The Japan Association for Language Teaching

Hokkaido Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Hokkaido Chapter)

Hokkaido Chapter Events in 2007

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

Sunday, January 21st, 2007

Teaching Speech Acts Can Enrich Our Students' Learning

Speaker: Jeremie Bouchard
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., January 21st, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University, Toyohira (2 minutes from Gakuen Mae subway station, Toho Line)
Description: The presentation will discuss a pedagogical initiative involving a textbook designed around the teaching of speech acts, which was introduced at Sapporo Sacred Heart School (S.S.H.S.), a Catholic school for girls. Hopefully, discussing this initiative will lead to a more general exchange on both the teaching of speech acts as a means of enriching our studentsf performance in the target language, and on material design. Speech acts are understood as attempts by language users to perform specific actions, in particular interpersonal functions such as compliments, apologies, requests or complaints.

Sunday, March 4th, 2007

The New TOEIC test: Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges

Speaker: Grant Trew
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., March 4th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Library Building International Room 6th floor
Description: This workshop focuses on helping instructors to better understand the changes to the TOEIC test since the revision in May. The presenter will walk participants through the changes, allowing them to see first hand the new challenges learners will face, and then look at and try some activities that can be used to develop student ability both in the long and short term. An overview of the format and implications of the soon to be introduced Speaking and Writing tests will also be included.

Sunday, April 22nd, 2007

Tips for Giving Effective Presentations

Speaker: C.A. Edington, Chris Perry and Wilma Luth
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., April 22nd, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Subway Building 6, 3rd floor
Description: What makes the difference between a good presentation and a great one? Naturally, content is important. More crucial may be how that content is conveyed. In this interactive session, ideas will be exchanged about what makes an effective presentation, from initial planning to delivery. Chris Perry, who is on the JALT National Abstract Review Committee, will give advice on how to write an effective abstract when submitting presentation proposals. Both experienced presenters and beginners will get ideas for giving presentations they and their audiences can enjoy. Come with questions and your own ideas to contribute.

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

The 'Too Easy' Guide to Self-Publishing

Speaker: Paul Gemmell
Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (Sun., May 27th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Subway Building 6, 3rd floor
Description: This presentation will outline the steps in publishing material using a self-publishing site on the Internet. A live demonstration will be performed and ample time will be given to address any questions from participants during the course of the presentation. It will also take time to discuss the pros and cons of this type of self-publishing, in particular as compared to going through traditional publishing channels.

Going 'Multimodal' in the Writing Classroom

Speaker: Bob Palmer
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., May 27th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Subway Building 6, 3rd floor
Description: In this presentation, the speaker will introduce several examples of multimodal writing produced in his classes with special focus on a WebQuest project he designed and implemented in a writing class at Hokkai Gakuen University last year, including students' evaluation of the project.

Saturday, June 23rd, 2007

How to Motivate your Students and Get them Talking in English

Speaker: Mark De Boer
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (Sat., June 23rd, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: L - Plaza Kita 8 Nishi 3, (just north of Sapporo station)
Description: There are many different methodologies of

teaching, but many don't work. Using a different

approach, with fresh new activities based on

sound research the speaker will share how he has

achieved success in his own school. He will

introduce the V-Task a teaching method

designed to help create autonomous learners in

the classroom, which is based on the Vygotskian

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) concept.

Sunday, June 24th, 2007

"Ancient Cobblestone Stained with Lifeblood" and Other Speech Contest Titles to Avoid

Speaker: Joe Booth
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., June 24th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Subway Building 6, 3rd floor
Description: In the conception and development phase, the presenter will discuss what kinds of speech topics are appropriate and how to guide students through the process of putting their ideas into a coherent and meaningful speech. In the preparation and delivery stage, he will focus on a range of communication skills, including pronunciation and body language, which are inherent to giving speeches, as well as, how to direct students ultimately to a successfully delivered speech.

Sunday, July 15th, 2007

Learning Pragmatics in Foreign Language Classrooms

Speaker: Gabriele Kasper
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., July 15th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Library Building International Room 6th floor
Description: I will first outline the main approaches to teaching pragmatics in foreign language settings. Then I will give examples of how students' pragmatic competence specifically, their ability to make requests can be advanced through face-to-face interaction and computer-mediated communication.

Sunday, September 23rd, 2007

2007 JALT Hokkaido Language Conference

Speaker: Featuring: Don Maybin
Time: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Sun., September 23rd, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 2,000 yen at the door or only 1,000 yen if you preregister and pay in advance.
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokkai Gakuen University - Library Building 1st Floor
Description: The 24th Annual Language Conference will feature Don Maybin, a renowned teacher, trainer, author and presenter under the theme of The Active Classroom. There will be four or five streams of simultaneous presentations for all levels and a large number of publisher displays. For full details on the presentations which passed the vetting process, please check our website during August. http://jalthokkaido.net/

Saturday, October 20th, 2007

Creative CALL

Speaker: Goh Kawai
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Sat., October 20th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): 500 yen for materials
Fee (One-Day members): 500 yen for materials
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Sapporo Gakuin University in Ebetsu
Description: The seventh annual CALL Workshop at Sapporo Gakuin University will be held on Saturday, October 20th. The featured speaker will present on "Managing 1200 Freshmen University Students in an All Online English Program" and "The Goh-Phone: Online Telephone Conversations and Pronunciation Recording." This is a practical forum for all high school, junior high school and university foreign language teachers interested in everyday teaching via the internet and computers. Over fifteen sessions will focus on training in software applications, demonstrations of successful classroom activities, presentations on new developments and research, and reports from active CALL developers in Hokkaido and beyond.

The workshop is organized privately by members of the English Education Kenkyukai and takes place in the CALL laboratories of Sapporo Gakuin University. It is supported by JALT Hokkaido, the JALT CALL SIG and JACET Hokkaido Chapter CALL Study Group.

Currently there is a Call for Papers posted at

http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/callworkshop/

Saturday, November 3rd, 2007

1. Cultivating Active Readers; 2. From Egg Crate to Omelet: Energizing Teacher Development

Speaker: Neil Anderson
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Sat., November 3rd, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free thanks to Cengage Learning (formerly Thomson Learning) financial support
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: Hokusei Gakuen University, Oyachi, Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo
Description: 1. 2:00-3:00pm: Using examples from Active Skills for Reading, Second Edition, the author will show how graded steps towards developing reading fluency can be taken from the lowest levels onwards, and will also show how taking an "ACTIVE" approach to reading can increase English language learners' reading comprehension and fluency. Participants will walk away with practical ideas and materials to use in their classrooms.

2. 3:30-5:00pm: Teachers and classrooms have been compared to an egg crate (Lortie, 1975) where teachers enter the privacy of their classrooms and do not allow others to enter. Each classroom stays in it's compartment of the egg crate and does come in contact with others. Instead of viewing our work through the lens of an egg crate, let's energize our teaching by considering how we can make an omelet. This session will focus on 13 ways that teachers can make their teaching public and thus improve their teaching.

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

Bonenkai Potluck Party

Speaker: Everyone
Time: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (Sun., December 16th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free for members and their guests
Fee (One-Day members): see chapter website for details
Prefecture: Hokkaido
City: Sapporo
Venue: HIS (Hokkaido International School) 1-55 5-jo 19-chome, Hiragishi Toyohira-ku, Sapporo (near Sumikawa Subway Station)
Description: The times could change so please check out the JALT Hokkaido website for final details. Everyone is expected to bring some food or drink.

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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