Sunday, February 18th, 2001
Language and Cognitive Science
Speaker: Dean Williams
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Psychological, symbolic-mathematical, or social theories of language are insufficient because they do not adequately address the indisputably biological nature of our species' linguistic ability. This presentation will attempt to draw together the strands of evolution, brain science, and linguistics to portray at least roughly how nature may have formed language in the human model.
Place: Abeno YMCA (near Tennoji Station)
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 1000 yen.
Sunday, May 20th, 2001
Self Assessment
Speaker: Gregory Anderson, Kwansei Gakuin University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (14:00 - 16:30)
This workshop will focus on aspects of evaluation used in the English for Academic Purposes program at Kwansei Gakuin University's School for Policy Studies. Participants will learn how
peer and self assessment involves students in discussions, presentations, and writing. Participants will receive a booklet of materials and discuss the rationale and possible adaptation of the methodology.
Place: Abeno YMCA (near Tennoji Station)
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 500 yen
Sunday, June 17th, 2001
Developing a Conversational Syllabus
Speaker: Josh Kurzweil, Kansai University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
The presenter will show how by adopting a "test-teach-test" approach in speaking classes, teachers can create a student-centered environment which focuses on real communicative needs. Kurzweil will give examples of how language study, skills practice, and conversation strategies arise directly from gaps that teachers observe in student interactions.
Place: Abeno YMCA (near Tennoji Station)
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 500 yen
Sunday, October 21st, 2001
Stories for the Heart
Speakers: Curtis Kelly and Mitsuo Nakamura, Heian Jogakuin University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Kelly and Nakamura will help us explore the power of stories in the classroom: why they appeal to us and how we can use them to humanize our classes. In addition to some general theories, we will be given some heart-warming stories to try out ourselves. There will be officer elections after the presentation.
Place: Abeno YMCA, near Tennoji Station
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 500 yen.
Saturday, November 17th, 2001
English Teaching Development in Vietnam
Speaker: Nguyen thi Hoai An, a featured speaker at JALT 2001
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
She will talk about the dramatic changes that English teaching has made in Vietnam. While relying totally on textbooks provided by the Ministry of Education in the 1970s, English teachers and learners are now enjoying a much wider variety of resources. There are signs that English teaching has been impressively enhanced, although teaching and testing methodologies and facilities still need to be improved. An will relate personal and professional
experiences to her developing understanding of learner autonomy, and encourage participants to make similar connections. She has worked with University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), first as an Oral Examiner, then as a Consultant and Regional Team Leader (Speaking Tests).
Place: Abeno YMCA, near Tennoji Station
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 500 yen.
Sunday, December 2nd, 2001
Personal and Public Writing
Speaker: Michael Carroll of Momoyama University
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
The idea of 'finding your voice as a writer' has obvious relevance to high-level learners but some may be skeptical about whether it has any meaning in relation to other learners. Michael Carroll, of Momoyama University, will show that coming to feel a sense of ownership over words and structures of a language is a crucial part of being able to use that language at any level. This sense of ownership is not separate from, but inextricably tied to an understanding of concrete grammatical features.
Place: Abeno YMCA, near Tennoji Station
Cost: members free; "One-day members" 500 yen