Tag: Japan

  • Upcoming – October 25, 2015 – Louis Carlet

    Date and Time: Sunday, 25 October 2015 – 1:30pm – 4:30pm
    Speaker: Louis Carlet
    Location: AIINA Rm 605
    Fee for JALT members: Free
    Fee for one-day members: 1,000 yen

    Precarious Employment at Universities and Elsewhere

    Over 90% of foreign workers are on contingent employment, temporary contracts.
    This means the employer can simply refuse to renew the contract — no reason required.
    In 2013 the law was changed to give workers the right to switch to permanent employment
    after five years. Sounds like more job security.
    Two problems: One is that the clock started ticking April 1, 2013 – the five-year rule was not
    grandfathered back – so we can’t use the rule until 2018. The second is that many employers, and universities in particular, have taken measures to fire everyone before the day of reckoning in 2018.
    They now only advertise jobs for up to five years. This means the new law has reduced, not elevated,
    job security. The only way to fight this and to fight for increased job security is a large labor union movement. Only a powerful focused labor movement can fight for permanent employment for all,
    through workplace solidarity.
    I will discuss the successes and failures of my labor union then take questions.

    Bio

    Louis Carlet is the general secretary and founder of Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union (“Tozen”), a union representing both Japanese and migrant workers, including foreign language teachers, bank and newspaper workers. Tozen is the only foreign-led amalgamated union (godo roso) in Japan.
    Carlet is from the United States and moved to Japan in the early 1990s, originally working as a translator for a Japanese newspaper, called Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and subsequently leaving that position to become a full-time paid trade union organizer.[1] He was the first foreign full-time unionist ever in Japan (excepting so-called zainichi who are ethnically Korean but born and raised in Japan).[2] He has acted as an adviser to English instructors and others with work-related problems through the Japan Times.[3][4]
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Carlet

  • 2015 M.E.E.S Conference in Hachinohe pre-registration now open. Bento reservations as well!

    CONFERENCE PRE-REGISTRATION

    I strongly recommend going to the Facebook event page to get all the latest info on the conference. It is updated there faster than I can keep up.

    Only 3 more weeks to go !

    (more…)

  • April 20 meeting with Peter J.Collins from the Foreign Language Center at Tokai University.

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    Iwate JALT met on April 20 to discuss “Supplemental Reading Material for Secondary Textbook Lessons.” Our guest speaker was Peter J. Collins, and he had plenty to say about using and making supplemental reading material to complement high school and junior high school textbooks.  He has an extensive background in developing readings for high school students as well as working with textbook makers.

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    His talk focused on ways English teachers in Japan can move away from the traditional ‘translate and memorize’ method  of doing reading assignments, and introduced a new process for which students get a richer background on optional reading assignments through additional readings that are created by JTEs and give more meaning and context to the material the students are trying to learn. Instead of simple grammar and pattern practice, this method challenges the students to comprehend the passages without the weight of previous ‘yakudoku’ learning to hold them back. Additional supplemental readings can be adjusted for the skill level of each classroom.

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    While the talk was designed for teachers and ALTs who work with high school and junior high school students, the information could also be useful for those who teach college and private lessons as well. The meeting had participants from all walks of English education, from private teachers to university lecturers.

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    We want to thank Peter for taking the time out of his busy schedule and sharing his research with us.

     

    Reported by Jason Hill

    All photography ©2014 Jason Hill