The Tokyo chapter of JALT and the Mind, Brain, and Education SIG are happy to be co-sponsoring this 4-part series. We hope to expand your knowledge of the interaction of psychology (the 'mind' part) and neuroscience (the 'brain' part), and their application to teaching (the 'education' part).
- Friday, March 11th: David Scott Bowyer and Curtis Hart Kelly:
- The C Factor: The Overlooked Dynamic in Successful Language Classes
- Saturday, April 16th: Julia Daley:
- The role of different types of memory in the learning process
- Saturday, May 14th: Amanda Gillis-Furutaka:
- Music in the brain and how it can aid language learning
- Friday, June 3rd: Stephen M. Ryan:
- Stories in the Brain . . . and in the Classroom
The C Factor: The Overlooked Dynamic in Successful Language Classes
Abstract:
Every teacher knows that some classes click and some don't. Those that do are more likely to engage, more likely to stay on task, and more likely to produce a positive energy. They are a pleasure to teach. Those that don't are a labor. In those classes, speaking activities erode into silence, exercises get only minimally completed, absence rates are high, and sometimes there is an ether of negativity. We know some factors that cause these class conditions, such as: whether it is after lunch or not, appropriacy of materials, teacher attitude, but we'd like to explore another cause, the C factor, rarely mentioned in the literature, but extremely important in aiding student learning, achievement, and even mental health.
Neuroscientists like Lieberman have recently identified how this key factor is a part of the Default Mode Network, and psychologists like Cozolino explain that in overlooking it, Western psychology has put forward a wrong definition of “human.” We consider it the most important factor in getting students into the right “brain state” for learning, borrowing an expression from Terry Small.
To find out what the C Factor is, and how you can strengthen it, come to this workshop. (Expect lots of interaction)
Bios:
Scott is a lecturer in English conversation at Nagoya Gakuin University. He is also a PhD candidate at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, where he is exploring links between classroom speaking activities and interactional competence. He has also co-authored two English textbooks and is currently the treasurer for the JALT BRAIN SIG because he loves neuroscience and money. Contact him at: scottybowyer1@gmail.com
Speaker, writer, and professor at Kansai University, Curtis Kelly (EdD.), is a brain nerd. He is one of the founders of the JALT BRAIN and producer of the MindBrainEd Think Tanks. He has written over 30 books including the Cambridge Writing from Within series, and given over 500 presentations. His life mission is “to relieve the suffering of the classroom.”
