The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Okinawa Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Okinawa Chapter)

Okinawa Chapter Events in 2008

Events archive by year:
2008; 2006 [5]; 2005 [7]; 2004 [8]; 2003 [5]; 2002 [12]; 2001 [3];

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

A Hands-On Approach to Teaching Young ESL Learners

Speaker: Elizabeth (Liz) Yoshikawa
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., January 26th, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: Liz Yoshikawa, who was born in England and raised in South Africa and Canada, has taught in Thailand, the U.K. and Okinawa, Japan. Her presentation, in workshop format, is highly motivational, with innumerable hand outs, activities, games, crafts, etc. on different themes relevant to the lives of younger learners. All activities and hand outs are easy to adapt for different age levels.

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Giant Python Attack! From Reading to Role Play

Speaker: Ian Munby
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., February 23rd, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: Professor Munby, born and educated in England, has taught in Japan for several years. In his presentation, he shares excellent activities which utilize actual short newspaper articles in past tense narrative text to teach a multi-phased lesson based on theories of SLA and involving a range of skills and activities.

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

Giant Python Attack! From Reading to Role Play

Speaker: Ian Munby
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., February 24th, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nishihara
Venue: Okinawa Christian Junior College/University, Nishihara
Description: Ian Munby was born, raised and educated in England, U.K. For several years he has been teaching English language in Japan and, in the process, has developed some excellent activities for teaching reading. His activities involve the use of actual short newspaper articles written in past tense narrative text to teach a multi-phased lesson based on theories of SLA and involving a range of skills and activities. This presentation is similar to the one presented at Meio University on Saturday, February 23rd.

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

SELHi Project: Enriching ESL Through the Teaching of Pragmatics

Speaker: Jeremie Bouchard
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., March 1st, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: Our presenter, a bilingual French Canadian, has a wealth of experience teaching primarily at the senior high school level in Hokkaido. His dynamic presentation consists of both explanatory background lecture and group discussion on the SELHi (Super English Language High School)initiative, involving Comprehensive sentence and discourse based work and Interactive practice in pragmatics necessary for successful language learning.

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

SELHi Project: Enriching ESL Through the Teaching of Pragmatics

Speaker: Jeremie Bouchard
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., March 2nd, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nishihara
Venue: Okinawa Christian Junior College/University, Nishihara
Description: Our presenter, a bilingual French Canadian, has a wealth of experience teaching English primarily at the senior high school level in Hokkaido. His presentation, consists of both background lecture and interactive group discussion on the SELHi (Super English Language High School) initiative involving comprehensive sentence and discourse based activities and interactive practice in pragmatics necessary for language learning.

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Annual Okinawa Chapter "My Share"!

Speaker: All participants
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., May 17th, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): an activity to share
Fee (One-Day members): an activity to share
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: This annual event, usually held on both the third Saturday and the third Sunday of either April or May, is a great time of sharing materials and activities. All participants are asked to be prepared to teach/lead an activity which they have found particularly useful and successful in their own teaching. If there are hand outs involved, participants are asked to bring at least 10 copies for distribution. We generally do not have more than 20 people total (10 participants at the northern venue on the Saturday and 10 at the southern venue on the Sunday). However, those who attend are always very active and always go home with a wealth of new ideas to adapt for their own teaching situations.

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

Annual Okinawa Chapter "My Share"

Speaker: All participants
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., May 18th, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): an activity to share
Fee (One-Day members): an activity to share
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nishihara
Venue: Okinawa Christian Junior College/University, Nishihara
Description: This is the event for southern area Okinawa JALT members. Please see the entry for the northern area event, held on Saturday, May 17th, for details because the format and contents are basically the same.

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Developing Aural Comprehension Skills Through Extracurricular Extensive Listening

Speaker: Masanori Tokeshi
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., June 21st, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: Professor Tokeshi completed his undergraduate work in Okinawa and graduate work in the U.S.A. and Australia. He taught English language in several prefectural schools for nearly two decades before being asked to join the faculty of Meio University, where he is in charge of educating future junior high school English teachers. Through his years of teaching he has developed many activities to promote improvement in the English aural comprehension skills of Japanese students. Since joining the Meio faculty, Professor Tokeshi has been undertaking studies in various in class and extracurricular extensive listening activities (based on the ideas of extensive reading). This informative presentation includes a lecture giving the background and results of studies held at Meio University and discussion on future possibilities to promote extensive listening.

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Developing Aural Comprehension Skills Through Extracurricular Extensive Listening

Speaker: Masanori Tokeshi
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., June 22nd, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nishihara
Venue: Okinawa Christian Junior College/University, Nishihara
Description: For details of this, the presentation for the southern area participants, please see the entry for the Saturday, June 21st presentation for the northern area participants.

Saturday, July 26th, 2008

Fostering Cultural Awareness in the Language Classroom

Speaker: Heather Linville
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., July 26th, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen (students free)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Meio University Research Center, Nago, Okinawa
Description: Professor Linville, who has taught in Panama, Mexico, Indonesia and the USA, is currently serving as the Academic Director of the American English Language Center at the University of Maryland. In her workshop, she will share her insights and expertise with participants through interactive projects, reflective discussion and many useful materials which can be adapted for use in language classes of all levels.

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

Annual Okinawa Chapter Family BBQ Beach Party/Picnic/Pot Luck

Speaker: Everyone and Anyone who participates!
Time: 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM (Sun., August 3rd, 2008)
Fee (JALT members): free (just bring food to share)
Fee (One-Day members): free (just bring food to share)
Prefecture: Okinawa
City: Nago
Venue: Oura Wan Beach, Henoko, Nago, Okinawa
Description: This annual event is open to everyone, not just JALT members and is a joint event for all ALTs on the JET programme! Any spouses, significant others,children are also welcome! You may come and go as you please.

This is a fun, informal, "pot luck" event. Please be sure to bring food to share, such as some meat/fish to BBQ, or salads, or desserts,or snacks, etc.

We will provide iced tea. You may bring your own juice and/or canned beer (no glass bottles).

We will bring some games (beach volleyball, some childrens's games) but you can bring your own, too.

Please note: The beach is on USMC Camp Schwab. At our June meetings we voted to hold it here again because it is such a nice beach and the liaison with Nago City, Mr. Iha, has received permission for us to do so again.

Directions: In Nago, turn onto route 329. Drive just 9.5km. Enter at "Camp Schwab Gate One".We have permission to use the facilities. Just say you are coming to the JALT English Teachers BBQ at Oura Wan Beach. Then, follow A4 bright yellow signs "JALT" with red arrows pointing to the beach. You will see the light blue JALT banner (in English and Japanese) posted at the BBQ site. See you Sunday, August 3rd! Pray for no typhoon!

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Tel: 0352885443