Back to School 2012  AnnouncementDate: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Location: Osaka Gakuin University, Building No. 2 Admission: ¥1000 (JALT members and full time students), ¥2000 (one day members) Presentations can be in English, Japanese, or any language you like. Teachers and students of all kinds are all very welcome and encouraged to submit proposals for any kind of presentation, including group presentations, workshops, round-table discussions, you name it. Space and time permitting, we'll do our best to fit you in. Just as we've been doing at all of our events since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year, 100% of the proceeds from this event will be going to support relief efforts in Tohoku, so by participating you'll not only be learning, schmoozing, and getting ready for the new school year, you'll also be helping us make a difference for those that can definitely use and will greatly appreciate our assistance. Come help us keep helping those who so greatly need it and appreciate it in Tohoku!
We look forward to seeing you there! 10:25
Welcoming remarks: Osaka JALT President Bob Sanderson10:30 ~ 10:55
Opening plenary
Dr. Donna Tatsuki - The Place of Literature in the ELT Curriculum This presentation will report on a Kaken project, which examines the theoretical issues involved in the integration of literary texts into ELT curricula. The presentation will report on the repositioning of literary texts that has already been occurring in other EFL contexts such as in Asia and Europe. Dr. Donna Tatsuki is a professor in the Graduate School for English Language Education and Research at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. dhtatsuki@gmail.com
11:05 ~ 11:30
Steve McCarty - Analyzing Types of Bilingual Education in Japan and the World
Language education reflects largely unstated government policies, mainstream cultural values, and minority group aspirations. Their diverse aims result in monolingualism or various types of bilingual education, weak or strong forms in terms of bilingual outcomes among students. The presenter will show how 10 cases of school systems in Japan and the world can be analyzed into types of bilingual education. Listen to MP3 audio here.
Steve McCarty is a professor at Osaka Jogakuin College. He served as President of the JALT Bilingualism SIG in the early 1990s. His courses include Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, Intercultural Communication, and Language Acquisition. mccarty@mail.goo.ne.jp
Junko Omotedani - Theory and Practice for TOEIC Reading Classes This presentation will review an outline of some of what is known about the processes involved in reading, such as Schema Theory, and top-down and bottom-up processing. Some classroom reading activities based on the processes of reading will be presented, including the use of can-do statements and how to increase and activate business-related schema. Junko Omotedani (MA TESOL, University of Southern Queensland) is an Assistant Professor at Kwansei Gakuin University. Her research interests include autonomy, listening, and reading. j.omotedani@kwansei.ac.jp
Sean Gay - Improving grading efficiency with Word 2010This presentation will cover everything from interface optimization to quick keys and powerful system tools that can save you several hours each semester, including a quick technical discussion of how to use Microsoft Word 2010 to your advantage for editing worksheets and grading papers. Sean Gay has been teaching for nineteen years, currently as a Shokutaku at Ritsumeikan University. He has a wide range of interests, including computers ever since his first Atari.
11:40 ~ 12:20
Lori Zenuk-Nishide - Literary Texts in ELT in Japan This workshop will look at literature that has been included in Japanese junior and senior high school MEXT approved textbooks. Using Takeda et al. (2006) “Literary Text Analysis Framework” adapted from Littlejohn (1998), participants will evaluate the text and communicativeness of the materials and make possible recommendations. Lori Zenuk-Nishide is an Associate Professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies where she is a teacher trainer in the Graduate School of English Language Education and Research. lzenuknishide5@gmail.com
Jennifer Voss - Making Learning Stick: Review ActivitiesThe purpose of review is to make our learning ‘stick’ so that students are able to recall and produce language faster and more smoothly, thus building fluency. Based on neuroscience and language research findings, the presenter will explain a 4-step approach to review. Activities for each step will be shared. Participants are invited to share their best review activities.
Jennifer Voss currently serves as a corporate language trainer for Sumikin-Intercom, Inc. She is responsible for developing customized language and communications skills training programs for global companies in the Kansai area. voss-j@sumikin-intercom.com
Michael Sullivan - Cubing: Six Sides to an ActivityThis session will share an instructional technique and a variation of it linked to Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligence Theory, called Cubing, that will give instructors a multidimensional, step-by-step strategy and allow learners to see a particular issue/topic or learn performance-based skills from a variety of perspectives. Michael Sullivan has been an ESP instructor of Business English classes and seminars for Sumikin-Intercom, Inc. for over a decade, with an interest in materials development and curriculum design. mtsullivan@hotmail.com
12:20 ~ 1:00 Lunch break
1:00 ~ 2:20 Poster Sessions in B1 Lobby
Jason Bartashius - After School Lessons for Tohoku ChildrenASLFTC is a website that assists Tohoku parents find affordable education, particularly in the area of ESL, for their children. Schools willing to offer tuition discounts to refugees from the devastated Tohoku area are listed on our site. We are also recruiting volunteer instructors to teach using Skype and are offering to assist publishers interested in selling discounted books. afterschoollessons@gmail.com Jason Bartashius has an M.A. in Religion from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and teaches for the Antioch University AEA program “Japan and Its Buddhist Traditions.” jaybarts@hotmail.com
Digital technologies now allow greater freedom of creativity in expressing one’s writing capabilities. Wikis and Blogging offer opportunities for students to expand and explore their writing potential, each through different means. Wikis allows for fuller richer text, while blogging grants spontaneous, fast paced short writing skills. This presentation will discuss practical applications of using wikis and blogs for writing courses. Harry Carley is a lecturer at Matsuyama University and holds an MA ELT, and an MA EDUC. Tech. (pending). He's taught as an ALT for 20 years and recently began instructing at the tertiary level. pm333@ric.hi-ho.ne.jp
Gretchen Clark - Practical Ideas for Developing Learner Autonomy in Secondary ClassesIn Japan, test-driven teaching methods may hinder secondary learners from realizing their full potential as able navigators of their own learning experience. This poster reports on several methods for encouraging meta-cognitive thought that are quickly implemented even in the busiest of classrooms and ultimately contribute to student autonomy and motivation. Several practical ideas including use of rubrics, peer-teaching, and learning logs will be presented. Gretchen Clark has taught secondary students in Japan for almost 14 years. She currently teaches at Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School.
Stuart McLean – JALT funded research into the vocabulary size of university student populationsThe primary goal of this research project is to make informed statements about different groups of Japanese university students' vocabulary size. Secondly, to determine which factors may be useful in predicting vocabulary sizes for this population. The test utilized is Nation and Beglars VST which was Rasch-validated in 2010. WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR ASSISTING TEACHERS who can give tests to their students.
Stuart McLean came to Japan after teaching Geography in London. He is a student in Temple University's MA TESOL program and teaches at various universities in Kansai. beso293@hotmail.com
Matthew Reynolds - Isn't it time we had a JALT SIG for school owners?Are you a language school owner or operator? Help form a JALT SIG specifically for language school owners in Japan! This presentation will introduce how the SIG would work and what it could achieve. 20 signatures are necessary by the end of 2012. Sign up at the presentation or at http://www.schoolowners.net/.
Matthew Reynolds is the owner-operator of two language schools in Nara prefecture and the Centre Exams Manager for Cambridge ESOL (East Kansai). matthew.reynolds@english-please.com
Lori Zenuk-Nishide - The Japanese University English Model United NationsThis poster will report on the model U.N. that will be held this July at Kinki University.
Lori Zenuk-Nishide is an Associate Professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies where she is a teacher trainer in the Graduate School of English Language Education and Research. lzenuknishide5@gmail.com
1:00 ~ 2:20 in Building 13
Stella Maxwell, et al. - The I-Chat Experience: Authentic learning using energizing, targeted and interactive language games Come visit the International Chat Lounge, OGU’s cutting-edge language facility that uniquely combines the celebration of world English and culture with the use of customized skill-building language games. At I-Chat, our interactive language games are used to improve motivation and empower students to become more confident speakers of English. Quality English-only table discussions with native speakers have proven remarkable gains in both conversation skills and test scores for OGU students! Come and experience I-Chat for yourself! Stella Maxwell is the Director of the International Chat Lounge and Associate Professor in the Foreign Language Department at Osaka Gakuin University. OGU - I-Chat English Language Staff include Russell Sumitomo, Jessica Chua, Mark Pileggi, Lisa Fonseca, and Angela Vasquez.
2:30 ~ 3:10
Pahnee Fukui – Bloom’s Taxonomy and Critical ThinkingThis session will provide some background of Bloom's Taxonomy and the importance of developing students' critical thinking skills. A short sample listening task will demonstrate how Bloom's Taxonomy can be applied in the classroom. Attendees will be asked to make a sample lesson in groups using Bloom's Taxonomy. A short discussion will follow regarding what types of resources and lesson plans teachers have found successfully foster students' critical thinking. Pahnee Fukui holds an MA in Education (TESOL) from California State University, San Bernardino, and is the Study Abroad Program Coordinator and Honors Program Coordinator at ECC Kokusai College of Foreign Languages in Osaka.
Paul Marlowe - Absorb, Retain, Apply: Ideas for Maximizing Language LearningMind, brain, and education science is revealing more clearly how the brain learns. It is vital that educators understand how research applies to language teaching methodology both in and out of the classroom. This workshop will introduce easy to apply concepts to help make language learning more efficient. Practical ideas such as spaced repetition, retrieval, and interleaving will be introduced. J. Paul Marlowe holds an MA in Education from Michigan State University and has been teaching adult language education in Japan since 2004, currently at Kwansei Gakuin University. pmarlowe79@kwansei.ac.jp
Catherine LeBlanc - Fostering communicative competence through reading circlesFostering internationally minded learners with communicative competence and critical thinking skills requires more than students taking a passive role in classroom activities. The presenter will show how L2 reading circles can help learners develop both communicative and social skills and offer some ideas and resources for implementation in participants’ own classroom. Catherine LeBlanc is currently teaching at the School of Economics at Kwansei Gakuin University. Her research interests include cooperative learning strategies and self-efficacy in reading. catleblanc@kwansei.ac.jp
3:20 ~ 3:45
Alison Kitzman - "Frontloading" Communication Skills and Strategies in Language ClassesRegardless of what English teaching came before, often our students arrive to our classes for the first time as if they have never spoken before. By presenting communication strategies first, before regular content material, we can provide our reticent students with a proper foundation, awareness of needs, and ability to personalize goals in order that they become more effective language users. Alison Kitzman has an MA TESOL from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is currently Associate Professor at Kinki University in the Department of Business.
Tony Minotti - An action plan to help reduce classroom stress for EFL studentsBy understanding the causes of stress for ELL students, teachers can device action plans that help alleviate the anxiety. Using authentic assessment in the form of a classroom comprehension log is beneficial in relieving the stress levels in students. Another important tool in helping students cope with classroom stress is the use of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). Tony Minotti is an English teacher at Shoin Women's University.
Matt Lucas - Crossing the Frontier: Cross-linguistic Awareness-raising and L2 Written AccuracyAccuracy with regard to articles and plural endings is thought to be a common area of concern for Japanese L1 learners. However, what is the best way to address this issue? This study investigating the effects of cross-linguistic awareness-raising on subsequent L2 English written accuracy yielded interesting results that provide concrete pedagogical applications for the classroom and beyond. Matt Lucas is originally from the UK, and is now based in Osaka. He has been teaching English for over 10 years, holds an MA in Education, and works at Momoyama University and IBU. matt.w.lucas@gmail.com
4:00 ~ 4:25
Stuart McLean - Dictogloss and forced output following speed-readingA dictogloss activity reinforces the learning of a target grammar structure and facilitates surreptitious assessment. Speed reading is useful in itself. After speed reading, the resulting gaps in understanding facilitate information gap activities and forced output. The speed-reading material used is free and available at 1k, 2k and 2k and AWL levels. Stuart McLean came to Japan after teaching Geography in London. He is a student in Temple University's MA TESOL program and teaches at various universities in Kansai. beso293@hotmail.com
Noriko Kinami and Takaaki Morioka - Self-motivating Strategies Used by Adult EFL Learners and University Students in JapanIt is very difficult for EFL learners in Japan to maintain their motivation, and therefore they need to acquire and use self-motivating strategies. Based on the self-motivating learner strategies suggested by Dornyei (2001), the presenters will compare the strategies used by adult EFL learners with those used by university students.
Noriko Kinami holds an M.S.Ed. in TESOL from Temple University Japan and is an instructor of OTC, Inc. She teaches English mainly at companies. Her research interests include L2 motivation and extensive reading. nkinami@hotmail.com
Takaaki Morioka is an assistant professor at Osaka University of Commerce. He graduated from Temple University in Osaka. His main area of interest is motivation in second language learning.
Fergus O'Dwyer - Assessing the Role of Classroom Assessment PracticesThis paper will examine the role that assessment can play in classrooms, with an emphasis that it can take on several roles and functions. Assessment, along with the CEFR, can play a linking role in learning cycles and wider pedagogical issues. It is of benefit to learners to be involved in assessment and other related pedagogical practices.
Fergus O’Dwyer is based at Osaka University. His interests include classroom decision making and negotiation, Dublin and Irish English, and the European Language Portfolio. fodwyerj@gmail.com
4:35 ~ 5:00
Jason White - Using role-play to increase motivation and lower anxietyRole-play is a powerful dramatic technique that can be used in EFL classrooms to lower anxiety and increase motivation in foreign language students. Role-play provides the opportunity for students to practice using English in real life situations that are familiar and non-threatening such as ordering food at a restaurant or shopping at a department store.
Jason White is a high school and college English teacher from Arizona. He came to Japan in 2009 with the Phoenix Sister Cities program and is currently teaching at Himeji High School. jayinhimeji@gmail.com
Kristin Golden - Using Taboo and Controversial Topics to Engage Intermediate and Advanced LearnersThis presentation will suggest ways that students can engage in conversational and debate activities dealing with taboo topics, legal, and current events, and will refer to Harvard's online lecture series "Justice" as well as the new text entitled Taboo Topics. Kristen Golden is an Assistant Professor at Kansai Gaidai University. She is originally from southern California where she taught at the community college and university levels. kgolden1@kansaigaidai.ac.jp
Brian Wojtowicz - Diary Studies: The Benefits of Simple or Extensive Self-reflectionThis presentation will discuss some of the benefits of using a diary study for self-reflection as a teacher. The presentation will explain about how diary studies can be elaborate and lead to extensive documentation and analysis, and how they can also be simplistic entries to help organize and keep track of thoughts, ideas, and concerns about classes taught. Brian Wojtowicz has been teaching English in Japan for a decade. He is presently completing his TESL/TEFL MA dissertation with Birmingham University and teaches full-time at Himeji Dokkyo University. b_wojo@hotmail.com
5:10 ~ 5:35
Christopher Micek - Peeling the Cultural OnionIn many ESL and EFL classrooms, students are asked to share opinions in both oral and written forms. "Just tell me what you think" may seem an innocuous request to the instructor, but it can create confusion for the student unfamiliar with opinion statements. In this session the presenter will share ideas to help guide students to better opinion statements. Christopher Micek is a visiting instructor from Spokane, Washington. Currently at Mukogawa Women’s University, he has been teaching for over 20 years in both America and Japan.
Arthur Lauritsen - 10 lessons you can do without handoutsPaperless lessons are often more organic and conversation based than their material-heavy counterparts. While many teachers may at first feel lost without materials to use in class, they soon warm up to minimalist lessons and find they have more space and breathing room. This presentation covers ten paperless lessons, with ideas from JALT's My Share, Keith Folse, Scott Thornbury, and others. Arthur Lauritsen is a graduate of Temple University with a Masters degree in TESOL and has been teaching at various universities for three years. seoulmon@hotmail.com
Thomas Boutorwick - Individualized Vocabulary QuizzesThis presentation will introduce a method for implementing explicit vocabulary study in the classroom. The vocabulary tested is tailored to each student with minimal teacher preparation. This method can be used in any course, however a communication/ speaking-based class may be ideal. Thomas Boutorwick received his M.S.Ed from Temple University Japan. He is interested in L2 vocabulary acquisition and teaches at Kwansei Gakuin University in the Department of Science and Technology. tboutorwick@yahoo.com
5:40 ~ 6:00
Wrap-up session
It was impossible to see everything at this mini-conference, so come share and reflect on your experiences of the day and learn about some of what others experienced too!
6:00 ~ 6:30 Clean up and exit
6:30 ~ Dinner party at La Festa Italian restaurant
Best wishes, and happy teaching!
The Osaka JALT team
www.osakajalt.org
|
Archive >
