Iwate Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Iwate Chapter)

Iwate Chapter Events in 2007

Events archive by year:
2008 [6]; 2007; 2006 [10]; 2005 [6]; 2004 [11]; 2003 [10]; 2002 [10]; 2001 [9];

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

The ABC of Student Speaking

Speaker: Catlin Evans, Brian Evans and Adam McCahon
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Sun., January 28th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Mary's English Talk, 2-9-65 Kuroishino, Morioka; 019-663-3132
Description: The ABC team (Adam/Brian/Catlin) will explore the often problematic question of student speaking and suggest ways to increase the quantity and quality of student use of spoken language. Adam will focus on preschoolers to elementary students, Brian will focus on junior high and high school students and Catlin will discuss teaching conversation strategies to college students. The ideas presented can be adapted and used for language learners of all ages. The presentation would be of interest to all teachers of English who are trying to improve their students' English speaking skills.

Adam McCahon is a teacher at Prince Eibei Gakuin, an eikaiwa school in Morioka. He is particularly known for his skill with teaching preschoolers and young primaries.

Brian Evans is a 20 year veteran of high school teaching in Australia and has taught ESL in a variety of situations in Morioka for the past four years.

Catlin Evans teaches at Morioka Junior College.

Sunday, May 27th, 2007

Sign Language in the Classroom

Speaker: Martin Pauly, Tsukuba University of Technology
Time: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM (Sun., May 27th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aiina, west exit, Morioka Station, next to Marios. 6F, dantai katsudo shitsu.
Description: Deaf and hard-of-hearing students are entering mainstream schools and mainstream society. A knowledge of Sign Language may aid teachers and hearing students in communicating with, and creating a more friendly environment for, these students. I am not a specialist in Deaf Education, nor an expert at Sign Language, but I am hoping to introduce the audience to different languages (i.e., ASL and JSL/NS (American Sign Language and Japanese Sign Language/Nihon Shuwa) and a different culture (i.e., Deaf Culture). I will demonstrate some strategies for introducing Sign Language into the classroom and show how they are transferable to a classroom of visually-impaired or older students. I will also explain how I use JSL/NS to introduce ASL and how I have incorporated Sign Language into normal classroom interaction.

Martin Pauly has been at Tsukuba University of Technology, Division for the Visually Impaired, for 15 years. He holds offices in the JALT Ibaraki Chapter, the Bilingualism SIG and the TOL SIG. His current areas of interest include the use of sign language in the language-teaching classroom, children's bilingualism, tai chi chuan and running marathons as a guide runner for blind athletes.

Sunday, June 24th, 2007

STEP EIKEN: An insider's guide to Japan's national English test

Speaker: Todd Fouts,International Operations Manager and Chief Editor at the Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP)
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., June 24th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aiina, 7th floor, room 702 (west exit, Morioka Station)
Description: Part 1: Who is STEP? What is EIKEN?

A crash course in the history, purpose, and content of the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency - one of the world's most widely administered language tests, and yet one of Japan's best-kept secrets. Find out how EIKEN items are developed and who does it, and why it's the scariest job in the world.

Part 2: EIKEN goes global

Until four years ago, EIKEN was virtually unheard of outside Japan. Now the test is recognized for admissions at hundreds of institutions in North America and Australia. What happened? The growth of EIKEN from domestic test to global qualification, and the potential impact on education in Japan.

Michael Todd Fouts is International Operations Manager and Chief Editor at the Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP), where EIKEN is produced by a team of 200 writers, editors, and advisors. Fouts has worked in Japan since 1990 as a teacher and test developer.

Saturday, July 14th, 2007

Rhythm and Music for Young Learners

Speaker: Aleda Krause
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sat., July 14th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aomori Akenohoshi Tanki Daigaku
Description: Rhythm and Music for Young Learners is a presentation for junior college students studying to be kindergarten teachers.

Sunday, July 15th, 2007

Teaching Pre-Teens: Problems and Possibilities

Speaker: Aleda Krause
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., July 15th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Marios, Meeting Room 2, 5th floor (across from Morioka Eki west exit)
Description: How do you feel about teaching pre-teens? Even the most confident teachers can be challenged by 10- to 12-year olds. They are no longer small children and not yet young adults, but seem to swing back and forth between the two. Do you experience difficulties generating energy, managing classes with mixed levels, or bringing out shy students? Aleda will share some secrets for success with upper elementary students in this activity-based presentation.

Sunday, July 29th, 2007

The New TOEIC Test : Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges

Speaker: Grant Trew, sponsored by Oxford University Press
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Sun., July 29th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): free
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aiina, 5th floor, room 501B (in International Center area)
Description: The TOEIC Test is the primary tool for assessing English proficiency in Japan and a good score has become a common prerequisite for job and academic placement and advancement. Because of its importance, TOEIC test preparation courses have become a standard part of both College/University and private language teaching curriculums.

The change to the test format in May 2006 has significant implications both for students and educators, who will need both an understanding of the changes and appropriate preparation to deal with them.

This workshop aims to clarify the changes to the test, highlight the impact and implications for both test takers and teachers and present some approaches to overcoming the problems Japanese learners are likely to face.

During this workshop the presenter will give examples of the new format and use interactive tasks to highlight some of the key challenges test takers will face. Participants will then be introduced to activities that can be used to prepare students to improve their scores. An overview of the format and implications of the new Speaking and Writing tests will also be included.

It is intended that participants will leave the workshop with a better understanding of the changes and how these are likely to affect their students and programs, and also with a stock of techniques to better deal with these changes.

Grant Trew, an expert in testing and a long-time instructor of exam technique, has recently authored the Oxford Tactics for the TOEIC Series Speaking and Writing Tests Student Book and the Official Oxford University Press Japan Teacher's Guide to the TOEIC Test. All participants will receive a free copy of the Teacher's Guide during the presentation written in the language of their choice. Participants are also welcome to fill out inspection copy request forms for a copy of the Student Book.

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Recipes for Success in Teaching Medical English

Speaker: James Hobbs, Iwate Medical University
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., September 30th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aiina, 8th floor, Room 816
Description: Authentic medical English is often assumed to be extremely difficult for the non-expert teacher to understand, let alone teach. The presenter will show that this is not in fact the case, and that a course that prepares learners to cope with complex technical terms and to identify the structure of and key information in authentic medical texts can be successfully taught by any experienced teacher willing to research the subject area beforehand.

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Hands-on English - Task Based Learning

Speaker: Mark DeBoer
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Sun., October 28th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Iwate
City: Morioka
Venue: Aiina, 8th floor, Room 817
Description: SciTek is a set of materials (colored tubes, spheres, wheels, joints, and so forth) and model plans that pose challenges to be overcome. Using SciTek as an exploratory tool, the presenter will show how to establish an ideal classroom setting, simulating real life, where English is used for communication. Providing task-based activities using SciTek, participants will discover how to create truly student-motivated and communicative classes.

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