Author: jasohill

  • Upcoming – October 26 – Brent Jones – Content-Based Instruction Workshop

    Here is the listing for our October event. It’s a bit early to be posting here, but I’m hoping it will give you time to make arrangements to attend the talk.

    Location: AIINA, ROOM 602
    Date October 26, 2014
    Time: From 1:30pm – 4:30pm(13:30-16:00)
    Cost: Free for JALT members. ¥1000 for non-members. ¥500
    for full-time students.
    Contact: iwatejalt@hotmail.com phone/fax: 019-663-3132

    Content-focused language teaching approaches such as Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) continue to gain both recognition and credibility. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to both the theory and practice of such approaches, with special emphasis on the affective learning domain. After looking at the various benefits and challenges of a content-focuses approach, the presenter will introduce an example of a theme-based CBI program that is currently being used in a tertiary-level English program for management course students in Japan. The aim here is to highlight for participants each step in the instructional design process as well as some of the various considerations at both the macro (curriculum) and micro (task) levels. Participants will then be challenged to consider the motivational merits of implementing a content-focused approach in their own teaching contexts, and be presented with a list of suggested readings for further exploration.

    Bio: Brent A. Jones has taught ESL/EFL in Hawaii and Japan since 1987, and has been involved in teacher training since 2002. He has worked in corporate training programs at Sony, Mitsui Trading, Hitachi Shipbuilding, Nestle, and Sumitomo Chemicals. He was formerly the coordinator of the Business English Program at Kobe Gakuin University, and is currently the Director of Language Programs for both the Management Course and Study Abroad Course at Konan University, Hirao School of Management. His major research interests are L2 learning motivation, extensive reading, curriculum development, instructional design, content-focused approaches to language instruction and creativity.

  • This Sunday – September 28 – Martin E. Pauly – Being Hired at National University Corporations

    Location: AIINA, ROOM 602
    Date September 28, 2014
    Time: From 1:30pm – 4:00pm(13:30-16:00)
    Cost: Free for JALT members. ¥1000 for non-members. ¥500
    for full-time students.
    Contact: iwatejalt@hotmail.com phone/fax: 019-663-3132

    Hi everyone. I hope you all had a great summer. I can feel the fall winds starting to make their approach and that means I should update you on Iwate JALT’s fall and winter schedule. Please stay tuned to our site for updates in the next few days. I will get things going with our meeting on September 28. We will be visited by Martin E. Pauly from the University of Tsukuba and he will be talking about getting hired at National University corporations.

    Abstract: Hiring of faculty is carried out in different ways throughout Japan at national university corporations (formerly national universities).  And this varies even within individual institutions.  The presenter will focus on 2 such institutions, relating his experience as a part timer at one and a Gaikokujin Kyouin at another.  As his field of view is quite narrow (i.e., until 2 years ago, zero experience in private institutions) the presenter will offer the workshop section as a time for participants to compare and contrast points of the talk with their own experience.

    国立大学法人の就職の実情

    教員の雇用は日本中の国立大学法人（以前の国立大学）において異なる方法で行われている。個々の大学内においてさえも異なる。発表者は、非常勤講師、外国人教員としての自信の経験に関連させて、２つの大学に焦点を合わせるつもりである。市立大学での勤務経験がないため、彼の視野は非常に限られているので、参加者の話の内容を自分自身の経験と比較する時間としてワークショップセケションを設けるつもりである。

    Bio: Martin E. Pauly was a professor (now Professor Emeritus) in the Research and Support Center on Higher Education for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, Tsukuba University of Technology.  He was a guide runner for blind athletes and faculty adviser of the Taichi Circle. He retired on March 31st, 2014.   He is presently teaching part time at the University of Tsukuba.

    In this next few days, I will preview our October, December, January and February meetings as well. Also, don’t forget about the Nation JALT meeting Tsuka this year. Click on the logo on the right for more info.

    I hope to see you all in September.

  • Revisiting Mechanical Speaking Practices – Emiko Kaneko

    IMG_5595 On Sunday, we had a visit from Emiko Kaneko from the University of Aizu, in Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima. She was in Morioka to give a talk about mechanical speaking practices such as repetition and drilling. Traditionally, when we think of these practices, we are reminded of endless sentence and vocabulary lessons at grade school. While there has been a push to more hands-on learning with foreign speakers, Emiko believes that there is still a need for more explicit learning techniques, and studies have shown that they are effective in improving the students language ability. She added that not all students have access to native language speakers or the ability to travel overseas.

    Emiko’s talk focused on how educators traditionally use mechanical speaking practices, and how we can adjust the way we use them when teaching lower level students who aren’t able to generate their own conversation patterns during class. Emiko added that generally, Japanese students can be shy around fellow students that are not in their peer group and it is difficult for them to even make small talk in Japanese.  She lists a number of teacher directed techniques such as shadowing, read-and-look-up and mimicking, and shows how these techniques have had a positive impact on the language creation abilities in students.

    Emiko wanted to emphasize that language acquisition is something that still requires a lot of time and patience. Thousands of hours are necessary to gain fluency. However, she is confident that mechanical speaking techniques are still some of our best tools for getting our students up to fluent levels. We want to thank Emiko for taking the time to come up and share her research with us.

    Reported by Jason Hill

    All photography ©2014 Jason Hill