JALT Event

Tokyo Chapter Lecture Series Co-sponsored by JALT Pragmatics SIG
"Communication and Relevance"
This seminar will provide an overview of a new approach to pragmatics called 'Relevance Theory,' proposed and developed by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. The presenter will introduce the notion of relevance and the basic principle of Relevance Theory, and will show its rich implications for the analysis of verbal communication. Revolutionary aspects of the theory will be emphasized.
Speaker’s Bio:
Yuji NISHIYAMA is Professor of linguistics at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures at Meikai University. He is also Professor Emeritus at Keio University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Language from M.I.T. in May 1974. His research interests include generative grammar, semantics, pragmatics, semiotics, and philosophy of language. Some of his representative publications are: “Non-referentiality in Certain Noun Phrases,” in T. Sano, M. Endo, I. Isobe, K. Otaki, K. Sugisaki and T. Suzuki (eds.), An Enterprise in the Cognitive Science of Language: A Festschrift for Yukio Otsu, Tokyo: Hituzi Syobo Publishing, 2008; “Property Expressions and the Semantics Pragmatics Interface,” in P .Cap and J. Nijakowska (eds.), Current Trends in Pragmatics, Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2007; Nihongo Meishiku no Imiron to Goyoron [Semantics and Pragmatics of Noun Phrases in Japanese], Tokyo: Hituzi Syobo Publishing, 2003; The Structure of Propositions, Tokyo: Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies, Keio University, 1975.

For this event, we will have three presentations on the general theme of motivation and identity. These presentations are based on studies that explore beliefs of teaching and learning using different conceptual frameworks.
Tim Pritchard, Kyushu Sangyo University
Amotivation, Extrinsic and Intrinsic Orientation and Proficiency in Japanese Students of English at Two Tertiary Institutions
This presentation presents results of a preliminary questionnaire-based study investigating motivational orientations of Japanese learners of English at two tertiary institutions. The results are discussed using Deci and Ryan’s (2004) self-determination continuum based on their Organismic Integration Theory, which suggests that external motivation can develop into a more intrinsic motivation.
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Sunao Fukunaga, Koryo Senior High School/University of Washington, Seattle
Exploring Experienced Japanese High School English Teachers’ Professional Identity
This study investigates the relationship between experienced Japanese English teachers’ professional identity and its influence on teaching practice. The result indicates that the teachers share a belief: Teaching practice should not be merely teaching the subject matter, but rather the bedrock of a student’s growing processes as a whole person.
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Quint Baldwin, Kyushu Sangyo University
Autonomy and Motivation
Research suggests that teachers may tend towards either aiming to control students, or provide opportunities for autonomous learning. Of these orientations, autonomy-oriented behaviors are widely believed to improve student motivation. This presentation will define autonomy and self-regulation and discuss interim results from the first semester of a study exploring teachers’ behaviors affect on student motivation and achievement.

09:45-10.15 Registration
10:15-12:00 Sarah Louisa Birchley and Andy Boon (Toyo Gakuen University)
Making molehills out of mountains: Realizing learner potential and creating opportunities
This presentation will provide an overview of 'What the "Good Language Learner" can teach us' (Rubin, 1975), and detail the theory behind the design of a new 2nd-year English course, ALPS (Academic Learning and Professional Skills), which is aimed at further developing 'good language learners ' at a Japanese university. The strengths and limitations of the course will be discussed. Finally, we will hear from the learners themselves regarding their learner strategies and language learning experiences.
BIO: Andy and Sarah Louisa are teachers at Toyo Gakuen University. They are both engaged in doctoral studies. Their research interests include educational management, teacher development, action research, and motivation.
11:15-12:00 Marcos Benevides (Kansai Gaidai University)
Intensively extensive: My experience as an ESL reader
The presenter will present his experience as an ESL learner and EFL teacher to argue that successful language learners can read both extensively and intensively at the same time with the right input, and that this input need not be at too low a level to be motivating. If the readings are supported by meaningful extension tasks and are inherently interesting and sustainably engaging, then even slightly demanding materials can be both motivating and instructive.
BIO: Marcos Benevides is an assistant professor at Kansai Gaidai University. He is co-author of Widgets: A task-based course in practical English (Pearson, 2008), and Whodunit: Bridge to Extensive Reading, ABAX, to be published.
12:00-13:15 Lunch
13:15-14:00 Kevin Cleary (Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Finding and nurturing successful learners: One teacher's experience
Do you have students who read the assigned text several times over, without prompting? That read the "recommended books" listed on your syllabus? That voluntarily share interesting information they discovered on their own? The presenter will share his experience in finding and nurturing such students. He will also share his thoughts on how find such students and help them use a combination of intensive and extensive reading to develop conversational fluency. Disclaimer: They are not university students.
BIO: Kevin Cleary has enjoyed teaching English in Japan since 1991. An Associate Professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental, his research interests include technical communication by second language learners and the process of simplifying or otherwise adapting texts for language learners and for the cinema. He is the Tokyo Chapter Membership Chair and the Director of Treasury for JALT.
14:15-15:00 Yuka Iijima (Dokkyo University)
Empowering learners through strategy-focused curriculum
This presentation reports how strategy training has been incorporated into a university EFL curriculum. It particularly focuses on listening strategy training which was contextualized in a required EGAP listening course. The presenter will share the results of students' feedback and suggest ways to integrate listening strategy training with different types of texts and language activities, and will look at how to build these strategies into curriculum to empower learners with the tools for success.
BIO: Yuka Iijima is a full-time lecturer at Dokkyo University. She holds a Diploma in TESL from Victoria University of Wellington and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Ohio University. She is especially interested in English for general academic purposes in EFL context and curriculum development.
15:15-16:00 Rob Waring (Notre Dame Seishin University)
Building an academic vocabulary through reading
Most of what we read in real-life and in standardized tests is non-fiction. This presentation will put forward the case that students should read interesting non-fiction materials on a wide range of topics at various difficulty levels. Part of learning to read non-fiction, means learning an academic and 'technical ' vocabulary. One of the most effective ways to do this is by a combination of direct intentional study complemented by graded reading of academic non-fiction texts. This presentation will show how this might be done.
BIO: Dr. Rob Waring is an acknowledged expert in Extensive Reading and second language vocabulary acquisition. He has presented and published widely on these topics. He is Associate Professor at Notre Dame Seishin University in Okayama, Japan. Professor Waring is a board member of the Extensive Reading Foundation.
16:15-17:00 Chuck Sandy (Chubu University)
Just because you are teaching doesn't mean everyone's listening
Why is there so often a disconnect between what we teach and what students learn? How can we make it more likely that what's taught is actually learned and learned deeply enough to be retained? Participants will explore the answers to these questions before being introduced to techniques and activities to better connect teaching and learning so that each class has real take away value. Discuss the issue and view handouts at http://tinyurl.com/teaching-learning
BIO: Chuck Sandy is a well-known ELT author, teacher trainer, essayist, and poet who has coauthored Passages, Connect (Cambridge), and Active Skills for Communication (Cengage). He works in the School for Humanities at Chubu University.
17:00-17:30 Coffee with the presenters
To pre-register, send an email to Andy Boon, Conference Chair: andrew.boon@tyg.jp

In this presentation, Ruth will share ideas about using audio and video files in a language class. She will walk through the technical side of creating those files and give a tutorial on using “Audacity,” an audio editor and recording application which can be used to produce podcasts. With “Audacity” your own podcast will become more interesting because music and other sounds can be integrated after recording.

Next Ruth will present audio and video files, illustrate ways to apply them to language lessons, and discuss the usability of video and audio files as a tool for language learning.

The presentation describes the development of Katoh Gakuen’s English Immersion Program - the first English immersion school in Japan, and the only one with accreditation from the Japanese Ministry of Education and the prestigious International Baccalaureate Organization.
The presentation will highlight two areas of interest:
1) The overall organization of the program and how the program came into existence. The school has developed a unique model of bilingual education in order to meet the challenges and goals of the school. A video and discussion of how students learn academic content through a foreign language will be presented.
2) What we have learned from our experience as a pioneer in immersion education in Japan will be shared. Areas of discussion include – first and second language development, language and identity, and implications for language instruction in non-immersion contexts.

In the year 2011, English will officially be introduced in the Japanese
elementary schools, forcing junior and senior high schools to change the
ir methods of teaching English as well. Universities are also being enco
uraged to become more 'international', by providing more majors and cour
ses conducted in English. I will discuss how these changes will be imple
mented.

Many teachers want to publish but are often put off by the challenging and frustrating publishing process. The two presenters will attempt to give advice and information on how to make this process clearer and more ‘doable’. Based on a little bit of success and a huge amount of failure, the presenters will share their experiences of publishing a textbook and academic articles in journals and books with tips on how and what to write.

Tony Green from the University of Bedfordshire, who's actively involved in the English Profile project (http://www.englishprofile.org/), will be presenting about CEFR and English Profile and follow on with a workshop:
The CEFR and English Profile Workshop with Tony Green
The JALT Framework and Language Portfolio SIG, Cambridge University Press and Keio University Research Center for Foreign Language Education will jointly convene a workshop on the uses of the CEFR and English Profile, welcoming Dr. Tony Green of the University of Bedfordshire Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) as guest speaker and leader.
The event will begin with an introduction to the English Profile project followed by a workshop where delegates will view samples of speaking test performances, consider how they link to the CEFR, compare each other’s judgments, and discuss some of the questions that the process raises. Delegates are recommended to refer to the Manual for relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ahead of the workshop session.
Upon participation in the workshop, delegates should take away a better knowledge of the CEFR and English Profile, an understanding of what is involved in standard setting and some of the challenges this involves for users and for the CEFR (and similar frameworks).
Date: Friday 11th September 2009
Time: 14:30-17:30 (doors open 14:00)
Venue: Keio University Hiyoshi Campus
Raiosha Building
Medium Meeting Roomhttp://www.keio.ac.jp/english/about_keio/campus_info/hiyoshi1.html
Schedule:
14:30-15:20 Presentation and discussion (theme: Development of the CEFR and English Profile)
15:30-17:30 Workshop

To reserve a place, please contact japanelt@cambridge.org with “English Profile Workshop” in the title line, and indicate the following details in the message body:
(i) your name
(ii) affiliation
(iii) address
(iv) phone number
(v) e-mail

CEFRと英語プロファイルに関するワークショップ開催のお知らせ
来る9月11日（金）に、JALT Framework and Language Portfolio分科会、ケンブリッジ大学出版、慶應義塾大学外国語教育研究センター共催で、英国ベッドフォードシャー大学 英語教育・評価センターのトニー・グリーン博士を迎え、ワークショップを実施いたします。
当日は、CEFRに関連する代表的な研究プロジェクトであるEnglish Profileについてグリーン博士にご紹介いただいた後に、様々なスピーキング・テストからのサンプルをCEFRと結びつける作業を実際に参加者が試み、能力レベルの解釈と評価に伴う諸問題について検討します。
評価システムやスタンダードの構築に興味のある方々をはじめ、CEFRが現場でどう学習・教育・評価と関連づけられ、English Profileが学習ツールとしてどう使われうるかについてご関心のある方は、是非ご参加ください。尚、参加予定者は参考資料として「言語テストをCEFRと関連付けるためのマニュアル」Manual for relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languagesを事前にご参照ください。
日時：2009年9月11日（金）14:30-17:30 （14:00開場）
場所：慶應義塾大学日吉キャンパス
来往舎　中会議室http://www.keio.ac.jp/ja/access/hiyoshi.html
スケジュール：
14:30-15:20　プレゼンテーション＆ディスカッション
（テーマ：CEFRと英語プロファイルの開発）　　　　
15:30-17:30ワークショップ
使用言語：英語
お申し込み先：ケンブリッジ大学出版局東京オフィス　japanelt@cambridge.org
*お申し込みの際は件名に“English Profile Workshop”と明記の上、下記の項目をお知らせください。
(i) 名前
(ii) 所属
(iii) 住所
(iv) 電話番号
(v) メールアドレス

Conducting Foreign Language Activity Classes in public elementary schools should include fun, but learning must be happening. It is our job as teachers to provide children with a program that encourages, facilitates and is conducive to language learning.
In 2002, in coordination with the local Board of Education in Kunitachi City, I began working at several public elementary schools designing and implementing two programs, “Bamboo Shoots” for grade 5’s and “Dragonflies” for grade 6’s. From this April, I combined these two programs with the Ministry of Education’s “English Notebook” and am presently conducting lessons.
In this workshop, I will explain and demonstrate how best to conduct lessons effectively using “English Notebook”. At the same time, I will present various ways to improve upon specific lessons that will enhance the entire learning process.
This workshop will be presented in both English and Japanese.

日本語訳
｢英語ノート｣を使った効果的なプログラムの実施
｢外国語活動｣の実施は、楽しくなければなりませんが同時に学びがなければなりません。語学学習を奨励し容易にするプログラムを子ども達に提供するのは教師としての私達の役割です。
2002年から私は、国立市で数校の公立小学校で5年生には「Bamboo Shoots」(竹の子)、6年生には「Dragonflies」(とんぼ)と言う2つのプログラムを作り実施してきました。この4月より文部科学省から出された｢英語ノート｣とこれら2つのプログラムを融合させ、現在授業を行っています。
本ワークショップにおいて｢英語ノート｣を使った最も効果的に授業を行う方法を紹介します。同時に、いくつかの授業をよりよく行うため全学習過程を高めるような様々な方法を提示します。
本ワークショップは英語と日本語で行われます。
発表者
冨樫‐ブレフゲン　ローラ
寺﨑　勢津子

Mr. Fumihiro Morikawa Making Your Own Power Point Files to Teach English Grammar (in Japanese) 11:30 - 1:00 in Classroom: 102M
Abstract: This workshop will show how to make Power Point files with some animations to make it easier for the students to understand English grammar. The techniques might be used in many other ways to make effective presentation files with Power Point.
Mr. Stuart Cunningham　How to Make Your Own Classroom Materials Using Task Based Learning (TBL), 1:30 - 3:00 Room 311L
Abstract: This workshop will show a variety of different task types and how these tasks can be applied to the textbooks, using Task-based Learning methodology. It is hoped that teachers will be able to use these techniques as an easy way to supplement their textbooks.
Free parking available. Map on Himeji Dokkyo University home page