ELT Calendar

Sunday, June 22nd, 2003

The Relationship Between the Information Society and Communication (day 2 of 2)
Time: To be announced
Speaker: Several speakers; call for papers due March 20th, 2003
Organization: Communication Association of Japan
Location: Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture
Short description: see day one of this conference for details. .

Seventh Annual Asian Studies Conference Japan (day 2 of 2)
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Speaker: various speakers
Organization: Asian Studies Conference Japan
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: ASCJ emphasizes interdisciplinary scholarly exchange in English language format to broaden communication among Asian scholars of diverse disciplines and backgrounds who are based in Japan.

ETJ Certificate in Teaching English to Japanese Students
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Maurice Jamall, Rob Waring, David Paul, Marc Helgesen
Organization: ETJ Certificate Course (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: So many internationally-recognized training courses introduce theories and methodology which come out of European or North American teaching situations.

Teaching English to Children
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Speaker: Genki English
Organization: Hiroshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Short description: From 10:30 to 11:30 there will be activities for children. Two native English-speaking teachers will perform a one-hour show full of fast action, fun-packed songs, dance and lots of English for elementary school kids of any level (even complete beginners).

The Impact of Performance Tests on Teacher and Student Learning
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Kazuyoshi Sato and Keiko Takahashi
Organization: Toyohashi Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: The speakers will present data about how teachers and students learn to use performance tests in a Japanese public high school. The study delineates how students have made progress in their performance tests as teachers have collaborated toward more coherent assessment criteria.

Recent Developments in Monkasho's English Education Policy -- Where Are We Headed?
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Kensaku Yoshida, Sophia University
Organization: Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Short description: As a member of two of the most recent Monkasho projects to revise English education in Japan -- the Super English Language High School Assessment and Advisory Committee and one of the research groups created for the "Strategic Plan to Educate Japanese Who Can Use English," -- Kensaku Yoshida will present his views on the Monkasho intiatives.

About the TOEIC Test
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: George Van Horn
Organization: Nagoya and Gifu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: George Van Horn will describe this popular English proficiency test: its history, current use in business and academia, and comparison with other tests.

Enabling, Shaping and Enhancing Expression
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Peter Ross
Organization: West Tokyo Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Tachikawa City, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: In this workshop, Peter Ross will present on what is usually described as "error correction;" however, as his thinking has evolved, he has come to believe that the presuppositions behind this phrase are arrogant.

Creating Confident Creative Conversationalists With Communication Circles
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Thomas C. Anderson
Organization: Chiba Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Short description: This presentation will begin with an examination of four problem areas that exist for EFL teachers in Japan. We will then turn to communication circles, an easy to organize activity which has become the cornerstone of the presenter's Oral English classes.

Taking the Dialogue Out of the Textbook
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Mark Frank
Organization: Gunma Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
Short description: In this workshop, ways of taking the dialogue out of the textbook will be explored. Free from the textbook, the formerly faceless dialogue characters become living members of the classroom, and the dialogue becomes a dynamic three-way exchange between the teacher, the students, and the dialogue characters.

A Panel Discussion on Team-Teaching
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Speaker: Several team teachers
Organization: Nagano Chapter (formerly the Shinshu Chapter) of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture
Short description: This panel discussion will focus on the current issues concerning team-teaching at the elementary, junior and senior high school level. The audience is invited to engage in informal discussion with the invited panelists from Nagano Prefecture.