JALT Event

Arudou Debito will introduce a new and very informative documentary, "Sour Strawberries". There will be two screenings of this film which explores labor conditions for non-Japanese workers in Japan. The first viewing will be at 1:30 PM in Japanese and the second at 3:30 PM in English. (donations are requested)

Research affirms that debate can have an effect on thinking, speaking, and even writing skills. Students engaged in this activity learn about important issues and improve their ability to do research, think critically, speak logically, use language, and cooperate with others. They also learn that their efforts can have an effect on events around them. In this workshop, a methodology is introduced for doing semi-formal, classroom-friendly English debates, which have the potential to evolve according to the variables, and constraints, of different classrooms. With this explanation, handouts will be provided offering sample debate time frames, judging criteria, and score-keeping charts. It is hoped that those who attend this presentation will appreciate the pedagogical potential of debate and return to their classrooms with ideas that they can adapt to their own professional objectives and circumstances.
WHO IS HARRY W. HARRIS?
Harry Harris has an M.A. in Spanish linguistics and one in Applied Linguistics. He has taught English and Spanish at academic institutions in Japan, the U.S., and Bolivia. At present, he is involved in curriculum development in the new English Program at Hakuoh University, for which he has collaborated on writing skill objectives and organized the Writing component. He also participates in teacher training workshops in Japan and writes materials for a Japanese publishing company.

Students learn more when they are interested and their curiosity is aroused. As language teachers, it can be difficult to create lessons that make language points challenging and engaging. However, teaching new vocabulary and language points can be enhanced using interesting tools such as magic, puppetry, 3D effects, and unique props. Stephens will share some interesting perspectives that illustrate how emotions and different teaching methods can influence various types of learners.

Commercial course books offer discussion material but often fail to engage students because the topics seek to avoid controversy and are often of little interest to students. Greg will show you new ways of developing discussion tasks on current events that students care about.
The discussion task that Gregory Strong and his colleagues have developed and refined with their students in the English department at Aoyama Gakuin University is the result of more than 8 years experience, testing, and evaluation. The material he will share includes a discussion rating scale, and a DVD of sample student discussions. He will also offer a list of online multi- media from the internet which include listening modes and transcripts, so that students can use this task for online listening practice as well.
Gregory Strong is a professor in the English Department at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo where he coordinates its Integrated English Program for some 500 freshmen and sophomore students. He has worked in China on a Canadian foreign aid project as well as in Canada as a teacher, teacher educator, and curriculum writer. He has published widely on education, travel, and literature, including a non-fiction book, Flying Colours: The Toni Onley Story, and in the forthcoming TESOL Classroom series, is the co-editor of Adult Language Learners: Context and Innovation, and a contributor to both Authenticity in the Adult Language Classroom, and Task-Based Learning from which some of his presentation will be drawn.

How do students learn to read English? Is learning to read a "natural" process? Is there a method of instruction that is more effective than others? English can be confusing for both those trying to teach it and those trying to learn it, but with a little background information and some simple activities, your students can be on their way to automatic decoding and reading fluency (and we'll even throw in writing as a bonus).
In this presentation, you will learn the most effective way to teach reading and how to teach the English phonetic system in an explicit, systematic manner. With just a few simple activities your students will be reading and writing in no time.
Bio
Jeff Lewis is a second grade teacher at Seisen International School in Tokyo. Previously he taught elementary and JHS English in Hyogo prefecture, and before coming to Japan he taught first and second grade in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He holds Michigan state teaching certification and a Master's degree in education from Wayne State University. The research behind his reading program has been published here: http://www.jalthokkaido.net/jh_journal/2007/jeff_lewis.pdf

Please join us for this exciting event with two wonderful children's book authors. In order to help us, we would like to ask that all interested persons please follow one of the links below to pre-register. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Japanese: http://www.eltkids.jp/info_j/1287.html
English: http://www.eltkids.jp/info_e/1288.html
The days schedule will be as follows:
13:00-13:30 Registration
13:30-14:30 Presentation by Akiko Seino
14:30-15:00 Break, Display viewing & ELT consulatation
15:00-16:00 Presentation by Aleda Krause
16:00-17:00 Display viewing & ELT consulatation
Presentation information:
Teaching Made Simple -Keys to make real learning happen
Presented by Akiko Seino, co-author of English Land
How many hours do you spend preparing for each lesson? How much of your own time did you sacrifice,
and was the lesson successful? Did your children really 'learn' something from the lesson? What can
we do to spend the least amount of energy on lesson preparation and put more energy into the lesson
itself? The co-author of English Land will introduce keys to making your life easier, which in the end,
makes real learning happen with your students.
レッスン準備にどのくらいの時間を費やしていますか？クラスや子どもの習得状況をふまえて入念に準備したのに
子どもたちにうまく伝わらなかったり、プランどおりに進まなかったり、というようなことはありませんか？
教師が準備に使うエネルギーは最小限に、そしてレッスンに使うエネルギーを最大限にするにはどうしたら
よいのでしょう？そんな児童英語教師の切実な問いにこたえるテクニックをご紹介します。
Simple Activities for Super Kids and Their Teachers
Presented by Aleda Krause, author of SuperKids
The best classes are almost always the simplest ones. Teachers are not stressed, students are
confident and involved, and everyone knows what's happening and what they're supposed to do.
Teachers need a core of tried and true activities that they can adapt to different classes in order
to accomplish these simple lessons. Join the author of SuperKids to discover some of these activities.
一番よい授業というのは、ほとんどの場合とてもシンプルなものです。教師はあれこれ準備に追われることも
ありません。子どもたちも「何が起こっているのか」、「何をすればよいのか」が分かるからこそ、自信を
もって授業に取り組むことができるのです。シンプルな授業を成り立たせる上で教師に必要なのは、クラスの
状況に応じて柔軟に適合させられる、ポイントをおさえたアクティビティと言えるでしょう。この
プレゼンテーションでは、そのようなアクティビティをご紹介します。

As an example of CALL integration, consider the features of today’s digital video cameras. Some models are smaller than a deck of cards and can also be used to record video with sound. This technology enables educators to capture ‘live’ events in the so-called ‘real world’ for use in the classroom. The advantages of such events include: authentic speech, including, but not limited to: auto-corrections; natural pauses; facial expressions; pragmatic speech acts; interruptions, and the required handling of them; background noise, and the various ways to overcome this interference. Furthermore, student presentations, role-plays, and speeches can all be recorded for feedback and evaluation purposes. Finally, to promote and encourage autonomy, students can make videos of themselves and their friends for feedback, evaluation, and just plain fun.
Video can be taken at any time and with ease. The classroom uses are both innovative and original ways that educators can use to take advantage of the most up-to-date technologies to help their students learn language. With these digital materials/technologies, for example, educators can make cloze exercises, quizzes, listening comprehension questions, and practice dictation skills.
The presenter will show various video clips of his children, friends, and colleagues to the participants for practical, hands on experience. The participants may also have a chance to give the technology a hands-on test by taking video of themselves and/or other attendees (time permitting). It’s a simple, useful, and cost-effective way to get the whole group involved in the learning process.
All are welcome, so please join us!

Learners speaking together in English doesn’t need to stop at the classroom door! This presentation introduces task-based, communicative activities that can connect a university classroom to any ‘language interaction space’ - a resource-light, activity-focused interaction space that could be an empty classroom, a teachers’ office, a self-access center, or a corner of a cafeteria. These activities stretch the classroom walls, and scaffold learners towards greater learning independence.

Program
Presentation Title: An Introduction to British Sign Language
Presenter: Colin Graham
Descripton: In this demonstration lesson, the presenter will teach some basic British Sign Language,
demonstrate some of the differences between it and other sign languages, and explain some of the
ways that signing can be incorporated into English lessons as a fun way for checking spelling.
It will also provide a means of demonstrating how a language can be taught from scratch.

SPHERIC stands for Synthetic PHonics, Engaged Reading, and Integrated Communication. This presentation will explain how synthetic phonics can be used as the center of a fully-integrated communicative teaching method in line with the current theoretical and research consensus. Specifically addressed will be recommendations on how to teach elementary school-aged children. Examples will be drawn from experiences teaching in the Nagahama Elemenatry School English Program (NESEP). Although the model is designed for use in Japanese public schools, the method is flexible enough to be applied to a variety of contexts.