Kitakyushu JALT Meeting Reports: Archive for 2007
Our meeting reports archive contains reports of our meetings from 1999 to June 2008.
To see reports for later events, visit the reports page.
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12 January 2007
Bruno Vannieu
Cultural codes and the Immediate Method
A big shock for Western language teachers here is that Japanese students hesitate to speak out in class. Bruno Vannieu pointed out that, while cultural differences are also huge between America and Europe, something these disparate cultures share is the expectation that teachers' questions be answered by students-or at least responded to.
The explanation about differing cultural codes is the first step of the "Immediate Method", developed in Osaka by French conversation teachers. The second step is to tell students how to say something within a few seconds and how to negotiate meaning.
We watched video segments of the method (mainly using choral repetitions) and had a French lesson simulation class, which centered on two or three topic-based conversational exchanges. The method is geared toward giving students the tools and practice to take part in natural conversations. Student progress sheets are filled out and stamped by the teacher each class while testing the students one on one or in small groups-while the rest of the class practice autonomously.
While lesson preparation and marking are easy for the teacher-thanks to the progress sheets and very complete textbook, class time appears extremely demanding, being intensive question and answer sessions.
Reported by Dave Pite
10 February 2007
Hudson Murrell
Dialogue and Vocabulary Journals
For vocabulary journals, Murrell asks his students to find ten new words per week (citing source, definition and type) and every two weeks write ten sentences with two different words in each. They also each contribute three words (with details) to a master list which is used by the instructor as a source for testing. (It was mentioned by an audience member that the software "Moodle" features a glossary that can be added to-to facilitate the whole class accessing the same list of words.)
Dialogue or peer journals are done in pairs of students, starting with self-introduction and exchange of personal information and continuing, like a conversation, into areas of mutual interest. At the beginning of each class they are quickly checked for new entries and stamped. The journals are not corrected, graded, nor usually read by the teacher, the aim being to motivate students rather than evaluate them. They are also encouraged to formulate short and long-term goals, reporting on progress to the instructor for feedback. Another means of rewarding effort as well as inspiring both competition and cooperation is a "language tree" diagram of functional language skills, stamped by the instructor as they are mastered.
Reported by Dave Pite
10 March 2007
Various presenters
My Share
Various presenters shared methods, games and exercises that worked for them in the EFL classroom, particularly beginning a new term. Daniel Droukis explained how to help students relax and be less intimidated from the first day of classes-- as well as offering the instructor an opportunity to check out their individual ability levels-by getting them to stand (everyone agreed this is very effective in eliciting answers) and shout out questions to elicit shouted answers. Dave Pite demonstrated a way of exploiting movies in the classroom with 'dictation questions', that are marked for written and comprehension accuracy, as well as showing ice-breakers for learning names, practicing casual introductions and fluency practice, a similar exercise upon which Dennis Woolbright followed up on and elaborated. Lynda Batty demonstrated a rhythmic fluency practice involving hands and knees and snapping fingers. Bill Pellowe showed an exercise to help students relax and get to know each other in English while learning each others' names with alternating group and pair-work using name-badges. Margaret Orleans explained her "Scavenger Hunt", in which students have to find answers (to English questions) that are somewhere in her well-stocked and organized classroom. Ken Gibson starts his first class with fluency training, having students stand and question each other with stock phrases about names, hobbies, favorites etc. We had a few laughs and everybody got something to take home.
Reported by Dave Pite
14 April 2007
Takashi Inomori, Meiji Gakuen
Writing Class: A great fun part of senior high school
Takashi Inomori first outlined the brief history of teaching creative English writing in Japan, which was first little more than translating from Japanese to English and has not developed much further-- due to teachers' lack of experience with it themselves. We were shown how he makes his classes fun while guiding the development of writing and learning techniques, first with a "chain letter" activity, where paragraphs are passed from writer to writer, each adding a sentence supporting the theme or disputing it. The end result is an amusing icebreaker to begin a term with. Classes include timed writing exercises and discussion of common errors, always allowing enough time for brainstorming, pre- and post-writing activities as well as peer feedback and correction (Japanese permitted). Perfect accuracy is stressed less than writing fluency so that up to thirteen essays can be completed per term, the best of which are posted on his school's website. He usually does the assignment first, as an example, and always gets the students started writing before the lesson ends. Mr. Inomori's expertise and enthusiasm has resulted in some quality student writing-and a very interesting and enjoyable presentation.
Reported by Dave Pite
12 May 2007
Judith Johnson
Incorporating Thinking Skills and ESD in the FL Classroom
Judith Johnson first outlined some of the fundamental reasons for education and then introduced the concept of sustainable human development, which occurs when an increasing number of people can expand their choices to lead the lives they value. Adequate thinking skills are needed to activate this and may be nurtured in the foreign language classroom to maximize benefit. Focusing on the big questions and deciding what to believe or do with one's life in response to circumstances are worthwhile purposes to put new language skills to-and may generate enough interest and enthusiasm to pull discussion along, something all teachers are looking for. Johnson feels that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) should be included in every subject as generic thinking and learning processes such as decision making, problem solving, evaluating and comparing are used across all content areas and all aspects of life
We then formed groups to brainstorm ways and means of applying this concept (within a four-dimensional framework: natural-- concerning conservation; political-- democracy; social-- peace, equality and human rights; and economic-- appropriate development) to the methodologies and textbooks we are currently using-with some interesting results, which we shared to finish this dynamic presentation.
Reported by Dave Pite
9 June 2007
Cindy Daugherty
Focus on Content: Materials and Techniques for Teaching Beginning Academic Writing
Ms. Daugherty feels that adequate instruction on paragraph development is not available from most ESL textbooks. She outlined some of the ways writing is taught-- via translation, free writing (using stream of consciousness and diaries) and academic writing (rhetorical form); and pointed out the important balance between content and form, stressing the importance of not allowing the latter to dominate. She explained some of her methods for elucidating interesting and original content from students and shared examples of their compositions, pointing out the extent to which target elements of cohesive writing had been achieved in each, as well as methods of helping students to recognize weaknesses in their paragraph structure and get them back on track. Movies and graded readers are used extensively in her classes to stimulate the creative process; summarization, discourse analysis and ways and means of supporting a topic sentence with explanation and examples, as well as problems to avoid, were presented and discussed.
Reported by Dave Pite
14 July 2007
Grant Trew
The New TOEIC Tests: Understanding the challenges, preparing for success
March 2006 marked the first change in the TOEIC test in 25 years, including speaking and writing components for the first time, to supplement the standard listening and reading. Grant Trew further debunked the commonly-held opinion that TOEIC is primarily a grammar test by giving examples of questions that test knowledge of English as it is used in the real world, stressing that the best preparation is familiarity with natural English - something we native speakers always love to hear.
Further revelations from this veteran TOEIC author included the fact that accurate predictions can always be made about what you are going to hear by reading the listening comprehension questions carefully. Mr. Trew knows this because he has tried to thwart it in making questions and found it impossible. 'Main purpose' questions usually come first, followed by comprehension questions in the order of the presentation. Time management skills are most important; they are not natural and have to be taught. If you do not know an answer, just guess and move on; agonizing over it is as counterproductive as in a real-world conversation.
Grant Trew likes the TOEIC test- challenging but focused on important aspects of language teaching and learning; by the end of his dynamic and informative update on it, we did too.
Reported by Dave Pite
10 November 2007
Margaret Orleans & Malcolm Swanson
Two Christmas Activities
Margaret Orleans divided the audience into four groups of four or five and led us through a couple of very enjoyable Christmas games designed for the EFL classroom. The activities appeared to involve a lot of preparation, done by her and Malcolm Swanson.
"Spot the Lie" asked participants to complete statements about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. Players voted on which answer was correct. (It would be difficult to play this game without using a lot of English.) The imaginative ignorance found in some of the responses was often amusing—as was the credulity of the other players.
Next was Classroom Feud, based on the American TV program, Family Feud (Hyakkunin ni Kikimashita in Japan). After a few very enjoyable rounds, Ms. Orleans finished by showing some of her students' rather artistic responses to the Survey Project Progress Report they must complete in preparation for the game, which had been set up on large sheets of paper for display.
These games provide practice in forming and asking questions, being creative, reporting, reading for comprehension, listening, guessing, and responding quickly. Most importantly, they are a lot of fun!
Reported by Dave Pite
8 December 2007
Kitakyushu National College of Technology student research team
Reduction of CO2: Our Challenges/Bonenkai
JALT members were asked to play the role of judges and give comments to Yuri Hashimoto, Sakurako Shigemoto and Kazuya Dohi presenting their research on some possible ways of reducing CO2 emissions around the globe-- in preparation for a national English presentation contest among national colleges of technology. They explained their research into ways that genetically modified crops and dye-sensitive titanium solar cells could reduce CO2 output. This very promising demonstration received extensive feedback from us about presentation style, manipulation of audio-visual equipment and fielding audience questions.
Then, without further ado, we leapt at the table loaded with wine, juice, cheese and fruit to finish off our year together in fine style.
Reported by Dave Pite
