All Categories - Saitama JALT

Upcoming Events

1/23/2100

The future is bright and the following is what we have on the drawing board:
Professional Development Clinics
Remote Teaching Roundtable
AJET Support Clinic

Would you like to see something more? Well, let's make it happen!
Contact our Program Chair here

7/1 - Rab Paterson and guests,"EdTech Online Workshop: Remote Teaching"

7/1/2020

How to Leverage Digital Pedagogy for Successful Online Classes

This is the Zoom Link.
https://zoom.us/j/96163627949?pwd=Vi9QL2hjY3dJVXVlTndzUERlaE44dz09

This online workshop presentation covers a range of current best practices in digital pedagogy, with practical examples drawn from the Blog Journaling, Flipped Learning, Just in Time Teaching, and Project / Challenge Based Learning pedagogical approaches to learning. These approaches will all be demonstrated by examples from the presenter's own classes which show how a range of apps
can be combined in an 'App Smashing' way to enable them to be educationally more than the sum of their parts. However, this session will not just be a typical 'how to use these apps' type workshop. The benefits to students in terms of their improved mind-brain learning as a rationale behind the adoption of these apps will also be covered, as will the motivational benefits for students that appropriately created challenge / project based learning brings. Everything will be demonstrated in an easy to understand way, even for teachers new to educational technology, so the session is suitable for a wide range of educators. After the initial overview and case study demonstration of these theories and apps, the session will then continue with short talks from four of Rab’s students (Arisa Tsuji, Toko Hata, Minori Hirai, and Tomoko Motohashi) from TGUISS, a high school where he teaches part time. They will give a short talk on their experiences about learning in this type of system and how this method easily adapted to the COVID 19 school closures. The workshop will then have a short breakout room time and end with a more traditional
free flowing discussion / Q and A session, although attendees are free to ask pertinent questions throughout the session. So please join us for an interesting educational evening!

12/22: Allison Nemoto presents "Examining Pupils' Images of English, Before and After Short Storytelling Sessions, in a Japanese Primary School", Saitama JALT AGM, and Bounenkai

11/28/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, December 22nd from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

Saitama JALT is thrilled to welcome Allison Nemoto all the way from Miyagi prefecture for our December event! This event should be especially interesting to those who have taught or are teaching young learners. Below you will find the complete abstract for the presentation in both English and Japanese, as well as a bio of the presenter.

Examining Pupils’ Images of English, Before and After Short Storytelling Sessions, in a Japanese Primary School

Humans have been motivated and inspired by stories since the beginning of civilization itself and can be found in even the most primitive cultures. Regarding literacy skills for native speakers, it is said that; “The more you read, the better you get at it; the better you get at it, the more you like it; and the more you like it, the more you do it, (Trelease, 20013, p.4). Children naturally search for meaning in the pictures, words and sounds presented in picture books, and easily pick up language used repeatedly, so reading picture books aloud could be considered an ideal introduction to foreign languages for young children. In this study, pupils’ preconceived image of English as a subject was compared before and after a series of ten short storytelling sessions. Findings from the completed questionnaires indicate that this narrative based approach of reading picture books out loud and watching university students acting out original plays, were considered enjoyable and easy to understand by the pupils and had the added effect of enhancing the majority of the pupils’ image of English as a subject, in a positive way.

根本アリソン
子どもたちの英語に対するイメージ　ー日本の小学校で行なった短編ストーリーテリングの前後

人間は文明の始まり以来、「ストーリー」（物語）によってやる気をだしたり、刺激を受けたりしてきた。そしてストーリーは最も原始的な文化でも発見されている。ネイティブスピーカーのリテラシースキルは「読むほど、上達する。上達するほど、好きになる。好きになるほど、もっと読むようになる」（Trelease、20013、p.4）と言われている。一般的に子どもたちはごく自然に絵本に書かれた絵や言葉や音の意味を捜し出し、繰り返し使用される言葉を覚えるため、年齢の低い子どもにとって絵本を音読することは理想的な外国語の導入と考えることができる。この研究では、英語の先験的なイメージを、10回の短編ストーリーセッションの前後で比較した。アンケート結果、絵本の読み聞かせと大学生によるおはなしの劇を見るというアプローチが、小学生にとって楽しく理解しやすいものであり、授業科目としての英語に対する生徒の持つイメージに肯定的な影響があったと分かった。

Bio - Alison is from the UK and trained as a primary school teacher, before coming to Japan on the JET programme in 1989. She holds an MA in Teaching English to Young Learners and has over 20 years of experience teaching in kindergartens, primary schools and junior high schools in the coastal area of Fukushima and worked as the only native teacher in Minami Soma City, Fukushima, directly after the earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear disaster of 2011. She is a Specially Appointed Professor at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai and has worked there full-time for 7 years. She has used stories with her students in all educational contexts.

Prior to the presentation, Saitama JALT will hold its Annual General Meeting where officers will give their reports and elections will be held for Saitama JALT's Executive Board for 2020. We encourage all members to attend and also to try to get further involved in Saitama JALT by running for a poston or volunteering to shadow and officer in order to run for that poston next year.

Following the presentation, we will have our annual year-end party (忘年会), so please make plans to join us if you are able. We will be making reservations at a nearby establishment, so it would be nice to have a great turnout for both Allison and for the party! We look forward to closing out the year with you next month!

09/08: Diagram Methods for Science News Reading

8/25/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, September 8th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Musashi Urawa Community Center, just a few minutes walk from Musashi Urawa Station (west exit). Please note that this is NOT the usual location where most of our events are held.

We are thrilled to have Hiromi Oda for our September event on how using diagrams with science news articles can both help to increase student understanding of the reading while also allowing teachers to quickly assess the level of that understanding as well. Below you will find the full abstract for the presentation:

Diagram Methods for Science News Reading

In the fields of Chemistry or Electrical Engineering, diagrams are the only method to express abstract and complex relationships among atoms and molecules or electrical components. Visual representations allow us to capture multiple objects and their spacial or logical relationships at a glance. Also, English textbooks for reading often use some form of diagrams to explain the logical relations such as contrast or cause-and-effect.

The method — tentatively dubbed as the Diagram Method — introduced in this session is an attempt to use diagrams for extended texts. It has been used in science news reading classes at a couple of universities for the past several years.

Science news articles often have a common structure, including the lead, background, new research, discussion and outside comment sections. Using a template for the overall structure, students use different types of boxes, arrows, and connection lines to summarize the whole article on an A3 or B4 sheet, adding annotations in English.

Students are urged to differentiate the foreground from the background, and to put the logical "flow of the story" in the foreground, highlighting the new findings and relevant methods and background facts in the new research.

A few paragraphs will be discussed first to show the effectiveness of diagrams. Then, together with participants, a couple of sample science news articles will be discussed and summarized using the Diagram Method.

The discussion will then move to how this method helps students to have a clear understanding of the logical structures of scientific texts, and also allow teachers to check student summaries at a glance.

If you have the time, please make plans to join us for some drinks and refreshments following the presentation.

07/14: Gunma JALT / Saitama JALT MyShare (in Saitama)

7/8/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, July 14th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Sakuragi Kouminkan, just a few minutes walk from Omiya Station (West exit). Please note that this is NOT the usual location where most of our events are held.

We are very excited to start off our collaboration with our neighbor to the north, Gunma JALT, for the Saitama portion of a MyShare event that will be held both this month and next and see members from both chapters present at both locations. For those that don't know, MyShare events are an assortment of short, 25-minutes-or-less presentations from presenters that either do not have a lot of experience presenting and want to get some while getting feedback from an audience, have something that they are working on that is not quite ready for a long-format presentation, or simply have something amazing to share that can be done within the shorter timeframe. Below you will find the abstracts for the presentations coming from members of both Gunma and Saitama for this event:

Azalia Zaharuddin presents "The Effects of Translation Use on Advanced Student Attitudes"

Although recent studies have shown that translation use can be beneficial to students in second and foreign language classrooms, its implementation has often been hindered due to the negative attitudes associated with the grammar-translation method. This paper argues that students' attitudes towards translation use will be more positive when they are exposed to a translation-inclusive classroom compared to one where students receive instruction only in the target language. Semi-structured interviews conducted with learners of Japanese as second language after taking a translation-inclusive class reveal that they have more positive views towards translation use so long as the teacher is fluent in both languages (English as a shared language and Japanese) and ensures that it is not overused.

Daniel Hooper presents "Trading off, not trading up: Perspectives on ELT in eikaiwa and university"

Within Japanese ELT, private conversation (eikaiwa) schools are commonly viewed as the bottom rung of the professional ladder. In contrast to eikaiwa’s marginalized position, language teaching in university is regarded as the pinnacle of the field’s professional hierarchy (Nagatomo, 2016). In this presentation I will focus on firsthand perspectives of teachers who have transitioned between these two teaching environments and analyze perspectives on each context’s pedagogical constraints and benefits. Teachers revealed that eikaiwa teaching provided them with experiences that contributed to their pedagogical skillset and evolving teacher beliefs. On the other hand, university teaching afforded enhanced professional identity due to factors such as increased teacher autonomy and authority in the classroom. In this presentation, I hope to promote a more nuanced view of different teaching contexts in Japan that recognizes diverse affordances and constraints rather than subscribing to a linear, hierarchical view of certain ELT settings.

Heather McCulloch presents "Inferences in ESL Contexts"

Inferences are bits of knowledge that are shared or assumed among groups of people. In some cases, they can be understood as creating an “educated guess,” based on a particular situation. By using inferences, we can get students to think about English language structure in a contextual format, which can help to facilitate linguistic progress and proficiency. This presentation seeks to showcase to educators some effective tips and tricks that can be used to get students thinking about language independently.

Isobel Hook presents "Raising Children in Bilingual Environments"

Much of a student’s linguistic exposure occurs prior to students entering formal educational, and language relationships are greatly influenced by what, how, when and with whom each language is used within the home. To better understand children’s linguistic identities, parents of young children living in bilingual households have been surveyed to explore their usage of different languages with and around their child. Regard is also given to the parents’ relationships to languages, as this can be seen to greatly differ how, in turn, their children will respond in later years. Reflection on parents’ personal experiences and their hopes for future bilingualism in their children provides insight into the current realities for young families in a globalising world. While much has been written on the globalisation of English and the ways in which English fluency may provide educational and professional opportunities, equal importance has also been given to the non-English influences on the children, in this case Japanese and Korean. Some families note abilities in other languages, such as Mandarin and Spanish, however this study focuses on the primary and secondary languages of each parent and how they overlap, are utilised by parents, and are adopted by children.

John Larson presents "How Do We Assess Communication?"

Assessment should ideally be objective and reflect the abilities of the individual without outside influence. Communication is necessarily a two-way process that involves at the minimum a producer and a receiver. How do we square this circle?

First, participants will be asked to reflect on the ways they assess communication, and if these are both fair and accurate. After sharing their ideas in groups, Saitama and Gunma members will discuss their experiences and methods to arrive at a consensus on best communication assessment practices.

As always, we would love for people to join us after these fantastic presentations from some drinks and refreshments at a local establishment nearby the venue. Please make time to join us if you are able!

06/16: Jason Demsteader and Kayvon Havaei-Ahary present "Tech It from Us!"

5/27/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, June 16th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

We are very happy to have a presentation by Mr. Jason Demsteader and Kayvon Havaei-Ahary about how educators who are not entirely tech-savvy can survive in a teaching context where suddenly they are expected to use technology. Please find the full abstract for the presentation below:

Tech It from Us!

You don’t need tech in the classroom. What’s the problem? You’ve been motivating students for years. Chalk and talk, that’s all you need. Until you’re suddenly forced to work with a bunch of iPads, that is. Now what?

This happened to the presenters and it could happen to you, so come and future-proof yourself. Discover how choosing the right strategy can better prepare you for life with tech in the classroom. The presenters will share their experiences of getting started with Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) and explain how they adopted an approach based on UX design.

As always, we will be joining the presenters for some drinks and refreshments at a local establishment afterwards, so please feel free to join us if you have time after the event!

04/21: Mrs. Miori Shimada and Mr. Henry Foster present "Exploring Learner Psychology Through Narrative Inquiry"

4/14/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, April 21st from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

For our April event, we are excited to have a presentation by Mr. Henry Foster and Saitama JALT's own Program Chair, Miori Shimada. Please find the full abstract for the presentation below:

Exploring Learner Psychology through Narrative Inquiry

This presentation and workshop will introduce a double case study conducted as part of a doctoral degree program this year by the presenters. The two participants were asked to write language learning histories and then were interviewed in semi-structured interviews which were transcribed and analyzed in an attempt to explore certain aspects of their L2 learner psychology.

Specifically, the presenters looked at the influence on the participants’ language learning experiences of individual difference factors such as fluctuations in motivation and possible selves over time, anxiety, and the influence of key persons and study abroad experiences.

The researchers will describe the process by which data was collected and analyzed and discuss the results, as well as the challenges and rewards involved in working with self-reported narrative data. Ideas and tips for collecting such data will be introduced, such as elicitation prompts for language learning histories, drawing motivational timelines, and a language-learning anxiety questionnaire. Attendees will be given the opportunity to try these instruments out for themselves, as well as to share other ideas or experiences they have in working with narrative inquiry.

As always, we will be joining the presenters for some drinks and refreshments at a local establishment afterwards, so please feel free to join us if you have time after the event!

03/17: Ken Fujioka presents "A Japanese American Studies Seminar

2/10/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, March 17th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

For March, we are excited to have a seminar on a topic that many of our members may only have minimal knowledge on: Japanese American Studies. Please find the full abstract for the presentation below:

Japanese American Studies Seminar

The presentation will be divided into three segments. The speaker will first explain how his personal roots spurred him to develop self-awareness activities and other content for his students in the Japanese American Studies Seminar. The presenter will then demonstrate how content materials were introduced, some of which have been implemented in the university course. The final segment of the presentation will be collaborative in nature with group members discussing and exploring ways to incorporate lesson plans in their classes. Samples from his collection of materials will be provided.

As always, if you have time after the presentation, please plan to join us for some food and drinks at one of the local establishments nearby!

02/17: Gregory Price and Marcus Sakellarios present "Treatment of Foreign Words in Japanese EFL Studies" and "Social Awareness and Content-Based Curriculum"

2/10/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, February 17th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

We are pleased to have an exciting pair of presenters joining us this month to present on two topics that are very relevant within EFL education in Japan. Please find the full abstracts for both presentations below:

Treatment of Foreign Words in Japanese EFL Studies

This presentation will discuss the ways which negative language transfer can result from non-English loanwords in the Japanese language. The presenters will discuss an experiment which was conducted based on the hypothesis that some L1 interference may result from the use of katakana for such borrowed words. The results of the experiment and follow-up study will be examined at length. The presentation will include a discussion on how the history of Japanese loanwords have shaped the Japanese language and the perceptions of foreign languages in general.

During the presentation, a discussion will be had with the attendees regarding the notion that students may not be able to discern English loanwords from the non-English variety. Furthermore, groups will be expected to examine and talk about their own experiences in the Japanese education system.

Social Awareness and Content-Based Curriculum

This discussion focuses on using an English communication classroom environment with the dual purpose of conversation practice and creating interest in civic responsibility among Japanese university students. Students were given questionnaires about their interest in politics, government, economics, energy, and law. Many students admitted to having little interest, often because their understanding of the topics was limited.

The background for this talk and the workshop that presenters want to engage in with the attendees is based on a plan used in university classrooms that focused on current events in Japan and the world. The skills involved include reading, research, writing, speaking, and asking questions based on listening. The presenters will explain and model some of the methods used for the lessons and discuss their experiences with these techniques.

There are ethical concerns when dealing with political topics in any class. During the workshop, the presenters will discuss some of these and both elicit as well as provide advice for teachers who may wish to engage in this type of class work.

As always, we will stop off for some food and refreshments following the presentations, so please make time to join us if you can!

01/27: Brad Semans presents "Establishment of a Public Article 1 International Secondary School" and New Year Party (新年会)

1/11/2019

This event will be held on Sunday, January 27th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

On behalf of Saitama JALT, a very Happy New Year to everyone! We are pleased to be starting our 2019 presentation program off with a very unique session from Brad Semans on the process of establishing a public international school. Please find the full abstract for his presentation below. The presentation will be proceeded by an opening MyShare presentation by Saitama JALT's own Matt Shannon.

Establishment of a Public Article 1 International Secondary School

In April of 2019, Saitama Municipal Omiya International Secondary School will open its doors to the first cohort of 160 students. This session will be divided into three parts. In part one, the presenter will explore the nature and logistics of establishing a school. This part of the session will give attendees an exceedingly rare look into the process of establishing a public school. In part two, the presenter will describe the process of school establishment from the perspective of faculty. In this part of the session, attendees will be able to reflect on work culture in Japanese public schools and the nature of school change in relation to professional development. In part three of the session, the presenter will present detailed contents of the school’s make up. This will include specific educational and administrative practices that serve to make the school’s effective operation possible.

国際公立学校の設立

2019年4月、さいたま市立大宮国際中等教育学校は160名の生徒の第１期生へ門を開きます。このセッションは3つの部分に分かれています。第1部では、発表者は学校を設立する際の性質と物流を深まります。この部分では、公立学校を設立する過程に出席者に非常にまれな見方が与えられます。第2部では、発表者が教職員の視点から学校設立のプロセスを説明します。ここでは、参加者は、日本の公立学校の職場文化や教員の指導力向上に関連した学校の変化の性質を反映することができます。第3部では、発表者が学校の具体的な取り組みについて発表します。これには、学校の効果的な運営を可能にするための具体的な教育的、および行政的な実践を含まれます。

Following the presentations, we have a reservation at Hana no Mai for a New Year Party (新年会). If you plan to attend, please let us know by sending an email to the following address:

president.saitamajalt@gmail.com

We currently have a reservation for 10 people, but we are able to increase the number of reserved seats if we notify them early. Please contact us ASAP if you would like to attend. Looking forward to beginning another wonderful year with all of our members in Saitama JALT.

12/16: Critical Thinking SIG Showcase and Year-End Party (忘年会)

12/9/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, December 16th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

On behalf of Saitama JALT, it is with great pleasure that we bring our members a smorgasbord of presentations from members of the Critical Thinking SIG (Special Interest Group) within JALT. As the name of the SIG suggests, the group and its members are especially interested in critical thinking and how incorporating such into our classroom lessons affects students and helps them to grow. Below you fill find the abstracts for the three presentations to be held on the day.

Oliver Smith presents "Critical Thinking and L2 Interaction"

This presentation will explicate a method for explicitly teaching critical thinking to a 3rd year Japanese high school class on an English for Academic Purposes course. It includes an overview of the ‘Introduction to Critical Thinking Skills course and how it fits into the programʼs wider curriculum, an example of a unit, and some of the theoretical underpinnings of the method, which suggest focused group discussion tasks aid both content and linguistic understanding through interaction.

Christofer Bullsmith presents "Critical Thinking and Japanese University Students"

The first half of this brief talk will review what critical thinking is, why it's important and particularly challenging in the Japanese context, and why language classes have a role to play in improving it. The second half will report on the author's efforts to encourage critical thinking in an EFL class.

James Dunn presents "Critical Thinking in EFL: What, Why, and How"

This presentation examines the definition, need, and methodology of critical thinking in the EFL context. By examining the definitions of critical thinking, higher-order thinking skills, and the action verbs that we use in activities, educators go from examining the need of a class to designing critical thinking-based course material that develops thinking skills. Attendees will receive sample course materials from the authors and generate ideas on how to implement critical thinking in their courses.

Each presentation will be about 50 minutes each, so be sure to take plenty of notes! Following the presentations, we have a reservation at Hana no Mai for our annual Year-End Party (忘年会).If you plan to attend, please let us know by sending an email to the following address:

president.saitamajalt@gmail.com

We currently have a reservation for 10 people, but we are able to increase the number of reserved seats if we notify them early. Please contact us ASAP if you would like to attend. Looking forward to closing out another wonderful year with all of our members in Saitama JALT, as well as with our distinguished guests!

10/28: Aleda Krause presents "Simple Activities to Help Engage Students" followed by the Saitama JALT Annual General Meeting (AGM)

10/27/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, October 28th from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

*Please note that the starting time is 1-hour later than our usual 2 p.m. starting time

On behalf of Saitama JALT, it is our great pleasure to host the founder of Omiya JALT (present-day Saitama JALT), Aleda Krause, English teacher and trainer, and 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. Details of her abstract are found below:

The best classes are almost always the simplest ones. Teachers are not stressed, students are confident and involved, and everyone knows what's happening and what they're supposed to do. Teachers need a set of successful activities that they can adapt to different classes in order to have these simple lessons. We will try out some simple activities to add to your English lessons with young learners, based on the chapters in the new MEXT textbooks for 3rd and 4th graders, Let's Try 1 and 2.

Following Aleda's presentation, we will hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) where Saitama JALT officers will give their reports and officer elections for next year will be held. If you are interested in running for a position, please plan to attend the AGM. Anyone can run for any position with no experience necessary. Current officers are happy to help train newcomers on how to perform the duties of each position. We really need motivated individuals to help continue the momentum that Saitama JALT has been enjoying for the past few years. If you have any questions about positions or about running, please contact the Saitama JALT President at president.saitamajalt@gmail.com

If you have time, please plan to join us for refreshments after the AGM.

9/23: Julia Kimura presents "Foreign Female Teachers and Labor Unions"

9/19/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, September 23rd from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

On behalf of Saitama JALT, it is our great pleasure to host Ms. Julia Kimura, lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Mukogawa Women’s University. Her research covers the significance of female foreign teachers in labor unions. Details of her abstract are found below:

Foreign Female Teachers and Labor Unions

Prime Minister Abe has encouraged more women to enter the workforce, but they are still not adequately represented in labour unions, particularly in leadership roles. This holds true not only in Japan, but also in other OECD countries. Part of this discrepancy in representation stems from the fact that men have worked outside the home and therefore had the opportunity to join a union, but there are other reasons which explain this disparity. In this presentation, the presenter will describe their dissertation research on women’s roles in organized labour, both those in leadership positions, as well as those on the fringes. The presenter is conducting case studies on female foreign language teachers in a labour union based in western Japan. The talk will conclude with a discussion on topics related to (intersectional) feminism and the labour movement.

As always, please plan to make time to join us after the event for drinks and refreshments and one of the nearby establishments.

8/19: Joel Laurier presents "Teaching Beyond Tests Through Cooperative Learning"

9/19/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, August 19th from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

On behalf of Saitama JALT, it is our great pleasure to host an interactive workshop with Mr. Joel Laurier, Assistant Professor in the Centre for English for Global Communication at the University of Tsukuba. His research covers the importance of cooperative learning in Japanese language education. Details of his presentation can be found below:

Teaching Beyond Tests Through Cooperative Learning

With the introduction of English as a mandatory course of instruction in 2020, teachers will be asked to meet new educational standards. For teachers of English this will be a daunting task, especially when according to the MEXT: “50% of junior high school and high school students attain the goals defined according to the Course of Study - Grade 3 of the Eiken Test or higher by the time of graduation from junior high school; Grade Pre-2 or 2 of the Eiken Test or higher by the time of graduation from high school (http://www.mext.go.jp/en/news/topics/detail/1372625.htm).

With a renewed sense of urgency, schools are asked to help develop proficient English speakers. The key to achieving these goals is not in finding the perfect textbook or giving more homework. Rather, it is building new mindsets and new supportive learning environments. We must present our students with a sense of learning that goes beyond tests and assessments.

This two-part workshop will introduce cooperative learning as a successful approach to learning. This first part of the workshop will help clarify the difference between teamwork and cooperative learning. Attendees will be shown practical and easy-to-implement structures to get more out of their learning teams. The focus of this part will be on classroom dynamics and how to properly develop an appropriate culture of learning though class building and team building structures.

The second part of the workshop will focus on assessment techniques. Strategies like Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development that are effective tools for developing student motivation can also build teacher confidence. Here we will look at effective strategies to plan lessons that help measure learning. Things like reward systems and supportive feedback. We will also look at the use of rubrics to bring about desired learning results.

As always, please plan to make time to join us after the event for drinks and refreshments and one of the nearby establishments.

7/22 - Richmond Stroupe presents "Meeting the needs of a diverse international student population"

7/11/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, July 22th from 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

It is our great pleasure to host Richmond Stroupe, President of JALT, with a presentation on his groundbreaking research on the changing demographics of international students and their needs in Japan. The abstract for the presentation can be found below:

Meeting the needs of a diverse international student population: The response of a Japanese graduate program

Increasing student mobility has far-reaching implications for the global education market. Because of the increased competition between institutions due to the shrinking population and the deregulation of establishing new private universities and programs in Japan, institutions increasingly are attempting to attract international students to supplement their enrollment numbers, often encouraged by the Japanese Ministry of Education. However, institutions cannot view international students from diverse regional and educational backgrounds simply as one homogeneous group. They must also be considered based on their cultural and educational backgrounds. This study evaluated the extent to which a pre-service Masters in TESOL Program provided in a Japanese context addresses the needs of a multicultural student body. Current students, alumni, faculty members, and administration evaluated the graduate program including changes made in response to a preliminary evaluation and a categorization scheme used to identify potential challenges based on the students' cultural, educational, and linguistic backgrounds. Data analysis indicated trust and a positive atmosphere have increased in the program after various changes were made, yet also revealed that actual student needs are more complex. Recommendations are made as to how to effectively address these diverse needs, not only for this specific graduate program, but also for similar programs that cater to a diverse multicultural student population.

As always, please plan to make time to join us after the event for drinks and refreshments and one of the nearby establishments.

6/24: Satomi Miura presents "From Elementary English Onward"

6/8/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, June 24th from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

It is our great pleasure to host an event this month featuring Miss Satomi Miura, a J-SHINE Trainer and a Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) in Shizukuishi Town in Iwate, and also a JTE at Morioka Municipal Tsukigaoka Elementary School. The full abstract for her presentation can be found below:

From Elementary English Onward

From 2020, MEXT—The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology—will roll out their new curriculum for English education. It is therefore imperative that all educators, from elementary school to university programs, move forward in the same direction to achieve success with the curriculum. During the presentation, the presenter will introduce some of their lesson plans for the new auxiliary teaching materials “We Can!” and “Let’s Try!”, which have been designed to complement MEXT’s reform, and explore how educators can transition from memory-based lessons to experience-based active learning.

In addition, the presenter will introduce J-SHINE, NPO 小学校英語指導者協議会 and how the organization’s trainers/leaders function in elementary schools, specifically.

Following the presentation, we plan to go out for food and drinks for a late lunch, so if you have a bit of extra time, please plan to join us!

05/13: Mike Matsuno presents "Why Studying Abroad is 'Life-Changing!'"

4/27/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, May 13th from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at City Terrace Koshigaya Laketown, about a 5-minute walk from Koshigaya Laketown Station. If you will be late to the presentation, please contact us before hand as you must be let in to the venue site.

Saitama JALT is excited to host Mike Matsuno, all the way from the Osaka area, to present about the benefits of studying abroad and how influential those experiences are in developing language capabilities in Japanese students. Mr. Matsuno is a consultant for Dublin-based Haddington International Education (HIE) and Vice President for the Japan Study Abroad Foundation (JSAF). The full abstract for the presentation can be found below:

Why Studying Abroad is “Life-Changing!”
The biggest challenges for Japanese university/high school students and the future of Japan are English language training and global success skills. Studying abroad in western countries is one of the best ways to acquire both competent language and global life skills of critical thinking, problem solving, assertiveness, leadership, active communication, and other “soft skills.”

This will be an interactive presentation that will focus on the global success skills and what Japanese students need to be aware of and to prepare for to maximize their study abroad experience. For most westerners, these “soft skills” are expected to have been acquired when students are between K-12 grades. In Japanese schools, the focus is usually on memorizing facts and important information for the tests, and the study of English is focused primarily on learning the grammar and construction of the language, leaving very little opportunity for the development of intercultural and global soft skills needed to successfully compete in today’s world. Study abroad in western countries offers the quickest and most effective way to learn and acquire these skills. These skills are what globally related businesses require for future success and competitiveness in the world. This presentation will hopefully, be eye-opening and useful for Japanese university and high school students, parents of students interested in study abroad, and faculty or staff who want to teach these soft skills as well as advise and prepare students to be successful from the very first day on study abroad.

Following the event, and if the presenter has time, we would love to go for drinks and refreshments at one of the many fantastic restaurants or izakaya that Laketown has to offer. If you are in no rush that day, please make plans to join us for an hour or so following the event!

04/22 Keiko Yuyama presents "Metrolingualism and English as a Global Language"

4/15/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, April 22nd from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at City Terrace Koshigaya Laketown, about a 5-minute walk from Koshigaya Laketown Station. If you will be late to the presentation, please contact us before hand as you must be let in to the venue site.

Saitama JALT is thrilled to host Ms. Keiko Yuyama (Waseda University) with a presentation on how English as a global language is influencing various job sectors in Japan and what implications this has for educators. The full abstract for the presentation can be found below.

Metrolingualism and English as a Global Language
While English as a global language is increasingly gaining significance within labor markets to facilitate international business (Tan and Rubdy, 2008), this can be particularly conspicuous among tourism and hospitality sectors (Heller, 2010). With a record-breaking number of international tourists visiting Japan last year (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, 2017), this qualitative research critically investigates dynamics between metrolingalism (Pennycook and Otsuji, 2015) and English as a global language in six areas of Tokyo (Tokyo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Omotesando, Nippori, and Mitaka). Semi-structured interviews are conducted with six newly-graduated young workers (3 hairdressers and 3 make-up artists) to explore their perceptions toward English as a global language. Also, the current research attempts to shed light on multilingual turns in Tokyo. Finally, pedagogical implications for educators will be discussed.

Following the presentation, we hope that attendees will join us for drinks and refreshments at one of the nearby restaurants. Laketown certainly has a wide assortment to choose from!

02/18 Robert Rowland presents "A Perfect Introduction to Paragraph Writing"

2/10/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, February 18th from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at Holly Creative Space, less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

Saitama JALT is proud to host one of its own with a presentation by Rob Rowland (Seigakuin University). For those who do not know Rob, his presentations are always incredibly engaging and attendees are sure to walk away with much to consider. Please find the abstract for the presentation below.

A Perfect Introduction to Paragraph Writing

Teaching academic writing skills to EFL learners can be challenging. Fortunately, the literature offers many suggestions for developing strong EFL writing curricula. Hyland (2009) described writing as a cognitive endeavor in which the process is just as important as the product. Development of the learner's voice happens best over multiple drafts with effective global and specific feedback. Prior to writing, Hawkins (2006) suggests learners engage in activities such as note-taking and discussion to develop a deeper line of thought about a topic prior to writing. Shin (2002) offered clear guidelines for effective feedback that helps learners develop writing skills without damaging learner affect by being overly critical. To document teacher-learner dialogue and record learning over multiple drafts, Nunes (2004) suggested compiling student work in a writing portfolio, which a learner can revisit and update over the course of a unit or class term.

This workshop will introduce a well-tested writing curriculum that employs the principles mentioned above. Materials and procedure were developed at a private high school in Tokyo, but are appropriate for learners at both high school and university. The first half of the workshop will be an interactive discussion of the research-based design principles behind the curriculum. In the second half of the workshop, participants will work together to develop and share materials relevant to their own specific contexts. All participants will take home materials developed in this workshop, ready to use on day-one of the upcoming academic year.

Following the presentation, we plan to go out for food and drinks, so if you have a bit of extra time, please plan to join us!

01/21 Dave Gann presents "Sustainable Language-Based Critical Thinking Course Design"

1/14/2018

This event will be held on Sunday, January 21st from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at the Urawa Community Center on the 10th floor of the Parco (Room 9/第９集会室), less than a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Urawa Station.

On behalf of Saitama JALT, we would like to wish you a Happy New Year. For this month, we have a wonderful presenter in Mr. Dave Gann, an English professor from the Tokyo University of Science.

The presenter will discuss and show a course design for aiding students in the development of critical thinking competence and dialogic discourse. These steps include:

(1) Intake of explicit instruction in both argument analysis and the expression of critical dispositions delivered via the presenter’s own Critically Minded Podcast Network.

(2) Completion of two types of online text reconstruction exercises designed to facilitate noticing of (a) salient textual features associated with various premise-conclusion constructions and structures common to conditional statements and hypothetical premises; and (b) discourse markers associated with critical dispositions used in professional, academic and civil discourse.

(3) Online forum threads concerning either (a) issues raised in the textbook; or (b) problem-solving, hypothesis-testing and data interpretation; and collaborative writing via online documents

(4) Text-chat speaking tests, during which students draw upon their recent forum thread communications

(5) Assessment based on the use of the aforementioned language items, followed by meaningful feedback

(6) How a technological solution helped the course design reach sustainability. The presenter will explain the rationale behind the various steps; pedagogical considerations that informed various technological aspects of production and delivery; how the podcast material was connected to in-class activity; and how well the course design was received by our students.

This event should be an exciting one, so we look forward to seeing you!