Sendai Chapter

(Read the archived description for the Sendai Chapter)

Sendai Chapter Events in 2007

Events archive by year:
2008 [10]; 2007; 2006 [12]; 2005 [11]; 2004 [11]; 2003 [8]; 2002 [9]; 2001 [8];

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

Teaching Debate and Structured Discussions in EFL Classes

Speaker: Speaker: Mark Neufeld
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., January 28th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER Building, 28th floor, kensyuusitu 2 map
Description: In the first hour of the presentation Mark will discuss the teaching of debate in the college EFL classroom. For those unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of debate, we will look at the format of parliamentary-style debate and the vocabulary and methods involved in teaching and conducting it. Then Mark hopes to open the discussion up to those attendees who have taught debate so that we can share our experiences and opinions.

In the second part of the presentation Mark will describe a technique I've developed over the last five years or so that I call "Structured Discussions". The technique can be taught to high school and college students with high-beginner to advanced English ability and can be used in oral English or integrated skills classes. It incorporates many of the skills associated with debate, but does not require the learning of specialized vocabulary or debate procedures. It can be done in pairs or small groups, and can be easily tailored to the students' needs and interests. The activities leading up to actual structured discussions include brainstorming, outlining, and practicing conversation management skills. Students get a chance to read, write and speak target vocabulary and grammar in a structured and systematic way, and Mark has found that by the end of a unit even weaker students are able to handle discussions lasting 15 minutes or longer.

Bio:

Mark has an M.A. in Education (Emphasis in ESL) from the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado, U.S. He is an assistant professor at Sakura no Seibo Junior College in Fukushima, where he has taught English for 14 years. He also taught at Sakura no Seibo High School for two years and at Berlitz Language School in Tokyo for 4 years.

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007

Off to the onsen with Paul Nation: Teaching and Learning vocabulary.

Speaker: Paul Nation
Time: To Be Announced - (Tue., February 27th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): 15,000 yen
Fee (One-Day members): 18,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Resort Hotel Crescent in Akiu Onsen, near Sendai
Description: The February meeting is be a special event. Paul Nation, one of the leading vocabulary experts in the world, will conduct two workshops at this intensive session. The event will be held at Resort Hotel Crescent in Akiu Onsen, near Sendai. 15,000 for JALT members, including workshop, meals, hotel and transportation. More information at http://www.geocities.com/jaltsendai/. Tuesday-Wednesday Feb. 27-28. Preregister before Feb. 14 at jaltspecial@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

Where your students are coming from: High School English

Speaker: Ben Shearon - Chief ALT Advisor at the Miyagi Prefectural Board of
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., March 25th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Sendai Mediatheque map
Description: The first part of this presentation will introduce current English language programs in public senior high schools in Miyagi. Starting from a quick review of Ministry of Education guidelines, we will then examine the general situation across Miyagi, and finally focus on specific case studies of individual schools.

In the second part we will look at what goes on in senior high school English classrooms and consider the constraints faced by teachers and students.

Bio:

Ben Shearon was born in Germany, but claims to be British. He has been teaching English for eight years, seven of them in Sendai. A JET Programme alumnus, he balances his work as Chief ALT Advisor for Miyagi Prefecture with teaching children's classes at a school he co-founded and attempting to enthuse university students about their English studies.

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

"Constructing and Celebrating Linguistic Capital"

Speaker: Dr. Laurel Kamada
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., April 29th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Sendai Mediatheque map
Description: "Constructing and Celebrating Linguistic Capital" as a Teaching Methodology in ELT: The Model of Monolingual 'Half-Japanese' Girls in Japan

This presentation will focus on the concept of linguistic and cultural capital in relation to English language learning in Japan. The discussion will begin with an introduction to the concept of linguistic capital, based on the presenter?s recent Ph.D. thesis, of how 'half-Japanese' girls in Japan?even with low English proficiency?construct and celebrate their English linguistic capital. Then discussion will turn to how this linguistic capital can be productively created in EFL/ESL classrooms in Japan by instilling intrinsic motivation in students and introducing techniques for how to create and celebrate English learning, even in small, but steady, increments.

Bio:
Dr. Laurel Kamada, professor at Aomori Akenohoshi Junior College, teaches courses in Comparative Cultures, Gender & Language, and Childhood Education English Teacher Training. She recently received her Ph.D. on the topic of the construction of identity of multiethnic adolescent girls in Japan. Her other interests include: discourse analysis, poststructuralism, and gender.

Saturday, May 12th, 2007

Pan-SIG Conference 2007 (May 12-13)

Speaker: Various, including Marc Helgesen, Martina Gunske von Koelln
Time: To Be Announced - (Sat., May 12th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): tba
Fee (One-Day members): tba
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University
Description: The Second Language Acquisition: Theory and Pedagogy conference will be co-hosted by JALT'S Other Language Educators SIG, Materials Writers SIG, Pragmatics SIG, Teacher Education SIG, Testing and Evaluation SIG and the Sendai JALT Chapter. It will explore the relationship between second language acquisition and the mechanics of the second language classroom. Details are available at the Pan-SIG website.

http://www.jalt.org/pansig/2007/pansig07/

Sunday, June 24th, 2007

Perspective on Learner Demotivation

Speaker: Joseph Falout
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., June 24th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Aoba-ku Chuo Shimin Center (formerly called "Ichiban-cho Shimin Center") 2-1-4 Ichiban-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, 980-0811
Description: Abstract: Research shows the strongest influence on learner motivation is teacher behaviors, and past demotivation correlates with present negative affect and proficiency.

Students subjected to demotivating factors earlier in their learning are not able to control their affective states years later, causing a negative affective cycle that perpetuates demotivation.

The presentation will provide an overview of studies on learner demotivation, and will conclude with implications for teachers and learners.

Bio:
Joseph Falout is an assistant professor at Nihon University. He started teaching ESL and college composition in 1991. His research theme has been demotivation in EFL learners in Japan.

Sunday, July 29th, 2007

Reading Children's Picture Books

Speaker: David Gilbey
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., July 29th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Sendai Mediatheque map
Description: We know how to read text: in English cultures, it's left to right and top to bottom. In other cultures it varies. But how do we "read" pictures? What is it that we respond to? How is our attention directed or constructed?

Is there a"grammar" for reading pictures? Whether a picture really is worth a thousand words probably depends on the picture, as well as the pocket of the gazer.

Is meaning/beauty/significance in the eye of the beholder? Children's books open up a myriad of possible connections between image and text.

In this presentation, I shall address key areas such as colour, line, position, style, perspective, etc. in examining sample illustrations from contemporary children's picture books. I hope there will be particular intellectual and aesthetic pleasures in this presentation, as well as considerable relevance to classroom and family application.

Sunday, August 26th, 2007

Actually teaching listening: The importance of script and of suprasegmental phonology

Speaker: Alistair Graham Marr
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., August 26th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Sendai Mediatheque map
Description: This talk examines how you can go beyond giving practice practice in listening and actually teach listening skills. Knowledge of script is something that can be taught that helps students with their top-down predictive skills. Teaching supra-segmental phonology helps students with their bottom-up decoding skills.

Bio:

Alastair Graham-Marr, M. Appl. Ling., has been teaching in Japan for over 15 years. He is currently an Associate Professor at Tokai University in Tokyo and an editor at ABAX. Alastair has presented in Thailand, the UAE, the US, Taiwan and throughout Japan. He is author of Communication Spotlight: Speaking Strategies & Listening Skills, a recently published textbook for Oral Communication classes at the college level.

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Is the controversial concept of the 'native speaker' relevant to the ELT classroom and profession?

Speaker: Barry Kavanagh
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., September 30th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: AER Building, 28th floor, kensyuusitu 2 map
Description: This research attempts to define the controversial concept of the 'native speaker' with a discussion of its varieties and the 'global norm,' and to investigate its validity within the ELT classroom and profession.

In a poll conducted across the northeast of Japan with teachers and students of private English conversation schools, respondents were asked a series of questions, followed up with discussions and interviews, regarding the importance and significance of the native speaker for the ELT profession.

Responses highlighted diverse opinions between the students and teachers with the former supporting the notion of the native speaker as the ideal proprietor and proficient user of the language, which it is argued has both ideological and political implications for the ELT industry as a whole and the non-native speaking teacher of English.

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Tohoku ELT Expo

Speaker: Various
Time: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Sun., October 28th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): TBA
Fee (One-Day members): TBA
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Forest Sendai (http://www.f-sendai.jp/)
Description: The event will again take place at Forest Hall, Sendai.

For full details of registration, speakers, admission fees etc. please visit:

http://www.eltnews.com/ETJ/events/expos.shtml

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

JALT Conference reports and Bonnenkai

Speaker: TBA
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Sun., December 16th, 2007)
Fee (JALT members): free
Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen
Prefecture: Miyagi
City: Sendai
Venue: Aoba-ku Chuo Shimin Center (formerly called "Ichiban-cho Shimin Center") 2-1-4 Ichiban-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, 980-0811
Description: Hi everyone

First and foremost �Ethere was an ERROR in the most recent TLT magazine regarding the JALT Sendai December meeting. Apologies for any confusion caused. The person responsible will be tarred and feathered at the JALT Sendai Bonnenkai.
The JALT Sendai December meeting will take place on December 16th between 2-5pm in the Sendai Chou Centre. The Chapter Meeting on the 16th will include the following 3 parts:
1) Opening remarks about 2007 from the President followed by a vote on the Best Of JALT. The presenter voted best for the year will receive an award at the National JALT conference 2008.
2) Reports from JALT2007 by : Tony Crooks, Marc Helgesen, Peter Connell, Jim Smiley, John Wiltshier (as back-up) for about 10 to 15 minutes each with time for questions/comments)
3) 2008 - Ideas for the 2008 JALT Sendai programme. Meeting attendees can suggest anything they have seen/ heard about and would like to propose as a presentation for Sendai JALT to put on in 2008. Each person will be allowed time to expand on their proposal.
So�Ea quick request for those people who will be attending the meeting: Please think before the meeting about;
1. the best presentation they went to this year at Sendai JALT
2. if there has been anything the have heard about or seen at a different place that they want to propose as a presentation for 2008 Sendai JALT programme.
The meeting will be followed by the JALT Sendai 2007 bonnenkai!
Have an excellent Xmas and new year!

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