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ZOOM EVENT: Moral Foreign Language Effect (MFLE)

Date and time:  Sunday, December 13, 2020  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Speakers: Arnold Arao    

 

ABSTRACT

In foreign language learning, learners engage with the language through learning opportunities and utilize what they acquire. Language itself is seen as a passive—knowledge to be acquired. However, recent research has indicated that the language individuals use, whether their mother tongue or a foreign language, can affect what people do and even how people think. This phenomenon has been referred to as the Moral Foreign Language Effect (MFLE). Though much current research has focused on foreign language learners with significant (> 1 year) overseas experience, little has yet been done to examine the effect on foreign language learners with little or no international experience. An investigation was conducted specifically looking at whether the language an individual uses can alter his / her moral decision making. Japanese university students were presented with moral dilemmas involving life or death situations. These were given to students in both Japanese and English. 

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ZOOM EVENT with the JET Alumni Association of Western Japan

Date and time:  Saturday, September 26, 2020  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Speakers: Pearlyn Yap Li Hui

Human Capital Division- Anglosphere Affairs Supervisor, Mori Kosan Co., Ltd.

 

Kobe JALT is proud to team up with the JET Alumni Association of Western Japan for our annual job-hunting event. This year's event will have a particular focus on resume writing. Anyone is welcome to attend - current and former JETs, dispatch ALTs, eikaiwa teachers, and adjunct university teachers who are thinking of tuning up their CV!

 

This free event will be hosted on Zoom. All Kobe JALT members will receive a Zoom link by email. Anyone else who wishes to attend should contact Brent Jones (bjones_jp@yahoo.com) by email or Facebook Messenger by Friday, September 25th at 12 noon. Presenter and presentation info can be found below. We're looking forward to seeing you all there!

 

Biodata

Pearlyn is the Anglosphere Affairs Supervisor of Mori Kosan Co., Ltd. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She has been lecturing on job hunting for the English-speaking international community in Japan, such as at The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics and at job hunting seminars for JET alumnis. Besides lecturing, she also provides online and offline support to the English-speaking international community in Japan, be it job hunting (WA. SA. Bi. JOB), studying Japanese (BJT, Super Japanese elearning) or living in Japan (WA. SA. Bi. SIM- an affordable yet reliable phone plan with no termination fees) through the portal WA. SA. Bi. (https://www.iiwasabi.com/), and through career guidance consultations at academic institutions, as well as career events attended by government organizations of various countries.

 

Abstract

The presentation will cover resume writing, which is the most important part of the job hunting process. Your resume is the key that will allow you to proceed to the interview stage.

During the document screening process, only candidates with attractive resumes will be given a chance at interviews. Therefore it is important to craft a resume that will impress your hiring manager!

 

ZOOM EVENT - Best practices in digital pedagogy

Date and time:  Saturday, July 4, 2020  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Speakers: Rab Paterson

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For further information, please email to Brent Jones (bjones_jp@yahoo.com), Program Chair by Friday, July 3rd

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Abstract:

This workshop presentation covers a range of current best practices in digital pedagogy, with practical examples drawn from the Blog Journalling, Flipped Learning, Just in Time Teaching, and Project / Challenge Based Learning pedagogical approaches to learning and some related apps. These approaches will all be demonstrated by examples from the presenter's own classes which show how a range of Apps can be combined in an App Smashing way to enable them to be educationally more than the sum of their parts. However, this session will not just be a typical 'how to use these apps' type workshop. The benefits to students in terms of their improved mind-brain learning as a rationale behind the adoption of these apps will also be covered, as will the motivational benefits for students that appropriately set up challenge / project based learning brings. Everything will be demonstrated in an easy to understand way, even for teachers new to educational technology, so the session is suitable for a wide range of educators. After the initial overview and case study demonstration of these theories and apps, the session will become more hands-on and the instructor will go on to work directly with attendees on how to set up and use these particular apps in this way, and also illustrate how teachers can use them in other related ways. The workshop will end with a more traditional Q and A session, although attendees are free to ask pertinent questions throughout the session.

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Biographical information:

Rab Paterson is the Principal Instructor for Toyo University’s BEST (Business English Skills and Training) program and a part-time teacher at an IB school in Tokyo. He's also the current Director of the Asia Association for Global Studies, a Fellow of The British Royal Asiatic Society, a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a member of the Japan Association for Language Teaching’s Technical Advisory Committee, and holds memberships in many other educational technology / professional teaching associations. He has a BA (Hons.) in Pacific Asian History and an MA in Pacific Asian Studies from the University of London’s SOAS, a Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy and an MS in Multidisciplinary Studies from SUNY (Buffalo)and an MEd in Practitioner Research from University College London’s Institute of Education. His publications range from peer-reviewed academic journal papers, conference proceedings, book chapters, newsletter articles, and he has presented at many international academic conferences worldwide including Keynote, Plenary and Featured Speaker sessions, and two TEDx presentations for TEDxTokyoTeachers and TEDxSophiaU. He’s an Apple Distinguished Educator, an Apple Teacher, a Google Innovator, Trainer, and Google Educator Group Leader for the West Tokyo GEG, and lives in a semi self-built, eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle log-house of his own design in the foothills of the Japan Alps with his family, and their two dogs! 

 

ZOOM EVENT - Career Education in English: A New CLIL Course to Enhance Self-Realization

Date and time:  Saturday, May 16, 2020  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Speakers: Mayumi Hamada

 

An invitation to the Zoom meeting will be sent out in an email to all Kobe JALT members. Anyone else interested in attending should contact Brent Jones via FB Messenger or by e-mail (bjones_jp@yahoo.com) by Friday (5/15) afternoon.

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Abstract:

This workshop aims to introduce a new CLIL course combining career education and English learning. According to the research data, it was found that the CLIL course significantly enhanced the students’ self-esteem and had a positive effect on their mental attitudes toward life. It was also indicated that the course increased their motivation to learn English. Participants will have an opportunity to try some of the fun exercises based on cognitive neuroscience and positive psychology.

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Biodata

Mayumi Hamada is an associate professor at the University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences in Kobe. Her current research interests include CLIL, learning motivation, and career education. She has developed a new CLIL course which combines career education and English learning, based on positive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. She is currently developing English teaching materials to enhance students’ self-esteem and self-realization. She is the co-author of textbooks in the Macmillan Cinema English series and Grammar Network by Cengage. 

Mayumi_Hamada@red.umds.ac.jp

 

ZOOM EVENT - English in Japanese Public Elementary Schools and Zoom Workshop

Date and time:  Saturday, April 18, 2020 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Speakers: Frances Shiobara and Mark Donnellan

 

An invitation to the Zoom meeting will be sent out in an email to all Kobe JALT members. Anyone else interested in attending should contact Brent Jones via FB Messenger or by e-mail (bjones_jp@yahoo.com) by Friday (4/17) afternoon.

English in Japanese Public Elementary Schools

It has been thirty years since the JET program was introduced in Japan and with it the widespread use of team teaching for English classes. As most Japanese teachers are accustomed to teaching alone it can be challenging for Japanese teachers and Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) to collaborate in order to ensure a high level of educational outcome. With the introduction of a new curriculum for English in elementary schools from 2020, the number of English classes will increase. Some of these will be taught by homeroom teachers alone, but some will involve team-teaching by the homeroom teacher with an ALT. The aim of this workshop is to give English teachers and homeroom teachers an insight into the attitudes of other teachers, in the hope that this will aid understanding and cooperation. The workshop will show data gathered from surveys of elementary school homeroom teachers, in-depth interviews with teachers who have had experience of team teaching, and observations of English classes at elementary schools in Japan. The results illustrate in what ways team teaching is taking place (or not) and how different participants view their roles and teaching practices.

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Zoom Workshop

In the past few weeks, many teachers and students have been thrown into the unfamiliar territory of online teaching or emergency remote teaching. This workshop will share the presenters’ experiences of synchronous online teaching using platforms such as Zoom. The workshop will also include classroom ideas and tasks with hands-on practice for participants. The focus of this workshop will be on how to make the online learning experience as smooth as possible for students.

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Biodata

Frances Shiobara is a tenured lecturer at Kobe Shoin Women's University. She has been living and teaching in Japan since 1989. She has been involved in teaching English to elementary school children for the last thirty years. She took her EdD online through the University of Liverpool. Her main areas of interest are teaching English to young learners and attitudes to technology in education. fshiobara@shoin.ac.jp

 

Mark Donnellan is a Special Instructor of Language at Kwansei Gakuin University. He holds an MA TESL/TEFL from the University of Birmingham. His research interests include Task-based learning, Corpus Linguistics and integrating technology in the EFL classroom. He also has extensive experience organizing virtual exchanges between Japanese university students and students at various universities in Europe. mjdonnellan@kwansei.ac.jp

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SOME CURRENT ISSUES IN SECOND/FOREIGN LANGUAGE and

STORY LISTENING(SL) AND GUIDED SELF-SELECTED READING(GSSR)

Date and time:  Sunday, December 8, 2019  1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue:  Konan University Nishinomiya Campus (the CUBE)

Speakers: Stephen Krashen and Beniko Mason

 

Kobe JALT is proud to host Dr. Stephen Krashen and Dr. Beniko Mason.

Please fill out the RSVP form by November 30th, 2019: https://forms.gle/NLjfUc1Cv7k4tFZG6
Fore more details, please access to the JALT Calendar https://jalt.org/events/kobe-chapter/19-12-08 .

 

PhD Student Spotlight

Saturday, October 19, 2019  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館) Room 803 (https://www.kih.co.jp/access)
Event Speakers: Mayumi Asaba and Joshua Jodoin

 

Kobe JALT is pleased to welcome Mayumi Asaba and Joshua Jodoin, who have both recently finished their PhD studies and will be presenting about their research.

This event will be followed by a nomikai at Torikizoku (RSVP and details: https://forms.gle/24uDcd91duWMVfUt9). We're looking forward to seeing you there!

This event is free for JALT members and 1000yen otherwise.

Biodata
Mayumi Asaba is an instructor at the Hirao School of Management at Konan University. She received her Ph.D. in Education, Concentration in Applied Linguistics from Temple University, Japan. Her research interests include expertise in L2 teaching and teacher development.
 

Abstract
The presenter describes three elements critical to developing expertise in L2 teaching based on four case studies of English language instructors at Japanese universities. The findings supported previous studies of expertise, which claimed that reflection and problem solving are essential to teacher development, but also indicated the importance of contextual factors for fostering expertise. The presentation concludes with practical implications for teachers, teacher educators, and administrators.
 

Biodata

Joshua Jodoin is a recent Ph.D. graduate in Global Environmental Studies from Kyoto University and works as an Instructor and Course Leader at Konan University, the CUBE. He worked as an Associate Lecturer of English at Kwansei Gakuin University where he researched the environmental beliefs, values, and norms of his students taking a Content and Language Integrated Course (CLIL) in Environmental Ethics. His research has been recently published in the Encyclopedia of Sustainable Development Goals, the International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context, in a Singer Nature book entitled, “Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,” and in Osaka JALT. His research focuses on the nexus between Language Teaching and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Higher Education. He is currently working on a book that will help teachers integrate ESD into their language classrooms by developing a new field of study called, Language Education for Sustainable Development (LESD). 

 

Abstract
Language Education for Sustainable Development (LESD): Lessons learned from a Case Study in Japanese Higher Education

As recent headlines are filled with climate crisis marches and a push towards the Sustainable Development Goals, many language teachers wonder how they can contribute to this important movement. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is still unfamiliar in Japanese universities, but it is a powerful tool to increase student awareness of critical world issues, like climate change, and can be integrated into content and language classes. The researchers will present a case study of ESD integration into a Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) course in Japanese Higher Education (HE) and exhibit the results with lessons learned. He will also introduce a new field of research that integrates ESD with language learning called Language Education for Sustainable Development (LESD). The presenter’s research examined the effects of ESD integration into a Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) ‘Environmental Ethics’ course in Japanese HE. In the research, two groups of university students with equivalent English ability were compared over a two-year period. Key findings show that integration of ESD best-practice improves student environmental values, beliefs, and norms and the use of both PowerPoint and Poster presentations in the ESD best-practice course is highly motivating for students. Lastly, the presenter will offer some useful ways that language teachers can integrate ESD into their courses in meaningful ways. This presentation will be of interest to language and content teachers using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or ‘sustainable’ topics in their university classrooms.

 

Resume writing, job hunting, and JET panel

Saturday September 28, 2019  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館) Room 804

Event Speakers: Shugo Kagawa, Joy Sung and Diamond Feit

 

Kobe JALT and the JET Alumni Association of Western Japan will be holding a joint event on Saturday, September 28th from 3-5pm. The theme of this event is job hunting and will feature a presentation by Shugo Kagawa of Osaka International University. Following Shugo's presentation, Joy Sung and Diamond Feit (along with others) will talk about their job hunting experiences from the end of the JET programme until the present. Teachers working at *all* levels who are interested in how to navigate the job hunting process are invited to this event! Don't miss out!

Following the presentation and panel, join us for dinner at The Sky Buffet, a short walk from the conference center. Details about the location and price can be found on their website: https://nilax.jp/brand/sky/store/245.html and the RSVP page for the dinner is now open: https://forms.gle/dNnKXV4QG38DSsgEA

Attendance fee:
Current JETs and JALT members - Free
1000 yen otherwise

 

Kobe JALT Tech Day

Saturday, June 29, 2019 at Kobe International House (神戸国際会館）Room 804

Event Speakers: Dr. Erin Noxon, Google Certified Innovator and teaches at Sagano High School in Kyoto/Bob Gettings, Hokusei Gakuen University Junior College in Sapporo/Elisabeth Fernandes, Konan University

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Abstract

Using Google Voice Recorder in Docs for pronunciation practice in your classroom

Pronunciation practice is a valuable learning activity that is hard to accomplish at a one-on-one level when you have 40+ students in a classroom. This is where a language lab style app with pronunciation activities could be of great help. However, what if your institution doesn’t provide you with a budget to purchase student licenses for this kind of software? Luckily there is an easy solution that is absolutely free, that you probably already know how to use, and it is within Google Docs. I am a Google Certified Innovator and Educator Level 2 and have been using Classroom and the other Google Apps for many years. In this lecture I will go over how I use a combination of Google Classroom, Docs, and Voice typing to create a pronunciation practice station within my EFL classes. We will go over how to set up and distribute the assignments, and how you can review them. I will also go over data from students in the last school year, on their perceived improvements in pronunciation based on this pronunciation activity in my classes.

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Biodata

Dr. Erin Noxon is a Google Certified Innovator and teaches at Sagano High School in Kyoto, Japan. She has taught EFL English, science, and Tech and Media skills during her 16+ years of teaching in public schools in the US and Japan. She has administered EdTech professional development (PD) in both the US and Japan and researches EdTech PD, blended learning, and public school edtech environments.

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Abstract

 It's not just a test!  The Moodle Quiz Activity & Language Learning

Of course, Moodle quizzes can be used for traditional testing but, beyond this, there are so many different ways of using quizzes for language learning. This presentation will offer a  quick introduction to Moodle’s Quiz Activity: types of questions available, quizzes as used for simple testing, the benefits of shuffling questions in a quiz, embedding media in questions, the power of the cloze question format, merits of allowing students to take quizzes only once or to retake them again and again, timed quizzes for short, quick writing or reading tasks, making quizzes with random questions, uploading hundreds of questIons at a time in the format of text files. It will be in a show and tell format outlining the potential of using Moodle quizzes - not a training session - with the hope that participants will be encouraged to experiment with using Moodle Quizzes on their own in the future.

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Biodata

Bob Gettings has been teaching, learning with English majors at Hokusei Gakuen University Junior College in Sapporo since 1992. He has been active in Moodle materials development and Moodle teacher training since 2004. His CALL related action research projects have included materials development for content based learning, the use of CALL in conversation classes, EFL writing and student patchwork/plagiarism, recent changes in student skills and preferences in PC and mobile use, and short, timed, extensive writing & listening task development and classroom management using Google and Moodle.
 

Elisabeth Fernandes has been teaching in the Kansai area for several years. She is currently working at Konan University CUBE. Her interests include: extensive reading, cultural communication, and global issues, among others.

SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) and ER (Extensive Reading) have, for many years, been, and continue to be, topics of much discussion, as well as research. The benefits have been repeatedly shown. The goal of this presentation is not to focus on ER itself or its benefits, but rather to introduce an online programme for ER called “x-reading”. This presentation will give some background on the programme, explain a bit about how it works, and report on student and teacher comments.

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Event Speakers: S. Kathleen Kitao, Michael Furmanovsky, Catriona Takeuchi, Chris Ruddenklau

Date & Time: Sunday May 26th, 2019  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館）Room 806

Fee for JALT members: Free

Fee for non-JALT members: ¥1000

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Do you love traveling? Do you want to help your fellow teachers working in different countries? If so, join us on Sunday, May 26th as officers from the Teachers Helping Teachers (THT) special interest group present about their experiences working with teachers around the world. There are wayseach ofus.!

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Speakers:

S. Kathleen Kitao is a professor at Doshisha Women’s College, where she teaches linguistics, communication theory, and English language. She has taught in Japan for nearly 40 years and has co-authored numerous textbooks and published papers on non-verbal and intercultural communication, linguistic pragmatics, and language teaching. She has participated in THT events in Vietnam, Nepal, and the Philippines.

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Michael Furmanovsky is a Professor of Cultural Studies at Ryukoku University. He teaches language, culture and movie-based history classes, while also being active in the field of Japanese popular culture, presenting regularly at Japan Studies conferences. He has written and presented on a wide variety of practical areas including Reading Circles in Extensive Reading; using songs and commercials to teach culture and vocabulary and more. He is THT’s Co-Country Coordinator for Vietnam and the Philippines and has been active in volunteer teaching in Vietnam since 2007.

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Chris Ruddenklau has a broad range of teaching experience having taught for 40 years in New Zealand, Thailand and Japan. For the past ten years, he has coordinated over 200 visits, by teachers from Japan; to Lao elementary and secondary schools, teachers training colleges, and to the National University of Laos. He believes that THT in Laos, is really THTHT, Teachers Helping Teachers Helping Teachers, a situation where all parties benefit. He is the advisory editor for the LaoTESOL proceedings, the international co-ordinator for the conference and teaches at Kindai University.

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Ten Principles of TBLT Activity Design

Event Speaker: Dr. Curtis Kelly

Date & Time: Saturday, April 20, 2019  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館）Room 804

Fee for JALT members: Free

Fee for non-JALT members: ¥1000

 

Join us today as we welcome our first speaker of the 2019-2020 academic year, Dr. Curtis Kelly! His presentation is titled "Ten Principles of TBLT Activity Design": TBLT makes English a conduit rather than a target, so it begs for well-crafted activities. Activities that “Pull” instead of “Push” is the true test of good lesson design and the first of ten principles the presenter will offer. The principles, discovered during decades of textbook writing, provide guidance in engaging students, controlling language targets, and solving typical class management problems, such as keeping learners in the target language. Take-home activities will also be provided.

 

That presentation will be followed by dinner at The Sky Buffet, a short walk from the venue, from 5:30pm. Please see this link to RSVP: https://goo.gl/forms/7SLuMYbdXczdkRyw2 and please RSVP by April 13th! We hope to see many of you there for a night of TBLT, dinner, and networking!

Biodata
Having written textbooks for Cambridge, Pearson, National Geographic Learning, MacMillan, and other publishers, the presenter has developed a set of key principles for TBLT activity design. The principles provide guidance in engaging students, controlling language targets, and solving typical class management problems, such as keeping learners in the target language.

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December event - Pragmatics in EFL and Publisher Showcase (Bonenkai afterwards)

Date: Saturday December 15, 2018

Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館）Room 804

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm (Bonenkai 6:00pm - 8:00pm)

Please click on the link to sign up for the bonenkai by Tuesday, December 12, 2018:  https://goo.gl/forms/3EHyAB97CyPhUnhC3

 

English for real – promoting pragmatics in an EFL course

"Excuse me! Do you know what time it is?" or "Hey, what's the time?" How can students understand which phrase is appropriate in different social situations? In this session, we will look at the importance of pragmatics and view some practical classroom material which equips students with the tools to master the hidden rules of English.

 

Rob Peacock currently works at Oxford University Press as an Educational Services Consultant and course coordinator of the Oxford Teachers' Academy. He has spent over 15 years in Japan teaching students of all ages as well as providing teacher support and workshops.

Join us this month as we welcome Rob Peacock from Oxford University Press! We'll also be welcoming Cengage, MacMillan, and Seibido who will bring their textbooks, flashcards, and games to display. Interested in some new materials for next year? Drop by and have a look.

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Co-sponsoring Event
The JALT 2018 Four Corners Tour presented by Nara JALT

Date: Sunday, November 18th  10:00am - 12:00pm

Venue: Nara Visitors Center and Inn

 

Cost: Free for JALT members/1,000 yen for non-members

Speakers: 
Judith B. O'Loughlin - Three Strategies for Fostering Resilience in Young Learners
Thongsouk Keomany - Inclusivity and Heartfelt Education for ALL Lao People

For more information:

https://jaltnara.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/the-jalt2018-four-corners-tour-nara/

 

Joint Workshop and Symposium with Otemae University
World Englishes, Bilingualism and Cross-Cultural Education in Japan

Date: Sunday, October 21, 2018, 10:00 - 18:00

Venue: Otemae University, Sakura Shukugawa Campus (https://goo.gl/maps/zzY7X3SWFvP2)

 

Registration: 10:00 - 10:25 - Registration is FREE.

Opening remarks: 10:30

Featured workshop by Jon Dujmovich, Keio University (10:50 -11:50)
Plenary speech by Prof. Kensaku Yoshida, Sophia University/吉田研作 上智大学教授 (13:40 -14:40)

Roundtable: The Impact of Globalization in Local Language Education: Benefits and Challenges (14:50 - 15:50)

 

For more information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IIE.OTEMAE/

Blog: http://www.otemae.ac.jp/english/gotemae/category/iie/
Email: iie.info@otemae.ac.jp

 

Joint Event with JETAA (Japan Exchange Teachers' Alumni Association)
Resume Writing and Life after JET

Date: Saturday September 29, 2018
Venue: Kobe International House (神戸国際会館） Room 804
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

 

This is an event for those who are interested in learning about how to polish their resumes (specifically in the language education field) to prepare for job hunting. In addition, we will have three current JET alumni (of both ALT and CIR background) to talk about their life post JET. The event will be followed by a networking dinner at The Sky Buffe, a short walk from the venue (Map: https://goo.gl/maps/AnsdPoo4S472).
Dinner is 1990 yen (+tax) per adult and all-you-can-drink alcohol is 990 (+tax) for women and 1290 (+tax) for men. Please indicate in the comments if you'll be attending the dinner afterward. Please access to the event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/318279045600480/) and indicate in the comments if you'll be attending the dinner afterward. We look forward to seeing everyone there! We look forward to seeing everyone there!

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Event details:
15:00 - 16:00 Resume writing workshop

Speakers:

Michael Parrish and Richard Miller are long term residents of Japan. Richard is an associate professor at Kobe Gakuin University, and Michael is an assistant professor at Kwansei Gakuin University. They have been the JALT Job Information Center (JIC) coordinators for a number of years writing, giving presentations and running the booth at the annual JALT conference. They have given presentations, talks and workshops on professional development throughout Japan, Dubai and Kenya. Their regular columns appear in the JALT CUE publications as well as other publications and have an upcoming book chapter “Transforming your Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV) into a Career Strategy Tool” in Advancing the ELT Practices which will be published by Zayed University

 

16:00 - 17:00 JET Alumni panel (Q&A included)

Speakers: 

Alberto Koji Servín, Cory Ballantyne, Daniel Feit 

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Alberto Koji Servín is from San José, California. After graduating from Middlebury College, Alberto came to Japan on the JET Program as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) for the City of Wakayama. He spent 2 years on the JET Program and then joined Mori Kosan Co., Ltd., a company in Osaka that supports foreign residents find employment in Japan.

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Cory B ‘Awesome’ hails from the state of Colorado.  She came here in the year 2012 and did a five year stint on the JET program in Kyoto City but was a FU JET.  Working on the JET program made her realize teaching was the perfect job for her and opened up a new career path for her.  Now she works for a private school in Shiga.

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Daniel Feit came to Osaka via the JET Programme in 2007 and he's lived here ever since. Born and raised in New York, he had no previous experience as an educator before he came to Japan but he spent nine years teaching English to rural elementary school children. In 2009 he started writing freelance articles for WIRED, covering essential stories like "I found curry rice in a can." Today he splits his time between teaching, writing, venting his frustrations on Twitter, and being a parent.

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Invite the world into your classroom: exploring World Englishes with digital technologies

Date & Time: Sat 16 June 15:00- 17:00

Venue: Kobe International House (Kobe Kokusai Kaikan) Room 803

http://www.kih.co.jp/access (Map)

Fee for NON-JALT members: 1,000 yen

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In our increasingly globalised world, the ways we use language are constantly changing. In particular, research shows that our English language students are far more likely to interact with other non-native English speakers than native speakers. Even those who live and study in places like the United Kingdom, the United States or Australia are very likely to encounter a range of Englishes and a variety of accents in these increasingly multicultural countries. However, despite these changes to how language is being used, and the research that calls for a radical rethink of the native speaker-centric approach, classrooms still tend to focus on native speaker English in accent and form, which can create problems when students encounter Englishes that are unfamiliar to them. By inviting the world into the classroom through digital technologies, familiarising and normalising a range of world Englishes, including the variety of English spoken by the students themselves, teachers can better prepare their students for the challenges of living in a truly global environment. This presentation will look at some real examples of how an understanding of a range of Englishes can impact English learners and then give some practical examples of how teachers can ‘invite the world in’.

BROWN Amy has been working as an English language teacher in General, Business and Academic English for the past 18 years in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Vietnam, Australia and Japan. She completed a Master of Applied Linguistics (TESOL) from the University of New England in 2014, and has spent the past 4 years working in both the Academic and General English programs at the University of Adelaide English Language Centre. She has presented at TESOL Professional Development events in Australia in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney and at CamTESOL in Phnom Penh. She is currently lead teacher on the University of Adelaide Super IES program at Kansai University, Japan.

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Annual Event on Bilingualism and BBQ

 

Kobe JALT is pleased to welcome Christopher J. Hollis from Tottori as the main speaker for our annual BBQ.

Date & Time: Sat 19 May 14:00- 16:00 meeting - From 16:30 BBQ

Venue: Kobe Regatta and Athletic Club (KRAC) in Sannomiya

http://www.krac.org/access.php (Map)

 

Fee for NON-JALT members: 1,000 yen

BBQ: ￥2,000 (1 drink included), ￥1,500 for children (age 4-6) (1 soft drink included), and free for children age 0-3.

You can choose the regular BBQ or vegetarian dishes.

 

Please indicate whether you are going to participate only in the seminar or whether you will also participate in the BBQ, and if so, preference of regular BBQ or vegetarian dishes.

https://goo.gl/forms/QxSqmr6i6V7MXsmF3

Please RSVP for BBQ by May 11th.

Presentation Abstract(s)
Part 1:
“Teaching English in English: Strategies for Success”
In the first part of my presentation, I will demonstrate a variety of activities that can be used to effectively teach English using only English in the young learner classroom. Inspiring learners to convey meaning using English, to use their imagination, and to interact in English with their peers (and teacher), these activities will also encourage students to take an active part in lessons and to enjoy the process of language learning. Drawing on recent research in language teaching, I will then introduce some guiding principles for successfully teaching English in English. 

 

ワークショップ 

英語で行う英語教育〜成功の秘訣とは？〜

概要：プレゼンテーションの前半では、英語だけを使って効果的に英語を教えるためのさまざまな活動を実証します。具体的には、英語を使って意味を伝達し、想像力を行使し、学習者同士、及び教師と交流することを奨励すると同時に、学習者（園児・小中学生）が積極的に参加し、語学を習得するプロセスそのものを楽しめるよう後押しできるようなアクティビティについてお話しします。また、教師がどのようにして日本語を使用しない状況を作るかについても議論する予定です。そして、最近の語学教育の研究を踏まえて、英語で英語を教えるという目標を成功させるために指針となるガイドラインを紹介します。

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Part 2:
“Raising Your Child to be Bilingual: Stories of Success from Rural Tottori”
In the second part of my presentation, I will share strategies I have used to raise my children to be bilingual despite the challenges of living in rural Tottori where nearly everyone in their world is Japanese except their father.

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ワークショップ

「バイリンガル育児を成功させるために：都会から離れた鳥取県のケースを考える」

概要：プレゼンテーションの後半では、自身の実際の経験についてお話します。その環境というのは、都会から離れた地方都市である鳥取県において、父親以外には英語のネイティブスピーカーが周囲に存在しない、というものです。

 

Christopher Hollis’s Bio Data: Originally from the USA, Christopher Hollis has been teaching English in Japan for more than 8 years. Prior to teaching in Japan, he taught English to international students from around the world at the University of Illinois (USA). Chris holds an M.A. in TESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests involve second language vocabulary acquisition, extensive reading, bilingualism, and Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT). Other interests of his include improving foreign language education in Tottori and exploring Japanese language and culture. Currently employed as the Director of Foreign Language Education at the Hokuei Board of Education in Tottori, Chris is also the current president of the Tottori Chapter of JALT.

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クリストファー･ハリス氏　略歴：アメリカ出身。日本にて８年以上の英語の教育指導経験を持つ。アメリカ、イリノイ大学にてさまざまな国籍を持つ留学生に、第二語言語として英語を数年間教えた経験もある。イリノイ大学にて、第二言語としての英語教授法であるTESL修士号を取得。第二言語習得法、語彙習得、多読、バイリンガリズム、タスク中心教授法（TBLT）を主とした英語教育法を研究し、鳥取県の英語教育の向上、そして日本文化と言語に対して強い関心を持つ。現在、北栄町教育委員会にて、外国語指導員兼主（Director of Foreign Language Education）として教鞭をとる。全国語学教育学会（JALT）鳥取支部現支部長

 

 

Teaching Writing by Putting Research and Principles Into Practice

Date:  Saturday, April 21st
Time:  3:00 - 5:00pm
Venue: Kobe Kokusai Kaikan 7F  Room No. 702

 

Abstract:

This presentation will look briefly at some of the key issues involved in writing from text, writer, and reader orientations. Relevant findings in L2 writing research will be introduced to explore the pedagogical issues in “learning to write” and teaching writing together with some of the controversies involved. Workshop participants will examine how a set of principles for teaching writing could be tailored to their own context. After reflecting on their own teaching beliefs and practices, participants will use a set of assumptions to assess various writing activities for their own purposes, with ample time for interaction and questions.

 

Presenter's Bio:

Greg Rouault is an Associate Professor at Tezukayama Gakuin University in Osaka. He has a Master of Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University with a specialty in Language Program Management and recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business Management. Greg has been teaching in Kansai for 19 years in language schools, on company training courses, and in content-based and ESP/EAP programs at universities. His research interests include L2 reading and writing literacy, ESP/EAP, and learner selves and self-efficacy. He is the Reviews Editor for JALT Journal, an Associate Editor for the JALT Post Conference Publications, and is on the Editorial Board of the Language Education in Asia publication. He is also most pleased that his number of dives is going up and golf score is coming down.

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Post Event Party Info

新年会 (Shinnenkai) to mark the start of the new academic year at the Sky Buffet (https://nilax.jp/brand/sky/store/245.html) nearby.

Dinner is 1990 yen (+tax) per adult

All-you-can-drink is 200 yen (tax included) for soft drinks

all-you-can-drink alcohol, 990 (+tax) for women and 1290 (+tax) for men.

Hoping you can join us to celebrate the new academic year!

Please let us know if you can join at the event.

 

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Dealing with Difficult Students: the Neuroscience and Psychology of 3Ls

& Bonenkai (Sign up link below)

Date: Saturday, December 16th

Venue: Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Room No. 804

Time: 3:00-5:00pm

Presenter: Curtis Kelly - Kansai University

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College EFL classes, dubbed “the wasteland of motivation,” bring us into contact with students who are bored, indifferent, and even hostile.  Language students, in particular, can be classified as 3Ls: Low Ability, Low Confidence, and thus, Low Motivation.  Many of the problems of difficult students come from unresolved needs, developmental stages, relational learning styles in an analytical classroom, or what Palmer calls the “wall of fear” (1998). While there is no simple solution for dealing with such students, understanding them and adopting certain practices can help.   Let us look at the neuroscience of motivation and practice techniques from educational psychology for dealing with such students, including Roger’s humanistic criteria: 1) authenticity, empathic listening, and 3) absolute positive regard.  Participants will be invited to offer their own experiences and suggestions for dealing with difficult students as well.

 

Bonenkai Sign up Link

Kansai 4-Corners 2017, with Gabriel Díaz Maggioli and John Wiltshier

This year's Kansai Four Corners event features Gabriel Díaz Maggioli of Uruguay, one of the plenary speakers at JALT2017, and is again co-sponsored by Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka Chapters of JALT. This year we also welcome John Wiltshier, co-author of English Firsthand, presenting on the updated and recently released 5th edition of the popular textbook, sponsored by Pearson Japan.

More info

 

Pechakucha Presentations in the Classroom –

Supporting Language Learners with Public Speaking

Frances Shiobara, Kobe Shoin Women’s University, Japan

Date: Saturday, October 21st, 2017

Time: 3:00PM ~ 5:ooPM

Venue: Kobe International House Room No. 804

 

Abstract

Presentation skills are vital for language learners, but traditional PowerPoint presentations are often intimidating for second language students because of their length. They can also be very boring with students speaking slowly and hesitating constantly. Pechakucha presentations are a special type of presentation that was initially started in Tokyo, but has now spread all over the world. Each presentation consists of twenty slides; each slide is on automatic timer for twenty seconds. For this reason, these are sometimes known as 20/20 presentations. The fast pace, but short time period is ideal for language learners. Each slide lasting only twenty seconds reduces pressure on students to memorize long passages, whilst the slides changing automatically discourages hesitation or going off topic. The slides also need to be very simple and visual making them enjoyable to watch. The first part of this presentation will show a few examples of Pechakucha presentations and explain how to make the slides for these presentations. The second part of this presentation will outline how the unique nature of the automatic timings in Pechakucha presentations can be used to motivate and support students with public speaking in their second language. It will also describe what other skills you can teach in a presentation class, with very practical advice on dos and don’ts when students present in class. The presenter will outline how Pechakucha can be used as an entire course to teach public speaking, but also as an activity and evaluation tool that could be used in any class. The presenter will share classroom materials that have been used very successfully in Japan with intermediate level students.

 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR PARTICIPATION:
TEACHING FACULTY AND THEIR STUDENTS

 

On Saturday November 11 the 17th annual PGL conference will be held at Kobe Gakuin University. The venue is on an oceanfront campus a short train ride from Sannomiya Station. The theme of the conference is CCC: Commerce, Communication, Culture, so it is fairly wide-ranging and interdisciplinary. 

Currently there is a call for presentations (regular presenters; faculty and scholars, including graduate students) and young scholars. The young scholars are students at the undergraduate level and they can be involved in the Poster and Power Point sessions. These student sessions will be run in two different time slots: in the morning and in the afternoon. The conference will include a number of different universities and the goal is to have a large number of students attend and participate in the conference. Even those who do not present will be able to participate and listen to the various keynote speakers, plenary speakers, presentations, and a panel discussion with several African dignitaries.

 

See more ... Download the Flyer and Word Document

 

Kobe JALT Beer Garden Social Event (RSVP)

Date:  Friday, July 14th
Time:  6:30-8:30pm
Place: Sogo SKY Beer Garden
          Sogo Department Store 10F
           Tel: 078-242-6671

Buffet dinner:
(All You Can Eat/Drink)
¥3,700.- (male participant)
¥3,300.- (female paticipant)
Seats are limited to 20.

 

RSVP Form Link

 

Being Bilingual in Japan - Speaking from the heart!

Plus: BBQ (RSVP by May 21st.)

Date: Sunday, May 28

Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM (BBQ 4:00PM - 6:00PM)

Venue: Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club

 

Panel Discussion with Ai Willis, Tristan Willis, Takara Allal, Edward Sumoto

This event will be a great opportunity for JALT members to get together, to know each other, and to exchange information in a cozy and relaxing atmosphere! 

BBQ Prices

Adult (13 ~): ¥2,000 include one drink

Child (5 ~ 12): ¥1,000 includes one soft drink

Please RSVP for BBQ here

 

Meet the Real Iran

Date: Saturday, April 15
Time: 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Venue: Sannomiya Terminal Hotel La Page 4th Floor

By popular demand Kobe JALT is pleased to announce our April meeting speakers will be Parisa Mehran and Mehrasa Alizadeh from Osaka University.

Meet the Real Iran: A Brief on History, Culture, and Language

A Short Introduction to Iranian History, Culture, and Education
This talk will take you on a journey to the real Iran. The presenters will briefly introduce the history of Iran (also known as Persia), including various aspects of Iranian culture, literature, cuisine, music, religions, architecture, and heritage sites. Along the way, the history of foreign language education in Iran with the emphasis on the English language will be discussed within its greater educational context.

Persian Language Experience: Let’s Walk in Absolute Beginner Language Learners' Shoes
The presenters will give a short introduction to the Persian language. The participants will then learn some survival phrases and how to write their names in Persian as a hands-on activity.

Biodata
Mehrasa Alizadeh is a PhD candidate at Takemura Lab, Cybermedia Center, Osaka University. Born in Babol, a city in the north of Iran, Mehrasa moved to Tehran to pursue higher education. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran. She taught English at Iran Language Institute (ILI) for eight years. In 2013, she was offered the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship and moved to Japan the following year. Her main research interests concern computer assisted language learning (CALL) and online course development/quality assessment. Her doctoral research is focused on developing an online EGAP course targeting Japanese learners at Osaka University.

Parisa Mehran is a PhD candidate at Takemura Lab, Cybermedia Center, Osaka University. Born and raised in Tehran, Parisa holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), both from Alzahra University, Tehran. Before moving to Japan, she taught English for academic purposes (EAP) at Alzahra University. In 2014, she obtained the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship and is now pursuing further education in Japan. Parisa’sresearch interests include computer assisted language learning (CALL), teacher education in CALL, and online course design. Her doctoral dissertation concerns the design and implementation of an online course for teaching general academic English to Japanese students at Osaka University.

Presentation Proposals

JALT2017 is shaping up to be an exciting and interesting event. We should have a list of main speakers confirmed and ready to announce publicly soon. The venue is in Tsukuba, which is an interesting place to visit and has a great center to gather for professional development. It is about an hour or less from central Tokyo, Narita airport or Ibaraki airport.

Submit soon: If you have something you would like to present on to your peers, you still have a few days to make a submit a proposal. The deadline is next Monday, February 13. Please go to http://jalt.org/conference/call-proposals for more details.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

http://jalt.org/conference/submit

 

Methods and Materials for Teaching Spoken Language

Presenters: John Campbell-Larsen (Kyoto Women's University) and Cameron Romney (Doshisha University)

Date: Saturday December 17, 2016
Time: 2:00PM - 4:30PM
Venue: Kobe International House Room #804

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Kobe JALT welcomes two-time best of JALT award winners John Campbell-Larsen and Cameron Romney as they present their award winning workshop for teaching speaking.
Cameron Romney will present about how to design textbook supplements that increase the opportunities for speaking and John Campbell-Larsen will talk about about what teachers really need to know about teaching speaking.

 Presentation 1: Cameron Romney

Creating supplements that increase opportunities for spoken interaction

Despite publisher claims that coursebooks, especially four-skills coursebooks, provide everything a teacher requires, no coursebook can actually satisfy all student and teacher needs. In Japan many teachers feel their students need extra speaking practice but struggle make their own materials that fit together with their textbook. 

This presentation will introduce a systematic approach developed by the presenter over the last several years called ACoPE (Analyze, Consult, Produce and Evaluate) to help teachers create supplemental materials that focus on speaking

Presentation 2: John Campbell-Larsen

A Page Full of Text to a Mouth Full of Air

This presentation takes as its starting point the supposition that conversation is the main venue for language in use and as such should be given a prominent place in any syllabus. Furthermore, because of the differences between the spoken form of the language and the written form, the written form of the language serves as a poor model for teaching conversation.

The presenter will refer to findings from the fields of conversation analysis and corpus linguistics that describe some features that are specific to spoken English, such as turn structure, discourse marking, backchanneling, assessments and upgrades, the grammar and semantics of reported speech and others. The presenter will go on to outline the ways in which these points can be presented to students and how to design classroom activities that can maximize opportunities for use of the taught language in naturalistic ways.
 

Presenters' Bio

Cameron Romney has taught ESL/EFL in both the United States and Japan for the last 19 years. He holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Colorado at Denver and is an assistant professor in the Global Communications Faculty of Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.

John Campbell-Larsen is an associate professor of English at Kyoto Women's University. He received his master's degree in TESOL from Birmingham University and his research interests include Conversation Analysis, Pragmatics and teaching the spoken language

Focusing on learner psychology: Motivation and willingness to communicate

Presenter: Dr. Tomoko Yashima  (Kansai University)
Date: Saturday October 22, 2016
Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Venue: Kobe International House Room #806

In this presentation, I will first introduce the concept of willingness to communicate (WTC) as a psychological construct used to investigate individual differences in L2 communication along with motivation, anxiety, and self-confidence. Next, I will introduce a number of recent studies that explore the situated nature of WTC as emerging in language classrooms through the interaction of various individual, social, and contextual factors. I will then discuss the characteristics of the L2 communication behaviors of Japanese learners as phenomena that are both culturally constructed and dynamically emergent. Finally. I will explore teaching interventions that can enhance learners’ WTC.

 

 

Authentic Language Learning Through Video Clips

Presenter: Kim Kanel, Kinki University, Osaka, Japan

Date: Sunday September 25, 2016
Time: 3:00PM - 5:00PM
Venue: Kobe International House

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Details:
Video clips (short MP4s) not only stimulate interest in the language-learning classroom, but they can also be used to teach virtually any area of the syllabus. This presentation will describe how specific language skills can be taught through video, and provide suggestions for selection, preparation, and classroom procedures.

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Presentation Outline

Research about the pedagogical validity of using video clips.

How video clips can develop specific skills, and increase interest and motivation.

My own experiences using video.

Demonstration and audience participation.

Suggestions for selection, material preparation, and classroom procedures.

How to obtain video materials from the Internet and other resources.Participants share their own ideas, experiences, and concerns about using video.

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Profile:
Kim Kanel, language teacher, administrator, musician, with English, Japanese and Spanish fluency, and an MA in Applied Linguistics, has taught in Japan for 38 years, published numerous articles in professional journals, and nine textbooks currently being used in Japan. 

 

 

Raising Bilingual Children Forum & BBQ

Date: Sunday May 15, 2016

Time: 1PM - 5PM

Venue: KR&AC

 

Details:

Please join Kobe JALT for our annual Raising Bilingual Children BBQ. This year we will be holding a forum before the BBQ with three speakers: Janina Tubby from Kobe Bilingual School, Jonathan Bunch the co-ordinator of St. Michael’s Saturday school, and Kaoru White from Canadian Academy. All of them parents of bilingual children as well as educators. Each of them will make a short presentation about their professional and personal experience educating and raising bilingual children followed by questions and answer session. The event will be held at the Kobe KRAC just south of Sannomiya station. We have reserved the room across presentation room for childcare during the forum. The forum will be free for members and cost 1000 yen for non-members. The BBQ following the forum will cost 2000 for adults and 1000 for children. Vegetarian option available by reservation. 

 

Please RSVP if you wish to attend the BBQ at http://goo.gl/forms/JrI5N6Dyun

 

 

Linguapax Asia 2016

Migration, Migrants and Language

Date: Saturday June 11, 2016

Time: 9:15 - 18:00

Venue: Kansai University, Osaka - Ibunkan 4F, Seminar Space

 

Details:

Current issues in literacy involving: Migration, language and new citizenship, language proficiency policies and requirements, migration to countries of language proximity, language change, terminologies (e.g. migrant vs refugee), language loss and maintenance. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-HLenaLfcKvNE53V1RURVk5Rmc/view

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Kobe JALT Nepal Family and Friends Project and JALT THT SIG Joint Event

Date: Sunday June 19, 2016

Time: 2pm to 4:30pm
Venue:  Kobe International House room 806. 
Fee: Free for Members and 1000 for non-members. 

Donations for project appreciated

Charity Dinner June 19th Sunday 5pm to 7pm at Shankar Indian Restaurant near KIH. 3000 for set meal including a donation to the Nepal project. 

Kobe JALT is pleased to welcome Randall Bollig, Catriona Chalmers Takeuchi and Ann Mayeda who will talk to us about their teacher training and extensive reading programs in elementary schools in Nepal as part of the ongoing Nepal Family and Friends Project. We will also be joined by representatives of the JALT Teachers Helping Teachers Special Interest Group. Brent Jones will talk about the Kyrgyzstan project and Steve Cornwell about the Bangladesh project. The presentations will be followed by a charity dinner at Shankar Indian Restaurant to help raise money for the Nepal project.

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Changes Seen on the Horizon of Japan’s English Education

Sunday Jan 24, 2016

 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Kobe International House Room Room 901
Fee for JALT Members: Free
Fee for one-day members: ¥1,000

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Dr. Kensaku Yoshida will return to Kobe to give a talk titled "Changes Seen on the Horizon of Japan's English Education". Dr. Yoshida is a Professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and the director of the Center for Language Education and Research. He is also well known in Japanese English Education circles, a consultant for MEXT, and often interviewed in the Japanese media about education issues

Come watch sumo with JALT! Friday March 25th 1430 to 1930, Namba, Osaka. 

We will be joined by Dr. Bärbel Kühn, University of Bremen, Germany and Dr. Nhung Pham, Hue University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam, who will share their experiences of working with the CEFR, and lots of other things in between. This is aimed to be a casual affair before the main FLP/CEFR conference (see below). As we need to purchase tickets, please reply to fodwyerj@gmail.com, indicating you will attend. Tickets cost -. We intend to eat together afterwards. Participants should pay for tickets and meal.

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Andy Boon Double Presentation

Sunday December 13th 2pm to 4pm.
Kobe International House Room 806
Fee for JALT Members: Free
Fee for one-day members: ￥1,000

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Speaker: Andy Boon. Andy Boon is an associate professor in the faculty of Global Communications at Toyo Gakuen University, Tokyo. He has been teaching in Japan for over 17 years. He holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Aston University. 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. He is also co-author of Inspire; a 3-level listening and speaking coursebook (Cengage Learning, 2013-14).

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PRESENTATION 1

Inspire or perspire? Getting students speaking This presentation will introduce the audience to a number of strategies that can help break the silence in the Japanese classroom and get students engaging in meaningful communication. Audience members will be asked to try out a number of tried and tested speaking activities and also be encouraged to share their ideas for getting students talking to one another in the L2.

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PRESENTATION 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?

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