ELT Calendar

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

The 11th Annual JALT Pan-SIG Conference 2012
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: Plenary speakers Thomas Cobb (University of Quebec in Montreal), Hiromi Nagao (Hiroshima Jogakuin University), Toshihiko Shiotsu (Kurume University)
Organization: JALT PanSIG Conference
Location: Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Short description: The 11th Annual Pan-SIG Conference will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th, 2012 at Hiroshima University. The theme of the conference is "Literacy: SIGnals of emergence.

Teaching listening and communication
Time: 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Speaker: David Paul
Organization: Language Teaching Professionals
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: How can we develop children's listening and communication ability? The ability to communicate includes a variety of elements. This session will look at how these can be scaffolded over a period of time.

Oxford All-Japan Summer Tour for Teachers 2012 (Iwate)
Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Speaker: Muro Yoko (Sendai), Gregory Anthony (Hachinohe University)
Organization: Oxford University Press
Location: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
Short description: From mid-June to late-September, Oxford University Press will be holding a tour of 30 cities across the country. There will be presentations at each venue on teaching pre-schoolers and children up to the age of 12.

Oxford All-Japan Summer Tour for Teachers 2012 (Tachikawa, Tokyo)
Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Speaker: Mochizuki Yoko (Mother Goose English School For Children), Aurora Dobashi (Saitama Board of Education)
Organization: Oxford University Press
Location: Tachikawa City, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: From mid-June to late-September, Oxford University Press will be holding a tour of 30 cities across the country. There will be presentations at each venue on teaching pre-schoolers and children up to the age of 12.

An All-Yokohama-Member Presentation Special Event
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Andy Roomy, Tanya Erdelyi, Katsuya Yokomoto
Organization: Yokohama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Short description: Three seperate presentations: The Potential Benefits of Using Music Videos in the EFL Classroom; A Task-Based University Semester Project; Fluency activity 3-2-1.

Using Student Mirroring Science in the Language Classroom
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: Tim Murphey, Harumi Ogawa
Organization: Iwate-Aomori Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
Short description: Tim will set the stage with some recent anthropological and neuroscience findings and theory that have clear indications for education. Harumi will talk about a pilot study she conducted using interview videos of enthusiastic L2 speakers in her English classes, sharing some comments given by the students to show how the videos affected students’ motivation in L2 learning.

Teaching writing
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Speaker: David Paul
Organization: Language Teaching Professionals
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis
Short description: Writing is the most difficult of the four skills, but mastering writing greatly improves the children's ability to internalize language. This session will look at how to teach writing in an effective way.

Grammar Feedback in Writing Instruction: Beyond the Yes/No Debate
Time: 2:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Speaker: Paul Kei Matsuda
Organization: Gunma Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Location: Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
Short description: Grammar feedback has long been considered a sine qua non of second language writing instruction, but John Truscott's (1996) controversial article has ignited what has become a long-standing debate over the efficacy of grammar feedback.

Using Social Media with Learners
Time: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Speaker: Petra Pointer
Organization: The International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, Learning Technologies Special Interest Group
Location: Online, Online Events (Online Event)
Short description: Note: This is an online seminar being held Sunday, 17 June 2012, 14:00 GM Time, which is 11 PM on the same day in Japan. The event takes place in the IATEFL online conference room; click here for details on how to connect.

Call for Papers Due June 17th (Sunday)

Effective Language Teaching: The Never-Ending Challenge
Call for papers due: June 17th (Sunday)
Event Date: July 21st (Saturday), 2012
Overview: Several organizations will co-sponsor this one-day mini-conference to be held on Saturday, July 21, 2012, at Kansai University of International Studies (KUIS) in Amagasaki (Hyogo).