JALT Event

This workshop-lecture will highlight how celebrity interviews are organized to draw out new and interesting information. Special attention will be paid to what can be learned by examining transcript excerpts to appreciate how talk-in-interaction is a co-accomplished social activity.

Marcos Benevides is an assistant professor at Kansai Gaidai University. He has
taught EFL in Japan for ten years, at every level from elementary school to
university, from private tutoring to graduate courses. He has been an invited,
sponsored, featured or keynote speaker at dozens of ELT seminars and conferences
in Japan and abroad. He has recently guest edited the "TBLT in Japan" special
issue of The Language Teacher (March 2009), and co-authored Widgets: A
task-based course in practical English.
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) represents the evolution of communicative
language teaching. It is fast becoming the dominant ELT approach worldwide, as
evidenced by task-based concepts emerging in tests such as the new TOEIC, in
language descriptor systems such as the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages, and in an increasing number of commercial textbooks.
However, resistance to TBLT continues in Japan on grounds ranging from "Japanese
students are too shy" to "Japanese students are not creative enough", and "the
Japanese demand a teacher-centered approach" to "communicative approaches have
been tried here already and they failed". In this presentation, Benevides will
explain why each of these arguments is fundamentally flawed.
This presentation will draw on the speaker's co-authored textbook, Widgets
(Longman 2008) to explain a variety of TBLT concepts. Participants will walk
away with new ideas regarding lesson planning, motivating students and, yes,
clear evidence that Japanese students are extremely creative!

Abstract:
Language educators often speak of using techniques and activities appropriate for each stage of language learning. But when it comes to incorporating cultural learning in the language lessons, there is usually very little consideration given to the learners' developmental stage of intercultural learning. The consequences of ill-matched activities can lead to reaffirmed or deeper cultural misunderstandings, and little or no growth in intercultural competency.
In this workshop the presenter will demonstrate and discuss how to incorporate culture-based activities into the ESL/EFL classroom according to the learners' intercultural developmental stage, age, language ability, and other factors. All activities and techniques demonstrated are grounded in intercultural communications theory and methodology coupled with ESL pedagogy. The presenter will provide opportunities to experiment with ideas and activities in a participant workshop format while demonstrating how the activities can be adjusted for learning stage appropriateness.
Presenter Biography:
Jon Dujmovich is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Comparative Culture at Aichi University (Toyohashi) and Department of International Communication at Shizuoka University of Arts & Culture. He has over 15 years experience as a language teacher and corporate cross-cultural trainer in Japan. Jon is currently involved in developing a multicultural education training program for K-12 teachers in conjunction with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In 2007 he was awarded a research award from the Suruga Institute for "The World in My Neighborhood Project," an EFL intercultural communications pilot course for 3rd year Junior High School students endorsed by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education.

Linda Ohama, a Japanese-Canadian filmmaker and visual artist, will show and discuss her international award-winning film, Obaachan’s Garden, the story of a remarkable journey of strength, love and determination of one woman`s life of over 100 years. This is a moving film about the life of Asayo Imamoto Murakami, born in Onomichi, Hiroshima-ken, who was sent to Canada in 1923. She was the last picture bride living in Canada when she passed away just short of her 105th birthday. Her first home and flower garden in Canada are now a national historic site and museum. Ohama, the granddaughter of the film’s heroine, will share some behind-the-scenes experiences of the making of this film and also speak of her work on her next film. Ohama will also speak about her artwork and the community work she has been involved in both in Canada and Japan. Doors open at 1:30, presentation starts at 2:00. Japanese subtitles.
Linda Ohama, a third-generation Japanese-Canadian, is an accomplished filmmaker, visual artist, educator, and an active citizen, strongly committed to preserving cultural heritage and promoting educational and cultural exchange. Her artwork and films have received numerous international awards. She is currently in Japan working on her next project.
This event is co-sponsored by Kyoto JALT, Osaka JALT, SIETAR Kansai and Osaka Gakuin University.

Our 2009 conference will be held at Toyo Gakuen University, Hongo Campus. Please see the conference website for more information and registration procedures. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there!

This presentation will focus on distinguishing Linguistic Phonics
from more general phonics courses. We will discuss issues such as: Should you teach
phonics? When to start & when to stop teaching phonics. How to teach linguistic phonics in
an EFL classroom. The last part will highlight some of Sean's essential classroom
resources. Sun 2 Aug 13:30-16:00; Nagoya International Center, 3F, Lecture Room 2, one-day
members \1,000. http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/aboutus/access.htm

Using the Whole Language Approach to create meaning for young children by Ruth
Barnes, Manukau Institute of Technology, New Zealand. This interactive workshop explores
the whole language approach to developing children’s language. Advocating that language
learning is a whole life experience, best learnt when there is real purpose for the child.
Ruth explores using puppets, rhymes and magnetic stories to make language learning more
relevant, engaging and memorable for children.

The themes of Tech Day are simplicity and practicality - ideas that teachers can use with a minimum of preparation or technical knowledge. This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever: in addition to our "Tech" presentations that will take place in two fully equipped computer labs, we’re adding a “Plus” stream on a wide range of topics.
This year's presentations:
Marcos Benevides and John Rylander -- Pragmatics in a Hurry: Teaching speech acts with very short video clips
John Campbell-Larson -- Raising Awareness of Spoken Discourse
Neal Chambers -- Increasing Student and Teacher interaction with Twitter
Stuart Cunningham -- Consciousness-raising grammar instruction
Mark Donnellan -- Using Moodle chat and podcasts
Henry Foster -- Building learner-generated vocabulary logs using quizlet.com
Craig Gamble -- Creating and using podcasts in your classroom
Myles Grogan -- Making pictures - Illustrations for the classroom
Troy Guze -- Getting Started With Moodle - Setting it up from scratch
Robert Hamilton -- Getting a grip on Subtitles: using free software to convert DVD subtitles into usable text files
Justin Harris - Photo Story 3: A simple way to make multi-media projects in the classroom
Salem Hicks - Using Skype to Foster International Communication and Understanding
John Honisz-Greens - 1. Using Lexical Profiling to Aid Student Fluency and Vocabulary Acquisition
2. D.R.E.A.M. Management in the ELT Context
Arthur Lauritsen - Multimedia and its use in vocabulary acquisition
Paul Marlowe - Using Google tools for writing in the L2 classroom
Doug Meyer - Using Xtranormal.com to make dialogs and videos
Steve Silsbee - Online Resources for Finding and Creating Comics
Mai Tran Thanh - Making video presentations with Windows Movie Maker
Matthew Walsh - Basics of using an iPhone for Language Classes

A number of leading authorities in the field of second language teaching and learning have stated that teachers should be guided by pedagogical principles that are primarily based on empirical research, rather than strictly adhering to a single teaching method, and particularly one that has little or no theoretical or empirical support. The purpose of this presentation is to propose six pedagogical principles that can be applied in any foreign language classroom and to suggest multiple ways of implementing each principle. These principles also influence instruction by allowing teachers to quickly assess their course syllabus and course materials for strengths and weaknesses. Through the use of these principles, teachers can create a more acquisition-rich learning environment in which students can both enjoy learning and make substantial progress in their attempts to acquire the foreign language. Attendees will be asked to participate frequently in pair and group discussions, react to the ideas proposed in the presentation, and make suggestions regarding how they would implement the six pedagogical principles.
David Beglar, Ed.D., is Director, Graduate Programs in Education at Temple University, Japan Campus
Doors open at 1:30. Workshop starts at 2:00.

The appraisal framework provides a means of classifying instances of evaluative lexis and evaluative moves in discourse. The types of evaluative language used in any set of texts depend crucially on the social purposes these texts are meant to serve, and thus appraisal analysis can reveal something about the social context in which any set of texts takes part, as well as the interpersonal orientation of the speaker/writer toward his or her interlocutors. The first part of the presentation will provide a necessarily brief outline of the appraisal framework, while the second part will provide an opportunity to perform some analyses of sample texts for comparative purposes.
Pedagogical applications for the appraisal framework have so far been concerned with the academic literacy and the notion of authority or voice, especially with 2nd language learners in tertiary studies (see for example, Hood 2005, Tang 2004), the genre of history (e.g. Coffin 2000), and genre-based pedagogy in schools (see Iedema et al 1998 (2008)). The session will conclude with a discussion of possibilities for application of the framework in the academic context in Japan.
Bio: Alexanne Don worked in Japan for eleven years, teaching English at a variety of institutions in Fukuoka, before moving to the UK in 2000 to pursue her academic research on the linguistics of email list interaction. She obtained her doctorate from the University of Birmingham in 2007, after moving back to Australia. Her research interests concern applications of Systemic Functional Linguistics—including genre pedagogy, Critical Discourse Analysis, and the use of the Appraisal framework in the investigation of argument structure. She is Honorary Associate in the Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney, and is presently involved in a collection theorising the language of power and solidarity.