JANUARY 24th 2010, JOINT SEMINAR.

Starting the year off with a bang, a joint seminar at Tenri University.

Among other great speakers we have our very own home grown, Steven Nishida and Ann Mayeda presenting.

Their presentation was well received and much talked about at the JALT national conference both last year and the year before, so if you haven’t had a chance to see them in action before, it would be well worth a trip out to Tenri.
Joint Seminar:

Hosting organizations: Tenri University, Nara JALT, KELES (Kansai English
Language Education Society) Nara Chapter, NET Forum

Date: Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Theme: “What Do We Know About English Education at Elementary School?”

Speaker: Various Speakers

Time: 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM (13:00 – 17:30)

Opening Addresses 13:00 – 1:15pm

Presentation 1) 1:20 – 12:30pm
“Connecting Elementary School English to Junior High School English”

by Nobuyoshi Osawa (Takada Nishi Junior High School)

Presentation 2) 2:40 – 3:50pm
“Our Favorite English Language Activities for Elementary School”
by Steven Nishida (Nara Institute of Science and Technology)

and Ann Mayeda (Osaka Shoin Women’s University):

Co-Coordinators of the MEXT-funded Manabinaoshi Practical Teacher Training
program

at Osaka Shoin Women’s University.

In this workshop the presenters will outline a few of their favorite
activities for promoting communication in elementary school English classes. We
will briefly look at the build up of a lesson and each activity in terms of what
is being taught, what is being learned, and the way in which each sequence
promotes some form of authentic communication.

Lecture 4:00 – 5:30pm
“Language Acquisition and Use in Children and Adults”
by Shigenori Wakabayashi (Chuou University)

Snack Party 5:40 – 6:50pm

For further details or to register, please contact Hidetami Nakai of Tenri
University at: h-nakai@sta.tenri-u.ac.jp (Just write your name and “I will
attend.”)

DIRECTIONS:
For directions to the event, please refer to Tenri University’s official
website.
If you drive, first go to Tenri City Hall which is on route 169 (Nara to Tenri
to Sakurai). Turn left (if you are coming from Nara) and go along Gingo Avenue
for about a kilometer, then you’ll reach to Tenrikyo Headquaters. Tenri Univ is
across the street.
Alternatively, if you get off at the Tenri Higashi exit of Meihan highway and
drive along for about 2miles, then you’ll hit Isonokami Shrine.
You can see Tenri Univ from there. (You’ll see the two tall chimneys.)
Just turn right at the first traffic signal in front of the Shrine.
From there you’ll find the event posters.

NOTE:
Tenri University has two campuses, the PE Department right behind Tenri station
and Somanouchi campus in front of Tenrikyo Headquarters (kyokai-honbu).
The venue is on the Somanouchi campus, which is near Isonokami Shrine.
If you come by train, please walk up the main arcade up to the Headquaters. It
takes about 25 minutes. 5-10 minutes by taxi.

Hope we see you all there.

Check out the Nara Jalt yahoo group announcements or Facebook for any updates.

Thanks.

Nara JALT.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010.

Greetings and a Happy New Year to everyone.
We’re all looking forward to Nara Jalt’s 2010 projects.
In case you missed the info about the election results, we are pleased to have two new faces on board and there has been a slight cabinet re-shuffle.
Thankyou and welcome to Leigh McDowell and Ray Santos for stepping forward as Nara Jalt officers.

Chapter President, Jeff Crawford,
Treasurer, Leigh McDowell,
Membership Chair, Loren Crisler,
Programme Chair, Ray Santos,
Publicity Chair, Catriona Takeuchi.

We look forward to bringing interesting, exciting and inspiring presenters and presentations to Nara Jalt.
Your comments, feedback and ideas are welcome and appreciated.
We are now also on FACEBOOK, so please come on over and join in the dialogue.
Many thanks.
Nara Jalt.

September Presentation Cancellation

With our apologies, the advertised presentation by Steve Herder  on September 19th has been cancelled.

The next  event will be  CUE-SIG  Annual Convention on  October 17th ( Sat) and 18th (Sun)

Further details to be announced.

Thanks

The Immediate Method. Sunday July 19th

Marc Sheffner and Konrad Bayer
What is ‘immediate’ about the method? Come and find out, it’ll be hot, the room
will be air conditioned and these guys put on a good show! What more I can say.

July 19th 2009.
Tezukayama Gakkuenmae Campus.
2pm-5pm

BIO – MARC

A linguist by education and personal history, Marc learnt French from his
mother, English from his father, and has taught himself other languages since
then, with varying success. He came to Japan with the Black Ships, and is now
full-time at some university in Nara he can never remember the name of.

BIO – KORY

A musician by education and necessity, Kory decided to become an English teacher
rather than an employee of a fast food restaurant. He has taught in English in
Canada, Korea, and Japan. He is currently working at 5 universities in Kansai.
He plays in a hard rock band and writes music with a few friends. For 5 years he
played in a Funk `n’ Soul band called BumpSkool.

SUMMARY

The 2 presenters will introduce the Immediate Method, developed in Japan by
French teachers several years ago (see their website for more details
http://www.almalang.com/about.html) They will show how they use it in their
university language classes (although the method is also used in J and SHS. What
is “immediate” about this method? Simply, the instructor drills the class in a
small number of grammar and lexical items that are grouped around a central
theme, and, after allowing some time for independent practice, the instructor
then “tests” students individually or in small groups by requiring them to
“immediately” use what they have learned in conversation.

The developers of this method have created textbooks to be used with it, but it
is possible to use this method with other textbooks or no textbook. The
presenters will describe how they use this method both with and without the
official textbook.

The presenters have been using this method for ages, at least two years, and
have used it both with the IM textbook and with other (required) texts. They
have used the method with both English majors and with non-majors, in small (15
students) and large (50 students) classes. They will report the successes and
problems they have encountered using this method, and ways they have adapted it.

As long as nobody asks any long questions, we can all be finished early and go
out for a drink afterwards!

Marcus Benevides. Task-Based Language Learning in Japan

May 17th (Sunday). 2pm-5pm
Tezukayama Gakuenmae Campus.

Title: Task-Based Language Teaching ( TBLT) in Japan .

Speaker: Marcos Benevides.
Marcos Benevides is an assistant professor at Kansai Gaidai University. He has
taught EFL in Japan for ten years, at every level from elementary school to
university, from private tutoring to graduate courses. He has been an invited,
sponsored, featured or keynote speaker at dozens of ELT seminars and conferences
in Japan and abroad. He has recently guest edited the “TBLT in Japan” special
issue of The Language Teacher (March 2009), and co-authored Widgets: A
task-based course in practical English.

Abstract.
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) represents the evolution of communicative
language teaching. It is fast becoming the dominant ELT approach worldwide, as
evidenced by task-based concepts emerging in tests such as the new TOEIC, in
language descriptor systems such as the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages, and in an increasing number of commercial textbooks.

However, resistance to TBLT continues in Japan on grounds ranging from “Japanese
students are too shy” to “Japanese students are not creative enough”, and “the
Japanese demand a teacher-centered approach” to “communicative approaches have
been tried here already and they failed”. In this presentation, Benevides will
explain why each of these arguments is fundamentally flawed.

This presentation will draw on the speaker’s co-authored textbook, Widgets
(Longman 2008) to explain a variety of TBLT concepts. Participants will walk
away with new ideas regarding lesson planning, motivating students and, yes,
clear evidence that Japanese students are extremely creative!

Folks, come if you can. This guarantees to be another interesting and valuable
presentation,for anyone working in any branch of teaching in this country, by a
seasoned and much sought after presenter.

Nara: April—Poetry for Language Learning and Personal Growth by Jane Joritz-Nakagawa

Nara: April—Poetry for Language Learning and Personal Growth by Jane Joritz-Nakagawa 

After brief self-introductions, attendees were asked by Joritz-Nakagawa to look over the 17 poems on her handout and select the one(s) we could use in class. When everyone was ready, each person related which one(s) could be used and how. Rather than mere presentation, everyone added comments and questions about each person’s potential uses, which created an interactive and useful sharing session. Some of the considerations in choosing poems were language difficulty, length, the sound of a poem when read, and the image created by a poem. Activities ranged from merely reading the poem, to having discussions about it or students sharing impressions. Joritz-Nakagawa noted that songs are often better for rhythm and rhyme if that is a goal.  

Although she has taught courses devoted to poetry, she mainly peppers her other classes, including general English classes, with activities similar to the ones we discussed. One thing of note is that she tries to make many of the activities communal in nature so students can share their ideas and help each other, rather than working alone. She then gave us information about materials and resources before ending the workshop with ideas and experiences of using poetry for therapy and personal growth.  

Reported by Rodney Dunham

 

If any other attendees would like to comment on the presentation, particularly anyone who has had the chance to try any of her ideas in the classroom, please feel free to chime in.

Thanks.

April 26th Workshop with Prof. John Condon.

Special One Day Workshop in Intercultural Communication

by Prof. John Condon

sponsored by Kansai SIETAR

(Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research)  

TIME: 　 Sunday April 26, 2009   10am-5:30pm

•  
  PLACE: Nishinomiya Daigaku Koryu Center, Conference Room 2 (6F, ACTA East Tower, a short walk from Hankyu Nishinomiya Kitaguchi Station. For access, see: http://www.nishi.or.jp/~daigaku/info/index.html)

FEE:  　 SIETAR members: 5000 yen (member students 2500)   

         Non-members:　 7000 yen (non-member students 3500)

Note: Pre-registration is necessary for this workshop, as the number of participants is limited. To register, or for more information, please email condonws@yahoo.co.jp. Deadline for registration is April 16. 

The Legacy of Edward Hall

      On the Silver Anniversary of E.T. Hall’s The Silent Language, the book that launched the field of Intercultural Communication, John Condon will present a one day workshop inspired by Hall’s legacy – his philosophy and ways of knowing, his enduring influence and his simple gifts which are yet to be appreciated. Hall’s insights drew from a range of fields from architecture to zoology, and influenced many, since he wrote for ordinary people. This workshop will review Hall’s life and influences, including Japanese perspectives. It will also include a primer on Hall’s philosophy on paying attention, appreciating the body as our most important instrument of knowing, and respectful distrust of what we were told and think we know. Other themes will include observation, listening, discovery; models and metaphors; ‘content’ is process; coordinates of time and space; cultural shaping of learning and teaching; technology and intercultural communication; and how to see culture and talk about it simply. 

About the presenter:

      Prof. Condon taught at ICU during the 1970s and in the 1990s, and has been a lifelong friend, neighbor, and former colleague (at Northwestern Univ.) of anthropologist Hall.  Condon has received numerous awards for his teaching and his many publications (which have appeared in seven languages), including the first authored textbook in the field — written while at ICU.  His forthcoming book, also influenced by his years in Japan, is The Goose in the Bottle:  Things Which Seem to Exist but Don’t and Things which Don’t Seem to Exist But Do, the subtitle taken from an Edo-era metate-zumo. 

For information on how to join SIETAR Japan, please go to their website:

http://www.sietar-japan.org

Lena Okada Presentation.

Lena thanks so much for an interesting and enthusiastic presentation.

Thanks too to everyone who made it out to Gakuenmae and contributed through your participation and questions.

Nara JALT Publicity.

Nara: March—Everything You Need To Know About Teaching English at Elementary Schools by Lena Okada 

With abundant energy, ideas, and experience, Okada led us through three hours of learning needs, classroom activities, and situational considerations. She began with a look at the pros and cons of teaching English in elementary school at respective ages.  One concern she expressed was that the “rich Japanese culture” may be dying.  She spent quite a bit of time talking about pronunciation and related activities. The role of ALTs in the classroom was another area she dealt with. Other things that she explained were the importance of visual aids, need for TPR-oriented activities, use of songs, and the role of games in the classroom. Okada then demonstrated a number of games, which reflected the priorities of her curriculum: numbers, colors, shapes, then fruits and vegetables. She stressed that purple should be the first color taught because it is the most difficult to pronounce. Right from the beginning, students should work on their pronunciation so they can train their muscles and ears for sounds that are not part of Japanese.  

The relatively fast-paced session was peppered with interesting ideas and useful activities. In addition, Okada has written a book that she feels is an elementary school English education curriculum.  

 by Rodney Dunham

 

JANE JORITZ- NAKAGAWA. April 18th 2009

We are thrilled to have Jane Joritz-Nakagawa from Aichi University of Education
to present for us on a topic we don’t often get a chance to hear about:

POETRY FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING AND PERSONAL GROWTH.

Presenter Jane Joritz-Nakagawa

Description

All students in Japan have some background in poetry
that can be utilized as a springboard for classroom
activities. Poetry can be an occasional classroom
resource material, or the basis for an entire content
course in a foreign language. Jane Joritz-Nakagawa
will bring poems and techniques that can be used at a
variety of language levels, and participants will
brainstorm how they can use poems effectively in their
own classrooms.

Jane Joritz-Nakagawa is a long time resident of Japan
who currently works as associate professor at Aichi
University of Education. She has taught for twenty
years, most of that in Japanese universities. She
currently teaches courses in EFL, language teaching
pedagogy, and content areas such as poetry, gender
studies, and others.

Jane has published dozens of papers on teaching approach
(especially cooperative learning), as well as over 150
poems, plus essays and interviews, in international
literary journals. She is currently at work on her
fourth poetry book. She researches feminism and
experimental poetry by women, as well as learning
styles.

Saturday April 18th 2009.

Tezukayama Gakuenmae Campus.
2pm to 5pm.

For further info, please contact us here or through the Nara JALT Group.

Thanks.

March 15th Lena Okada.

We are very lucky to have Lena Okada presenting for us on Sunday march 15th 2009.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TEACHING ENGLISH IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

Lena Okada has been training elementary school teachers to teach
English for almost two decades.
She has an array of impressive credentials, and a wealth of knowledge
and experience behind her.
She has great passion and enthusiasm for her topic and a
comprehensive understanding of the internal workings of the Japanese
elementary school system.

Her very comprehensive presentation will include;

Curriculum guidelines.
Teaching Aids;
Creating Teaching Aids
When and how to use them.

ALTs
The role of the ALT in the classroom.
How to effectively use ALts.

What and when to teach?
Grade specific advice on what and when to teach.
When to introduce reading/writing.

Detailed demonstrations on using,
Story telling
Songs
Games/quizzes
Worksheets.

March 15th ( Sunday)
2pm-5pm
Tezukayama, Gakuenmae Campus.

This promises to be a dynamic presentation.
While it specifically targets Japanese Elementary schools, the ideas
and information can be used by many of us in different
teaching environments.

If you have contacts in your local public schools please feel free to
invite Japanese elementary school teachers too.
See you there!