JALT Event

The Hiroshima chapter is holding their annual year-end party. Details below:
Place: Graffity Mexican Diner, 6-4-4F Fukuromachi (next to NTT
Fukuromachi on the 4th floor and near Fukuromachi park)
Tel: 082-243-3669
Date: Saturday, December 12th
Time: 7:30pm to 9:30pm
RSVP: Simon Capper at capper@jrchcn.ac.jp
By December 8th (but the sooner the better)
NOTE: If you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know.
You can find information about their restaurant here (in Japanese):http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000744107/

The presenter will briefly introduce tasks related to motivational theory based on Pintrich & De Groot, before taking participants through a receptive listening lesson focusing on task sequences and their effect on student learning/motivation. An action research project will provide evidence of how task sequences improved student motivation. Participants will discuss how teachers and educators can improve student motivation in their own teaching situations.
Following this presentation, everyone is invited to attend our annual bonenkai at the restaurant Rosiere at the Associa Hotel. It is 5000 yen. Please contact Mr. Shiga by December 15th if you wish to attend. Either e-mail the chapter using the link on this page or telephone him. More details will follow in our monthly e-mail. See you there!

This meeting will have four short presentations given by members of the Shizuoka JALT chapter. A variety of topics will be covered and the audience will surely walk away with some ideas and techniques that can be used in their teaching situations. The presenters are: Masahiko Goshi (Tokai University), Lewis Malamed (Tokai University) Kazumi Kato (Shizuoka University) and Shizuno Seki (Shizuoka University).
After the meeting, we will have our annual end-of year-party at a restaurant nearby (reservations are not necessary).
Doors open at 1:00 pm and the discussion begins at 1:30. We should finish no later than 4:00.
Shizuoka Kyouiku Kaikan ( http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~s-kyoiku/ ) is located on Miyuki Dori, the main street going directly north from Shizuoka Station, and is located right across from Shin-Shizuoka Centre, facing the outside moat of Sumpu-park. It is a 5-7 minute walk north from Shizuoka Station, and there are maps of the area in the underground crossing area between the station and the downtown core.

In recent years the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan has expressed its desire for English language educators to move away from more traditional teacher-centered models of instruction and adopt approaches that focus on communication skills and group work. This presentation reports on a project that attempts to respond to this objective. More specifically it describes efforts to introduce task-based learning into a university-level EFL program. It will demonstrate, by way of a series of examples, how communicative tasks were administered to a class of 24 adult learners of English to develop their oral communication strategies and to draw the learners’ attention to the usage of potentially problematic features of the language such as articles. The presenters will begin by outlining the rationale for selecting a task-based approach to developing communication skills and will then go on to describe a methodology that employs ordering and sorting tasks to promote interaction, negotiation of meaning and opportunities for students to reflect on the accuracy of the language used. The presenters will conclude by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using tasks in their particular learning context and will discuss how their efforts led to the wider use of tasks in their curriculum.

Publishing: Past, Present and Future
By Steve King
Abstract: How did educational publishing get to where it is today? What is the current state of educational publishing in terms of where authors, publishers, educators and students stand? How will this look in five, ten or fifteen years from now and what clues do we have today that can shape any predictions we can make about the future?
In this talk, the presenter will take a short tour through the history of how educational publishing has developed into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today and examine several case studies from the present that make up a snapshot of how this industry will grow and develop in the coming years.
Steve King is the Market Research Manager for Pearson Education in Asia, the world's largest educational publisher. He completed a post-graduate Diploma in Publishing Studies in 2008 from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and is a frequent speaker on publishing related topics on the Japan ELT conference circuit.
How to publish an article in The Language Teacher
By Jerry Talandis Jr.
This workshop will provide an overview of what it takes to get published in JALT Publications’ The Language Teacher. In addition to an in-depth tour of the journal, participants will be provided with tips for successfully navigating the submission process. After this overview, participants will be asked to brainstorm and begin working on an actual article for future submission. Those planning to attend should come prepared with an article idea in mind and a means of writing, such as a laptop computer or pen & paper.
Jerry Talandis Jr. has been teaching English in Japan since 1993, has an MSc in TESOL from Aston University, and is now working at Toyo Gakuen University. He is currently a coeditor of JALT Publications' The Language Teacher. His research interests include teacher development, exploring Web 2.0 technologies, and learner autonomy.

Abstract:
TV commercials provide a host of pedagogical possibilities for any language class. One 30-second ad brings authentic linguistic and cultural content that can be integrated into various communicative activities. A commercial is not just a 30-second ad; it’s a story, a scene, a cast of characters, a dialogue, an array of emotions and even a bit of humor—the real dynamics of communication. The technology is basic (a computer, MP4 player and TV monitor) but the content delivered through appropriate commercials will bring English to life for your students. They will naturally react to the situation while empathizing with the characters and experiencing an emotional and often humorous side of English. Students are also motivated to improvise and modify the content while using the specific context as a framework for such co-creating and expanding. This technique borrows much from the methodology of using films in language education where listening and observing serve as foundational skills that naturally lead to discussion, critical thinking, role play, and writing activities. In this workshop I will demonstrate several methods for incorporating TV advertising into your class. I will also share some student examples while discussing the benefits, the technology, and a selection matrix.
Biographical data for each presenter.:
Philip McCasland is an Associate Professor at Fukushima University—Faculty of Economics and Business Administration; has lived and taught English in universities in Japan for more than 12 years; is the National Director of Programs for the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT); taught in Korea for one year; has research interests that include business English, extensive reading, and administrative structures.

Not able to attend the JALT National Conference in Shizuoka? Not a problem. Come join some of the Gifu chapter members for a group share from this big event. Six presenters will use the Pecha Kucha method of using 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide to demonstrate which presentations stood out to them. Discussions will follow all 6 presentations. This will provide teachers with an excellent way to pick up some great ideas in less than 2 hours time.

This will be an open and informal meeting of Osaka Chapter officers, other area JALT officers and members, and anyone interested in helping plan or collaborating with us in our upcoming year of events and activities. Anyone interested in finding out more about JALT or simply interested in networking and sharing ideas are all very welcome to attend. There's a 500 yen charge to enter the ETJ Expo, but no extra charge to attend this meeting.

TV commercials provide a host of pedagogical possibilities for any language class. One 30-second ad brings authentic linguistic and cultural content that can be integrated into various communicative activities. A commercial is not just a 30-second ad; it’s a story, a scene, a cast of characters, a dialogue, an array of emotions and even a bit of humor—the real dynamics of communication. The technology is basic (a computer, MP4 player and TV monitor) but the content delivered through appropriate commercials will bring English to life for your students. They will naturally react to the situation while empathizing with the characters and experiencing an emotional and often humorous side of English. Students are also motivated to improvise and modify the content while using the specific context as a framework for such co-creating and expanding. This technique borrows much from the methodology of using films in language education where listening and observing serve as foundati
onal skills that naturally lead to discussion, critical thinking, role play, and writing activities. In this workshop I will demonstrate several methods for incorporating TV advertising into your class. I will also share some student examples while discussing the benefits, the technology, and a selection matrix.
Biographical data:
Philip McCasland is an Associate Professor at Fukushima University—Faculty of Economics and Business Administration; has lived and taught English in universities in Japan for more than 12 years; is the National Director of Programs for the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT); taught in Korea for one year; has research interests that include business English, extensive reading, and administrative structures.

For our tenth and final event of the year,we are having a Year End Party at "Sushi-dokoro-wakatake" restaurant in Shianbashi, Nagasaki city. The cost is Y3700 for all you can eat/drink. If you would definitely like to attend, please contact us by December 1.
RSVP: nagasaki@jalt.org or to http://jalt.org/email/1479/field_chapter_president_email
Please note that priority will be given to the first 15 people who reply.
Thank you!
P.S. Our first meeting of 2010 will be on Saturday, February 27, 2-4 PM, the second-last day of the annual Lantern Festival; more information to come, later.