October Chapter Event and Announcements
Yojalt Publicity
Please consider coming out to our October event! Not only do we have two very interesting presentations on conversation classes, but it is also an important month in regards to our Chapter leadership.
October 18, 2014 (SATURDAY): Conversation Activities + Elections and AGM
Time: 3.30pm-6.30pm
Location: Yokohama Youth Centre, under Kannai Hall (directions)
Details:
1) Sean Anderson: Question Quest : The Language Card Game
Sean will present on Question Quest, a card=based conversation activity he has published.
Abstract: Most teachers that try to retro-fit an
existing card game like Go-fish or Crazy-Eights into a language learning
game have subpar results. Students must be prodded into producing
target structures and reminded to not play the game in Japanese. Also
their English level rarely determines victory.
Question Quest is the solution to these problems. Question Quest wasn’t
built on the rules of an existing card game, but on the rules of
conversation! Come and join Sean Anderson as he introduces you to this
amazing new resource, so you can put your students’ language skills to
the Quest!
Bio: Sean Anderson, a teacher for fifteen years, came
to Japan in 1999 and has taught students at the elementary, high school,
and university level. He is Co-founder of Quest Maker Media, currently
teaches at Senzoku Gakuen High School, and is the inventor of Question
Quest : The Language Card Game.
2) Nathaniel French: 10 minute free conversations
Abstract: This presentation will outline the activities used to get all 22 of the students in a first year university class (~400 TOEIC) to go from guided conversations that lasted less than a minute to 10 minute free conversations within the span of one semester. The activities used involved (1) Variable Sentence Response (VSR), a type of choose your own adventure for a specific conversational situation, and (2) a variety of uses for 10 single-word conversation cards (such as Who? What? Where?). Upon request, showing/playing any of the 22 recorded 10 minute free conversations from this class is also an option.
Bio: Nathaniel French is the Coordinator for the Materials Writers SIG and a lecturer at Showa Women’s University, Nihon University, and Tokyo International University. He is highly interested in getting students to not only enjoy speaking in English, but to give them the skills and confidence necessary to take their language abilities out into the world.
3) “My Worksheet Share”
If you come to this event, please consider bringing 20 copies of your favourite worksheet – either something you made yourself, or your favourite activity from a photocopiable resource book. Depending on the timing, we can either a) just swap them and ask questions (if there are any) at the social, or there may be time to do short 2-3 minute presentations on why you like them, and how to use them.
4) Officer Elections and MeetingAfter the presentations and worksheet share, we will be having our officer elections. Right now the following people have offered their services for the following positions:
----------------------------
----------------------------
Please remember that preregistration deadline is October 27th for non-presenters - after which cost of the conference goes up by 3000 to 4000 yen. Conference Website
If you would like to present, please prepare a 10-15 minute presentation on a practical teaching topic – an activity, materials, or similar. If you wish to book a slot to share your lesson/idea/teaching tip, please mail your proposal to pres...@yojalt.org .
The event will be held in the afternoon of the 20th at Kannai Hall, which is centrally (and conveniently) located in Yokohama.
3) Learner Development SIG Conference
Hi everyone
We hope that everything's going well and that you and/or some of your students are interested in submitting a proposal for "Creating Community: Learning Together", the informal afternoon Learner Development SIG conference taking place on Sunday December 14 at Otsuma Women's University.
The event will involve two 60-minute rounds of student and teacher poster presentations/digital displays, with plenty of additional spaces for discussion and reflection - for more details about the programme frame have a look here.
The online registration form is here. The main information that presenters need to enter is a summary of about 80-100 words, giving the key points of their presentation and explaining what questions or issues they plan to focus on in their presentation.
Each student presenter will receive a bilingual Certificate of Participation.
Other benefits of taking part worth mentioning to students include opportunities to:
- meet and talk with other students and teachers
- present
in English and Japanese on their language learning, development,
research, and/or academic work, and to learn from presenting and
discussing with others from outside their normal classroom communities
- take part as a participant too and to create new communities and networks of active learning.
We really hope that you and some of your students will take part. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at <ldsigtokyog...@gmail.com>.
Best wishes
Andy Barfield, Fumiko Murase, Ken Ikeda, & Stacey Vye
Conference organisers