The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Kitakyushu Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Kitakyushu Chapter)

Kitakyushu Chapter Events in 2003

Events archive by year:
2008 [10]; 2007 [13]; 2006 [9]; 2005 [13]; 2004 [15]; 2003; 2002 [13]; 2001 [9];

Sunday, January 12th, 2003

New Year Party

Speaker: All welcome
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Sun., January 12th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): 3,000 yen per person (tentative price, includes food, drink, and admission to the pools)
Fee (One-Day members): 3,000 yen per person (tentative price, includes food, drink, and admission to the pools)
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kawachi Hot Spring (Ajisai no Yuu), Yahata
Description: Join us for the Kitakyushu JALT New Year party, for a meal and a soak at Kawachi Hot Spring on Sunday January 12th, starting at 1:00 pm. This event is for the whole family. A tentative price is 3,000 yen per person - including food, drink, and admission to the pools. Please let us know if you would like to attend and how many people are in your party by sending e-mail to Andrew Zitzmann. As for transport to the spa, there's a shuttle bus that leaves from Yahata station at 12:35 and arrives at Ajisai no yuu, the party site, before 1:00. For more information about the spa and transportation see members.jcom.home.ne.jp/kqkicks/spa.htm.

Saturday, February 22nd, 2003

The English Language Communication Program

Speaker: The Covenant Players
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., February 22nd, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: A teacher resource known as the English Language Communication Program has been developed by the international group The Covenant Players. ELCP is based on the concept that creative involvement circumvents inhibitions about speaking a foreign language and allows the free flow of previously studied vocabulary, grammatical structure and correct accent. The greatest barrier to a student's progress in a second language is self-consciousness. The Covenant Players' repertoire of plays and exercises are designed to involve the student, so that the use of the language is most important and the awareness of self is minimized. The program is applicable to all ages at all stages of language learning.

Saturday, March 8th, 2003

Cognitive Teaching Techniques

Speaker: Roger Fusselman
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., March 8th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Our speaker this month is from the Busan chapter of Korea TESOL, visiting Kitakyushu JALT as part of our exchange with Busan KOTESOL. This presentation takes principles of cognition developed from philosophy and shows how these principles yield practical ideas for the classroom. In particular, we will look at five principles of cognition described by Ayn Rand (1990), and shows how these principles can be seen in flash card design, TPR-style activities, instruction in grammar, the teaching of pronunciation, and other areas. A large handout, complete with samples and extra material, is included. Throughout, these principles will also be shown to be evident not only in classroom pedagogy but also in language itself, thereby providing the teacher with an integrated view of what we teach - i.e., the target language - and how we teach it.

Saturday, April 12th, 2003

Testing Spoken English

Speaker: Woody Hodgson
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., April 12th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Woody Hodgson will explain the research and methodology behind a completely automated test of spoken English, as well as giving a demonstration. Introduced by Japan Language Systems, the PhonePass® system measures spoken language skills accurately and reliably for academic institutions, corporations, and governments the opportunity to test language skills -- anytime, anywhere, in a matter of minutes. The patented system is the result of years of research in speech recognition and drives the various versions of Ordinate's Spoken English Tests (SET ), which are delivered over the phone and scored automatically by computer.

Saturday, May 10th, 2003

The Envelope Please (Nominations for best websites for language teachers)

Speaker: Various speakers, with Nigel Stott as moderator
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., May 10th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, 7th floor (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Everyone attending the meeting should bring a CD with cached versions of their nominations or printouts of key elements of the pages they recommend. Windows and Mac laptops and a projector will be provided, though you are welcome to bring your own laptop. As a follow-up, the winners will be posted as part of the chapter website.

Saturday, June 14th, 2003

Putting Words in Their Mouths: Taking Dictogloss, Shadowing and Summarizing

Speaker: John Small
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., June 14th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: This presentation covers three activities that give students structured language practice: dictogloss (grammar dictation), shadow talking and summarizing. With dictogloss, students actively recreate the spoken text discuss differences and missing information wit partners, and participate in a review of the grammar of individual sentences. Shadow talking and summarizing exercises, which are easy to prepare and paperless, will be explained, and summarizing an article with a mind map will also be covered.

Saturday, July 12th, 2003

Lateral Thinking

Speaker: L. Dennis Woolbright and Margaret Orleans
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., July 12th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: The presenation will provide a workshop format for looking at Dr. Edward deBono's Lateral Thinking methods, which provide a deliberate, systematic process that results in innovative thinking. These skills can be learned and they empower students by stgengthening their natural abilities, improving creativity and innovation, and thus leading to more successful learning.

Saturday, July 26th, 2003

I've got a Problem

Speaker: John F. Fanselow
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., July 26th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: This month, Kitakyushu JALT holds a special, extra meeting on the evening of Saturday, July 26th. John F. Fanselow, a former president of both TESOL and New York State TESOL, will be holding a workshop entitled "I’ve got a Problem," which presents ways of altering those activities in textbooks that require only memorization, so that learners have opportunities to process language and use problem-solving skills as well. In addition, it is hoped that participants will see that the common expression I've got a problem has the potential for being a positive statment rather than a negative statement. The speaker hopes that those attending will bring along a copy of a text they are presently using. This workshop will include discussion and demonstration of

  1. test content (most notably receptive vs. productive test items),
  2. test timing (in relation to the curriculum as a whole),
  3. testing guidelines (especially 'open book' vs. 'closed book'), and
  4. test follow-up (correlating the test with other classroom tasks, re-testing, diagnostic functions, and feedback).
Actual test examples that the presenter has produced will be used in the workshop. Discussion, questions and comments will be welcome.

Saturday, August 9th, 2003

Summer Social Event

Speaker: All Welcome
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., August 9th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): 3,500 (includes all-you-can-eat & drink; nomihoudai, tabehoudai.
Fee (One-Day members): 3,500 (includes all-you-can-eat & drink; nomihoudai, tabehoudai.
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Mojiko Hotel Beer Dive Cafe
Description: As in 2002 Kitakyushu JALT (KQ) are planning to hold a casual summer get-together at a beer garden in Kokura. This year we will be holding our event at Mojiko Hotel's Beer Dive Cafe from 6:30 p.m. (tentative time). This all-you-can-eat'n-drink event is just 3,500 yen. Get into the summer mood with fellow JALT members and enjoy the fine view of the Kanmon Strait. Bring your family and friends; all are welcome. Please reserve a spot by contacting Andrew Zitzmann either by email at andrew.z@jcom.home.ne.jp or call 471-1039 (evenings only). Hoping to see you there.

Sunday, September 21st, 2003

Kitakyushu JALT Southwest Regional Meet

Speaker: seven speakers
Time: 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., September 21st, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): 500 yen
Fee (One-Day members): 1,500 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Seven different presenters from the Kyushu region will present on a variety of topics covering such areas as teaching children, teacher education and college and university education.Consecutive presentations will take place over three hours, held in two concurrent sessions running through the afternoon, with time for socialization and one-on-one discussion with presenters and other meeting attendees.
Young Learners Room

  • 13:30
    Helene Jarmol Uchida:
    Confidence Building Interactive Games / Activities.
  • 15:30
    Tony Ruiz & Patricia Kasamatsu:
    Teaching Junior High & Younger.
  • 16:30
    Tom Bradley:
    A Reading.
College & University Room
  • 13:30
    James Lisgo:
    University Student Views on the English Education System in Japan.
  • 14:30
    Malcolm Swanson:
    D.I.Y. Textbooks.
  • 15:30
    Bill Pellowe:
    Online Writing Community: Observations and Effects.
  • 16:30
    Ariel Sorensen:
    Chat Logs as a Data Source.

Saturday, October 11th, 2003

The Learner-Centered Revolution

Speaker: Christopher Chase
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., October 11th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: This presentation looks at ways to encourage learners both inside and outside the classroom. Examples will be provided of learner-centered activities and exercises. The presenter will discuss the importance of games, student projects, and extracurricular activities; he will discuss with participants how classroom learning is just the tip of the iceberg and talk about how children naturally learn their first language, and how without outside class practice and experiences students cannot develop their language skills. The last part of the presentation will involve brainstorming with participants about ways we can motivate our learners to take control of their own learning and understand that success depends upon their own efforts.

Saturday, November 8th, 2003

Building Better Dialogues

Speaker: Christopher Storey and Nigel Stott
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., November 8th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Most EFL/ESL textbooks incorporate model conversations as a means to present and practice language in a meaningful context. However, these so-called conversation textbooks can be frustrating to use and the dialogues they contain are not always relevant to our students' interests (often because they were written for mixed nationality groups of ESL students). This presentation describes a teacher-designed conversation course that follows a simple yet effective system of encouraging students to study model conversations then create, practice and perform their own dialogues.

Saturday, December 13th, 2003

Creative and Productive Testing

Speaker: Mike Guest
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., December 13th, 2003)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 31 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: In this workshop, the presenter will demonstrate the many ways in which achievement tests can actually be used as an inspiration for students, as a motivation to improvement in performance, as a means and not merely as an end of educational achievement.This workshop will include discussion and demonstration of

  1. test content (most notably receptive vs. productive test items)
  2. test timing (in relation to the curriculum as a whole)
  3. testing guidelines (especially 'open book' vs. 'closed book') and
  4. test follow-up (correlating the test with other classroom tasks, re-testing, diagnostic functions, and feedback).
Actual test examples that the presenter has produced will be used in the workshop. Discussion, questions and comments will be welcome.

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