ELT Calendar

Sunday, November 20th, 2005

Nellie's ELT Workshop and Book Fair 2005 in Sendai
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Several speakers
Organization: Nellie's Group, Ltd.
Location: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
Short description: At the Nellie's Workshop and Book Fair 2005 in Sendai there will be displays from various well-known publishers, the latest in ELT materials and children's items available at a 15 per cent discount and a chance to take part in the many workshops being held by Japan's leading ELT professionals.

ETJ Chubu ELT Expo 2005
Time: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Speaker: Many speakers
Organization: ETJ Aichi (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Aichi City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: Following the success of last year's ETJ Expos, the third round of ETJ English language teaching Expos will be held in seven cities around Japan from October 2005 until December 2005.

Chubu ETJ Expo
Time: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Speaker: A variety of speakers
Organization: ETJ (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Aichi City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: Bringing All English Teachers together! The Chubu ETJ Expo is one of the major events of the year for English teachers in the Chubu region. There are presentations on teaching children, adults, junior/senior high school students, and much more.

Development of Classroom Teaching Skills
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Speaker: David Barker
Organization: Hamamatsu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Short description: To make sure teachers don't fall into bad teaching habits, this presentation will focus on how teachers can increase their awareness of what they actually do in the classroom.

What's In, What's Out in Current English? Update and Refresh Your English!
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Speaker: James Banner, Hilderstone College, UK
Organization: Ibaraki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Short description: This seminar will explore developments in idiomatic expression in 21 Century Britain. Areas covered will include the media, cult objects, fashion, icons and figures from popular culture.

ESOL Teaching in Mind (Tokyo) - With H.G. Widdowson
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: H. G. Widdowson
Organization: Oxford University Press
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: The purpose of the seminar is to give teachers an opportunity to explore and exchange ideas about English teaching, and to encourage teachers to think critically about what they do in their classrooms.

JALT National Conference Reports
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Christopher Mefford and Toyohashi JALT members
Organization: Toyohashi Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: Toyohashi JALT members who attended the 2005 National JALT conference in Shizuoka will report about what they saw and experienced there. We will have a chance to hear the latest from the world of ESL as presented at the conference.

Extensive Reading in the Junior High School: A Case of Trial and Error?
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Chris Lightfoot
Organization: Okinawa Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture
Short description: Chris Lightfoot will present and discuss the extensive reading model recently implemented at Kin Junior High School. This presentation will be of special interest to anyone teaching reading.

Christmas Songs, Songbooks, Games and Activities
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Workshop Leader: David Lisgo
Organization: ETJ Kagoshima (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Short description: The meeting will be in the form of a workshop, with at least one short presentation. Participants are encouraged to bring to the meeting Christmas activities, songs, books and ideas to share with other members.

Enhancing Fluency in Writing for Beginner-Level Learners: Utilizing Paper and Computer
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Atsushi Iino, Seisen Jogakuin College
Organization: Gunma Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
Short description: Atsushi Iino introduces instructional procedures for writing classes, covering topics from paragraph writing to compilation of year-end books of students' works.

VEN: Sustainable English teacher development in Southeast Asia
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Roger Pattimore
Organization: Yokohama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Short description: VEN stands for Volunteer Educational Network. The purpose of VEN is to set up sustainable English teacher development programs in economically disadvantaged regions of Southeast Asia.

Teaching Listening to Low Level Learners and Teaching the Strategies of Speaking
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Alastair Graham-Marr (Author Communication Spotlight)
Organization: Saitama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
Short description: Teaching Listening to Low Level Learners: the importance of script and of suprasegmental phonology. Teaching listening effectively means teaching both phonology and knowledge of discourse.

Pronunciation and Listening Techniques for Teachers of English
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: James Banner, Hilderstone College, UK
Organization: Ibaraki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Short description: The objectives of the seminar are: to provide a friendly and enjoyable review of the main elements that distinguish native speakers, to give teachers of English the opportunity to work and experiment with accents, voice and current usage, while picking up some useful pronunciation tips for the classroom, and to boost confidence and enthusiasm.

Creative Activities for Teachers: Finding Your Bounce, Fizz and Zoom Again
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Gabbrielli (Yasuda Women's University) and Ron Klein (Hiroshima Jogakuin University)
Organization: Hiroshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Short description: Lacking energy? Stressed out? This demonstration will show you how to tune into your innate creative flow, relax, have fun, laugh and be silly. The power of multi-sensory activities will be explained, and participants will have chances to share their ideas.

Two Presentations: Grammar Dictation; Rock Music
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Shirley Leane, Scott Gardner and Ian Nakamura
Organization: Okayama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Short description: In Grammar Dictation, Shirley Leane explains that grammar dictation is quite different from traditional dictation in that it is a type of information gap activity that requires the learners to interact with each other to complete the task.