JALT Talk Newsletter

Hello, and welcome to another monthly edition of JALT Talk, the announcements newsletter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching. As the weather seems to be cooling off a bit, we at JALT are eagerly looking forward to our autumn conference, to be held in Tokyo from Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 2, 2025. Our ZPD online networking event tonight (Sept. 30) is hosted by our dedicated conference volunteer team, who will be happy to answer all of your questions, whether you're a first-time attendee, a seasoned conference veteren, or someone who's considering a return to the conference after a few years away.

JALT International Conference News

JALT2025 Basic details:

Title: 51st Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition
When: Friday, October 31 - Sunday, November 2, 2025
Where: National Youth Olympic Center, Yoyogi, Tokyo
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wR973syaJ2PSivbEA
Theme:
LanguageS: Learning, Teaching, Assessing
— JALT 50 Years —
Challenges and Perspectives
Conference information

Registration:

Registration is now open: https://events.jalt.org/event/37/registrations
Early bird registration discounts end October 15th
Special discounts for Junior, Student, Senior, and Global Professional Registrations
Note: No On-Site Registration: No on-site registration as the venue does not allow any money transactions (cash and credit card included). Please purchase your ticket via the registration site before you attend the conference.

Speaker Interviews on YouTube

For a preview of our main speakers at JALT2025, watch the interviews we have uploaded to our YouTube channel! So far, we've uploaded:

JALT2025 Plenary Interview with Naoko Taguchi
JALT2025 Interview with Kinsella Valies, the Kevin Cleary Invited Speaker

As more of these interviews are conducted, we'll add them to our JALT2025 YouTube Playlist.

Student Volunteers Needed

We need student volunteers to ensure that the conference runs as smoothly as possible. This is also a great opportunity for students to network with the JALT and wider community--even make many new friends! Please share this link with any students who would be interested in this opportunity: https://go.jalt.org/jalt2025interns

We also have posters in English and Japanese to show your students.

Whether you plan on attending this year's conference or not, on behalf of the Student Intern team, thank you for helping us by sharing this information with your students and your connections

TLT Conference Preview Issue

Read about what’s coming up at this year's conference in the September issue of The Language Teacher (available to non-JALT members, too).

Recommended restaurants and activities

Not sure what to do or where to eat while attending JALT2025 in Tokyo? We’ve got you covered! JALT member Joseph Dias has put together a curated list of recommended restaurants and activities, all conveniently located near the conference venue.

See it here: https://jalt.org/conference/jalt2025/tokyo-guide/

Koen Meigi

A koen meigi is a letter of endorsement from a government body, media group or organization that sees merit in a program or event that is being held by another organization. We received koen meigi for JALT2025 from the following organizations:

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology – Japan
The Japan Foundation
Science Council of Japan
Shibuya City
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
Shibuya Board of Education

Job listings

Gregory Paul Glasgow to be Plenary Speaker at Global Englishes SIG Conference 2025

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Gregory Paul Glasgow will be the plenary speaker at the JALT Global Englishes SIG Conference 2025, taking place online on Saturday 6th December. Please see our website for more information.

ART SIG Call for Articles, Presentations, and Artworks

The ART group will focus on multimodal communication in our Forum at the JALT International Conference in November and in the next issue of our ART Gallery journal, to be published in January 2026. ART is seeking proposals for:

Submission Guidelines: For presentations and articles, submit a Word document for initial review. For artworks, submit small JPEGs

Deadline: (Extended) Please make your proposal before October 1, 2025. Thanks! (ART SIG will review proposals beyond this deadline, but priority will be given to early proposals) art@jalt.org

Reminder from JALT's DEI Committee

In order for Program Chairs and other Officers to help ensure they are following the DEI Presenter Guidelines, the DEI Committee is asking all JALT member to fill out the survey: Complete the DEI Presenter Database Survey・DEIプレゼンターのデータベース構築の為のアンケート. Completing the survey is not a commitment to present, but will allow a more streamlined approach to connecting with potential speakers outside of personal networks. Please note that all questions are optional and will be used by program chairs to help diversify their speakers. Please see our poster for more information.

Call for Presentation Proposals due Nov. 2nd for Creating Community: Learning Together 9 (CCLT9) (in Tokyo, Nov. 30)

The Learner Development (LD) SIG welcomes both students and teachers to take part in this year's Creating Community: Learning Together 9 (CCLT9) in a supportive, low-stress environment to share ideas, give (poster) presentations, and engage in meaningful discussions. Taking place on Sunday 30th November at Chuo University, Myogadani Campus (a 1-minute walk from Myogadani Station on the Marunouchi Line), CCLT9 will feature rounds of concurrent poster presentations for 45 minutes or so, as well as discussion circles between rounds.

We warmly invite you and your students (and individual teachers) to start planning for CCLT9 and to share practices, stories, and challenges related to learner development for an inclusive and connected world. You don't need to have "perfect results" or academic polish. If you have a story, question, or puzzle related to learner development, we hope you'll join us.

CCLT9では、皆さんと学生の皆さん（または個人の教師の方）には、ぜひ計画を始めていただき、包括的でつながりのある世界における学習者ディペロプメントに関する実践、経験談、課題などを共有してください。「完璧な結果」や学術的な完成度は必要ありません。学習者ディペロプメントに関するストーリー、疑問、あるいは謎をお持ちでしたら、ぜひご参加ください。

Task-Based Learning (TBL) SIG Call for papers, posters, and workshops due Nov. 30 for TBLT Topics #1: Materials design (in Naha, Okinawa, Jan. 17-18)

Task-Based Learning (TBL) SIG Call for presentations opens Oct. 1st for the 6th biennial TBLT in Asia 2026 International Conference (in Tokyo, June 5-7)

Living on the Edge 2025: Shifting Identities

The Living on the Edge conference series was founded in 2019 on the idea that the nail that sticks out can empower positive change. After years of working with young Japanese students, I heard the same message repeatedly, “I’m different. I can’t imagine my way forward because I know no one else who is different like me.” The goal of the first conference was to deliver role models to those young people. [Read more]

Call for submissions: School House Journal

The School House journal accepts submissions any time of year and is published three times a year (winter, spring, and summer/autumn). Deadlines: Submissions for The School House are accepted on an ongoing basis. Types of articles:

TYL SIG Conference (November 29, Tokyo)

Mark your calendars! The TYL SIG Conference will be held on November 29. This year’s event brings together educators to share ideas, research, and classroom practices for teaching younger learners. Don’t miss this chance to connect and collaborate with colleagues. Details: https://tyl.jalt.org/call-for-presentations/

Moving? Bring JALT with you!

While not as dramatic as April, September also brings new beginnings! The new semester means that some of us are moving on to new jobs, perhaps even in new cities.

To ensure you stay connected, we'd like to remind you to update your mailing or email address if it is changing. Keeping your information current ensures you receive JALT publications and news without any interruptions.

Recent JALT Publications

Metacognitive Listening Instruction in the Second Language Classroom: Integrating Method, Theory, and Practice

This title addresses the gap between listening theory and practice by providing an outline of listening theory, offering practical listening methods, and presenting how metacognitive instruction can be integrated into real lesson practice. Applying these methods to teaching and learning can provide educators with the instructional guidance needed to offer their learners some tangibility in second language (L2) listening. Based on original research, the book includes:

Upcoming JALT Events

October 4, 1:00 PM-5:00 PM Iwate-Aomori Chapter
TILES 2025: Share your Best Ideas!

October 18, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM Matsuyama Chapter
9 Practical Tips for Teaching Oral Communication Classes in Japan 日本のコミュニケーション授業における実践的指導法

October 18, 7:00 PM-8:00 PM Tokyo Chapter
Enhancing 21st Century Skills: Filmmaking Projects at Two Japanese Universities

October 19, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Nara Chapter
NaraJALT 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

October 26, 1:00 PM-5:30 PM Nagoya & Gifu Chapter
Grand Forum 2025
Co-sponsors: JALT Toyohashi and JALT's TBLT (Task-Based Learning) SIG

October 26, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM Kyoto Chapter
Annual General Meeting with Keynote Speaker Bruno Vannieu

October 31 - November 2 JALT2025-51st Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition
https://jalt.org/conference/jalt2025/

Upcoming Conferences from JALT's International Partners

That's all for this month. You can subscribe and / or access back issues here. Alternatively, if you'd rather not receive more information from JALT, you can unsubscribe here: https://hosted.jalt.org/membermail/unsubscribe-success.php?c=220