Year: 2017

JALT Nagoya Meeting – December 3rd (Sunday)

jaltnagoya

Using Story Books in Kids Classes Effectively
by Yukie Miyako

This presentation will focus on cross-curricular teaching using picture books.
講演のタイトル：　テーマのある絵本を使って教えるレッスンプラン
Lesson Planning by Using Picture Books Based on ThemeBook: Our Pumpkin (math)
A book about using a pumpkin to practice the following skills:
-measuring and weighing
-estimating and counting
Book: The World in a Supermarket (social studies)
Where is food in our supermarkets from? This book will practice the following skills:
-learning about continents and countries.
-making a graph

 

JALT Nagoya Meeting – November 5th (Sunday)

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Practice and rehearsal for the JALT International Conference

This is for two groups of people: those who intend to present at the JALT International Conference, and those who can’t make it.

The November monthly meeting will give our Nagoya members a chance to do a practice presentation or workshop and get helpful feedback before the JALT International Conference. The best presentations are the ones that are refined, practiced, and rehearsed. Be that presenter that got great responses from the audience, and invites to present at other JALT Chapters. For the 5th of November, your presentation doesn’t need to be complete or polished, you don’t have to have a PowerPoint completed either. You will be able to practice connecting your computer or device to a projector, and practice your presentation or workshop with a small, supportive, and friendly audience. You can ask your audience for advice on a particular aspect of your presentation, or you can ask for overall feedback. Please invite friends and colleagues to come, receive useful feedback to improve the quality of your presentation. Also, please watch and give feedback to help improve other people’s presentations. For poster presentations, please have a rough draft prepared, so you can practice your ‘elevator pitch skills’, and get feedback and advice on layout, printing, and more.

Tell us ASAP your intention to take advantage of the November meeting. We need to know very soon how many projectors to prepare. Tell us at: https://goo.gl/forms/JQvmiN5MCwBmpwfm2 Also, please share this news with all your colleagues.

Especially for those who cannot attend the JALT International Conference in Tsukuba, this is a chance to see some presentations, albeit, in draft form. Please come and offer helpful and supportive comments. Also, please tell your colleagues about this special meeting.

  • Date: Sunday, November 5th
  • Time: 1:30PM-4:00PM
  • Location: WINC Aichi, Room 1004
  • Fee: One-day members, 1000yen; 1st visit, free
  • Access: http://www.winc-aichi.jp/access/

JALT Nagoya Meeting – October 21st (Saturday)

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DIY NeuroELT: 7 keys for making your textbook more brain-friendly”
by Marc Helgesen, Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University

Join us for our next meeting on Saturday, October 21st!

Whoever wrote your textbook was thinking about grammar and vocabulary, perhaps tasks and motivation – and was probably not focused on brain science.

But the brain is where learning occurs. As (Mind/Brain/Education) pioneer Leslie A. Hart famously said, “Designing curriculum without knowing about the brain is like designing a glove without knowing about the hand.” This session will introduce 7 quick and easy ways to make your textbook (yes, even monkasho- approved books!) more appropriate for brain-compatible learning. We’ll look specifically look at modifying textbooks tasks to make them better.

They are:

– Go for emotion!
– Give learners choices.
– The brain needs novelty.
– Teach across the senses.
– Learners need a challenge.
– Let learners create.
– Personalize.

Practical examples, plus the science behind each idea will be presented.

Teachers are encouraged to bring along a textbook they are teaching. In the workshop sections of the session, you’ll be encouraged to think about how you can modify it.

Marc’s webpages for this topic are at http://www.tinyurl.com/neuroELT

 

JALT Nagoya Meeting – September 22nd (Friday)

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Professional development: How to do great presentations
by John Howrey, Debbie Broadby, and Richard Miles

Please join us for this special Friday event! Many educators have reservations about presenting in front of their peers. Maybe some have stage fright. Perhaps others fear being challenged by someone who may be more knowledgeable or experienced. Regardless, it is important to understand that everyone has room for growth — an essential quality in any good teacher. These presentations are for the professional development of teachers.

Learn from the experiences of three different speakers to improve the quality of your presentations at JALT conferences and events, and pass on advice to your own students to help improve their presentation techniques. Attending this will help improve not just the quality of your presentations, but improve your chances of being invited to do presentations in the future.

Additionally, the 5th November monthly meeting will give our Nagoya members a chance to do a practice presentation and get helpful feedback before the JALT International Conference. Prepare your presentations and invite friends and colleagues to come and give feedback and to help improve. Tell us ASAP your intention to take advantage of the November meeting at: https://goo.gl/forms/JQvmiN5MCwBmpwfm2

Presenter Abstracts:

John Howrey

Many presenters concentrate on memorizing the script of their presentation, on what they will say, and not enough time practicing how they will say it. However, studies suggest that an audience’s impression of a presentation comes more from what they see, not what they hear. The hard part about body language, however, is presenters are often not aware of what signals they are sending to an audience when they speak.

This presentation will focus on some basic elements of sending a strong physical message: posture, eye contact, gestures, stage positioning, and voice. This presentation will also explain how these elements are necessary to truly engage an audience, not just get their attention. The information will hopefully be helpful for educators who are teaching presentation skills or who are looking for ways to better engage their audience when they present.

Debbie Broadby

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo da Vinci

Whether you are a teacher that uses slides in the classroom or an avid conference presenter, learning how to design well thought out and simple slides can greatly improve how your audience perceive you and your research. Powerpoint, Keynote and Prezi are the most popular forms of software used to make presentation slides. Even though these may vary slightly, the key elements remain the same. The images that presenters show their audience can greatly add to or detract from their message no matter how perfectly researched and prepared their speech may be. This presentation aims to help participants explore some of the key components in slide design to help them effectively convey their message.”

Richard Miles

University educators typically advise learners for whom English is a second language that making ‘good eye contact’ is one of the most crucial factors for delivering an effective oral presentation. However, few educators can actually explain what ‘good eye contact’ actually entails, and many do not practice what they preach when presenting their own research at conferences.

This presentation will begin by briefly examining findings from a recent pilot study on eye contact in English oral presentations. Findings from this study have lead to the creation of a preliminary taxonomy of potential eye contact ‘moves’, by presenters. Also incorporated in this study was the utilization of
360° camera technology, allowing simultaneous analysis of the eye contact interaction between the presenter and the audience. Following a short discussion of the findings in this study, other relevant research will be introduced, and then practical suggestions and strategies for speakers to improve their eye contact in conference presentations will be provided.

JALT Nagoya Meeting – July 23rd

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Toward Focus-on-form Approach to EFL Teaching in Japan
by Shinichi Izumi, Chair of the Department of English Studies, Sophia University

Presentation / workshop language: English & Japanese

In this task-based interactive presentation, I wish to highlight some problems in grammar-based, teacher-centered, and context-poor instruction that is still prevalent in English education in Japan and show directions for change that hopefully enable us to teach English in English for greater students’ benefits. More specifically, I will discuss the importance of paying attention to form in relation to meaning and function and helping students to see the connections among them if we wish for them to develop balanced communicative proficiency in English. I hope that the audience will get some theoretical ideas as well as hints for practical applications for more effective language teaching through my talk.

 

JALT Nagoya Meeting – June 18th

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Promoting Active Listening in the EFL/ESL Classroom
by Chris Donaldson

Despite its obvious importance, listening as a language skill can often lack the focus placed on the other areas of language such as speaking, reading, and writing. Learning to listen actively can greatly improve a student’s ability to achieve understanding. This workshop aims to help participants explore the concept of active listening in language teaching. Through a series of interactive activities participants will see what it is to listen actively and how effective it can be as a teaching tool. Finally the workshop will present some interesting ways in which this concept can be applied in the classroom.

JALT Nagoya Meeting – Saturday, May 13th

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Professional development: Qualitative research, data analysis methodology, and introduction to QSR Nvivo
At Nanzan University, R building, room: R52.
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/4wHsuUg86dK2
***Car parking is available in the new west carpark, close to R building.***

 Schedule

  • 2:00 PM – Room opens, and Nvivo computer help available.
  • 2:30-3:30 – How to do simple qualitative data analysis for small projects on paper.
  • 3:30-4:00 – Break + Nvivo computer help available.
  • 4:00-6:00 – Exploring qualitative data with NVivo: Creating, importing, coding and querying, Yuzo Kimura, University of Toyama.
  • 6:00-6:30 – Informal discussions and clean up.

The aim of these two workshops is for novice researchers to further develop and enhance their skills. There are two parts; first is a review of basic skills and an introduction to qualitative data analysis methodology; and the second introduces industry standard software commonly used in research projects.

Participants are not required to bring a laptop nor do they need to have Nvivo software, but can watch the demonstration. If they wish, participants can install QSR Nvivo on their laptops for the second workshop; however, it must be installed before attending, and the 14 day trial license newly activated. Detailed instructions are provided below. Any issues or problems with Nvivo installation should be resolved before the workshops, as the presenter cannot assist during his presentation time.

Finally, this is the first co-hosted workshop between Nagoya JALT and LEARN. A special thanks to Robert Croker of LEARN for the room booking, and for obtaining guest wifi access for this special event. Nagoya JALT looks forward to meeting and working with LEARN members at this and future events. Prof. Kimura’s workshop is co-sponsored with QSR International.

“How to do simple qualitative data analysis for small projects on paper”
By Andrew Blyth of Nanzan University (2:30-3:30pm)

This is a simple introduction to qualitative data analysis for professional development for novice researchers, and for those wanting a better understanding of the research process. This workshop teaches and practices basic concepts of data analysis, coding (categorising), and basic concepts of theory making. The workshop is ideal for very small projects. Also, acquiring the fundamentals for larger projects including interview based research, classroom observations, discourse analysis, ethnography, and more. Furthermore, it provides the basic principles for understanding the next workshop which focuses on using Nvivo for qualitative research. Participants are not required to bring any particular materials or equipment for this workshop.

References

Creswell, J (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. California, USA: Sage Publications.

Henrich, N. & Holmes, B. (2013). Web news readers’ comments: Towards developing a methodology for using on-line comments in social inquiry. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 5(1).

Miles, M., and Huberman, A. (1994) An Expanded Sourcebook: Qualitative Data Analysis (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks, USA: Sage Publications.

“Exploring qualitative data with NVivo: Creating, importing, coding and querying”
By Yuzo Kimura of the University of Toyama (4-6pm)

In this workshop, I will demonstrate the basic use of NVivo 11 with the default sample project called “Environmental Change Down East”. The workshop will cover the four main areas; (a) a brief introduction of NVivo and the structure of sample project data, (b) creating/importing/managing data, (c) coding data and (d) conducting some basic queries including matrix cording query. Audience may bring their own laptops where NVivo 11 with 14-day free trial license can be pre-installed from the QSR website (http://www.qsrinternational.com/trial-nvivo). Please be sure that the installation is not a mandatory, but in case you want to install it, any installation issues should be resolved before coming to the workshop site (For more installation detail, follow the attached PDF, or contact QSR Japan for their further instruction). Due to the time constrains, perhaps only basic strategy can be demonstrated (e.g., importing interview data, memoing data, creating case/concept nodes, and conducting matrix coding query). Further issues may be addressed in discussion sections.

Meeting Resources

Follow the link install the software if you intend to bring your laptop: How to install NVivo 11 win

Click here for Dr. Yuzo Kimura’s handout

 

JALT Nagoya Meeting – April 16th

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“Sometimes, I think they are a kind of God.” Metaphors for teachers, learners and language learning
By Darren Elliott of Nanzan University

“In order to make sense of abstract thought, humans have developed a rich facility for metaphor. These metaphors are loaded with meanings to be unpacked and interpreted. Research into education has a strong tradition of metaphor analysis, utilising metaphors for education to categorise differing attitudes towards the learning process. Work such as this suggests the potential of metaphors as a shorthand for attitude systems. If this promise can be realised then researchers will have a powerful tool at hand.

In this presentation / workshop, the presenter will introduce metaphor in an accessible way, and  describe a mixed-methods study which sought to examine the possible connection between learners’ metaphors for language learning and their perspectives and attitudes, with a particular focus on learner autonomy. Participants will have a chance to discuss the research methodology and connections to their own practice, as well as some innovative activities to try in the classroom.”

 

JALT Nagoya Meeting – October 21st

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DIY NeuroELT:  7 keys for making your textbook more brain-friendly
By Marc Helgesen of Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University

“Whoever wrote your textbook was thinking about grammar and vocabulary, perhaps tasks and motivation – and was probably not focused on brain science. But the brain is where learning occurs.  As MBE (Mind/Brain/Education) pioneer famously said, “Designing curriculum without knowing about the brain is like designing a glove without knowing about the hand.” This session will introduce 7 quick and easy ways to make your textbook (yes, even monkasho- approved books!) more appropriate for brain-compatible learning.  We’ll look specifically look at modifying textbooks tasks to make them better.

They are:
– Go for emotion!
– Give learners choices.
– The brain needs novelty.
– Teach across the senses.
– Learners need a challenge.
– Let learners create.
– Personalize.

Practical examples, plus the science behind each idea will be presented.
Teachers are encouraged to bring along a textbook they are teaching. In the workshop sections of the session, you’ll be encouraged to think about how you can modify it.

Marc’s webpages for this topic are at http://www.tinyurl.com/neuroELT

 

JALT Nagoya & SIG Collaboration – March 26th

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Our March meeting features three speakers from the JALT FLP and LD SIGs.

The Framework & Language Portfolio (FLP) SIG members focus on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the European Language Portfolio (ELP), amongst other tools, and their relevance for language education in Japan. The Learner Development (LD) SIG members are concerned with bringing together concepts and research in English and Japanese to develop more autonomous and effective learners and teachers. The topics and presenters are as follows:

Classroom Diary and Reflective Learning
By Maria Gabriela Schmidt

This presentation gives an example on how to let monitor and reflect students’ on their learning and to get them involved in the evaluation process. The pedagogic approach suggested here tries to facilitate the learning/ teaching process by adapting CEFR-inspired techniques for classroom teaching. First, a so-called “classroom diary” is introduced, to give the students at the end of each lesson some minutes to take notes. Second, tasks were integrated in the classroom teaching with self- and peer-evaluation of the students. Finally, to include students in the overall evaluation, a final self-evaluation sheet was used. These measurements are intended to scaffold the process of learning and teaching and make it more transparent to the students. Feedback of students will be provided and discussed.

Speaking in Circles – Learning to Manipulate Speech
By Morten Hunke

This presentation will exemplify how suprasegmentals – stress, intonation, and rhythm – are core concepts in the presenter’s teaching at any language proficiency level. As will be shown, they can (often) be woven into the fabric of any foreign language classroom fairly easily. Many of the activities introduced are quite simple and pretty commonplace in foreign language classrooms all around the world. Others are a little more time consuming to implement: 1 and 2-minute speeches, scaffolded dialogue expansion – using generic textbook bases and featuring several cycles of (audio) recordings – haiku/tanka, performances with progress recordings, kamishibai et al. The presentation will aim to zone in on easily applicable activities that can help any teacher anywhere to help any student to engage with how they sound when speaking – beyond segmental pronunciation and not depending on the type of speech/interaction  they are aiming for. (A significant proportion of the activities presented are going to form the backbone of a new seminar offered from autumn 2017 at Aoyama Gakuin University.)

Self-Directed Learner Training
By Mathew Porter

Language is a tool for communication, and identifying what you want to do with language can provide a path for improving language ability. However, students often describe their language learning goals using vague or generic language that makes it hard for them to achieve tangible results. I will explain goal-setting in relation to self-directed language learning and introduce some activities for analyzing needs and setting goals. I will also discuss two projects that illustrate considerations teachers must make to support students in their selection of materials for achieving their goals. The presentation will conclude with some observations about the challenges of explicitly instructing students in self-directed learning.