The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Gunma Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Gunma Chapter)

Gunma Chapter Events in 2001

Events archive by year:
2008 [10]; 2007 [11]; 2006 [10]; 2005 [8]; 2004 [11]; 2003 [10]; 2002 [9]; 2001;

Sunday, January 14th, 2001

Baby Warrior and Issun Boshi

Speaker: Kim Eung-gyo, Waseda University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., January 14th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen, students 200 yen, new-comers free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Maebashi Kyoai Gakuen College, 1154-4 Koyahara-machi, Maebashi, Gunma (tel: 027-266-7575)
Description: The presenter will introduce the differences between the archetypes of Korean culture and Japanese culture through the comparative study of two old folk tales. Details can be found at http://202.236.153.60/JALT/default.htm.

Sunday, February 18th, 2001

Graded Readers: Reading Extensively Beyond the Classroom

Speaker: Jeffrey Herman, Oxford University Press
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., February 18th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free (Sponsored by Oxford University Press)
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Nodai Niko High School (Takasaki)
Description: We cover the ins and outs of Extensive Reading using Graded Readers, from initial book selection through student evaluation. For the novice and experienced teacher alike, the presenter provides ideas for how to confidently and creatively supplement any course with an enjoyable and motivating out-of-class reading program.

Sunday, April 15th, 2001

Hot Rods: Using Cuisenaire Rods to Promote Conversation

Speaker: Larry Cisar, Kanto Gakuen University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., April 15th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen, students 200 yen, new-comers free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Nodai Niko High School (t: 027-323-1483)
Description: This interactive workshop shows seven simple, easy, fun ways to get students conversing in their target language. The rods, often associated with the Silent Way, are easily used in a wide variety of situations to promote active language. These techniques can be used in just about all levels of classes. The language(s) of the workshop are the language(s) that the participants want to practice. While the rods are used, practical suggestions for substitutions will be provided.

Sunday, May 20th, 2001

Computer-based TOEFL: Are You Prepared?

Speaker: Andrew Tope, Pearson Education Japan
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., May 20th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Maebashi Kyoai Gakuen College, 1154-4 Koyahara-machi, Maebashi, Gunma (tel: 027-266-7575)
Description: The presenter will firstly illustrate the major differences between the computer-based TOEFL test and paper-based test, and specifically, the way it is taken and what new items will confront students. The presenter will next offer practical advice and strategies for helping students succeed. Finally, the floor will be thrown open and participants given the chance to share test-taking strategies and effective preparation ideas.

Sunday, June 10th, 2001

Forty Years of Teaching English in Japan: Progress or Stasis

Speaker: C. Lee Colegrove
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., June 10th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen; Students, 200 yen; Newcomers, free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Nodai Niko High School (3430 Ishihara-machi, Takasaki Tel: 027-323-1483
Description: Lee Colegrove has long been involved in team-teaching classes for students hoping to get a license for teaching at the junior and senior high school levels. This work has taken him to many junior high school and high school classrooms. In the course of this teaching and this observation, he has not only had to evolve his own ways of approaching his own classes, but has had many opportunities to formulate his own ideas about English-language education in Japan as a whole. In this talk he would like to share some of his observations and conclusions with the audience--of course in the hope of stimulating thinking and discussion.

Sunday, July 22nd, 2001

How to Develop Confidence in English Pronunciation

Speaker: Takashi Shimaoka
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., July 22nd, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen; Students, 200 yen; Newcomers, free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Kyoai Gakuen College (http://www.kyoai.ac.jp/)
Description: Because of the great difference in the writing systems, EFL teachers as well as students tend to believe that there is no common ground between English and Japanese and that it is impossible for Japanese EFL learners to master English pronunciation. During his presentation, he wouldlike to change these popular misconceptions by deeper understanding the English alphabet and using modified kana. He would also like to stress the importance of pronunciation for Reading Aloud for Communication. His checklist of English pronunciation using 10 steps and 100 items will beintroduced. The model reading was done by Peter Roach, the editor of The Daniel Jones English Pronouncing Dictionary (15th edition) published by Cambridge University Press.Takashi Shimaoka is currently a professor at Ibaraki Christian University, teaching English phonetics and English teaching methodology. He is also a professor emeritus at Tsukuba University. He obtained a Ph.D in linguistics from Tsukuba University in 1994. He is the chief author of the Sunshine English Course, an authorized textbooks published from Kairyudo. He was a Fulbright Scholar at San Francisco State University in 1958-59 and a British Council Scholar at the Post-graduate TEFL Diploma Course at Welsh College of Advanced Technology in 1960-61. He was a research scholar at UCLAin 1982-83. His NHK radio English conversation program was in 1987-88. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of American Cultural Exchange in Seattle. He has written many books. Some of the popular ones are Little Star English Picture Dictionary published from Shogakukan, and Team Teaching in English Classrooms - an Intercultural Approach published by Kairyudo.

Saturday, August 25th, 2001

Summer Workshop: Standard Speaking Test 1, 2 (day 1 of 2)

Speaker: Mervyn Lewis as main speaker
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Sat., August 25th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): 7,000 yen for 1 night, 4 meals, onsen hot spring
Fee (One-Day members): 7,000 yen for 1 night, 4 meals, onsen hot spring
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Kanto Koshin'etsu Kokuritsu Daigaku Seminar House, 737 Shirane, Kusatsu, Kusatsu-machi, Gunma-ken (tel: 0279-88-2212)
Description: The theme of the 13th JALT Gunma Summer Workshop at Kusatsu is "Meeting Student's Speaking Needs". There is a call for participation (30-minute presentations related to language teaching), so to get involved, contact Gunma chapter. To register for this event, contact Morijiro Shibayama Tel/fax 027-263-8522, e-mail: shibayam@ surugadai.ac.jp

Sunday, August 26th, 2001

Summer Workshop: Standard Speaking Test 1, 2 (day 2 of 2)

Speaker: Mervyn Lewis as main speaker
Time: 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM (Sun., August 26th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): 7,000 yen for 1 night, 4 meals, onsen hot spring
Fee (One-Day members): 7,000 yen for 1 night, 4 meals, onsen hot spring
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Kanto Koshin'etsu Kokuritsu Daigaku Seminar House, 737 Shirane, Kusatsu, Kusatsu-machi, Gunma-ken (tel: 0279-88-2212)
Description: The theme of the 13th JALT Gunma Summer Workshop at Kusatsu is "Meeting Student's Speaking Needs". There is a call for participation (30-minute presentations related to language teaching), so to get involved, contact Gunma chapter. To register for this event, contact Morijiro Shibayama Tel/fax 027-263-8522, e-mail: shibayam@ surugadai.ac.jp

Sunday, September 30th, 2001

Getting Students to Express Themselves

Speaker: Derek Mackrell, Thomson Learning
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., September 30th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Nodai Niko High School in Takasaki-shi
Description: Learning a language provides special challenges for all students. Thispresentation shows how to use the learner-centered task-based approachto encourage active communication, getting students to learn by doing.The presenter will use examples from Expressions, a new 3-level, 4-skillseries by David Nunan, to demonstrate the step-by-step language-buildingtasks that help provide students with the skills, confidence, andmotivation to become more fluent English speakers.Derek Mackrell worked as a teacher and teacher trainer at various schoolsin Japan for six years before joining Thomson Learning as an ELT consultantlast year. He has a Cambridge/RSA Diploma in Teaching English as a ForeignLanguage to Adults, and has presented Thomson Learning's materials atbookfairs and JALT meetings around Japan.

Sunday, October 21st, 2001

What's this action research all about then?

Speaker: Neil Cowie, Ethel Ogane
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., October 21st, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: Kyoai Gakuen Maebashi International College, Maebashi
Description: What does action research encompass? We will give a brief overview of how 'action research' is defined in second and foreign language education and what some of its key features and procedures are. We willalso share some examples of how teachers have used AR to improve their practice. We hope that participants in the workshop will leave with somepractical ideas of how to start doing action research themselves, or if they have already started, with the motivation to take their researchfurther through collaboration and networking with other teachers.

Sunday, November 18th, 2001

Beyond Intuition: Getting Started in Action Research

Speaker: Anne Burns, Macquarie University in Australia
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Sun., November 18th, 2001)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Gunma
City: Gunma
Venue: MIT: Maebashi Institute of Technology (Maebashi Koka Daigaku), 460-1 Kamisadori, Maebashi
Description: Interested in action research but not sure what it is? Uncertain about how to start an action research cycle? Want to know more about techniques for data collection? In this workshop, we will discuss some of the characteristics and processes of action research, and how it is different from other types of research in language education. We will also explore how you can get started in action research, either alone or with others. We will focus particularly on the early stages of doing action research which are often considered the most challenging: deciding on a focus, mapping out steps in the process, and selecting techniques for data collection. You are encouraged to bring along any teaching issues, questions or problems you have been thinking about for discussion at the workshop.
This event is part of the Four Corners Tours 2001, which are opportunities for JALT National Conference speakers to visit local JALT chapters throughout the country.

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The Japan Association for Language Teaching
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Tel: 0352885443