourse of language learner autonomy in a Japanese context, based on recent research and an analysis of student surveys about their learning. The presentation will also touch on the benefits of Qualitative Research Synthesis (QRS) in the field of TESOL. In practice, approaches to fostering autonomy that teachers can use in their classrooms will be considered, including reflection, goal setting, or ways to enable students to make choices about their learning. One of the aims of fostering learner autonomy is to encourage learner motivation, and the presentation hopes to inspire attendees with ways and means to help the development of their own students’ self-motivation.

Biodata: Ashley Bartholomy is an Assistant Professor at Aichi University. She holds a B.A. in English, and a B.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Toledo. She also holds an M.A. in TESOL from the University of Birmingham. She is currently the JALT Toyohashi Chapter Vice President and Membership Chair.

Online meeting for April 20. 

Zoom link will be provided on the Shizu-JALT website 10 minutes before the meeting.
Link to the website: https://www.shizujalt.org/#/

Contributors to the soon to be published: Barrier-Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at All Levels of Schooling, (Edited by Alexandra Burke, Davey Young, and Melodie Lorie Cook, Candlin & Mynard Publishing), Ayako Ooiwa and Michael Y. Yap will present for us. Please check the following abstract: 

Co-authors of the chapter in the new publication “Barrier-free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at all Levels of Schooling”, Ayako Ooiwa and Mike Yap will be explaining their context of the chapter “Steps Forward in Empowering and Enabling Learners Towards Equity and Justice for All: A Case Study Through English Language Courses in Japanese Tertiary Education”. The presenters will explain their project to recalibrate the orientation session of the core curriculum English classes to empower first year university students who are newly placed in the environment where they are expected to be independent. This presentation focuses on an acquisition of academic skills leading towards students’ self-efficacy and self-advocacy, which is critical for so-called “gray-zone” students. The presentation also includes updates on the context.

Biodata: 

Ayako Ooiwa is an associate professor at Keiwa College. She teaches core curriculum English classes, courses related to teaching English to young learners, and seminars which focus on citizenship education. Her research areas include critical pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, Montessori education, and academic coaching, all of which are considered to be critical parts of citizenship education.

Michael Y. Yap is a full-time Lecturer at Meiho Junior and Senior High School. He is currently pursuing graduate studies in special education. His main research interests include differentiated instruction, teaching English to students with learning difficulties, developing literacy skills for English language learners, extensive reading, extensive listening, and curriculum design for teacher development.

The CEFR & LP SIG organizes a CEFR Reflection Meeting on March 5th, 2024, from 2:30 pm to 4 pm online.

SIG members, JALT members and people interested in the theme are welcome. - SIG members will receive the Link directly. Non-SIG participants please use the contact email and you will receive the link.

At the meeting we will discuss the report of the CEFR Reflection Day:

The CEFR Companion Volume: Enhancing engagement in language education. Reflection Day. held on June 15th, 2023.

We will focus on theme 3 and 4, with a general discussion at the end.

- Theme 3: How do action-orientation, mediation and plurilingualism, interrelate and align with recent developments in language education

- Theme 4: How can the CEFRCV support the creation of (digitally-mediated) collaborative learning environments in the post-Covid context?

Further topics of the discussion could be: Assessment for Learning. Mediation. How to integrate CEFR concepts into the actual classes we teach. How to use CEFR ideas in our classes for improving our classes, and for the students improving their language learning.

The other suggestion is to learn and hear more about real-world applications of CEFR tools and materials with first-hand accounts and best practices on how educators are using them to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment at all levels.

This is a very good suggestion and fits with the plans we actually have for 2024, starting a webinar series, with each webinar focusing on a specific area or tool at a particular CEFR level. Let’s meet on March 5th and discuss the next steps.

March is Women’s History Month, so in celebration:

Women Filmmakers: Past, Present, and Future

Language: English
Venue: Nishinomiya Daigaku Koryu Center (ACTA East Tower 6F Room 1)
2 minutes from Hankyu Nishinomiya Kitaguchi station
Social event (optional): Dinner after the session at a nearby restaurant
Reservations are required by March 27 (Wed). Contact: fujimotodonna@gmail.com

The Film Festival presenters:

PAST: Tamarah Cohen taught English at the university level and made several thought-provoking films as well as transforming hundreds of student presentations into interactional video-based teaching material. She retired early to devote herself 100% to her cat sanctuary in Kyoto. (Tamarah won't be present for the event, but Donna Fujimoto will show some of Tamarah's former students' videos.)

PRESENT: Felicity Tillack is an Australian writer and filmmaker who has made several feature and short films based in Japan. She has an active YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok series–all of which explore Japan and its culture. Her debut 2019 film “Impossible to Imagine,” a romantic film dealing with identity and bicultural issues, is streaming on Amazon Prime. Those without Prime can watch the film on Vimeo (rent or buy). Some clips may be shown, but please watch the entire film if you like before the event due to time constraints. 

FUTURE: Seunghyun Lee, is a designer and videographer from Seoul who has recently made a short feminist-leaning video based on a Korean legend. She is currently working on using video to bring to life the oil painting and personal records of Jang-Mi, an up-and-coming artist, who is painfully aware of Korean society’s anti-women currents. This collaboration is new and innovative, and it promises to open interesting perspectives in the world of art and film.

If you love to talk about language teaching, learn from fellow teachers, and experience new ways of teaching then this meeting is definitely for you!

Join Toyohashi JALT for our first talkshop. A talkshop is a new style of meeting where participants interact and collaborate. The topic of our first talkshop is on developing our students’ speaking skills. Future talkshops will focus on other skills such as reading or writing, and applied skills such as presentation, debate, or discussion.

Former presenters, meeting attendees, and chapter members of Toyohashi JALT, Nagoya JALT, Gifu JALT, Shizuoka JALT, and elsewhere: let’s get together in Toyohashi and start the new school year with a great afternoon of professional development and conversation!

RSVP: https://forms.gle/7FUaZGCVRaiYY74T7

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４月１４日（日）　１３：３０ 〜１６：００
愛知大学豊橋キャンパス研究館

次回の例会では、豊橋JALT初のトークワークショップを開催します。「トークワークショップ」は、参加者同士が交流し、協力し合う新しいスタイルのミーティングです。今回のテーマは、生徒のスピーキングスキルを伸ばすことです。今後は、リーディングやライティングなどの他のスキルや、プレゼンテーション、ディベート、ディスカッションなどの応用スキルにも焦点をあてていく予定です。

豊橋JALT、名古屋JALT、岐阜JALT、静岡JALTなどの元プレゼンター、ミーティング参加者、支部メンバーの皆さん、豊橋に集まり、新学期を素晴らしい午後のひとときでスタートさせましょう！

RSVP: https://forms.gle/7FUaZGCVRaiYY74T7