ELT Calendar

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

Monthly Study Meeting #22: Creating a Positive Team Teaching Environment
Time: 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Speaker: Hitomi Sakamoto and Sarah Birchley
Organization: Elementary School Thematic English Education Movement
Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Short description: In this workshop-style meeting, the speakers will facilitate the participants sharing the experiences of team teaching and their flaws and successes, and lead them to discuss and learn how to create a positive team teaching environment in thematic English lessons.

The Relaunch of YoJALT
Time: 1:00 PM - 8:30 AM
Speaker: Steve Brown, YoJALT exec team
Organization: Yokohama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Machida City, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: Location: Yokohama Venue: Tokyo Jogakkan College (at Minami Machida on the Chuo Rinkan Line; see the walking Map from Minami Machida station; from Minami Machida to Tokyo Jogakkan College, it is about a 15 minute walk) 1.

Twelve Steps to Teaching Verbs and Verb Tenses
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Speaker: Peter Warner
Organization: Nagoya and Gifu Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Short description: An explanation and demonstration of twelve gradual steps to teach verbs and tenses for young EFL students. From swimming around the room, to writing about last week, each step shows how to develop student's confidence and understanding in systematic lessons.

From Research to Video Blog: A Final Project for Japanese University Students
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: John Spiri
Organization: Gunma Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
Short description: University students in Japan can benefit by conducting research in English. The presenter will describe a final project for first and second year students at a university of technology in Japan involving research, writing, revising, presenting, and finally uploading a video of the presentations onto a class blog, with corresponding text, for review, discussion, and future students.

1. Building your own interactive whiteboard: methods and applications; 2. Extensive reading with low level learners
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: 1. Nick Delleman; 2. Fiona MacGregor
Organization: Chiba Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Short description: 1. The interactive whiteboard may soon be a feature of all language classrooms.

Briefing sessions on postgraduate course on teaching Japanese (Nagoya)
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Teruyuki Zushi, the principal of the Institute of International Education in London
Organization: Institute of International Education in London
Location: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
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.

Three Mini-Workshops for Elementary and Junior High School Classes
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Richard Bales, Matt Shannon and Darryl Sumida
Organization: ETJ Saitama (English Teachers in Japan)
Location: Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
Short description: (1) Helping students discover and use their personal vocabulary banks Japanese teachers of English (JTE) generally underestimate how much English vocabulary their students have acquired during English classes in elementary schools and from daily exposure from various media sources.

Prepare Your Students for Academic Studies
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Eri Okuda (Oxford University Press)
Organization: Hiroshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Short description: Students will cope much better in study-abroad programs if they are adequately prepared with the strategies they need to listen, take notes, and discuss ideas independently and confidently.