Event Postponed

This post is to announce that the Nara JALT event planned for tomorrow (13 March) will be postponed. We will do everything we can to have Greg Scholdt come and give us his ‘Getting started in classroom research’ presentation at a later date.

To all in Kanto and northern Honshu, we send our prayers.

Harold Palmer in Japan. Presentation Review.

Harold Palmer in Japan: A Lesson from History.

Review of the presentation by Motoko  Teraoka.

Date and Time: Sunday, 17^th October 2010, 3:00－5:00 p.m.

Venue: Yumekaze Hiroba

Presenters: Leigh McDowell & Yoko Yaku

Reviewer: Motoko Teraoka

This was a thought-provoking presentation.  Leigh McDowell started off with a question, “Have you ever been frustrated with English language teaching in Japan?”  He then gave us a bit of time to reflect on our teaching experience.

Firstly, Leigh introduced Harold E. Palmer (1877－1949), a reformist educator who has influenced English language education in Japan since the Meiji period.  We learnt about his early life, family and educational background.

Then, Leigh discussed Palmer’s methodology which was initially inspired the Direct Method known as the Berlitz Method, but with a more scientific approach to language teaching.  One of the central concepts in Palmer’s methodology was the binary distinction between language as speech and as a code.  “Speech” is an expression of communication, whereas “code” is contained in the grammar, spelling rules and phonology.  These two were separated entities and “speech” preceded “code”.  In other words, accustoming learners themselves to the English language itself was given priority over analysing it.    

Another feature different from the Berlitz Method was that learners’ L1 was used in the Palmer Method, if necessary, to confirm the meaning of particular vocabulary after the success of attempts to communicate meaning in the L2 remained uncertain.  This was a new perspective, perhaps derived from someone who had studied several languages: German, Spanish, Polish and Esperanto.  

Yoko Yaku later took over the presentation, focusing on how Palmer’s arrival in Japan came about and what he did in Japan and why his methodology did not take root in Japan. 

We leant that in 1923 Palmer established the Institute for Research in English Teaching (IRET), where he put into practice; “imperative drill”－a  method currently known as TPR; “action chains”－action and speech with grammar structure involved; and “reader system”－utilization of knowledge gained from speech in easy English.  Through these teaching activities along with other attempts, Palmer had following reading comprehension, extensive reading and writing.   

Yoko then explained four reasons for the failure of the prevalence of Palmer’s methodology: 1) Lack of financial support, 2) World WarⅡ, 3) Universalisation of English language education in Japan and 4) No imminent need of practical English.  The last two reasons also apply to the current English education in Japan, but the last one, I believe, appears to be something we would have to give serious thought in taking “teaching methodology” into account.    

At the end of the presentation Leigh and Yoko took questions from the floor. One of the participants pointed out Palmer’s methodology overlapping behaviourist models of learning.  Another participant asked the reaction from the students who had studied in IRET.  The audience seems to have concluded that Palmer’s students must have had a hard time learning the foreign language, as well as dealing with various social expectations of a modernising Japan.  And regarding “phonetic transcription”, oral English practice based on this logical approach to learning the English sound system has been brushed aside in the current English education curriculum in Japan.  What a pity!

Let’s go back to the question asked by Leigh, “Have you ever been frustrated with English language teaching in Japan?”  Yes.  We all nodded in affirmation.  What is important for language professionals is to look back on the history of language teaching and learn from it, and search for appropriate methodologies in our own teaching contexts. 

There is no doubt at all that Leigh and Yoko knocked at our door and made us rethink of the current practice carried out in English classes in Japan and what direction should be taken in the language classroom in the future.

Once again, this was a well-researched and insightful presentation.  Leigh and Yoko certainly deserve a big round of applause!

Further reading (authors): Anthony Philip Reid Howatt, Hans Heinrich Stern, Makhan Lal Tickoo and Ferdinand de Saussur

Synergizing the professional development of teachers through videotaping, critical reflection & peer feedback

Date: July 17, 2010 (Sat)

Venue: Nishibu Kouminkan (Gakuenmae)

Presenters: Greg Dunne and Sean Toland

Reviewer: Alessandro “Alex” Stanciu

Professional development among athletes in various sports often involves the use of videotaping and countless hours of close examination of the tape in order to pinpoint any flaws which, once corrected, could lead to an improvement in their overall performance.  These professionals view the video camera as an essential tool in polishing their techniques; the same cannot be said, however, for other professionals, particularly teachers.  In the teaching profession…

July 17th Event Reminder.

Come one, come all,  if you find yourself with a few hours on your hands this Saturday, please join us.

VIDEOTAPING AND SELF-REFLECTION

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Presenters, Greg Dunne and Sean Toland.

6-8 pm at Manabu Nara ( Gakuenmae station Kintetsu Line)

Scroll down for full details.

Cheers!

 

 

A Review of Jeff Crawford’s Presentation.

 

Jeff Crawford’s My Share Presentation.

Scaffolding Activities.

Review by Ray Santos.

On Sunday, May 16^th at Yumekaze Hiroba, our new JALT meeting location in Nara City, Jeff Crawford gave a My Share presentation.  Jeff demonstrated “how he scaffolds activities from lower to higher levels, creating greater learner confidence and autonomy in output”. The activities which Jeff presented were mainly in a game based format and were for lower level university students.  However, a simplified form of the activities could, also be used for elementary, junior high and high school students.

            First of all, Jeff discussed the underlying theories to this game based approach that he employs in the classroom.  Then, he further explained that the activities which he was going to present were based on the game ‘battleship’ (see attached prints).  Basically, by communicating in English, students had to locate their partner’s hidden ‘battleships’.  After this brief explanation, we were given the ‘battleship’ prints and asked to do the activity.  Suddenly, the room became lively as all the participants began making statements to try to locate their partners ‘battleships’.  Even though I was not a student, I felt that the activity was quite entertaining. Moreover, I believe that English language learners will find these activities exciting and educational.  In addition, by using this game based strategy, low-level English learners will focus on accomplishing the task of locating the ‘battleships’ and not worry about being embarrassed to speak English.

            After Jeff presented a few versions of this activity, we were divided into groups of four and encouraged to discuss the positive and negative aspects of these activities.  Following this, we returned to our large group and then reported on what we had discussed in the smaller groups.  There were a number of excellent ideas on how to use these activities in various educational setting.

            Overall, the presentation was not only thought-provoking, but also fun.  What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Thank you, Jeff!

Nara JALT Presentation. July 17th 2010.

VIDEOTAPING AND SELF-REFLECTION

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

In addition to physical conditioning and hitting thousands of balls at a driving range, a professional golfer will spend hours upon hours carefully examining videotape of his/her swing in order to observe any flaws or elements of the swing that could be improved.  In fact, the majority of PGA/LPGA golfers would view videotaping as an essential and valuable part of their professional development.  This sentiment stands in sharp contrast to the feelings about videotaping that exist in the EFL teaching arena.  Most English teachers will curl their toes in obvious discomfort when the words “videotape” and “your lesson” are mentioned in the same sentence.  In all probability, this negative feeling stems from the fact that video recording is often used as an evaluative tool, especially during the pre-service teaching practicum, and not as an effective professional improvement device. 

This presentation aims to alleviate some of the discomfort and apprehension that educators have with video recording their EFL classes.  In addition, it highlights the preliminary findings of an ongoing, truly synergised teacher development project that promotes professional development.  The project required participating teachers to videotape each other’s university English lessons before engaging in critical self-reflection and peer feedback.  In essence, the varied perspectives enabled the teacher to raise his/her own self-reflective awareness.  Preliminary observations from the study report; i) differences between how each teacher initially perceived his/her lesson regarding achievement of objectives, student participation/performance, teacher/student rapport, and issues regarding learning environment; and ii) how collaborative feedback examined these issues through inter-teacher reflection.

About the Presenters

 

Greg Dunne:　　EFL Program Coordinator, Osaka Shoin Women’s University

 Greg Dunne has followed on from a high school English teaching career in his native Australia by teaching EFL in Japanese universities for the past 12 years. Currently, he is a tenured instructor at Osaka Shoin Women’s University where he coordinates the EFL program. He holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics (TESOL) degree from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Tasmania and a Diploma in Teaching from Sydney Advanced College of Education. His research interests include teacher development, CALL, task-based learning and world Englishes.

Sean Toland　　EFL Instructor, Osaka Shoin Women’s University 

Sean Toland has taught English as a foreign language in Japan and Korea at every level from elementary to University.  In addition to his EFL experience, he has also spent three years teaching high school students in two geographically remote Inuit settlements in Canada’s far north.  Sean holds a Masters in Education degree from Brock University, a diploma in Education from McGill University, and an Honours B.A. with a double major in History and Religion & Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University.  He is currently working as an English instructor at Osaka Shoin Women’s University in Osaka, Japan.

WHEN.  July 17th 2010. ( Saturday)

TIME     6-8pm.

WHERE.  Manabunara at Gakuenmae station, kintetsu line.  http://www.manabunara.jp/

Seating may be limited so please RSVP

oneworld.catriona@gmail.com   or mail for further info.

The presentation will be followed by a Midsummer’s Yakiniku party at a local restaurant,

everyone welcome.

Many 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

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

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!