ELT Calendar

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Materials Creation for Professional Development
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Speaker: Neil Heffernan, English Education Center, Ehime University
Organization: East Shikoku Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture
Short description: Creating and writing textbooks can be a rewarding experience for professionals who wish to further their development as both EFL teachers and practitioners in Japan.

Briefing sessions on postgraduate course on teaching Japanese (Tokyo)
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Teruyuki Zushi, the principal of the Institute of International Education in London
Organization: Institute of International Education in London
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: The Institute of International Education in London will hold briefing sessions on a postgraduate program on teaching Japanese as a foreign language that the organization offers in the British capital.

Can we teach humor in EFL classes?
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Hodson, University of Nagasaki, Siebold
Organization: Nagasaki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Short description: The presenter for Nagasaki JALT's fourth meeting of 2008, Richard Hodson (University of Nagasaki, Siebold), writes, 'If you have ever tried to tell a joke in a foreign language, or to introduce a funny story in class, you will probably recognize the significant linguistic and cultural challenge that humor represents for learners and teachers.

Teaching English Through Drama
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Kathy Emori
Organization: Nara Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Short description: Teaching English through drama is gaining momentum in the EFL community, and with good reason. With the right approach, drama techniques can be an effective way to help students loosen up, think outside the box, have fun whle being creative, and explore new expressive possibilities--all in English! In this workshop, a variety of EFL-appropriate drama activities will be introduced and participants will take part as actors and educators.

Annual Okinawa Chapter "My Share"!
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: All participants
Organization: Okinawa Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture
Short description: This annual event, usually held on both the third Saturday and the third Sunday of either April or May, is a great time of sharing materials and activities.

Thinking Podcasting? Think Again.
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Alex McAulay, Yokohama University
Organization: Okayama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
Short description: The hype in CALL is currently settled on podcasting. However, teachers thinking of producing their own podcasts need to begin by addressing two issues: (a) the complexity involved in the undertaking, and (b) how to integrate a podcast into the syllabus.

There's A Book Inside Each of Us
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Paul Moritoshi
Organization: Miyazaki Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture
Short description: It has been said that there's a book inside each of us, but how does one go about writing a persuasive publishing proposal for an EFL textbook? For some, the process seems so intimidating, confusing or demanding that they don't even start.

(1) Dealing with student plagiarism; (2) Preparing students for the new TOEIC
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Speaker: Terry Fellner, Saga University
Organization: Fukuoka Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Short description: Two Presentations by Terry Fellner, Saga University Presentation 1: Dealing with student plagiarism, a processed-based portfolio approach to academic writing A concern among foreign language instructors is that of student plagiarism.

Websites, Blogs and Promotion for Illustrators
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Speaker: Takashi Oda, Kiyo Tanaka and Patrik Washburn
Organization: The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Japan
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: In this panel presentation, three seasoned illustrators will share their experiences developing and maintaining their websites and blogs and share ideas for other creative methods of promotion.