AKITA JALT MEETING FOR JULY 20TH: STRATEGIC INTERACTIONS IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
Presented by Martin Sedaghat
Role-play activities are commonly used in communicative EFL/ESL classrooms to practice speaking skills in a variety of situations. However, most role-plays are heavily scripted and do not give students a chance to use language in creative and authentic ways. This presentation will introduce the concept of strategic interactions (SIs), which are role-plays created with built-in conflicts based around scenarios. The stages of planning, preparation, performance, and reflection on SIs will be described, along with both the successes and challenges observed by the presenter in using these activities with 1st year students at a private medical university. Participants will also have a chance to try SIs for themselves.
Bio:
Martin Sedaghat is a teacher at Niigata University of Health and Welfare, as well as the integrated campus preschool. He has been living in Niigata City since 2003, and has worked as an ALT for elementary and junior high schools, and as a homeroom teacher for a private high school. He completed an MA in TESOL in 2023, with a dissertation focused on games in the language classroom. His research interests include SLA for young learners, the use of picture books in the classroom, and game design for L2 learning. He is currently a co-editor for JALT’s The Language Teacher journal, and an officer in the TYL SIG and ART SIG.
The presentation will take place on July 20th through zoom from 2pm until around 3pm.
Akita JALT Members will be emailed the zoom info.
All others interested in participating please email akita@jalt.org for zoom info.
