Dr. Hale of Akita International University and his students will be giving presentations on June 22nd. The plan is to have three concurrent presentations going in three separate rooms. Presentations will be 20 minutes each and participants are free to go between the rooms at any time.
Presentations:
Queena Xu– Would You Swipe Right? Teaching Creative Writing by Creating an Attractive Online Dating Profile Students have been making self-introductions since their very first English lessons. But can students improve their “attractiveness” by writing about themselves in a more creative way? This lesson will explore the ways in which students can express their personality, values, and even sense of humor in novel ways. Students will discuss the culture of online dating, be exposed to different examples of successful profiles, and ultimately create one of their own.
Sarina Sugawara– Blending Critical Thinking Activities Using Content Based Language Learning in Japanese Higher Education. Despite years of English language experience, the vast majority of non-linguistic majors seemed to fall into the false-beginner category. The activity is designed to enhance students’ critical thinking skills through a content-based language learning approach,using scholarly journals and news articles.This activity is designed for upper beginner-level college students, especially for those with a science background.
June Ha Kim– The International Phonetic Alphabet : How students may use it to improve their pronunciation One of the challenges with learning to speak English is recognizing the various sounds the English language contains. Japanese students especially struggle with various dipthongs or digraphs, and how a word or name should be pronounced. This reading and speaking activity will primarily allow students to be able to recognize the IPA and use it as a reference to practice their pronunciation. The secondary aim is to allow students to decide if they find it useful during their English studies.
Akito Murata– Enhancing Learners’ Listening Strategies to Improve their Listening Skills Many language learners have difficulty in listening skills for the language they are learning. They use several strategies to understand what others are saying in their native language; nevertheless, they are not making use of the strategies in their foreign language. This activity consists of three stages for listening: pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening. All of them are expected to enhance the learners’ listening strategies, which leads to improving their listening skills.
Rie Kawamura– Learning About Culture Through Different English Accents Accents in speech are an important part of our cultural identity; however, understanding an accent can sometimes be challenging. This listening activity aims to familiarize students with the different English accents across cultures. Students will be exposed to short clips of English accents. Students will distinguish the pronunciation between accents and simultaneously learn about the culture of the country’s accent.
Peifen Huang– Engaging Classroom Discussion by Group Discussion in Rotation in an EFL Higher Intermediate Class Comprehension questions are commonly used to check students’ understanding of the reading materials. However, students’ perception towards the topic should not stop there. To push students to think one step ahead, this activity aims to generate more discussion about the topic of the unit by group discussion in rotation. The rotation also exposes learners to the
repetitive use of language items related to the topic.
Wing Yiu Ling– Put Yourself in Someone’s Shoes: Role-play and Debating Activity through the Lens of Art Debating helps learners develop argumentation and rebuttal skills, critical thinking, etc. However, EFL college freshmen who might be false beginners may need more guidance before debating controversial issues. This activity aims to introduce debate language and concepts in a more interesting way. Students will be exposed to readings about the debate of the Salon des Refusés in 1863. Then, students will role-play and perform a debate to persuade the emperor to accept their ideas.
Natsuki ITO– Contextualized Approach: Schema Activating Tasks Through Speaking and Listening Given that many students in Japan have experienced decontextualized learning before entering university, this lesson focuses on students’ schemas and allows them to draw out their own experiences. This lesson integrates speaking and listening activities to help students understand the subject matter with meaning-focused output.
Tsai Chia An– Enhancing Communicative Competence and Critical Thinking through “Middle Way” Activity During the Middle Way Activity, students will share their opinions on a certain issue with others who have different feelings about it. Students need to understand the other side’s argument and try to find a middle way (reach a compromise). The goal is to understand the issue better and respect others’ ideas. The lesson will integrate English speaking, listening, and writing skills in order to develop students’ ability to think critically and communicate effectively.
The presentations will be face to face this time at 2pm until 3pm or a bit longer depending as time allows.
If there is interest in seeing the presentations from the greater Jalt community, we maybe able to make it hybrid. Please email akita@jalt.org if interested.
