JALT Event

As we start the new academic year here in Hiroshima, we look for ways to freshen up. This event looks at learning engagement and forming trust with students.

The speakers are Kie Yamamoto and Jackson Koon Yat Lee

The first talk from, Kie Yamamoto, Wayo Women's University, is entitled "Beyond motivation: Ways of engaging language learners." She will talk about how language engagement is something we teachers aim to see throughout our teaching practice. The question is, how can we create an engaging learning environment?

The second talk from, Jackson Koon Yat Lee, Toyo University, is entitled "Forming trusting and respectful relationships with students." Jackson will unravel how the bond students feel between them and their teacher can significantly impact their learning. How should we approach the forming of positive relationships in the classroom?

Saturday, April 22nd, 3-5 p.m, online

For the QR Code, please follow the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFdUdP2icM/xNLDX8kdp7err8UWyJuhgw/view?utm_content=DAFdUdP2icM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

As 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 for teachers when evaluating and giving feedback on students’ performances, poorly written ones could make the evaluation task extremely difficult and result in unfair feedback to students. However, language instructors often have few or no opportunities to learn how to create rubrics that are easy and fair to use.

This workshop includes a short presentation and two activities to help language instructors have better understanding of the basics of language testing as well as useful techniques for creating rubrics that are user-friendly and fair. The presentation will focus on different types of language tests with respect to their purposes. Participants will then review sample rubrics and discuss characteristics of good rubrics as the first activity. In the second activity, participants will discuss and create a rubric for a provided sample performance test.

Sayo Nakamura is an educator, language testing developer, and published textbook author. She has been teaching English at universities for the past 7 years. She has also worked in the field of language testing for 10 years and has comprehensive experience in test development.

Happy spring(ish) weather to our members. Good morning and we hope you’ve enjoyed your period of hibernation through the grizzly Nagano winter.

To get our members ready for the upcoming academic year, we are pleased to announce Nagano JALT’s Trane Devore will be giving a presentation on creative writing in the classroom:

Date: 3/30, Thursday, 19:30-20:30
Fee: Free
Location: Online/Zoom
Registration: https://forms.gle/qKN4vS8kZvMmjWXQA

Here is Trane’s blurb on his presentation:

First I’ll give a short survey of the history of creative writing as a discipline at American universities, then compare creative writing as its taught at US universities with creative writing as it’s taught (and not taught) in Japan. Second, I’ll introduce some of my own experiences using creative writing in the English-language classroom in Japan, as well as teaching a creative writing class at a private university. Finally, we’ll have some workshop activities that will involve educators thinking about how they might be able to incorporate creative writing into their own courses, and potentially a short creative writing activity or two.

Bio:
Trane DeVore is a long-time resident of Japan who is originally from California. He has published several essays and other non-fiction writing, as well as two books of poetry (series/mnemonic and Dust Habit, both with Avec Books). He has an MA in English from UC Berkeley where he studied American literature and creative writing. He currently teaches at the University of Nagano. 

Happy spring(ish) weather to our members. Good morning and we hope you’ve enjoyed your period of hibernation through the grizzly Nagano winter.

To get our members ready for the upcoming academic year, we are pleased to announce Nagano JALT’s Trane Devore will be giving a presentation on creative writing in the classroom:

Date: 3/30, Thursday, 19:30-20:30
Fee: Free
Location: Online/Zoom
Registration: https://forms.gle/qKN4vS8kZvMmjWXQA

Here is Trane’s blurb on his presentation:

First I’ll give a short survey of the history of creative writing as a discipline at American universities, then compare creative writing as its taught at US universities with creative writing as it’s taught (and not taught) in Japan. Second, I’ll introduce some of my own experiences using creative writing in the English-language classroom in Japan, as well as teaching a creative writing class at a private university. Finally, we’ll have some workshop activities that will involve educators thinking about how they might be able to incorporate creative writing into their own courses, and potentially a short creative writing activity or two.

Bio:
Trane DeVore is a long-time resident of Japan who is originally from California. He has published several essays and other non-fiction writing, as well as two books of poetry (series/mnemonic and Dust Habit, both with Avec Books). He has an MA in English from UC Berkeley where he studied American literature and creative writing. He currently teaches at the University of Nagano. 

Our next ZPD will be on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 from 8 PM - 9 PM Japan Time. 

We'll break up into small groups to discuss a variety of topics. As usual, we will also have an orientation for new officers and new members, tips and best practices in teaching, getting published, Eikawa & ALT Issues, Online teaching, Hybrid teaching, and more. 

Please join us for networking, informal chat, and in building a community of practice with JALT members and prospective members.

This event is free and open to all.

Abstract:

The presentation will share my experiences of working on two different EAL projects with industry partners. The first is a long-term site-based program in a primary school that involves the collaboration between a university and a primary school, lecturer, classroom teachers and school leaders, pre-service teachers and primary school students for whom English is an additional language or dialect (EAL/D). The program provides school-based teaching experiences for university pre-service teachers, specifically focussed on teaching English to speakers of other languages, whilst aiding the primary school's provision of EAL/D-specific support with focused one-on-one teaching of EAL/D students. The benefits to each stakeholder will be discussed. The second project is focused on building the capacity of teachers and school leaders for mainstream classroom EAL/D-informed teaching in an independent school. The development of the project proposal into a research grant will be discussed and the collaborative processes used with teachers and leaders will be shared. The inclusion of context-specific features into the project is highlighted as critical to the project. Each of these projects involve the collaboration between a university and industry partners and have a specific focus on EAL/D.  

Bio:

Naomi is a lecturer in the School of Education at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia. She is an experienced educator and researcher whose work focuses on Languages and TESOL education. Naomi is committed to the integrated scholarship of research and education practice and her work includes industry partners in schools as well as cross-School, external and international collaborations. She has received awards and grants for her work.

Navigating Challenges and Embracing Innovations in the AI Era (90 minute workshop)

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a greater impact on language education year by year, and this trend will continue whether teachers are ready for it or not. Machine translation is becoming more accurate and the latest game changer, ChatGPT, produces complex text that follows human commands at a speed nobody can rival. Widespread accessibility of such tools has created both concern and excitement in the teaching community. This session looks at the impact of AI on language education from multiple perspectives. Firstly, potential problems it can cause will be identified and possible strategies for overcoming them will be offered. Next, affordances that AI can offer will be explored. There will be a lecture followed by a workshop, so please bring a digital device if you would like to try some of the online activities that will be introduced.

Dr. Louise Ohashi is an associate professor at Gakushuin University who specializes in second language acquisition and language education. Her doctoral work and much of her other research examines learner autonomy, motivation, and the use of digital technologies for language learning. Along with her passion for teaching and research, she is an avid language learner who speaks Japanese, Italian and French in addition to her first language, English. She has started her journey with Spanish and German too. Follow her on Twitter @OhashiLou for updates on her work.

Note: Wifi will be unavailable onsite, but online tasks can be done on a smartphone or a tethered device.

～ Tottori JALT Presents ～ Back In-Person Events!

みなさま、いかがお過ごしでしょうか？鳥取JALTの次回のイベント開催が決定致しました。2023年4月23日（日）の14時から16時までの開催予定となりました。鳥取JALT一同、皆様のご参加を心よりお待ちしております。語学教育に関係する仲間同士、親交を深めるいい機会ですので、是非ご参加くださいませ。詳細につきましては、以下をご覧くださいませ。なお、お近くに興味をお持ちの方がおられましたら、ぜひ添付ファイルの転送をお願い致します。

Hello again from Tottori JALT. We are happy to announce that Tottori JALT's next event will be on Sunday, April 23, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Click here to download a promotional poster with the basic event schedule and presentation information. Please visit our website often for up-to-date information and please forward this message to anyone you think might be interested in the event.
 

演題： 
★ Workshop Title: 

Technology in the Language Classroom

1. Maximizing the Potential of ICT in Language Education

2. Updating Classic Activities for Today's Technology

講師：
Presenters: 

1. Kieran Enright of the Tottori Prefectural Office: Domestic & International Affairs Division

2. Bettina Begole of Tottori University of Environmental Studies

日付: 2023年4月23日（日）
★When: April 23rd (Sunday)

時間・Time: 14:00 ～ 16:00pm (13:45～ 受付開始) (Room open from 13:45)
• 13時55分までにご着席お願いします。
• We request that you be seated by 13:55 so that all members, including those working at the event, get a chance to enjoy the entire presentation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

場所・Location: 鳥取大学 (湖山キャンパス)  Tottori University (Koyama Campus)  
• 広報センター 2階 Ｃ室（正門を入ってすぐの左側にある建物です）
• Tottori University - In Room C of the Koho Center (2F), which is just inside the main gate

交通・Transportation:
• 汽車：最寄り駅は「鳥取大学前駅」です。 Train: Get off at Tottori Daigaku-Mae Station.
• 車：大学の構内に来客用駐車場があります。 Car: Parking is available on campus.

出席料：
★JALT 会員とその子どもは無料
★JALT 非会員は1000円 (但し、子供と一緒の場合は保護者は無料、小学生は500円 /１人）
☆学生は500円。

Cost:
★JALT Members: FREE  
★Non-members: 1000 Yen 
☆Students: 500 Yen

Event up-to-date information, presentation abstracts, presenter bios, or questions:
• Homepage 1: https://jalt.org/groups/chapters/tottori
• Homepage 2: https://sites.google.com/view/tottori-jalt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tottori.JALT
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TottoriJALT
• Email: tottori.jalt@gmail.com
• Sign-up and receive the Tottori JALT Events & Information E-Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cwqoPr

There will be something for everyone, whether you teach elementary school, JHS, high school, or university-level students.
対象となるのは、英語教育に関わるすべての人で、小中学生から、高校生、大学生、社会人に英語を教えておられる方は、是非この機会にお越し下さい。

We at Tottori JALT look forward to seeing you at Tottori University on Sunday, April 23rd (4月23日) from 14:00 pm. 

Warm regards,

Christopher J. Hollis, Raymond Levy and Miyuki Miyachika
Tottori JALT Publicity Officers
“Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn”

概要: 添付ファイルをご覧ください。
★ Abstracts: Please click here to download the detailed event flyer.

On February 5, Tottori JALT was able to again host their Teaching Young
Learners event. Thanks to relaxed COVID protocols we were able to hold a
face-to-face event. Sixteen primary school-age children experienced
three different learning styles in three short lessons, and then enjoyed
storytelling in English. Parents and other teachers observed the
lessons. Our four presenters are all experienced teachers: Mr. Naoya
Okamoto, of Yazu High School, Ms Junko Akaboshi and Ms Yuko Kaneda,
teachers at Tottori City primary schools, and Ms Yoshie Nakae, a
children's English event organizer in Tottori.

Children obviously enjoyed themselves, and so did the "teachers."
Tottori JALT hopes to continue doing this even annually.

When Greta Thunberg established ‘Fridays for the Future’ in 2018, she raised awareness of the climate crisis and offered a wealth of materials educators could use in our classrooms. However, Thunberg is concerned about ‘The Other Gretas’, whose voices are unheard.  

Although there are many environmental campaigners, in some cases risking their lives around the world, this workshop will focus on the climate crisis through the eyes of four African climate activists, Vanessa Nakate, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Elizabeth Wathuti, and Adenike Titilope Oladosu, who are witnessing increasingly devastating climate events in two areas, the horn of Africa and Lake Chad. 

Attendees will discuss classroom activities that could be used in their teaching environments, as well as explore activities that the presenter has developed that show the activists’ communities in a positive way as well as raising awareness of the challenges they face. Teaching about the environment should not make the students feel terrible or cause climate anxiety but encourage them to listen to the voices that are not heard and look at solutions that can make the world a better place to live in. 

Keywords 

Climate crisis, climate justice, climate reparations, Eco-feminism, climate anxiety, ‘Open your Hearts’.

Presenter

Brent Simmonds who teaches at three universities in Nagoya and Gifu came to Japan in 2005. He has an MA in Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University and has served in several positions in JALT including on the Environmental and Code of Conduct committees as well several officer positions in JALT Gifu. He is obsessed with cricket, enjoys gardening and watches FC. Gifu with some trepidation, but tries to incorporate his interests and global issues into his lessons as often as possible.