Osaka JALT is pleased to co-sponsor a mini-conference on Effective Language Teaching: The Never-Ending Challenge, to be held on Saturday, July 21 (10 am - 5 pm) at the Kansai University of International Studies (KUIS) campus in Amagasaki.

Other co-sponsors are the LiLT SIG, the Kobe JALT Chapter, the Jr/Sr. High School SIG, Cengage Learning, Pearson Kirihara, Oxford Unversity Press , the Research Institute for Communication and the Department of English Education of Kansai University of International Studies.

Thanks to the sponsors, this event is free for everyone.

Call for Submissions deadline: Sunday, June 17, midnight 

 Check website here for criteria.

The theme is  “Effective Language Teaching: The Never-Ending Challenge.” 

The objectives are:
1. to identify the challenges language teachers face in the classroom,

2. to come up with ways to confront these challenges, and

3. to develop a network among high schools and universities to share information about language teaching.

The plenary speaker is Prof. Paul Hullah (Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo)

Former Miyazaki JALT Chapter President Paul Hullah (PhD, English Literature, Edinburgh University) is currently tenured faculty at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. A vocal campaigner for the use of literature in English teaching, he is co-founder of Liberlit, an organization for ‘Discussion and Defense of the Role of ‘Literary’ Texts in the English Curriculum’. He is himself a prolific author. He has written and edited volumes of literary criticism, EFL-based research articles and textbooks, journalism, and creative writing, and has presented regularly at conferences word-wide during the last two decades: Rock UK, a socio-cultural history of British rock music in textbook form, was published this year by Cengage Learning, and his fifth collection of poetry, Homing, was published in the UK in 2011 by Word Power Books.

Two versions of the poster for the Call for Papers for the one day conference at KUIS ("Effective Language Teaching: The Never-Ending Challenge") are now available:

• A color jpg
• A Greyscale PDF

Download them - print them - post them!

Show your support for this Osaka JALT co-sponsored event by spreading the word, or by submitting a proposal!

The aim of this international event is to enable language educators and researchers from across Asia to share ideas and discuss various aspects relating to the theory and/or practice of task-based learning and teaching in Asia.

Fee for one-day members: 

2500 yen (3500 yen for non-JALT members)

http://tblsig.org/conference

 

The JALT TBL SIG'S 'TBL in Asia' conference schedule can now be found here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5009791/TBL%20in%20Asia%20Schedule.pdf

And the full handbook can be found here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5009791/TBL%20in%20Asia%20Handbook.pdf

DATE: April 26-28, 2012
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Ramada Osaka (Umeda)
FEE: ¥50,000

The International Academic Forum in conjunction with its global partners is proud to announce the Second Asian Conference on Language Learning, to be held from April 26-28 2012, at the Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

The aim of this International Conference is to encourage academics, scholars and practitioners representing a exciting diversity of countries, cultures, and religion to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum encouraging respectful dialogue. By bringing together a number of university scholars working throughout Japan, Asia, and beyond to share ideas, ACLL/ACTC 2012 will afford the opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, and networking across higher education and beyond.

For more information please see http://www.acll.iafor.org/ and http://www.actc.iafor.org/

Back to School is our annual spring one-day mini-conference which aims to share ideas on a wide range of topics to help everyone start the new school year on a positive note.

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Check out this 30 sec. video summary of last year's event:
http://animoto.com/play/MokPSMN6xdHUvQv5pBrVvw
~~~~~~~~~~~

With long and short presentations, poster sessions, and plenty of time to socialize (especially at the dinner party afterwards at a nearby restaurant) there is sure to be something for everyone. See our conference homepage here.

Date: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Osaka Gakuin University, Building No. 2 (See map here.)
Fee: ¥1000 JALT Members & Full-time Students; ¥2000 One-day members

This year's presentations include: 

Schedule posted online here, and presentation descriptions are online here.

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 help those who so greatly need it and appreciate it in Tohoku!

Two presentations by Andy Boon, a Featured Speaker at JALT 2011 (followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant):

1. Here we are now, Motivate us

You walk into the classroom. The students are at the back chatting with friends, sitting in silence, checking their phones, or resting their heads on the desks. Then, suddenly, the bell sounds. It is the start of the class. How do we as teachers change the classroom dynamic to one where learning can take place for all concerned? How do we create an environment and experience that will spark our students' natural curiosity and eagerness to develop? Once in action, how can we help nurture and sustain their interest throughout the lesson when learner motivation is constantly at threat. This presentation will provide an overview of Dörnyei's motivational teaching practice model (2001), describe its practical application in the L2 classroom, and explore strategies for generating, maintaining and protecting student motivation. The audience will be invited to share their own experiences of and suggestions for stimulating teen spirit.

2. Negotiated syllabuses: Do you want to?

It has been said that negotiated syllabuses can increase student motivation and involvement in the learning process. And yet, learner and teacher reservations towards gaining or relinquishing control of syllabus design decisions can often mean that negotiated syllabuses are difficult to implement. This presentation will look at three different teaching contexts in which negotiated syllabuses (or certain elements of negotiation) have been implemented (business courses, extension center courses, and university courses). It will describe the results of a qualitative research study into whether teachers and students really want to negotiate syllabuses. Finally, the audience will be invited to share their own experiences by answering the questions; have you and do you want to?

Andrew Boon is an associate professor in the faculty of humanities at Toyo Gakuen University. He has been teaching in Japan for over 14 years and is an Aston University PhD student. He has been an active member of JALT since 2004, has presented at numerous conferences, and has published several articles on teacher development, motivation, and methodology. At the time of writing, he is currently working on a new coursebook, Discover the News with David Harrington (Language Solutions, 2011).

Back to School 2012

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

Please use this form to submit for presenting at Osaka JALT Back to School 2012:
http://bts.osakajalt.org/home/call-for-presentations

DEADLINE: March 21, 9PM

~~~~~~~~~~
Check out this 30 sec. video summary of last year's event:
http://animoto.com/play/MokPSMN6xdHUvQv5pBrVvw
~~~~~~~~~~~

Back to School is one of our annual one-day mini-conferences which aims to share ideas on a wide range of topics to help everyone start the new school year on a positive note. With long and short presentation slots, poster sessions, and plenty of time to socialize, especially at the dinner party afterwards at a nearby restaurant, there is sure to be something for everyone.

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.

Date: Sunday, April 22, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Osaka Gakuin University, Building No. 2
Admission: TBA

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!

Sunday, 12 February 2012, 2:00 - 4:30pm

Film Showing:

The Grandpa from Brazil

The film "The Grandpa from Brazil" documents the life of Mr. Kenichi Konno, who emigrated to Brazil at the age of 19 in 1931.

Konno went abroad in search of a decent job, and he vowed to return after achieving success. He worked very hard for decades, and 60 years after leaving Japan he began making annual trips back to Japan staying for a month at a time in order to check on Japanese-Brazilians who had emigrated in the opposite direction. Konno had been very concerned about the many difficulties that these Japanese-Brazilians face in Japan. He made these trips over a period of 15 years, and he helped many people in the process.

This 60-minute film follows this extraordinary yet ordinary man as he retraces his journey through the streets of Tokyo and Kansai, recounting his life in Brazil, and discovering more about the actual situation of Japanese Brazilians. This heartfelt documentary explores issues of migration, ethnicity, family, and global citizenship.

After the film there will be time to meet and ask questions to the filmmaker, Nanako Kurihara. English subtitles will be provided.

Nanako Kurihara is a graduate of Waseda University and an award-winning Japanese producer/director. Her first film made in 1993, was “Ripples of Change” (also titled “Looking for Fumiko”) which is about the Japanese women’s movement in the 1970s. It has been shown internationally and has been broadcast in the United States and Australia. Kurihara holds a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University.

This event is co-sponsored by SIETAR Kansai. (SIETAR =The Society for Intercultural Education, Training, And Research)

For more details about Mr. Konno, please see this 2008 article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20081022f2.html

1:20 - 2:05 Stuart McLean - From TESOL program to the classroom: Practical tips for teachers
Mclean will explain the developments in flash-card vocabulary learning sites and the advantages and disadvantages of using them with students. He'll then demonstrate the use of student assessment cards to motivate and efficiently monitor in-class activities, will discuss the benefits of monitoring students’ Extensive Reading progress, and will introduce a range of recommended teaching materials. Finally, participants will share their own practical teaching ideas, time permitting.
Stuart McLean teaches at Momoyama University and is one of this year's JALT Research Grant recipients.

2:10 - 2:50 Gábor Pintér - Limitations of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training Systems
While intelligible speech is a cornerstone of foreign language proficiency, pronunciation exercises are somewhat peripheral activities in both traditional and computer mediated teaching environments. Pinter will enumerate some of the most important technological, human and business factors that have hindered wider use of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training systems in language education, and will point out that an application framework that approximates the modular structure of general learning management systems, such as Moodle, could lead to great advancements in pronunciation training. An ongoing project will be introduced that puts this idea into action by offering a simple but extendable speech exchange and evaluation service over the web.

Gábor Pintér hales from Hungary and is an associate professor in the School of Languages and Communication at Kobe University. After obtaining his PhD in linguistics he worked for a speech recognition company conducting research and development mostly in projects related to English language education. Since returning to academics he has been researching innovative methods and developing software applications in order to bring achievements of speech sciences and linguistic research to language education.

3:00 - 4:10  Greg Sholdt - Collaborative Research as an Approach to Professional Development for Language Teachers

Making the transition from teacher to teacher-researcher can result in a range of classroom and career benefits; however, getting started in classroom-based research can be a bewildering endeavor when undertaken alone. In this presentation, Sholdt will introduce a unique project that aims to provide an opportunity for language teachers to independently replicate a quantitative research study on writing fluency in their own classrooms and do so concurrently with a team of other teacher-researchers connected through an online discussion forum and resource center built with the popular Moodle platform. Teachers who join the project will discuss issues, raise questions, and share ideas about the research process while making use of online resources and receiving guidance throughout the process. The goals for the teachers include developing skills and knowledge in fundamentals of quantitative research, connecting with a community of EFL teacher researchers, producing a manuscript with potential for publication, and gaining experience with Moodle. Sholdt will provide an overview of the project, describe and show the structure and function of the Moodle site, and explain potential benefits and applications for this approach to professional development. The project will begin in January 2012 with data collection taking place in the Spring 2012 semester. Interested teachers will have the opportunity to ask questions and sign up after the presentation.
Gregory Sholdt teaches in the School of Languages and Communication at Kobe University. Based on his graduate studies and teaching of introductory statistics courses at the University of Hawaii, he has been exploring innovative approaches to professional development through classroom-based research. He has developed and offered a number of professional development activities for language teachers including workshops and presentations, an online research methods course, and a Moodle-based collaborative research project. Sholdt was a Featured Speaker at JALT 2011 (co-sponsored by Osaka JALT, Nara JALT, and MASH) and currently serves as the Consulting Editor for the JALT Journal.

4:20 - 4:45  Laura Markslag - Online Exchange with Dubai: Motivating EFL learners through culture and authentic English

Engaging students in the use of authentic English can be a difficult task within the constraints of an EFL classroom. In this presentation, Markslag will describe a successful online cultural exchange program designed to promote cultural awareness and understanding in a global environment - while using authentic English - that took place between mixed level Japanese students from Osaka Gakuin University and first year students from Dubai Women’s College from October to December 2011. Markslag will discuss the rationale behind the program, the technical requirements, the steps required to set up and run the program, student reactions, and the overall outcome.

Laura Markslag holds an M.S.Ed from Temple University and is an EFL lecturer at Osaka Gakuin University. She is interested in vocabulary acquisition and assessment, multilingualism, and the development of motivating classroom materials. She has served on Osaka JALT's Executive Board since 2009.