ELT Calendar

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

Effective Phonics Activities
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Speaker: Group activity
Organization: ETJ Ehime (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
Short description: In an effort to start the New Year with a motivational boost, the first meeting of the year will focus on what phonics activities teachers have found to be effective in their classrooms.

A Treasure Chest of Songs, Chants and Games!
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Kim Horne
Organization: Toyohashi Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: Ahoy there! Come one and all to explore songs, chants, dialogue games and other activities that will bring language and laughter to young learners. Experience many techniques to draw your students in and hold their attention.

STEP EIKEN: An inside look at Japan's national English test
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Michael Todd Fouts
Organization: Nagoya and Gifu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: With 78 million examinees since 1963, EIKEN is one of the world's most widely administered language tests. The presentation will cover how EIKEN is designed and administered, what role it plays in Japanese education, and why it is gaining prominence outside Japan as an international admissions qualification.

Teaching the Strategies of Speaking
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Alastair Graham-Marr, Tokai University, ABAX
Organization: Chiba Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Short description: This workshop will discuss the whys and hows of teaching communication strategies. Although communicative competence consists of grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence and strategic competence, communication strategies are often neglected and left to develop as a felicitous by-product of overall language proficiency.

The Learning Cyclone: Web 2.0 Assisted Recycling Curriculum Design
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Speaker: David Ockert
Organization: Nagano Chapter (formerly the Shinshu Chapter) of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
Short description: David Ockert will introduce an innovative curriculum system which integrates a reading, communication, and listening course into a self-reinforcing cohesive pedagogy.

Reasons Why Experienced EFL Teachers Stay Positive and Motivated
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Neil Cowie, Okayama University
Organization: Hiroshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Short description: EFL teaching is, according to some people, a marginal profession, with no clear career progression or much material reward. In such circumstances it can be difficult to remain upbeat and motivated about one's work, and many teachers do leave after a relatively short time.