Tag: Iwate

  • Upcoming – April 26, 2015 – Thomas Bieri – Activating Extensive Reading

    Location: AIINA, ROOM 602
    Date April 26,  2015
    Time: From 1:30pm – 4:30pm(13:30-16:30)
    Cost: Free for JALT members. ¥1000 for non-members. ¥500 for full-time students.
    Contact: iwatejalt@hotmail.com or jasohill@gmail.com phone/fax: 019-663-3132

    Extensive reading has recently become a well-known technique for language study and many programs and individual instructors have been incorporating it into their language teaching practice. However, many educators may not have confidence that they fully understand what ER is or how they can take advantage of the benefits. To help build that knowledge and confidence, this presentation and workshop will include a general introduction to the principles of extensive reading, particularly as defined by Day and Bamford (1998, 2002) and a brief discussion of how practices may differ from these principles. There will also be an explanation and demonstration of a variety of types of materials available. We will continue with a demonstration and practice of several classroom activities related to extensive reading and discussion of ways of managing and tracking student reading.

    Bio: Thomas E. Bieri is an EFL instructor at Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan, with over 25 years’ experience working in higher education, including positions in the USA, Australia, and Japan. He is the Coordinator of the Extensive Reading SIG and the Associate Member Liaison for the Computer Assisted Language Learning SIG of the Japan Association for Language Teaching.  He holds a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Southern Queensland, and a graduate certificate in Educational Technology from Michigan State University.

  • Motivation: The Importance of Social Influences – Margarita Foster

    On January 25, Iwate JALT Margarita Foster, a teacher at Hachinohe Gakuin University whose studies include psychology and criminology gave a talk. She is currently researching juvenile delinquency and resilience, but what brought her to us this past Sunday was a discussion about teachers and what motivates them.

    Foster had recently completed some research on the topic of teacher motivation, and she spoke of her results. She explained that there were many external and internal factors that motivate or demotivate a teacher, and that these factors can also cause stress and even burnout if they aren’t dealt with properly.  She went over the results of her teacher survey and outlined that in Japan, working conditions within schools can lead to burnout in teachers. She offered some ways in which teachers might be able to reignite their passion for teaching, and find new ways to keep their motivation up.   We want to thank Margarita for joining us and sharing her research with us.

    Reported by Jason Hill

  • Upcoming – February 22, 2015 – Jason Hill – Using Popular Culture to Create Interesting English Classes

    Location: AIINA, ROOM 602
    Date February, 22 2015
    Time: From 1:30pm – 4:30pm(13:30-16:30)
    Cost: Free for JALT members. ¥1000 for non-members. ¥500 for full-time students.
    Contact: iwatejalt@hotmail.com or jasohill@gmail.com phone/fax: 019-663-3132

    Creating motivation in the English classroom is a challenging proposition in Japanese schools. This is especially true with junior high and high school English curricula. The textbooks try to be stimulating, but usually the content is out of date or is of little interest to students. To get enthusiasm for English back in my classrooms, I have been injecting more popular culture(TV, film, music, sports etc.) into my classes and finding success. I find there is a fine balance in what you can talk about, and this depends on the students’ interests and the amount of time the schedule allows. I would like to talk about my conclusions and then have a small workshop to discuss how we can spice up our English classrooms and make learning more enjoyable and productive.

    Bio

    Jason Hill is Instructor of English at elementary and junior high schools, and currently works for the board of education in Hachimantai City, Iwate. Over the past eleven years, he has taught at every level of primary and secondary education as well as teaching classes for hospitality workers in the tourism industry. He was a participant the JET programme from 2003-2006 and continues to strive to make learning English an enjoyable and worthwhile endeavour.