(Read the archived description for the Sendai Chapter)
Events archive by year:
2008 [10];
2007 [11];
2006 [12];
2005 [11];
2004; 2003 [8];
2002 [9];
2001 [8];
Speaker: Fraser Gould
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., January 25th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free (also free for TALE members; TALE is Tohoku Association of Language Educators)
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (for non-JALT and non-TALE members)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER 28F El Solar Kenkyushitsu 2
Description: Native English speakers use an average of 4 metaphoric expressions per minute of "natural" conversation, yet figurative language is generally overlooked by EFL textbooks. For example, English speakers usually rely on the concept of Up or Down in figurative speech. This concept is related to the agricultural aspects of early English history. For example, I am feeling depressed refers to being pressed down on the land. This presentation will look at what George Lakoff and Mark Johnson call "conceptual metaphors", and how they can be used in the EFL classroom to help our students understand figurative language.
Speaker: various speakers
Time: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Sat., February 7th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free (sponsored by OUP)
Fee (One-Day members): free (sponsored by OUP)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Miyagi Kenmin Kaikan, 3-3-7 Kokubun-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai
Description: The program will feature a range of presentations on reading for teachers of all age groups and abilities. Sponsored by Oxford University Press; see the Oxford Kids Club event annoucement for details and links to the other cities in this tour.
Speaker: Peter Connell
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., March 28th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free (also free for TALE members; TALE is Tohoku Association of Language Educators)
Fee (One-Day members): Non-members-1000 Yen; student non-members-FREE for their first attendance, then 500 yen thereafter
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER kenshu-shitsu 2, AER Bldg, Sendai
Description: At the JALT 2003 conference in Shizuoka, Peter Ruthven-Stuart discussed attitudes towards CALL within the language teaching profession. (CALL stands for Computer-assisted language learning). Ruthven-Stuart's survey clearly demonstrated that CALL is underused in language classes. However, apart from mentioning the inadequate training factor, there is no analysis of why teachers are not doing more to integrate computer-based features into their programs.
It would be nice to have a discussion about the cause of this resistance to CALL. In this presentation, Peter Connell welcomes the knowledge and experience of the participants in uncovering whether they have had success in motivating students through CALL. We will look at CALL's (positive and negative) influence on goals such as the following:
Speaker: Ian Pemberton
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., April 25th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free (also free for TALE members; TALE is Tohoku Association of Language Educators)
Fee (One-Day members): Non-members-1000 Yen; student non-members-FREE for their first attendance, then 500 yen thereafter
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Asahigaoka Shimin Center, Meeting room 3 (easily accessible from Asahigaoka subway station)
Description: This presentation will be divided into two parts. The first half will be used to explain schema theory (see below) and the second half will demonstrate how this theory can be applied practically to authentic news materials to enhance comprehension and language acquisition. No prior knowledge of the subject is necessary.
Schema theory is a theory of the mental representation of information stored in memory, which attempts to account for the way information is comprehended and how new information is learned. It raises important questions about the way languages are conventionally taught and learned and about the content of many professionally produced language textbooks. The theory suggests that language should be taught holistically and without being separated from its context.
Ian Pemberton has taught English in Japan for 13 years. He is currently employed in teaching current affairs English to intermediate and advanced level students in a preparatory program for interpreters at Inter School, Sendai. The program exploits authentic materials from satellite TV and Internet radiobroadcasts such as CNN, BBC World, VOA and PBS.
Speaker: Nancy Finley & Amihan April Mella-Alcazar
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., May 30th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free (also free for TALE members; TALE is Tohoku Association of Language Educators)
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (500 yen for students)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: TBA
Description: Topic 1: Ms. Finley will discuss recent research on non-profit activity and design collaboration she has developed. She will talk about an upcoming event and workshop in Sendai, "The Culture of Body, Architecture and City."
Topic 2: Ms. Mella-Alcazar recently organised an Education Community Tour with a group of Japanese visitors to an indigenous community called Mangyan. She will discuss the outcome of this visit. Ms. Mella-Alcazar will also share an upcoming event in Sendai: the Torch Run for the Winter Special Olympics, which will be in Nagano in February 2005.
Speaker: Chris Cuadra (Shokei University) & John Wiltshier (Sendai University)
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., July 4th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (500 yen for students, but free their first time)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Sendai AER Building (just north of Sendai Station) 28F, Dai 2 kensyuusitu
Description: We are probably all familiar with Total Physical Response activities but perhaps we are not so familiar with Asher's original theory and work on TPR as a methodology. And we are almost certainly even less familiar with what it feels like to actually be taught using TPR methodology.
This meeting will have two parts. First, Chris Cuadra will teach everyone using a language no-one is familiar with. For about 20 minutes we will experience firsthand how it feels for our students when we use only English in classes.
In the second part of the meeting, John Wiltshier will very quickly review the original TPR theory.
Finally the meeting will move onto a discusion of the limitations of TPR, the difference between 'input' and comprehensible 'input' and the desirability of 'English only' classes.
Speaker: Charles Adamson
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., August 29th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (500 yen for students)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER building, Kensyuu-shitsu
Description: We will discuss current issues and trends including mixed ability classes, large classes, changing ability levels and other topics. It might be useful for you to think about this questions:
My classes would be better (or easier to teach) if ________.
What goes in the blank? Perhaps other teachers can share ways you can make it happen.
Speaker: Ataua Aoki, Hitoshi Eiguchi, Michiko Masui, Toyoko Schimidt
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., September 26th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (students free the first time, and 500 yen thereafter)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: TBA
Description: Some people assume that oral language classes such as English conversation should be taught by NESTs (Native English Speaking Teachers). However, Non-NESTs have strengths that are sometimes overlooked.
Speaker: Steve Hakkarainen, Marc Helgesen
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., October 31st, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (students free the first time, and 500 yen thereafter)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: TBA
Description:
Speaker: Ken Schmidt, Tom Warren-Price
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., November 28th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (students free the first time, and 500 yen thereafter)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER Building, 28th floor, kensyuusitu 2
Description:
Speaker: several speakers
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., December 19th, 2004)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1000 yen (students free the first time, and 500 yen thereafter)
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER Building, 28th floor, kensyuusitu 2 map
Description: Attendees of this year's JALT 2004 anual conference held in November in Nara will report on sessions they attended. If you attended or would like to hear about the conference, please come and join this discussion.
Please note: The originally scheduled session for this meeting, 'Second Language Acquisition' with Neal Snape, was cancelled. Neal, who is currently studying Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in the UK, is unable to make it back to Japan this year.
Bonenkai: If you'd like to join our bonenkai, you'll need to email Tony Crooks and tell him if that you're interested in coming. Please include your name in the email!
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