ELT Calendar

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

The Nakasendo English Conference
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Featured Tim Murphey. Also speaking: Junko Machida, Leander S. Hughes, Mehran Sabet and Kent Hill, Kenneth Biegel, Alastair Graham-Marr and April Morley
Organization: Nakasendo English Conference
Location: Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
Short description: As we are aware, numerous organizations in Japan, both at the regional level and at the national level are in the business of teaching English. Each works in a unique environment and serves a unique constituency and therefore each has an expertise.

Outdoor Language Learning/Dealing with student plagiarism
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Terry Fellner, Saga University
Organization: Nagasaki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Short description: For Nagasaki JALT's fifth meeting of 2008, our June guest offers two presentations. First, he describes and provides sample activities for a new methodology termed Outdoor Language Learning (OLL).

Debate and Structured Discussions in the EFL
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Mark Neufeld
Organization: Akita Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Akita City, Akita Prefecture
Short description: In the first hour of the presentation, Mark Neufeld discusses the teaching of debate in the college EFL classroom. For those unfamiliar with debate, Neufeld examines the format of parliamentary-style debate, along with the vocabulary and methods involved in teaching and conducting debates in an English class.

The Diary of Anne Frank
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: The Nagoya Players
Organization: Nagoya Players
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: The Nagoya Players announces its summer production, Wendy Kesselman's The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by Anthony Gilmore. It is 1942.

Critical Approaches to Teaching Writing: Mindfulness and the power of 'no'
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Marlen Harrison
Organization: Nara Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Short description: As "World Englishes" continue to dominate discussions of writing pedagogy, instructors ponder acceptable uses/performances of written language. In this lively discussion, we'll use Thich Nhat Han's Mindfulness Trainings as inspiration to consider L2 writing instruction and assessment, correcting student writing, and our identities as instructors.

Developing Aural Comprehension Skills Through Extracurricular Extensive Listening
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Masanori Tokeshi
Organization: Okinawa Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture
Short description: Professor Tokeshi completed his undergraduate work in Okinawa and graduate work in the U. S.

Welcome to Kagoshima
Time: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Speaker: Conference Committee
Organization: Kagoshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Short description: On June 22nd (the day after today's event), Kagoshima JALT will host a conference with the theme of "Bridging the Gap between Elementary and Junior High Shool English.

Shaping Teaching to fit Theories of Learning
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Speaker: Curtis Kelly
Organization: Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Short description: Brain studies have given us a better picture of how learning occurs, but classroom methods have not kept pace. In this workshop, the presenters will review the fundamentals of learning--including multisensory input, deep processing, and meaningfulness and examine multiple intelligences as a model for learning.

Exploring Portfolio Assessment in the EFL Classroom
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Speaker: Steve Quasha, Sugiyama Women's University (Nagoya)
Organization: Gifu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture
Short description: In this workshop, Steve Quasha will demonstrate how portfolio assessment plays an integral part in his communicative English courses at a Japanese women's university.

The Diary of Anne Frank
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: The Nagoya Players
Organization: Nagoya Players
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: The Nagoya Players announces its summer production, Wendy Kesselman's The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by Anthony Gilmore. It is 1942.

The number one key to your students success: Home-school connections
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Various local ETJ members.
Organization: ETJ Sapporo (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture
Short description: This third workshop for the year discusses the importance of home-school connections and how to build and strengthen such connections. A successful home-school relationship does the following: 1, encourages parents to take a pro-active role in their child 's English education which in turn further motivates their child (your student) 2, encourages a stronger relationaship between parents and school and 3, allows parents to express what they hope for in terms of their child 's English education and from their children's teacher / school.