The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Kitakyushu Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Kitakyushu Chapter)

Kitakyushu Chapter Events in 2004

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

Sunday, January 11th, 2004

Kitakyushu JALT Hot Spring Social Event

Speaker: Christopher Storey and Nigel Stott
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Sun., January 11th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): 3500 yen
Fee (One-Day members): 3500 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kawachi Hot Spring (Ajisai no Yuu), Yahata
Description: The third annual Kitakyushu Hot Spring Social Event will be held at the Kawachi Hot Spring Center located in the mountains of Yahata near Kawachi Reservoir. We will be starting the meal portion of the event at 13:00. The baths can be enjoyed both before and after the meal. The cost for this event is 3,500 yen and includes admission to the center and its baths, a delicious lunch, and some beverages, and of course great company.
To reserve a spot at this year's event, or for more information, please contact Andrew Zitzmann: e-mail andrew.z@jcom.home.ne.jp, phone (093)471-0748 (leave a message).

Saturday, February 7th, 2004

Cartooning and Drawing Techniques for Teachers

Speaker: Christopher Chase
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., February 7th, 2004)
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: It is said that a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, but the basic techniques of cartooning are for many a mystery. How do cartoonists draw pictures that are recognizable? How does one illustrate actions and objects with simple drawings? This workshop will focus on helping teachers improve their drawing skills. We will look at how teachers can make recognizable illustrations for handouts and during classes. Basic cartooning techniques will be presented. Workshop participants will also have a chance to discuss and practice basic drawing techniques.

Saturday, March 6th, 2004

Drama Techniques for Teachers

Speaker: The Covenant Players
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sat., March 6th, 2004)
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, April 10th, 2004

Students Speak Out: Class Presentations

Speaker: Chris Carman and Paul Collett
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., April 10th, 2004)
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: Chris Carman will concentrate on the nuts and bolts of having university students do group presentations of research projects. He will then compare the results of the same students having done projects in consecutive semesters, and discuss how the program can be further improved. Paul Collett will offer some suggestions on how to to do presentations in large lower-level classes. In the third part of the presentation, the two will report on an interview with a teacher who has his university students (non-English majors) do 5 presentations per semester.

Saturday, May 8th, 2004

When Are Rights Wrong?

Speaker: Tim Allen
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., May 8th, 2004)
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 demonstration, the work and philosophy of the human rights organization Amnesty International will be summarized, and ways to incorporate some of its features in the classroom as a way to foster critical thinking will be explored.

Thursday, May 27th, 2004

Using Graded Readers in the Classroom: An Integrated Skills Approach

Speaker: Merinda Wilson, Oxford University Press
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Thu., May 27th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free (sponsored by OUP)
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 aim of this presentation is to explore some of the ways that graded readers can be used in the classroom to generate activities that focus on a variety of language skills associated with extended text. In particular, I'd like to examine some of the features in the Dominoes graded readers, and show how they can be used to provide lively and motivating classroom activities involving listening, pronunciation and writing tasks.
Merinda Wilson has been an editor with Oxford University Press for three years, and has been involved in developing the new Dominoes graded reading series. Before joining OUP, Merinda worked as an EFL tutor and has experience of teaching both in the UK and in Japan. In Japan she taught at a variety of institutions, including Kushikino Girl's High School in Kagoshima Prefecture, the British Council in Tokyo, and Kobe Women's University.

Saturday, June 12th, 2004

Elementary English Education: Questions and Answers

Speaker: Curtis Kelly
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., June 12th, 2004)
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 presenter will begin by looking at MEXT policies & problems regarding elementary English instruction, followed by discussion of theories and methods for teaching English to children. Participants will design lessons that conform to these theories and principles. When finished, they will present their lessons to the whole group.

Saturday, July 10th, 2004

Polishing Your Presentation (Redux)

Speaker: Nigel Stott, Malcolm Swanson, Dennis Woolbright, and Paul Collett
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., July 10th, 2004)
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: Back by popular demand, the meeting will be a two-parter, with whoever is interested in polishing presentation skills meeting from 1:00 to 5:00 at Seinan Jo Gakuin (access: http://www.seinan-jo.ac.jp/univers/access.html) for individual help in Powerpoint visual and oral presentation of their research. (There are still slots open for this part of the event. Contact Malcolm Swanson email: mswanson (at) pukeko.ws. Anyone is welcome to observe this part of the program.)
After supper, the participants will treat the general membership to a taste of their newly acquired skills as they present a twenty-minute portion of their material. The section will be held at the regular venue from 6:30 to 8:30.
If demand is high, the event will be repeated in the Tagawa-Iizuka area in the fall.

Tuesday, August 31st, 2004

Kitakyushu JALT's Summer Social Event

Speaker: All Welcome
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Tue., August 31st, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): 3,500 yen for all you can eat and drink
Fee (One-Day members): 3,500 yen for all you can eat and drink
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Mojiko Hotel Beer Garden
Description: Following on from 2003, this year's summer social event will once again be held at Mojiko Hotel's Beer Garden from 6:30 pm.
Celebrate the last days of summer with fellow JALT members and enjoy the fine view of the Kanmon Strait. Bring your family and friends; all are welcome. The cost is 3,500 yen for all you can eat and drink.
Please let us know if you are intending to attend. Contact: kqjalt@jalt.org or leave a message at 093-471-1039.

Saturday, September 18th, 2004

English in the Elementary School

Speaker: Tom Merner
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., September 18th, 2004)
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: Tom Merner will follow up his 2002 presentation in Kitakyushu by explaining what English education at the elementary level is all about, in the eyes of MEXT (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, www.mext.go.jp), and what schools have done to implement the ministry objectives. He will also introduce the NHK program SuperEigorian and show how it can be used in the upper elementary classroom. For further details, see the Kitakyushu JALT event page.

Saturday, October 16th, 2004

Teaching Presentation Skills

Speaker: Kay Hammond
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Sat., October 16th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, Yahata map
Description: Whether you want to teach delivery skills to students, or improve your own, this session has something for you. Speech courses often require students to make several presentations on different topics. However, students tend to focus their time on writing the speech script rather than practicing appropriate delivery skills. The physical delivery of the speech is just as essential as the content. For teachers, the problem is how to improve student delivery skills and how to order the elements in a syllabus and practice these skills. Another problem confronting teachers is how to train students to become good presentation evaluators, a useful skill in developing one's own skill as a presenter. This session will show participants how to develop a delivery skills course and how to improve their own delivery skills. There will be many practical exercises and opportunities to ask questions.

Saturday, November 13th, 2004

High School Reading Classes

Speaker: Takashi Inomori, Meiji Gakuen High School
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., November 13th, 2004)
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: Many JTEs at high school level would be at a loss what to teach or how to organize their reading class if their students had the Japanese translation of the texts or even the teachers' manual in their hands. Takashi Inomori knows what and how. Inomori, with 15 years of teaching experience at at Meiji Gakuen High School, will demonstrate how he maximizes and activates students' oral and written output using passage-based materials and how he makes his students practice reading not only in their classroom but also at home.

Monday, November 15th, 2004

Attainable Goals and Self-Drected Learning

Speaker: Peter Viney
Time: 6:45 PM - 9:00 PM (Mon., November 15th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
City: Kitakyushu
Venue: Kitakyushu International Conference Center, room 32 (a 5-minute walk from the Kokura train station for shinkansen, JR train)
Description: Materials for adults need to be engaging and efficient in their use of valuable classroom time. Units need to be segmented into small chunks so that there are attainable goals, and provision has to be made for self-directed learning. All adult classes are multi-level classes and materials need to be designed so that the teacher has a rich and varied bank of resources. IN ENGLISH is aimed directly at the needs of lifelong learners and their teachers.

Saturday, November 27th, 2004

The Psychology of Difficult Students

Speaker: Curtis Kelly
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., November 27th, 2004)
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: Every college teacher must face students who are bored, indifferent, and even hostile. While there are no simple solutions for dealing with such students, four theories in psychology related to motivation, moral development, and learning provide fascinating insights. The presenter will also explain how our pedagogy is based on the industrial model, and how radical humanistic techniques can dismantle the "wall of fear."

Saturday, December 11th, 2004

The Lesson Clinic

Speaker: Margaret Orleans (Moderator)
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., December 11th, 2004)
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: Participants are invited to bring along that nearly perfect lesson plan that somehow fell flat on its face, in order to get advice from the rest of the group on how it might be doctored back to health.

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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