General Meeting

This May event highlights the benefits of analysing conversations in the target language. Discourse analysis not only requires a deeper look at what is said but also what isn't said. This practice requires breaking apart natural conversations in segments and understanding why a person might take a pause, stutter in their responses, begin telling a story, or simply nod. This is helpful for language learning students who want to sound or behave like a native speaker would in conversation. The speaker will discuss important terminology used in the field and how this might translate into classroom activities. The presentation is based on a paper published in the Hawaii Pacific University`s TESOL working paper series. 

In 2007, I presented the basic principles of the “Immediate Method” for the Kitakyushu chapter. This classroom management technique was developed from the ground up in the context of the Japanese university classroom. At that time, my co-authors and I were excited about the significant changes we were witnessing in our classes. Even large and rather unmotivated groups ceased passive resistance and started speaking out in class- in the target language. We had won! We benefited from simple yet radical choices: focusing each class on a single target (having students conduct conversations on topics of daily life), and regularly testing students during class time.

Over the years, we have refined and formalized our approach through articles and workshops. In 2018, Jerry Talandis presented for your chapter advancements he made in his book "How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan". He discussed evaluating tests and class activities based on three criteria: validity, reliability, and practicality. Indeed, even if the mere fact of testing regularly is a kind of magic wand in itself, we need to think about how we can do it in the most efficient, fair and productive way.

In this presentation, I will discuss recent developments, including:

- Introducing "on-the-fly" quick test formats to establish good habits early in the semester.

- Nudging students to study before class and review after class.

- In some cases, switching from real-time conversations to scripted conversations, which can have a surprisingly strong washback effect.

The presentation will be hands-on and interactive. It will be based on a "progress sheet" that participants can hopefully reuse in their own classes. Additionally, I will show how my co-authors and I have integrated these techniques into the latest edition of our textbook, "Conversations in Class."

Please note the new date and change of venue for this event. See the chapter page for access details.

Our April event focuses on the use of projects outside the classroom as the foundation for English studies. We will begin with students from Malcolm Swanson’s seminar class at Seinan Jo Gakuin University sharing some of the community projects they have been engaged in. These include a Green Tourism project near Nakatsu and a collaboration with the Yaskawa historical residence in Tobata. Following that, Malcolm Swanson will discuss how projects like these are useful in building English skills in addition to a positive community spirit. We will end with a group discussion on ways to develop student projects.

It's that time of year again for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) to report and reflect on the past year as a Chapter and discuss plans for the coming one, including chapter officer positions. Nominations for all officer positions are open to Osaka Chapter members up to and during the meeting. Officer terms are for one year, starting January 1st. If a position is contested, we'll hold an online election after the AGM.

To get a better sense of our team of officers, here is our current roster.

RSVP HERE to get the Zoom link, to give feedback, and/or to let us know whether you might be interested in serving as an officer or in some other way in the coming year. 

This is a good chance to learn more about Osaka JALT, share ideas, and meet several of our officers and regular members. We do hope to see you online at the meeting, but if you're not able to attend, you can still nominate yourself or another Osaka JALT member for an officer position, or give us feedback on the RSVP link. 

This month's meeting will be divided into two parts. First, we will hold the chapter Annual General Meeting (AGM). Officer reports will be tabled, and we will elect our officers for 2023.

Following this this will be our Lightning Session presentations on the theme of Focus on Classroom Practices.

Hudson Murrell
Small Group Discussion on DIM (Digital Instructional Materials) Homework
Students are required to do as homework a listening activity of their choice. I have set up a blog with links to such sites as ELLLO, BreakingNewsEnglish, and Ted Talks. For the weekly homework activities, students need to access one of these sites, choose something to listen to, and then fill out a simple online journal to record what they worked on. Three times during the semester they are required to fill out a "My Top 5" sheet of homework they have done, and bring this to class. They discuss this in small groups. I will outline multiple ways in which this discussion is effective for the students' learning.
Hudson Murrell is a professor at Sanyo Onoda City University in Yamaguchi. His research interests are in gamification, increasing speaking output and extensive reading.

Markus Yong
An AI-based Extensive Reading Program
In the first semester of 2023, my students participated in a weekly extensive reading program whereby they created and read their own stories via ChatGPT. This presentation will provide preliminary results from this experimental program.
Markus Yong has been teaching English in Japan for 17 years, and currently works at Kyushu Kyouritsu University.

Each presenter will have 15 minutes to share their ideas. After the presentations, there will be time for questions and discussion. Participants will also be encouraged to briefly share other ideas they may have related to classroom practices.

The CUE 2023 AGM will be held on Zoom on the evening of November 14th, 2023.

The ALL sig will be having their very first online meet up on Saturday, April 15th, 8-9PM.  We invite members and others to come and discuss,  ask questions,  and learn from each other about issues related to accessibility in language learning.  Our members and officers have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share to help teachers make their class as welcome to all types of learners.  The Zoom link will be sent to you the day before the meeting.   Hope to see you all there.

All chapter members are cordially invited to the chapter AGM, to be held online on the second Sunday of November, as follows.

Date: Sunday, November 12th, 2023
Time: 13:30 pm to 14:30 pm
Location: Zoom*
*The AGM is for Nara Chapter members in good standing. 

 Any chapter members in good standing who wish to attend the AGM please send an email to narajalt@gmail.com to request the Zoom link.  

The meeting agenda includes the following three items:

(1) Chapter officer ratification
(2) Officer reports for 2023
(3) Chapter prospective for 2024

Nominations for chapter officer positions in 2024 are sought throughout the month of October.

You can nominate yourself or any chapter member in good standing by simply replying to this email. Officer positions will be ratified by vote during the AGM in November. The five core officer positions are:

1. Chapter President
2. Membership Chair
3. Program Chair
4. Publicity Chair
5. Treasurer.

Additionally, there is plenty of room for members to get involved as a Member-at-large, taking on peripheral roles, such as shadowing the main chair positions.
JALT is a volunteer organization run by its members, and as such depends on our involvement, so please consider becoming more active by joining the Nara JALT officers team

Although the AGM is the chapter’s official business meeting, it is also a great opportunity to get to know more about your chapter, so please mark the date and join us in the meeting.

All current Kyoto members are invited to attend our annual general meeting (AGM), which will be held on Sunday, November 5th, from 10:00 JST in Kyoto at Campus Plaza Kyoto. Meet your new and continuing officers, hear about what we’ve achieved this year, and work with us to help plan what to do in the coming year and beyond.

View Candidates for the Kyoto Chapter 2023-2024 Executive Board @kyotojalt.org

Event Information

• Event type: Annual General Meeting
• Date: 5 November, 2023 @ 10:00am
• Location: Campus Plaza Kyoto (find maps and directions HERE)
• Online Option: none

Schedule

• 10:00 - Doors open & registration
• 10:15 - Featured Keynote Address: Dr. Misuzu Asari (Beyond SDGs) (both English and Japanese will be used / 英語と日本語の両方を使用します)
• 11:00 - Annual General Meeting

Schedule is subject to change

Beyond SDGs

Dr. Misuzu Asari: Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies

Kyoto, a city with a 1300-year history, is full of hints about sustainability. Based on this legacy, we have started the "Global Youth Summit" to pass on this knowledge to the next generation. Students can participate in both English and Japanese, and it's an opportunity to connect with the world.

Biography

京都大学大学院工学研究科卒。博士（工学）。京都大学環境科学センター助教を経て京都大学地球環境学堂准教授。

Dr. Asari holds a Ph.D in Engineering from Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering. She formally served as an Assistant Professor at Kyoto University Center for Environmental Sciences, and currently holds the position of Associate Professor at Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies.

November is the month of the JALT National conference, and many people join JALT just in time to attend. CUE would like to welcome new SIG members (and interested others) to attend an online meet-and-greet event on Saturday, November 18th, from 2-4 PM. 

11月はJALT全国大会が開催される月で、それに合わせてJALTに入会する人も多いです。 CUE は、11 月 18 日土曜日、午後 2 時から午後 4 時まで開催されるオンライン交流会イベントに新しい SIG メンバー (および興味のある人) が参加することを歓迎したいと考えています。

Please register for the Zoom link: Registration Link | 登録リンク - Zoomリンクを受け取るにはここに登録してください