The Saitama JALT My Share is an excellent opportunity to come out and share your ideas! My Share presentations are up to 15 minutes long and are on any topic related to language teaching.
Presenters and abstracts for the upcoming My Share on December 14th:
1) Sanae Oda-Sheehan - Self-talk: Use yourself as a resource to improve speaking
How often do we hear students say, “I can’t practice speaking English because I have no one to talk to”? If no one is around, why not talk to yourself? The self-talk technique can be a powerful tool to practice speaking, using yourself as a resource and taking ownership of your own learning. This presentation offers several techniques for self-talk and reports how learners explored the new approaches.
2.) Michael Sorey - Warm up activities using pictures
"How was your weekend?" is a common and often perfunctory way to start a class. The presenter will demonstrate a couple of warm up activities using student generated pictures and graphics that prompt learners to use more language and inject more interest into what is often a routine activity.
3) Rory Banwell - Developing a positive EFL classroom environment in Japan
Both Japanese students and foreign EFL teachers have spent years in differing educational contexts. They have different expectations for classroom norms. There are discrepancies in such things as sense of appropriateness of behavior, displaying emotion, and uses of silence. Successful classrooms are built when participants understand and adjust to each other. How can EFL teachers promote a positive language learning environment? The teacher has an important role. Teachers who attend this short workshop will walk away with concrete ideas, based in both research and experience, of how to promote a positive learning atmosphere as a foreign EFL teacher in a Japanese classroom.
4) Adam Shaw - The crucial first day
First impressions are everything. This is especially true for teachers in the classroom. Studies have shown that the judgements students make about their instructor in the first lesson set the tone for learning for the rest of the year. This presentation will introduce some suggestions for running a first lesson that will contribute to a successful year of teaching and learning. Participants will learn a few simple ways to build student-teacher rapport, increase learner motivation, and create a community of learning in the classroom.
5) Frankie Lafferty - Using "Kamishibai" in lessons
Elementary school students in Japan are taught using various uniquely Japanese techniques. One of these is "Kami Shibai," or using large picture cards to collaboratively narrate a story with the audience. In this presentation, a technique for teaching basic English patterns using "Kami Shibai" will be introduced.
6) Kathryn Sommerlot & Robert Rowland - Literature circles: Critical thinking in high school reading
This short presentation will look at the benefits and rationale behind modifying an intensive reading course to include a literature circle, discussion-based component. It will include an introduction of materials and concepts currently used in a private SHS in Tokyo.
English literature classes can be very hard for non-natives speakers. One of the reasons why authentic material is so important when teaching language is the culture that is offered within, though these texts are often inaccessible at low-level English proficiency.
The goal for the project was to help a first-grade Japanese high school class through an English novel while giving them the tools necessary to do so easily, by having them build on vocabulary and ideas so that they are free to feel secure in their own interpretations of the text. Scaffolding, as illustrated here, can help non-native English learners to grasp the meaning behind the text better and to continuously build on their own ideas and reactions to the piece being used.
7) Mamiko Hirano- Enhancing language learning and student engagement
This presentation is to share the results of the presenter’s research about effective instructional strategies and student engagement in foreign language class. The research was conducted in the United States through employing a survey for foreign language teachers, class observations, and interviews. It will be intriguing for the audience to know the voices of the foreign language teachers from different backgrounds.
Access maps and info here:
http://saitamajalt.weebly.com/access.html
Presenters and abstracts for the upcoming My Share on December 14th:
1) Sanae Oda-Sheehan - Self-talk: Use yourself as a resource to improve speaking
How often do we hear students say, “I can’t practice speaking English because I have no one to talk to”? If no one is around, why not talk to yourself? The self-talk technique can be a powerful tool to practice speaking, using yourself as a resource and taking ownership of your own learning. This presentation offers several techniques for self-talk and reports how learners explored the new approaches.
2.) Michael Sorey - Warm up activities using pictures
"How was your weekend?" is a common and often perfunctory way to start a class. The presenter will demonstrate a couple of warm up activities using student generated pictures and graphics that prompt learners to use more language and inject more interest into what is often a routine activity.
3) Rory Banwell - Developing a positive EFL classroom environment in Japan
Both Japanese students and foreign EFL teachers have spent years in differing educational contexts. They have different expectations for classroom norms. There are discrepancies in such things as sense of appropriateness of behavior, displaying emotion, and uses of silence. Successful classrooms are built when participants understand and adjust to each other. How can EFL teachers promote a positive language learning environment? The teacher has an important role. Teachers who attend this short workshop will walk away with concrete ideas, based in both research and experience, of how to promote a positive learning atmosphere as a foreign EFL teacher in a Japanese classroom.
4) Adam Shaw - The crucial first day
First impressions are everything. This is especially true for teachers in the classroom. Studies have shown that the judgements students make about their instructor in the first lesson set the tone for learning for the rest of the year. This presentation will introduce some suggestions for running a first lesson that will contribute to a successful year of teaching and learning. Participants will learn a few simple ways to build student-teacher rapport, increase learner motivation, and create a community of learning in the classroom.
5) Frankie Lafferty - Using "Kamishibai" in lessons
Elementary school students in Japan are taught using various uniquely Japanese techniques. One of these is "Kami Shibai," or using large picture cards to collaboratively narrate a story with the audience. In this presentation, a technique for teaching basic English patterns using "Kami Shibai" will be introduced.
6) Kathryn Sommerlot & Robert Rowland - Literature circles: Critical thinking in high school reading
This short presentation will look at the benefits and rationale behind modifying an intensive reading course to include a literature circle, discussion-based component. It will include an introduction of materials and concepts currently used in a private SHS in Tokyo.
English literature classes can be very hard for non-natives speakers. One of the reasons why authentic material is so important when teaching language is the culture that is offered within, though these texts are often inaccessible at low-level English proficiency.
The goal for the project was to help a first-grade Japanese high school class through an English novel while giving them the tools necessary to do so easily, by having them build on vocabulary and ideas so that they are free to feel secure in their own interpretations of the text. Scaffolding, as illustrated here, can help non-native English learners to grasp the meaning behind the text better and to continuously build on their own ideas and reactions to the piece being used.
7) Mamiko Hirano- Enhancing language learning and student engagement
This presentation is to share the results of the presenter’s research about effective instructional strategies and student engagement in foreign language class. The research was conducted in the United States through employing a survey for foreign language teachers, class observations, and interviews. It will be intriguing for the audience to know the voices of the foreign language teachers from different backgrounds.
Access maps and info here:
http://saitamajalt.weebly.com/access.html
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