Morning Presentations 9:30 ~ 10:15
Soccer English - A game for promoting maximum interaction in group discussions
Jennifer Claro, Kitami Institute of Technology, Kitami, Hokkaido Room A
(Please note that this is a double-block presentation 9:30 ~ 11:00)
English teachers at high school and university levels may run into a block when trying to implement group discussion activities. Students often revert to their first language, shy students contribute little or nothing, and even motivated students may be embarrassed to speak English in front of their peers. A game invented by the presenter eliminates all of these problems and has been used with great success in her classes. Students talk non-stop in English only for as long as the teacher decides (5-7 minutes is a usual game). All students contribute, even shy and reluctant students, and the topic of discussion can be left up to the teacher or to the students. It’s a great way for students to practice what they have been learning in class, and it's a great way to recycle recent vocabulary. Plus, it’s fun! It’s called Soccer English, and no, there is no exercise involved! The presenter will present the background of the game briefly, then explain the rules, and we will finally have a short practice session involving all audience members.
Jennifer Claro teaches English at the Kitami Institute of Technology. Her main research interests are critical pedagogy, MALL (Moodle Assisted Language Learning), and how to help her university students to speak English with confidence.
E-mail: claro1@mail.kitami-it.ac.jp
Sharing reflections: Enhancing motivation in self-study modules Room B
Katherine Thorton, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba
Learner autonomy is increasingly being seen as a core principle in language education (Benson 2001, Dickinson 1987). Kanda University of International Studies offers voluntary self-study modules for all freshman students, introducing them to concepts, skills and strategies to better manage their language learning and enhance learner autonomy. Students complete the module in their own time, with support from a learning advisor. Due to the number of students taking the module, however, the chance for face to face contact with an advisor or other students is rare, which can result in low motivation. The major channel of communication in the module is instead written, with learners submitting reflections on each unit which are then commented on by the advisor, allowing space for further learner reflections. This presentation will outline a project designed to further enhance this two-way dialogue by sharing students’ reflections with the group to allow for more interaction, and examine the effect this has had on group cohesion, learner motivation and the learning outcomes for students taking the module. Implications for incorporating shared reflections into independent study and classroom instruction will be discussed.
Having taught in Japan since 2001, I am currently working full time as a Learning Advisor at Kanda University of International Studies, where I work one-on-one with students to help them improve their learning skills. My research interests include vocabulary acquisition and the discourse of language advising. Email: thoton.katherine@gmail.com
Teaching a Hearing-Impaired Student: A teacher's struggle and devices for the growth of the class Room C
Kyoko Oike, ESL Institute, Sapporo; Sapporo Gakuin University, Ebetsu; Otaru University of Commerce, Otaru
As a facilitator, how would one adjust his/her teaching to better serve the students? The presenter drastically changed her teaching style so as to assure each student learning, after accepting a hearing-impaired student in the class. In this session the presenter will report how she adjusted her teaching style--her struggle and devices, progress and problems she came across along the way. Also, how those devices were perceived by the students will be reported through their comments. Comments from the teachers with similar experiences will also be reported. Feedback from participants is highly welcomed.
Kyoko Oike is now teaching Eiken Grade 1, TOEFL, TOEFL, presentation skills and general English courses. Current interests include global issues education, blended learning, professional development, educational research, and English teaching for hearing-impaired and through news media. Attended the 43rd TESOL Convention in Colorado, U.S.A. e-mail: kyo128@hotmail.com
Using Moodle effectively for writing assignments Room D
Julie Matsubara, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba
In the English Language Institute of Kanda University of International Studies, Moodle (http://moodle.org) has been set up as an institution-wide Course Management System available to the lecturers as a supplemental tool for classes. It was chosen on grounds that it would be most beneficial for the students and faculty due to “an enormous amount of literature supporting the rise of Moodle in all forms of education” (Stanley, 2009). In efforts to provide technical support for the lecturers, the university CALL research project has developed manuals and conducted workshops to explain the various functions that Moodle offers. However, there has been no focus on a specific skill such as reading or writing. This workshop, led by the university Basic Skills research project, aims to showcase three Moodle activities that are appropriate for three differing writing contexts: (1) file uploading for the strict writing course; (2) online documents for the more casual writing assignments; and (3) journals for the purposes of writing for fun.
Stanley, I. (2009). Teacher education in CALL: Using workshops to train a faculty in the use of Moodle. The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies, 21, 369 – 384.
Julie Matsubara is a senior lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies. She is currently the coordinator of the Basic Skills research project which strives to develop level-appropriate materials for the students while conducting research that will further the TESOL field in the areas of reading and writing. e-mail: juliemats@gmail.com
Morning Presentations 10:30 ~ 11:15
The influence of topic choice upon task interest and oral output in TBLT
John Thurman, Hokkaido University, Sapporo Room B
Many teachers are concerned with methods of increasing the interest of students in the tasks they present as well as with improving the complexity of their English oral output when they converse. I have found that when the students are presented with a choice of task topics, they have more interest in the task and their oral output is enhanced. This method does not require a great degree of curriculum revision or re-writing of tasks, but may be implemented with small changes in the syllabus that may generate greater interest and a higher quality of oral output by the students. With the implementation of choice, teachers may present the more difficult tasks that researchers contend are needed to improve the complexity of the students’ output but maintain a high level of interest in the task. In this session, I will present the results of my research and the implications for teaching. Time will be reserved at the end for questions.
John Thurman has been teaching in Japan for over twenty years at universities in Hokkaido, Kanazawa, Kochi, and Hyogo. His research interests are task-based language teaching and how the motivation of students may be enhanced through choice.
E-mail: johnt@imc.hokudai.ac.jp
Peer feedback: How to make it work for Japanese learners Room C
Jared Baierschmidt, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba
Although the idea of using peer feedback in the writing classroom has many proponents, using it with Japanese English-language learners can present some difficulties. Students’ ability to give good feedback may be limited by cultural expectations and affective factors. Even when good feedback is given, these same factors may lead to the feedback not being utilized. In this interactive presentation, participants will engage in a discussion with each other and the speaker about the benefits and drawbacks of using peer feedback in the writing classroom with Japanese English-language learners. In addition to discussing published literature on the issue, the speaker will also present the findings of his own investigation into how four Japanese students studying at a university in the United States viewed and utilized peer feedback in their ESL writing class. Using these findings as a base, ideas for how to best introduce, conduct, and assess the success of peer feedback in a Japanese EFL writing classroom will be discussed.
Jared Baierschmidt received his master's degree in English from San Francisco State University in 2008. He currently teaches freshman reading, freshman writing, and two sophomore content-based courses at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba. His research interests include vocabulary acquisition, motivation, and learner autonomy. email: jrockjared@hotmail.com
From listening to speaking 聞くことから喋ることまで Room K for Kids
Aleda Krause
Listening is the most important skill for children studying English in Japan. Active, participatory listening tasks to introduce and practice language are absolutely necessary, right from the first lesson. Many speaking activities follow naturally from listening activities. Author of SuperKids and SuperTots, Aleda will explain and demonstrate five steps from listening to speaking. Come prepared with clean ears and lots of energy, so you can go home with many ideas to help your students along the path from listening to speaking.
Aleda Krause is a teacher and teacher trainer. Her students are all ages: preschool to senior citizens, including university students learning to be teachers of children. She is the author of SuperKids, a 6-level EFL series for elementary-school children, SuperTots, a 3-level EFL series for kindergarteners, and the Longman Children’s Picture Dictionary.
11:30~12:30 Keynote Address: David Barker
Getting Back to Basics in ELT
Teachers of English as a foreign language are an inquisitive, creative bunch. One positive effect of this is that there is never a shortage of new ideas about how languages should be taught and learnt. The downside, however, is that our profession tends to be characterized by fashions, trends, and bandwagons, many of which promise the world while claiming to negate all that has gone before them. Since the 1980s, many highly effective learning and teaching techniques have been abandoned because they are considered to be old-fashioned and not sufficiently 'communicative'.
In this presentation, I will argue that there are a number of incontrovertible truths about the learning of foreign languages, and that not all of these are compatible with taking a purely 'communicative' approach. I will make a case for getting back to basics in language education and discuss the implications of this for teachers and learners.
David Barker was born in North Wales in 1967. He has been teaching English since 1992, and he has taught in England, Singapore, New Zealand, and Japan. He has published four Japanese language books for learners of English, which have now sold more than 100,000 copies. He has also written four textbooks designed specifically for Japanese high school and university students. He is currently working to complete his PhD on the role of unstructured learner interaction in the study of a foreign language. Email: info@btbpress.com
Aleda Krause is a teacher and teacher trainer. Her students are all ages: preschool to senior citizens, including university students learning to be teachers of children. She is the author of SuperKids, a 6-level EFL series for elementary-school children, SuperTots, a 3-level EFL series for kindergarteners, and the Longman Children’s Picture Dictionary.
アリーダクラウスは教師であると共に、教育訓練指導者でもあります。彼女は幼稚園児から高齢者、そして教師になる勉強をしている大学生など、幅広い年齢層を教えています。さらに児童向け６レベルのSuper Kids、幼児向け ３レベルのSuper Tots、そしてLongman Children’s Picture Dictionaryの筆者でもある。
Afternoon Presentations 2:45 ~ 3:30
Getting “Back to Basics” in Materials Development Room A
Over the last few decades, international publishers have been extremely successful in marketing English language textbooks that can be used by students of any nationality. Unfortunately, the requirement to avoid focusing specifically on the needs of any particular group of learners has resulted in the production of materials that arguably meet the needs of none. Furthermore, a strong emphasis since the 1980s on the importance of using “Communicative” activities in the classroom has led to many ELT textbooks being designed more as a collection of recipes for teachers than as a genuine learning resource for students.
In this presentation, I will introduce a range of teaching materials that were designed specifically to deal with the problems faced by Japanese university students and their teachers. These books attempt a ‘hybrid’ approach by giving learners the Japanese support they need in a format that also works for teachers who do not read the language. The books cover speaking and writing for lower-level learners, and grammar and vocabulary for all levels.
Bio: (See Keynote Speaker page) Email: info@btbpress.com
What to do about TOEIC - A ‘two birds with one stone’ solution Room B
John Letcher, Cambridge University Press
Preparing students for the TOEIC® is an issue that all teachers will face, perhaps as a curriculum directive from department administrators, or by simply being asked by a student - "How can I improve my TOEIC® score?" The presenter will examine this issue and introduce a new TOEIC® preparation resource from Cambridge University Press which will give teachers the option of offering effective TOEIC® preparation that can easily be combined with a communicative course, or used as self study.
John Letcher has been an ELT representative with Cambridge University Press since 2005 and has presented at numerous events and seminars in Japan and Taiwan.
Teaching listening to low level learners Room C
Hugh Graham-Marr, ABAX Press
Teaching listening effectively means teaching both phonology and knowledge of discourse. A working knowledge of the phonology of natural connected speech, elisions and liaisons, weak forms and reductions helps students with their 'bottom-up' decoding skills. Developing student knowledge of discourse, particularly of scripts (those discourses in English that tend to follow a set pattern) helps them with their 'top-down' predictive skills. The presenter will look at how both of these aspects of listening can be explicitly taught within a communicative framework.
Hugh Graham-Marr, M.T.E.S.P. is president of ABAX ltd. And is an instructor at Meiji University. He has been teaching, writing, and editing English learning materials for 20 years and has presented in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and throughout Japan.
E-mail: hugh@abax.co.jp
Hop, Step, Jump into Lesson Planning with 30 Ready Made Successful Lessons
Hop, Step, Jump、30個のレッスンプランで大成功の授業間違いなし
Kate Sato, RIC Publications Room K for Kids
Hop,Step and Jump into Englishは日本の小学生に向け特別に作られたシリーズです。
豊富な英語授業の経験がある方も、どんなクラスの形態であっても、本日、プレゼンターはあなたにとっておきのシンプルで簡単で楽しい、かつとっても新鮮なアクティビティをご紹介します。どんなクラスでも成功すること間違いなしです。このとってもわくわくするシリーズでは、授業のカリキュラムに沿って、忙しい先生たちのために30以上のすぐに使えるレッスンプランをご紹介しています。クラスの英語環境を整えるために有効なたくさんのサポート教材と共にご紹介します。
Hop, Step, Jump into a world of lessons especially for Japanese Elementary school children. Regardless of your teaching experience, and the types of classes you have, the presenter will show you simple, easy, fun, new activities that will make any class a success.This exciting series offers the busy teacher 30 ready made lessons to focus on for the school year. With lots of support material available you are on your way to making the classroom a highly, successful learning environment.
Kate has been teaching EFL since 1989. Her work in Japan covers a wide variety of teaching situations: from University, to infant’s classes. She founded her own school for children, here in Sapporo, six years ago. Apart from running her own school she also lecturers for the J-Shine (教育支援協会北海道) teacher training course. She is a mother of two Elementary school bi-lingual children. She is a guest presenter for RIC Publications- www.ricpublications.com
Late Afternoon Session 3:45 - 4:30
Special Symposium: Room A
What are “the fundamentals” of English language teaching in Japan?
Panelists: Aleda Krause, Ian Munby, B. Bricklin Zeff & David Barker
What are "the fundamentals" of English language teaching in Japan? Aleda Krause will begin with an overview of the "fundamentals" concerning language teaching to children. Next, Ian Munby will discuss the importance of vocabulary and how it is addressed in his research with university learners. After that, B. Bricklin Zeff will introduce the newest MEXT (MONBUSHO) guidelines concerning social pragmatic awareness starting in junior high school and how it applies to Second Language Acquisition. Finally, David Barker will discuss the importance of having a command of basic language with the use of scripted dialogs, drilling, and substitution of key sentence elements. The floor will then be opened up for the audience to make comments and ask questions of the panelists.
Bios:
Aleda Krause is a teacher and teacher trainer. Her students are all ages: preschool to senior citizens, including university students learning to be teachers of children. She is the author of SuperKids, a 6-level EFL series for elementary-school children, SuperTots, a 3-level EFL series for kindergarteners, and the Longman Children’s Picture Dictionary.
Ian Munby has been living and teaching in Japan since 1986, and at Hokkai Gakuen since 2004. He is currently doing a PhD with Swansea University (Wales) in second language vocabulary acquisition.
B. Bricklin Zeff is currently enrolled in a PhD program at Hokkaido University where he is doing research on teaching Social Pragmatics in high school and university classes. He holds a Master of Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University in Sydney Australia in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Pragmalinguistic and Sociopragmatic theory. He is currently teaching at Hokkai Gakuen University in Sapporo. E-mail: bbzeff@gmail.com
David Barker has been teaching English since 1992, and he has taught in England, Singapore, New Zealand, and Japan. He has published four Japanese language books for learners of English, which have now sold more than 100,000 copies. He has also written four textbooks designed specifically for Japanese high school and university students. He is currently working to complete his PhD on the role of unstructured learner interaction in the study of a foreign language. Email: info@btbpress.com
The Grand Finale 4:30 ~ 5:00
JALT Hokkaido General Meeting and prize drawing!