In this presentation, veteran English instructor and author of seven books and several newspaper columns for Japanese learners of English, David Barker,argues for a renewed focus on 'old-fashioned' approaches that have served language teachers and learners well for centuries.
"The history of English Language Teaching has been characterized by a stream of ever-changing fashions and trends. Proponents of new methodologies have urged teachers and learners to abandon all their old tools and techniques and embrace the new dogma, and all too often teachers have been willing to follow unquestioningly. Barker argues that an obsession with 'communicative' activities and educational materials can be detrimental to both teachers and learners."
Barker will outline what he considers to be the most important 'basic principles' of language learning, and will present 'basic principles' of language learning and discuss how these can be applied to classroom methodology.
Note: This presentation, a semi-commercial event, was awarded Best of JALT 2009, Best Presentation of 2008 by Toyohashi JALT, and also well-received by Hokkaido JALT at their annual conference.
