JALT Event

In this presentation, there will be two different topics related to L2 classroom, especially in university. First, we will present some activities related to peer feedback both in writing and speaking. In writing, blog will be introduced as an efficient tool to enhance interaction and involvement among students. In speaking, peer feedback as a preparatory task for presentation projects will be discussed. Like these, we will introduce several approaches for speaking and writing, and some video scenes and students’ survey result will be shown. Next, we’d like to talk about some criteria that need to be considered in choosing newspaper materials – up-to-date, relevant to students’ needs, vocabulary level, supplemental materials available, etc. and present some useful textbooks, online newspapers, and some tips to arrange such materials. Participants are expected to share their own ideas and activities in groups for better use of materials. We hope this presentation will be useful for your classes.
このプレゼンテーションは、特に大学英語の授業に関連した二つのトピックについてフォーカスいたします。まず一つ目は、ライティングとスピーキング両方におけるPeer Feedback活動。ライティングにおいては、学生同士の交流や参加を高める効果的なツールとして「ブログ」を提案いたします。また、スピーキングにおいては、プレゼンテーション活動の準備段階において
Peer Feedback活動を考えます。このように、我々はスピーキングとライティング双方のためのアプローチ方法の一部をご紹介し、その中でビデオ撮りした場面やアンケート結果についてもお見せする予定です。次に、新聞の素材を選ぶ際に考慮しなくてはいけない基準、例えば「素材の鮮度」「学生のニーズ」「語彙のレベル」「補助教材」についてお話しいたします。そして、実際に役に立った「テキスト」「オンライン新聞」「教材アレンジの秘訣」についても提案いたします。参加者の皆様は、効果的な教材利用のため、ご自身のアイデアや活動実績をグループで共有していただきます。皆様の日々の授業において、このプレゼンテーションが少しでも役立てることを願っております。

Fuyuhiko Sekido has been teaching English in Japan for more than 10 years, the last 5 years at universities. He completed his MA in American literature at Meiji Gakuin University in March 2000. Mr. Sekido has been a part-time teacher at Rikkyo University since April 2006. His recent research interests include the effective use of literature in English education and practical methods for the language classroom.
Kazushige Cho received his M.A. in Applied Linguistics (2005) from Georgia State University, Atlanta. At present he is a part-time at Keiwa College, Niigata University, Rainbow Language House (conversation school), and Takasaki City University of Economics, teaching L2 reading, writing, business English, presentation skills, and TOEIC. He is a member of JALT Niigata.

As teachers, we are always looking for ways to motivate and engage our learners, particularly at university level in Japan. One way to do this is through the use of drama and drama-related activities.
Amanda Gillis-Furutaka and Sandra Healy will discuss practical ways in which to introduce drama into the classroom.
Sandra Healy will describe approaches using Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with lower level students. Amanda Gillis-Furutaka will describe an elective course, which follows a task-based approach, for 3rd year English majors.

Drama as an exciting method to develop L2 learners' positive self images by Kazuhiro Yoshimoto, Room 201C, 1:30-2:25
At Himeji Dokkyo University, drama has been used as an important activity for learning English. This presentation is a report of the past productions, High School Musical (2007) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (2008) and some others. Parts of the past performances will be shown, and merits and demerits in using drama in classes will be discussed.
Intercultural communication by Wendy Tada,Location Room 201C, 2:35-3:30
This workshop will focus on providing an outline of the elements involved in cross cultural awareness for successful communication. We will discuss the causes of problems and tips for preventing them. If we have time we may also do a quiz and compare cultural differences between several countries.
Location Room 201C
Free parking available. Map on Himeji Dokkyo University home page

Linda Ohama is a third generation Japanese-Canadian who has produced seven full length feature films centering on the struggles of people, including working and living in a foreign country, and the suffering of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, etc.
Her latest film, "Obachan's Garden", has won international acclaim. She is also very interested in story-telling. Her work is certainly relevant to us as language educators in Japan. You can preview Linda's films by going to her website at www.lindaohama.com. She is currently in development with several projects including the feature films, "Perfection of the Morning"(Canada) and "Summerhouse Dreams"(Japan).
The director will present her award-winning film, "Obaachan's Garden",
the story of her grandmother, the last living picture bride in Canada when she passed away
at nearly 105 years old. Linda will discuss her work as a filmmaker and educator, and the
importance of preserving personal stories to understand the impact of history, politics,
family and culture on our lives.

Hana Craig has been teaching English in both ESL and EFL contexts for over ten years. She has a Bachelors Degree in Commerce and Administration, a CELTA and a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics. Currently, she is in her third year teaching at Meisei University in Hino city, Tokyo. She is the co-ordinator of a CALL-based course, and also teaches EAP and business English, as well as courses covering general skills and TOEIC preparation.
First presentation: Learner autonomy in a CALL-based classroom
Key words: Motivation / CALL / Learner autonomy / Learner training / SILL
This presentation will look at a case study of a learner autonomy-based CALL course currently being run at a university in Tokyo. It will look at the course's content and development over three years. Theory related to learner autonomy, specifically in relation to learner and teacher roles in the autonomous classroom, and using SILL (the Strategies Inventory for Language Learning; Oxford, R. 1990) as a learner benchmark, will be lightly covered, followed by a new approach to scaffolding learners at different stages of autonomy. Most of the presentation will focus on practical aspects of running such a course and a list of useful self-study resources will be provided.
Second presentation: Vocabulary strategy training
Key words: SILL strategies / Scaffolded learning / Learner training / Vocabulary strategies
SILL (the Strategies Inventory for Language Learning; Oxford, R. 1990) is seen as a benchmark for the ideal language learner, yet many of our students fail to meet the criteria outlined in the survey. How can the strategies outlined be practically addressed in a classroom of passive learners? This workshop will address some of these issues by focusing on vocabulary learning strategies. The "English Notebook" or "My Dictionary" approach will be introduced, along with a number of consciousness-raising worksheets and activities for students. The audience will be asked to brainstorm ideas to help the presenter take learners to the next stage of vocabulary strategy learning.

For our seventh meeting of the year, we have two local presenters who are involved with material development. First, Collins of Nagasaki University will model various types of e-learning materials designed to implement an integrated skills approach. He will also explore video recording, story outlines, scripts, and pair conversations as ways to develop four language skills.
Next, Maekawa of Nagasaki University will explain the whys and the hows of her experience producing a four skill ELT textbook two years ago, and will speak about its usage and results in different kinds of classes at varying levels.
All welcome!
Note the 2 for 1 offer: bring a first timer to a meeting, and each of you pays Y500.
* 次回：2009年9月26日（土）14:00-16:00
* 場所：出島交流会館4Ｆ
* 発表者：ビル・コリンズ「長崎大学」／ 前川智子 「長崎大学」
* 演題：「総合的なスキルを使うE-ラーニング教材の開発」／「教科書の作成と発行」
* 参加費：会員・学生—無料　非会員— Y1000.
「非会員が初めての人を連れてきた場合はそれぞれ500円でOK」

The following is the line up of five student presentations.
a. Title: Chinese Psychological Counseling (English)
This presenter is Sun Ming Lin (or you can call her Crystal). She is from Changchun in China. She majored in Social Psychology and also learned Business Administration. After graduating from Jilin University, she worked for two years with statistical data and as an office assistant. Then, she came to Japan and to Ibaraki University where she is furthering her studies at the Master's level in Social Psychology. After graduation, she wants to continue to study at the doctoral level. Crystal’s presentation will be about the status of Chinese Psychological Counseling. She will describe the institutional features and methodology utilized to council patients suffering from various psychological problems.
b. Title: Wordsworth’s Poem “Expostulation and Reply” (English)
Maria (Liu Mao) is a graduate student at Ibaraki University. She is from Mongolia, China. After graduating from the Inner Mongolian Universities for the Nationalities with a degree in English, she came to Japan to get a Master’s degree in English literature. Now, she is studying the poems of William Wordsworth, an English romantic poet. In the future, Maria hopes to go to an English-speaking country to learn more about English. Maria’s presentation will be about one of Wordsworth’s poems she has encountered during her literature studies. She will explore the form, content and unique qualities of this well-known poem.
c. Title: Vocabulary and Motivation (English)
Keiko Iwasaki comes from Nagano. She graduated from Ibaraki University this spring and is now a graduate student of Ibaraki University. She majored in English Education as L2 and got her license as an English teacher for high school. For that reason, she wants to become a high school teacher in the future.
The presenter will discuss the theme of her undergraduate thesis as a basis for her master’s thesis. She is interested in students’ motivation and the vocabulary knowledge of university students. She believes that there is a relationship between students’ motivation and vocabulary knowledge and will explore the theme of her undergraduate thesis with a view to deepening her research.
d. Good Communication Skills in Language Learning (English)
Lily (Li Wei) is from Harbin,China and she majored in English Education and English Literature at Harbin Normal University. After graduation from university, she took a job related to English teaching, but found it was necessary for her to conduct further studies at the Master’s level after working for four years. After moving to Ibaraki Prefecture, she was happy to meet Professor Cunningham and have a chance to learn with her. At present, as Professor Cunningham’s researcher, she is preparing for studies at the Master’s level in Intercultural Communication. Through further study she will make full use of this expertise in her research and work.
Depending on the learner`s experiences in language learning—English learning or Japanese learning—the presenter will describe the importance of good communication skills. In today’s world we need to be able to communicate effectively with all cultures. It is important to understand the different ways cultures are comfortable communicating. Lily believes this will help not only in our language learning and communication, but also in our work.
e. Title: The Differences of the Finance System Between China and Japan (English)
Liang Yueli is from Liao Ning China and her major is finance. After graduating from China Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, she came to Japan to study Japanese. She lived in Tokyo for one and a half years to study Japanese. Then, she came to Ibaraki University to further her studies as a research student of Finance Management. After graduating, Liang Yueli will return to China and teach finance at her university. The presenter will compare the differences in the financial system in China and Japan. She will discuss the structural features of each system and describe the major differences in theory and application.
Each presenter will speak for about 20 minutes and answer questions at the end of their presentation. After the presentations there will be a lottery to give away some books.
20 minutes = speaking
3 minutes = Q & A
After the presentation sessions, we will have:
Business Meeting at 4:00 p.m.
Direction in English: http://www.kasei.ac.jp/JALT/tsukuba-gdirc.html

As every English teacher in Japan knows, Japanese-influenced English, or “interlanguage”, can lead learners to produce sentences that are (a) unintentionally comical, (b) very different from the intended meaning, (c) completely incomprehensible, or (d) all of the above. This presentation will focus on cross-linguistic studies to explain certain often-confused areas, such as the use of possessives in English, and the confusion of abstract nouns and adjectives that gives us “safety drivers”. It will include classroom activities to help clear up the confusion resulting from Japanese influence, and steps learners can take towards the ultimate goal of being able to think in English.

Charles Kowalski teaches English and directs the Japanese/English interpretation program at Tokai University in Kanagawa. He has presented extensively throughout Asia, and has twice received the “Best of JALT Award”.
One-day Meeting Schedule:
Registration at: 9:30 a.m.
Morning session: 10:00 - 12:00
Lunch break: 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Afternooon session at 2:00 p.m. (Student Presentations)
Business Meeting 4:00 p.m.
Direction in English: http://www.kasei.ac.jp/JALT/tsukuba-gdirc.html

This presentation will outline how we, as teachers, can improve the classroom experience with rubrics. Understanding a teacher's expectations can be problematic for students. Furthermore, from a student’s perspective, the assessment rationale may not be appreciated, or arguably, even understood. Rubrics can provide a mechanism for teachers to reappraise their course design, ascertain if certain skill sets need to be taught, improve assessment transparency, and be a catalyst for student collaboration to improve learner autonomy.

Long-time Kansai resident Larry Metzger is visiting from his current teaching post in Qatar where he serves as Vice President of Qatar TESOL. He'll share his perspectives on making the multi-faceted transition from Japan to Qatar, characteristics of Arabic learners of English, raising 3rd culture children in the Middle East, the Japanese/Expat community in Qatar, and more. He'll also access the Qatar University online portal to demonstrate their use of Blackboard, anti-plagiarism software, discussion boards, and so on. Those interested in setting up collaborative cross-cultural research, teaching, and summer school projects between students studying to be teachers in the Gulf (UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar) and Japan, are particularly encouraged to attend.
Larry's specialty at Qatar University is in teaching research-based academic writing in the argumentative and problem-solution genres across the curriculum using Blackboard and online search engines (J-stor, Pro-quest, E-brary, Lexis nexus, and others). He piloted the Safe Assign anti-plagiarism software used now in all classes to curb collusion and plagiarism. In May, he gave a workshop on writing course reforms to teachers at the International Conference on Education (ICE 2009) at the University of Brunei. He has also written and received an MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative) grant for $50,000 from the US State Department for Qatar University to establish a democratically elected student senate. Currently, as Vice President of Qatar TESOL, he is setting up the national and international network to expand and develop effective Special Interest Groups within the Gulf, Iran, and Asia. He is interested in connecting with teachers and schools interested in skype-, pod-cast-, and email-exchanges or discussion boards on global topics among teachers and students.
Doors open at 1:30, presentation starts at 2:00. Dinner party afterward at a nearby beer garden with all you can eat/drink for 3500 yen. Please contact us at osakajalt@yahoo.com if you'd like to join us just for the party as details may change prior to Saturday.