JALT Event

Presentation:
•What do we mean by technology-enhanced active learning strategies?
•Why are they important in improving instructional effectiveness?
Discussion:
•What are the barriers to implementing technology-enhanced active learning
strategies on Japanese campuses?
•What are effective strategies for addressing these barriers?
James L. Morrison
Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at UNC Chapel Hill
Founding Editor, On the Horizon, The Technology Source, and Innovate
Bio: http://horizon.unc.edu/bios/Morrison.html
Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 2:00 PM– 4:00 PM
Showa Womenʼs University, Sangenjaya, Tokyo
Near Sangenjaya station, 2 stops outside Shibuya
Ongoing discussion before, during, and after at http://innovate-ideagora.ning.com/
Sponsors: JALT CALL SIG, Tokyo and West Tokyo Chapters

In this workshop, the presenter will provide an overview of how to form and develop lines of inquiry when researching one 's own teaching context. Participants will be encouraged to formulate or bring along research questions to work on. They will then be introduced to Cooperative Development (Edge, 1992) and Instant Messenger Cooperative Development (Boon, 2005, 2007, 2009), a non-evaluative interactional framework for supporting peer reflection, exploration and expansion of ideas and discovery. Through undertaking a Cooperative Development session with someone who is willing to listen and reflect back a participant's emerging thoughts, it is hoped that workshop members will go away with a much clearer and solid understanding of their individual research plans and how they would like to proceed with them.
Andy Boon is Associate Professor at Toyo Gakuen University and an Aston University PhD student. He has published articles on teacher development, motivation and methodology.

Students with student identification: Free
JET Participants: Free

This presentation will demonstrate how interview programs can be used to help students cope with the complex features of spoken language. Interview data allows us to focus unidirectionally on features of interactional speech. Participants will work with language samples to describe and transcribe language used in real communication. Suggestions for effective classroom use of authentic spoken language will be provided.

During the first hour, Mr. Iguchi will explain about the nature of English verbs, such as go, come, take, and give. These verbs have multiple meanings and are difficult for Japanese learners of English, but can be taught effectively. Mr. Iguchi has been a teacher in senior high schools for almost 20 years. During the second hour, Mr. Cherry will demonstrate some techniques inspired by the Silent Way teaching approach. The uses of gestures and other visual cues are vital in the approach.

Presentation 1: JALT offers a wide variety of opportunities for educators to publish and present in their fields of interest. However, submitting a proposal or manuscript is just the start of a long process, and, if not done properly, can lead to rejection from the outset. In this presentation, Malcolm Swanson will explain the submission and selection processes for both JALT's publications and its annual conference. He will also cover the review and editorial procedures, and offer advice for optimising your submissions.
Bio: Malcolm Swanson has had many years of experience in both JALT's publications and its conference planning. He currently teaches at Seinan Jo Gakuin University in Kitakyushu.
Presentation 2: Open Career Doors to EFL Teaching Positions in Colleges and Universities in Japan
Even experienced EFL professionals with MA degrees and Japanese language skills are likely to be bewildered by the lists of documents that need to be submitted when applying for teaching positions at universities in Japan. What may seem like common sense to you may not be applicable in the Japanese educational context, especially when applying for teaching positions. Some basic knowledge of the recruiting process in Japan together with some Japanese terminology for job hunting will assist you greatly in the job hunting process.
You are encouraged to bring your own resumes in English and/or Japanese, and also your lists of publications and educational achievements. The presenter will go through several points on how to prepare your documents and you are encouraged to share your own personal experiences and insights on job hunting. Japanese English teachers are welcome to attend this workshop as “volunteer career advisors”.
Akiko Tsuda, Nakamura Gakuen Jr. College, author of "Open Career Doors", a textbook for TOEIC preparation and basic business communication skills, will outline the current state of EFL programs and teaching positions in higher education in Japan, and will then discuss cross cultural communication differences in writing resumes and handling job interviews, with reference to actual recruiting ads and sample dialogues.

At most universities the teaching of English to children is an area that is often overlooked and no special training courses for teachers have been offered. However since English classes will start in elementary schools from 2011 there is a need for trained teachers and many universities are now introducing such courses. For three years Hokusei University has had a special TEFL class for its students who hope to teach children. This course has been taught over two semesters. The first semester covers the methodology and theories behind the teaching of children and the second semester, which is taught by Mary Virgil, covers many of the techniques that a teacher needs to know to be able to teach English to children. Mary has been teaching children in Sapporo for over 28 years.
In this workshop Mary will talk about her experiences in setting up the course as well as explain what one needs to know to teach a TEFL course at the university level. In the first hour Mary will share how she set up the course, what books are available and how she evaluates the students. In the second hour Mary will demonstrate a wide variety of games, activities and songs that a teacher of children must know in order to be an effective teacher.
This presentation will especially interest teachers who are already teaching such a course as well as those who might be asked to teach a TEFL course in the future. In addition, current teachers of children will be able to pick up some new ideas and ways to use of the basic activities used to teach children.
Mary Virgil-Uchida has been teaching in Sapporo for over 28 years. She is the owner of ABC House English School and Niseko English Nature Camp. She also teaches at Hokusei University and is coordinating the formation of a group for teachers who teach teacher training courses for teachers of young children.

Speakers from two major ELT publishers will visit Hiroshima JALT. Both John Letcher and Marcos Benevides are known to be exciting speakers, and the presentations will be FREE to all!
First, Mr. Letcher will speak about "Three Answers to Three Questions": 1) Have you got anything for TOEIC? 2) Have you got any public speaking books? and 3) What range of graded readers do you have?
Next, Professor Benevides of Kansai Gaidai University will lead a talk entitled "A Task-Based Approach to Narrow Reading." His new book, entitled Fiction in Action: Whodunit, is an intriguing detective story. Students engage in authentic tasks, making the reading very enjoyable.
The publishers will also have their best books on display. There will be games & prizes!
For more information, call 082-224-3816 or go to http://jalt.org/events/

Using whole brain teaching techniques, learn how to craft a lesson from start to finish that will engage your students with movement, music, interactive reading, drama and MORE! The second half of the presentation showcases how to make a cultural exchange accessible to young students. See how fifty Japanese 4-6 year olds got into the homes and hearts of their American counterparts without ever leaving Japan

This event is for veteran techies and newbies alike! Matthew Walsh of Momoyama Gakuin High School and Craig Hagerman of Osaka Jogakuin University will lead a cutting-edge session on using Ipods and Iphones in your ELT classroom. Learn the basics, discover ELT related applications, and participate in a hands-on model lesson workshop! Sat 17Jan 13:30-16:30; Campus Plaza Kyoto 2F Dai 2 Kaigishitsu; One-day members 1000 yen.
1:30–1:45 Registration
1:45–2:15 Matthew Walsh on using iPods/iPhones in the classroom
2:15-2:45 Craig Haggerman on apps for the classroom
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:30 Workshop 1
3:30-4:00 Workshop 2

Join us for highlights from the 2009 JALT National Conference. Six of our members have brought back gems from the recent conference in Shizuoka and will share summaries, observations and discussion on these. Topics will include… Teacher training for elementary school English; Long-term effects of extensive reading; English proficiency through reading and storytelling; Developments in Spanish language teaching; 7 ways to look at grammar; and more.
We'll then spend some time brainstorming on ideas for future programs of JALT Sendai.
Join us for a good time of learning, discussion and contributing your "two cents" toward a strong lineup of coming programs.
See the JALT Sendai website for more details and updates: http://jaltsendai.terapad.com/