Kobe Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Kobe Chapter)

Kobe Chapter Events in 2006

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

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Using Whole Discourse Tasks for Language Teaching

Speaker: Deryn Verity, Osaka Jogakuin College
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., January 21st, 2006)
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: The word 'context' is used everywhere in the field of language teaching and learning, but what does it really mean? "Whole Discourse Tasks" require a learner to operate within several types of context at once; even low-proficiency learners can be helped to create contexts for their utterances. This seminar will introduce 3 different ways of looking at the importance of context in language teaching: discourse context, social context and psycholinguistic context. The focus will be on tasks that ask students to move beyond the word and sentence level of structure into levels of discourse, social setting and pragmatic function. Some practical examples of such tasks will be introduced, and seminar participants will be asked to create the outline of a whole discourse task as well. A very basic introduction to the Vygotskyan-oriented theory of language acquisition will be provided as a basis for the discussion of the importance of context in language use.

Saturday, April 22nd, 2006

Using Native Culture as a Spur to Communicating in English

Speaker: Dr. Patrick T. Dougherty
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., April 22nd, 2006)
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: Dr. Dougherty has begun a series of student projects that allow students to use their own Japanese heritage and history as a tool for language learning. Through presentations, role-playing, and projects, students focus on studying, relaying, and utilizing the Japanese culture to provide a basis for language comprehension. An added benefit is that it allows students to learn about themselves, their culture, and ethnic heritage. Through video and tactile presentations, the presenter will provide examples of student projects, lesson plans, and supporting resources for educators at both the tertiary and the secondary levels. The thrust of the presentation is that the cultural heritage of the language learner provides a rich source of inspiration and material to assist student-centered instruction. Though using examples from Japanese students, the concepts that will be presented are universal in application.

Saturday, May 27th, 2006

Controversial Issues in EFL: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

Speaker: Trevor Sargent and David Peaty
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., May 27th, 2006)
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: Discussing and understanding differing views of controversial issues are fundamental to participation in democratic society and practicing these in the classroom can provide a useful language-learning platform. The presenter will offer practical suggestions of classroom activities. There is a growing tendency among some educators, however, to claim the right to deal with controversial issues in the classroom by advocating only one side of an issue on the premise that they are "teaching for a better world".

The presenter will offer examples and discuss it with reference to the notion of academic freedom and published ethical and pedagogical guidelines on the treatment of controversial issues in educational settings. He will also point out what he sees as problematic about this approach for JALT, the TESOL profession, and for the treatment of controversial issues in general.

Saturday, June 24th, 2006

Spotlight on Junior and Senior High School Teaching

Speaker: William Matheny, Scott Brown and David Svoboda
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM (Sat., June 24th, 2006)
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: In collaboration with JSHS SIG, there will be three short presentations:

1) William Matheny - English on the stage, rather than on the page

2) Scott Brown- The Immediate Method in Junior High Schools

3) David Svoboda - Listening: Improving Teaching Skills and Benefiting Students

See the Kobe website for more details

http://kobejalt.bravehost.com/

Saturday, July 8th, 2006

Using Tall Tales as a Learner Resource

Speaker: Brian Caspino
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., July 8th, 2006)
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 workshop will provide participants with practical applications for storytelling activities within the genre of tall tales. The first half of the meeting will involve the reading of tall tales. The latter half will provide participants with the opportunity to practice the art of spinning yarn (telling tall tales). In addition, participants will work to identify practical and useful storytelling activities for learners. The presenter will also provide anecdotal evidence regarding the role that storytelling has played in the motivation of his students.

Brian K. Caspino is a lecturer at Himeji Dokkyo University as well as heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii, a professional skateboarder, a liver surgeon, a 15th degree black belt in judo, five-time NBA rookie of the year (led the NBA in assists, points scored and broken backboards (1983 to 1988)), six-time WBC/WBA Cruiserweight Champion of the World, Metallica roadie, Keanu Reeves stunt double, and part-time guardian of the holy grail.

Saturday, September 30th, 2006

Strategies to Help Students Communicate Now

Speaker: Roger Palmer
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., September 30th, 2006)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: Teachers continually face learners who have years of formal instruction in English yet still struggle to get their message across. This presentation focuses on the need for students to make use of the English they know in the here-and-now. It will show how Roger Palmer's new coursebook 'Communicate Now' makes explicit use of communication strategies which rapidly improve the students' ability to use language.

Saturday, October 14th, 2006

EAP Symposium

Speaker: Sonia Sonoko Strain, Maggie Lieb, Terry Fellner, Greg Sholdt (Himeji Dokkyo University)
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., October 14th, 2006)
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 symposium will share first-hand experiences of introducing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) to intermediate (and lower) level university students by means of a step-by-step, student-friendly approach. The symposium begins with a summary of the Introductory EAP Seminar followed by a description of activities used to teach academic listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Monday, October 30th, 2006

Act English: Using Drama to Bring English to Life

Speaker: Brian Tomlinson (Leeds Metropolitan University)
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Mon., October 30th, 2006)
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: In this workshop he will describe and demonstrate how drama approaches can be used to apply principles of language learning in order to help learners to develop the ability to use language accurately, fluently, appropriately and effectively.

He will be focusing in particular on how the principles of providing rich and varied input, of facilitating intake and of providing meaningful opportunities for language use can be applied to the classroom through the use of:

Mental drama activities

TPR Plus activities

Scenario activities

Process approaches

Self-intrusion activities

Development activities

Noticing activities

Saturday, December 16th, 2006

Chapter Potpourri Meeting and Bonenkai

Speaker: Hiroko Hirouchi, Wakako Fujita, Nihei Nagaki and Brent Jones
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Sat., December 16th, 2006)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Hyogo
City: Kobe
Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204)
Description: Hiroko Hirouchi and Wakako Fujita will present A Case Teaching of Medical English, looking at how ESP is taught in the Nursing Department at Sonoda Women's University. Nihei Nagaki will present an overview of Kobe Senior Citizen's College (Silver College) and Shiawase no Mura. Brent Jones will introduce his research into instructional design as related to L2 teaching. Please join us for our annual bonenkai afterwards.

Chapter Potpourri Meeting and Bonenkai

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