The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Kobe Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Kobe Chapter)

Kobe Chapter Events in 2005

Events archive by year:
2008 [7]; 2007 [6]; 2006 [10]; 2005; 2004 [6]; 2003 [7]; 2002 [9]; 2001 [8];

Saturday, February 19th, 2005

Is Shadowing a Magic Wand?

Speaker: Ken Tamai (Kobe City University of Foreign Studies)
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., February 19th, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe/078-241-7204)
Description: Shadowing is now quickly becoming a popular method in teaching listening. The presenter would like to talk about the constituents of listening ability and possible effects of shodowing based on his research results. Other relevant listening practices will be introduced as well.

Saturday, April 23rd, 2005

Global Education through Role Play and Simulations

Speaker: Kip Cates (Tottori University and GILE SIG coordinator)
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., April 23rd, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: Experiencing global issues such as war, peace and human rights through role plays and simulations can result in more powerful learning than by traditional teaching methods. This workshop will give participants the chance to experience a variety of role plays and simulations on global education themes designed for English language learners in Japan. Participants will analyze the design of the activities, share thoughts about their impact and discuss the pros and cons of role plays, simulations and experiential learning in EFL.

Saturday, May 21st, 2005

Trend Five: The Adult Education Boom

Speaker: Curtis Kelly
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., May 21st, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe/078-241-7204)
Description: Unlike any time since World War II, Japanese education is undergoing a drastic change, and the change is just beginning. There are five major trends influencing education, one of which is the return of adults to the classroom. The return of adults is the least understood and least prepared for trend, but demographic studies show that we are just now at the start of a major adult education boom. Unfortunately, most of the experts who are teaching adults rely on the same techniques they use with other students, despite data that shows traditional methods do not work. We need to become familiar with the adult pedagogies.

Saturday, June 25th, 2005

Video-Based Pragmatics Course

Speaker: John Rylander & Donna Tatsuki
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., June 25th, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: The target populations for the course were false-beginner to low-intermediate university students ranging from first to fourth-year at a women's university in Kobe. Course design was structured around a 14-week semester with one 90-minute class per week. Included in this presentation will be background information on the evolution of the course materials and pedagogical theories underpinning the use and construction of various elements within the course. As part of the example lesson, audience members will be taught using a combination of video-based examples of speech acts taken from various media sources and edited for instructional purposes and set of guided discovery worksheets to stimulate pair/group discussion and focus learner attention on the 1)pragmalinguistic forms realized within the clips and 2) sociopragmatic elements relevant to the setting.

Saturday, September 17th, 2005

Leaning from SEL-Hi

Speaker: Jun Sekiguchi (Osaka Jyogakuin Senior High School) & Hirokazu Nakai (Osaka Jyogakuin College)
Time: 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Sat., September 17th, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: SEL-Hi is an acronym for Super English Language in High schools. Some high schools have been designated as experimental schools by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in order to cultivate Japanese people to be able to use English as a means of communication. Osaka Jyogakuin Senior High School (OJSH) is one of them. For the September meeting, we are inviting an OJSH English teacher to present on it. The key words for his presentation are global perspective, identity and problem-solving. The strategy to develop the skills for these three is to teach debate in English. We are also inviting a professor who used to be the principal of the senior high school which has been designated as SEL-Hi as well. He will speak on SEL-Hi program as a whole, not from the position of an advisor for a certain designated high school.

Saturday, November 26th, 2005

Oral Testing for Communication Classes

Speaker: Rebecca Calman and Carolyn Saylor-Loof
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., November 26th, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: This presentation will look at the oral testing of conversation skills in the context of communication classes for Japanese university students. An overview of oral testing will be given. The presenters will argue that testing students in conversational pairs with one another is better than an interview test in which students are paired with an examiner. Furthermore, many benefits of giving an oral test will be discussed, and a model for preparing and administering such a test will be given.

Saturday, December 10th, 2005

Engaging Learners in Their Own Learning with a Drama Approach

Speaker: Steve Brown
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., December 10th, 2005)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: Drama in the language classroom is often thought of as just a series of 'techniques' or 'fun activities' aimed to get students actively using the language. Either that, or 'putting on a play'. Well yes, drama can be that; and it can describe various techniques; and, of course, it can be fun. But it can be so much more: at its most rewarding, it is an approach to learning which seeks to actively engage learners in the learning process and encourages them to work together as a group, sharing the responsibility for their own learning.

In this presentation, Steve Brown suggests how drama might be used in the classroom as a wider-ranging approach, rather than just a few techniques and games to help add spice and variety. He'll link his presentation to recent developments and practices in the area of learner autonomy.

This won't be just a talk. Steve will give a practical demonstration of how drama can work in the classroom as part of a more cohesive approach. Participants should expect to be actively engaged and have fun!

Jalt Open Mike

The presentation will be followed by an Open Mike session, when everyone can chance to ask questions, suggest ideas and share their concerns, complaints and opinions. Enjoy a no-holds-barred session with JALT's current President, Steve Brown!

Find Events


The Japan Association for Language Teaching
Urban Edge Bldg 5F, 1-37-9 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0016, Japan
Tel: 0352885443