Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn
Oct. 12-15 2012, Act City, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
http://jalt.org/conference
View all the upcoming events scheduled by various chapters or SIGs. Use the links to browse through all the listings.
The film "The Grandpa from Brazil" documents the life of Mr. Kenichi Konno, who emigrated to Brazil at the age of 19 in 1931. Konno went abroad in search of a decent job, and he vowed to return after achieving success. He worked very hard for decades, and 60 years after leaving Japan he began making annual trips back to Japan staying for a month at a time in order to check on Japanese-Brazilians who had emigrated in the opposite direction. Konno had been very concerned about the many difficulties that these Japanese-Brazilians face in Japan. He made these trips over a period of 15 years, and he helped many people in the process.
This 60-minute film follows this extraordinary yet ordinary man as he retraces his journey through the streets of Tokyo and Kansai, recounting his life in Brazil, and discovering more about the actual situation of Japanese Brazilians. This heartfelt documentary explores issues of migration, ethnicity, family, and global citizenship. After the film there will be time to meet and ask questions to the filmmaker, Nanako Kurihara. English subtitles will be provided.
Nanako Kurihara is a graduate of Waseda University and an award-winning Japanese producer/director. Her first film made in 1993, was “Ripples of Change” (also titled “Looking for Fumiko”) which is about the Japanese women’s movement in the 1970s. It has been shown internationally and has been broadcast in the United States and Australia. Kurihara holds a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University.
This event is co-sponsored by SIETAR Kansai. For more details about Mr. Konno, please see this 2008 article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20081022f2.html
Two presentations by Andy Boon, a Featured Speaker at JALT 2011 (followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant):
1. Here we are now, motivate us
You walk into the classroom. The students are at the back chatting with friends, sitting in silence, checking their phones, or resting their heads on the desks. Then, suddenly, the bell sounds. It is the start of the class. How do we as teachers change the classroom dynamic to one where learning can take place for all concerned? How do we create an environment and experience that will spark our students' natural curiosity and eagerness to develop? Once in action, how can we help nurture and sustain their interest throughout the lesson when learner motivation is constantly at threat. This presentation will provide an overview of Dörnyei's motivational teaching practice model (2001), describe its practical application in the L2 classroom, and explore strategies for generating, maintaining and protecting student motivation. The audience will be invited to share their own experiences of and suggestions for stimulating teen spirit.
2. Negotiated syllabuses: Do you want to?
It has been said that negotiated syllabuses can increase student motivation and involvement in the learning process. And yet, learner and teacher reservations towards gaining or relinquishing control of syllabus design decisions can often mean that negotiated syllabuses are difficult to implement. This presentation will look at three different teaching contexts in which negotiated syllabuses (or certain elements of negotiation) have been implemented (business courses, extension center courses, and university courses). It will describe the results of a qualitative research study into whether teachers and students really want to negotiate syllabuses. Finally, the audience will be invited to share their own experiences by answering the questions; have you and do you want to?
Andrew Boon is an associate professor in the faculty of humanities at Toyo Gakuen University. He has been teaching in Japan for over 14 years and is an Aston University PhD student. He has been an active member of JALT since 2004, has presented at numerous conferences, and has published several articles on teacher development, motivation, and methodology. At the time of writing, he is currently working on a new coursebook, Discover the News with David Harrington (Language Solutions, 2011).
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