ELT Calendar
Saturday, May 19th, 2012
Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities
Time:
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Plenary Speakers David Carless and Michael Thomas, two days of presentations and workshops
Organization: Task Based Learning Special Interest Group, Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Short description: JALT's Task-Based Learning SIG, in association with the University of Central Lancashire, UK, and Osaka Shoin Women's University, Japan, is proud to sponsor the "Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities" conference, to be held May 19th and 20th, 2012, at Osaka Shoin Women's University, Osaka, Japan.
Teaching phonics
Time:
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Speaker: David Paul
Organization: Language Teaching Professionals
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: What is the role of phonics and how can we teach phonemic awareness? This session will also contrast phonics with other approaches to teaching reading and writing and look at the role of each approach.
Spreading the Good Word: Introducing the Vocabulary SIG
Time:
10:30 AM - 5:15 PM
Speaker: Charles Browne, Rory Rosszell, Jeffrey Stewart, Charles J. Anderson, and Rob Waring.
Organization: West Tokyo Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kokubunji City, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: JALT's West Tokyo Chapter, the JALT Vocabulary SIG and Oxford University Press are pleased to present an interesting series of presentations by a diverse range of speakers, all of whom represent excellence in the field of vocabulary education for EFL learners in Japan.
Testing Interactional Speaking: A Workshop
Time:
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Alun Roger (Sojo University)
Organization: Nagasaki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Short description: This presentation provides an overview of a group speaking test that targets interactional language. The function of interactional dialogues is to establish and maintain social bonds between interlocutors while completing a task or exchanging information.
Phonics activities
Time:
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: David Paul
Organization: Language Teaching Professionals
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: Teachers will practice a range of activities for teaching phonics. This will include the creation of new activities by teachers.
Pathways to the world
Time:
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Rika Kojima
Organization: Okinawa Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nishihara City, Okinawa Prefecture
Short description: In the past twenty years, Academic English classes have shifted their focus more towards communicative learning. This often means standard ESL methodology with a focus on academic vocabulary.
New Ideas from New Language Educators
Time:
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Sachiko Iwamoto, Tsukasa Nakamura, Rikako Nakanishi, Mika Yunoki
Organization: Okayama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Short description: Four recent graduates of the Okayama University Graduate School of Education will discuss their research on how to improve English language education in Japan.
A Taste of Teacher Development
Time:
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Speaker: Steven Herder
Organization: Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Short description: For all of us, professional development (PD) means improving as a teacher and learner. You can choose to do it alone by self-study or you can do it through collaboration and shared experiences in a community of like-minded professionals.
Moodle: Has your school got it? Do they want you to use it? What can you do with it?
Time:
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Speaker: Anne-Marie Tanahashi (Poole Gakuin University, Osaka)
Organization: Fukuoka Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Short description: In this presentation, Anne-Marie Tanahashi will talk about the Moodle site she uses and why she likes it. The audience will have a chance to see:.
The SHARP-Do and Book Buddies projects: Two stories of grant-funded work by foreign language teachers
Time:
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Marcus Springer, Chris Tebbe
Organization: Hamamatsu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Short description: This presentation, will explore 2 Suruga Grant funded projects initiated by foreign language teachers. The first project, the Shizuoka Action Research and Professional Development Organization (SHARP-D?), was a research-based organization for foreign and Japanese teachers in Shizuoka.
Empowering Young Readers with the Brain in Mind
Time:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Mari Nakamura
Organization: Gifu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture
Short description: Promoting young learners' reading skills is one of the biggest challenges among EFL teachers of young learners. Will there be any ways to accelerate their literacy development when we see them only once a week? What does current research in brain science inform us about effective approaches in literacy education? In this practical session, the presenter will demonstrate some fun, dynamic and brain-friendly literacy activities using illustrated stories and graded readers.