JALT Event

The aim of this presentation is to examine and discuss student negotiation feedback in university classes that have communication or improving speaking fluency as their main pedagogical goal. The presenter will discuss research from his classes and offer ideas to raise student and teacher awareness of non-native speaker negotiation.

Music and Movement for Toddlers by Kenny. Many teachers have a difficulty using music with very young children & some don't use any music since most English children’s songs are too difficult for young kids to understand & they do not actually retain any of the song’s language. Also, some teachers have a hard time keeping a class of little ones under control & interested. This presentation will focus on very simple songs and activities for use in EFL classrooms.

This talk looks to examine what elements in a communicative classroom can be taught and what elements can only be developed through enough exposure and practice and then at how these two groups of elements should be introduced/emphasized. It will then look at how learning materials should perhaps be structured in order to take these emphases into account.

Low motivation to study English is a common concern among teachers because it adversely affects students' attendance, participation and L2 gains and can make teaching more difficult. This workshop outlines, exemplifies and works through a framework for developing discipline-specific projects intended to increase students' motivation by virtue of their more obvious academic and vocational relevance.

The presenter will propose six principles to guide the selection and design of materials for young learners. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how they currently select or produce materials, with a view to integrating their current practice with these six principles.

What are the needs of lower level business students? How can we develop practical skills and/ or exam scores in a limited time? How can we adapt our lessons to meet a variety of course types? These questions and more will be answered using content from Business Venture Third Edition.
Grant Trew: During his 20 years in Japan, he has been a teacher, teacher trainer, course coordinator for a large language school, testing and evaluation consultant and writer of ELT materials.

This workshop focuses on how self-access language learning might be integrated into the curriculum in high schools and universities. In the first part of the workshop, the presenter outlines a course in self-directed language learning that he developed and delivered to first-year Japanese university students. He then discusses what he learned from the process and a 3-year research project exploring the learners’ experiences. In the second part, participants have an opportunity to examine the pedagogical model and explore how they might adapt it to their teaching/learning situation.

In this workshop, the presenter will demonstrate how portfolio assessment plays an integral part in his communicative English courses at a Japanese women's university. Participants will experience tasks and activities that will enable them to successfully develop their own grading rubrics, coordinate peer assessment, and learn why shared accountability improves language acquisition based on interactional theories of language.
Creating portfolios provide students with the chance to learn the skills of reflection, self-evaluation, critical thinking and independent learning. Portfolios can be used in a variety of teaching situations to promote student generated experiential learning.
Steve Quasha teaches at Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya

More and more ESL teachers in Japan are discovering the advantages of involving their students in an active reading program, rather than just leaving it to the students as homework. This presentation will cover the presenter's experience with setting up and using reading programs in companies and universities. Materials, program control, motivation and results will be discussed and expanded on freely at the end of the presentation.
Ken Gibson has been involved with corporate training and university eduction in Japan for over 20 years. He is currently teaching at The University of Kitakyushu and Kyushu Polytechnic College.

In this workshop, the presenter will demonstrate how portfolio assessment plays an integral part in his communicative English courses at a Japanese women's university. Participants will experience tasks and activities that will enable them to successfully develop their own grading rubrics, coordinate peer assessment, and learn why shared accountability improves language acquisition based on interactional theories of language.
Creating portfolios provides students with the chance to learn the skills of reflection, self-evaluation, critical thinking and independent learning. Portfolios can be used in a variety of teaching situations to promote student generated experiential learning.