Saturday, January 16, 2010, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Teaching the Strategies of Speaking
& Teaching Listening to Low-level Learners
Alastair Graham-Marr, teaches full-time at Tokai University's Shonan campus and is author of Communication Spotlight, published by ABAX. He'll make two presentations:
Teaching the Strategies of Speaking:
Helping students with fluency, involvement and clarification strategies
All of us use strategies when we speak. We use strategies to confirm or clarify what we're saying and what we're hearing. We use strategies to show interest, to maintain and develop conversations. We use strategies that help with fluency. Learners of English in particular use strategies to compensate for their lack of language. Helping students be aware of and learn to apply different communication strategies is both motivating and a knowledge they can put to immediate use.
Teaching Listening to Low-Level Learners
Teaching listening effectively means teaching both phonology and knowledge of discourse. A working knowledge of the phonology of natural connected speech, elisions and liaisons, weak forms and reductions helps students with their 'bottom-up' decoding skills. Developing student knowledge of discourse, particularly of scripts (those discourses in English that tend to follow a set pattern) helps them with their 'top-down' predictive skills.
Dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant will follow the meeting. This event is co-sponsored by ABAX publishing.
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Saturday, February 6, 2010, 10:00am - 4:30pm
The 8th Seminar for English Education:
Hosted by Communication Research Institute & Department of English Education at Kansai University of International Studies, Amagasaki campus
Co-sponsored by Osaka JALT and Kobe JALT
English teaching is changing. Students have more exposure to foreign culture and travel. English is being introduced as part of primary education. International travel is becoming part of many high school students’ experiences. Asia is growing rapidly and English is becoming the common language of the region. Speaking is becoming part of International tests like TOEFL. In effect, the world is changing, and we need to change with it. This seminar will focus on the 5 years that comprise the three years of Senior High School with the first two years of university. We hope to add to the discussion on how to overcome challenges in preparing students for the future.
(Keynote Lecture) 13:00-14:30
Be prepared to speak: Teachers as public speakers with confidence and presence
Prof. Kazuhiro Nomura
Kobe City University of International Studies
Workshops in Japanese:
1) 10:00-11:00 小学校外国語活動指導実践～英語ノートを楽しむアクティビティ～
牧野眞貴 （関西国際大学）
2) 11:10-12:10 日本の英語教育で養成すべきコ ミュニケーション能力＿中等高等教育の役割と連携 佐々木緑 吉田桂子 安川佳子 （関西国際大学） 白木智士 （立命館大学）
3) 14:40-15:40 中高の教科書を用いた発音 音読指導
有本純 河内山真理 （関西国際大学） 山本誠子 （神戸学院大学）
Workshops & Presentations in English (Room 501 & Room 502)
Room A: 501
1) 10:00-10:30 “Who said Japanese students can't speak English?”
Jonathan Aliponga & Eugene Vahknenko (Kansai University of International Studies)
2) 10:35-11:05 “Using real-world content to promote cross-cultural communication” Michael Cahill (Cengage Learning)
3) 11:10-11:40 “Movie Novelization: An ER variant” Michael Redfield (Osaka University of Economics)
4) 11:45-12:15 “iZone and blended learning: the means to embrace challenges in English pedagogy” Roger Palmer (Pearson Longman)
5) 14: 40-15:10 “E-learning skills checklist for students (and teachers!)”
Michael Wilkins (Kansai University of International Studies)
6) 15:15-15:45 “TOEFL IBT - Understanding the TOEFL test and how to help students prepare” Gerald Williams (Kansai University of International Studies)
7) 15:50-16:10 “Fostering more student autonomy” Craig Gamble (Kansai University of International Studies)
Room B: 502
1) 10:00-10:30 “Creating a community of learners: KUIS model”
Midori Sasaki (Kansai University of International Studies)
2) 10:35-11:05 “Joy of learning English as a foreign language - What forms learners' motivation” Daisuke Kimura (Kansai University of International Studies)
3) 11:10-11:40 “Teacher and Student expectations of effective language teaching as a problem for motivation” Ryan Richardson (Ritsumeikan University)
4) 11:45-12:15 “Confidence is your student’s passport to success”
Yoshiko Hashimoto (Oxford University Press)
5) 14: 40-15:10 “Computers in the classroom: The practices and perceptions of Japanese English teachers” Andrew Sowter (Kansai University of International Studies)
6) 15:15-15:45 “Overcoming challenges and preparing learners for the future through travel motivated projects” Simon Thomas (Osaka Prefecture University)
7) 15:50-16:20 “Attaining proficient pronunciation and reading fluency in high school may contribute significantly to overall English performance for Japanese college students” Trent G. Spriggs (Kinki University)
Display of teaching materials (10:00-16:15) Room 505 & Room 506
Cengage Learning, Oxford University Press, Pearson Longman,
*** Lunch is provided by the publishers! (Room 504)
This event is co-sponsored by Kansai University of International Studies and Kobe JALT.
Come join us for hanami (cherry blossom viewing party) at Osaka Castle Park along with DAJK (Democrats Abroad in Japan - Kansai) and several other international groups. We plan to meet at 1 p.m. at the water fountain on the corner of the park just outside Morinomiya Station, accessible on either JR loop line or Osaka subway. If arriving later, follow the DAJK chalk messages to the USA flags.
Please bring your own food & drink, which can be purchased at convenience stores near the station. Note that BBQ-ing is technically not allowed, but some grills may be available, though not guaranteed! BYO if possible.
Musical instruments, pets, & children especially welcome.
Contact Info: Ray 090-6732-6482 events AT gmail.com
April 25, 2010, 12:45 – 5:00 pm
Back to School
- practical ideas to help start the year off right
Namba Shimin Gakushu Center (Osaka City Municipal Lifelong Learning Center - Namba Branch), O-CAT bldg. 4F, 06-6643-7010
Presenters: Jeff Crawford, Raymond Bolger, Brian Wojtowicz, Joshua Cohen, Harry Carley, Steven Herder, Rebecca King, and Oana Maria Cusen.
The theme of this event is practical hands-on activities, tips, & techniques that may be applicable to teachers of a wide range of levels, from elementary school, junior & senior high school, and university level. We intend to make this a time for diverse teachers to come together and share ideas that will help us all get re-energized and off to a great start to the new school year.
1:05 - 1:20 Jeff Crawford (Osaka Shoin Women's University)
Dicto-comp - Keeping it Simple
The presenter will introduce a format of dictogloss that is simple to use, takes very little preparation and can be used as a post-task consciousness-raising activity. The input is based on mistakes learners make during a main task. It can be tweaked to accommodate a variety of levels and has been used effectively at junior high school as well as academically oriented universities. It has also been used to implicitly introduce target forms in PPP style lessons.
1:20 - 1:45 Raymond Bolger (Hiroshima Prefectural Jr. and Sr. High School)
Effective Games for Grammar Practice
The presenter will demonstrate how card games and board games can be used to practice a variety of grammar patterns. By playing the games, students can gain valuable speaking practice by repeatedly but enjoyably using selected sentence patterns.
1:50 - 2:15 Brian Wojtowicz (MA TESL/TEFL, Birmingham University)
Effectively Utilizing Simple Utterances: Preparing to Step Outside the Box
This presentation will not attempt to reinvent the wheel but rather will aim to tighten the spokes and strengthen the frame by reviewing some standard communicative patterns through a unique and versatile perspective. The concept presented is adaptable for teachers of all or most professions and applicable for learners from all or most levels and ages.
2:20 - 2:45 Joshua Cohen (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Five Principles for Building Oral Reading Fluency
Successful approaches to improving reading fluency in L1 learners suggest a set of principles which language teachers may find helpful in planning classroom activities for reading fluency development. This workshop will propose five fluency-building principles that can be applied in any L2 or foreign language classroom and suggest multiple ways of implementing each principle.
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00 - 3:25 Harry Carley (Matsuyama University)
The Eigo Note and…
For the school year 2009-2010, all 33 elementary schools within Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, began utilizing the Eigo Note text. The presenter will offer ideas and tips on what additional material was added to each lesson to make them more meaningful and educationally enhanced for the 5th and 6th graders.
3:30 - 4:15 Steven Herder (Doshisha Women's College) and Rebecca King (Seibo Jogakuin)
Extensive reading ideas both inside and outside the box
Since 2007 we have been using our 1440-book library of graded readers in our junior and senior high school English classes. Simply relying on reading the books for fluency practice and merely doing book reports doesn't sustain younger student interest and it isn't the most effective way to get the most out of this giant learning opportunity. Therefore, in addition to published graded reader activity ideas (Bamford & Day, 2004), we have experimented in a number of ways, using graded readers both creatively and traditionally. This session will begin with a very brief introduction of pedagogical reasons for doing ER and an equally short outline of our program. We will then share up to a dozen or so ideas of things we've done and finish with some reflections on what works and doesn't work for us. We hope to encourage others to share their experiences and spark some new ideas for all participants.
4:20 - 4:50 Oana Maria Cusen (Ritsumeikan University)
Blending teaching content with project-based teaching: a classroom project
Combining project-based teaching and content-based teaching allows teachers to shift their roles in the classroom from controllers to facilitators of learning. This presentation will show, through the means of a classroom project, how the teacher can facilitate students' learning by giving them the responsibility for their own projects, as well as the opportunity to use English in a natural way, to accomplish various academic tasks. The project, along with students' work and their feedback at the end of the project will be introduced in detail, along with some ideas for using similar projects in different classrooms.
5:00 ~ Dinner and drinks will follow the presentations at the nearby Supaisu Oukoku Indian restaurant on the fifth floor of the O-CAT building.
Pan-SIG 2010:
Learner Perspectives
May 22-23 at Osaka Gakuin University
This conference represents the largest collaboration among the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in the Japan Association of Language Teaching (JALT). This year, the conference is co-sponsored by the Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), College and University Educators (CUE), Extensive Reading (ER), Framework and Language Portfolio (FLP), Global Issues in Language Education (GILE), Japanese as a Second Language (JSL), Lifelong Language Learning (LLL), Other Language Educators (OLE), Pragmatics (PRAG), Study Abroad (SA), Teacher Education (TEd), Testing & Evaluation (TEVAL) Special Interest Groups. The event is organized by the Kyoto Chapter of the Japan Association of Language Teaching (JALT) with the support of the Osaka Chapter.
Complete details:
http://www.pansig.org/2010/index.html
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Sunday, June 27, 12:30 - 5:30pm
(Doors open 12:00)
6th Annual Tech Day
at Hannan University:
Tech Day Plus 2010
The themes of Tech Day are simplicity and practicality - ideas that teachers can use either in or out of the classroom with a minimum of technical knowledge. In addition to our "Tech" presentations that will take place in fully equipped computer labs, we'll have presentations on other non-technical topics in the "Plus" rooms.
Tech Day has grown to be one of Osaka JALT's biggest and best events of the year, including a great dinner party afterward at one of the best Italian restaurants in Osaka. One of last year's participants recently commented, "I'm really looking forward to this year's Tech Day. [L]ast year's was seriously informative and the dinner fantastic... to tell you the truth, I learned more at last year's Tech Day then I did at CALL."
This year's presentations:
Andrew Sowter: Ten useful iPhone Applications
Bill White: A free Moodle course setup
Brian Teaman: Speaking on-line via MASLE
Brian Wojtowicz: Modal Verbs - Escaping percentage rankings
Cameron Romney: Other ways to use a classroom projector
Cameron Romney: Using iPad as an electronic gradebook
Craig Gamble: A community of learners - Multiply
Daniel Parry: Anki flashcard software
David Telega: Computer proficiency through fable writing
Douglas Meyer & Myles Grogan: How to get published
Frank Cheang: Blackboad & the blended learning format
Greg Rouault: Kindle Assisted Language Learning
J. Paul Marlowe: Software for teaching original writing
Jake Tobiyama: Digital storytelling on Powerpoint
Jean-Paul DuQuette: Teaching EFL in Second Life
John Campbell-Larsen: Mind the gap - Noticing what students do
Josh Wilson: The Future is here and it is video games
Joshua Cohen: Keeping it Simple - Sound recorder
Justin Harris: On-line survey tasks in the classroom
Mark Donnellan: Helping technophobes enjoy CALL
Matt Azizi: Newsletter Project 4 x 4
Matthew Sanders: On-line news articles for sharing & discussion
Michael Herke: The Compleat Lexical Tutor
Michael Salovaara: Responsibility in conversation
Michael Wilkins: Bite-sized listening resources
Myles Grogan: My Share - The Language Teacher
Nathaniel Carney: Download & Edit YouTube videos
Neal Chambers: Starting a Personal Learning Network
Paul Evans: Portable Apps on your USB
Richard Miller: Cultural shifts due to technology changes
Steven Silsbee: The benefits of student cards
Troy Guze: How to use computer games to teach EFL
Zane Ritchie: Virtual learning environments
Thursday, July 22, 5:30 - 9:00 pm
Summer Social
at Hankyu Beer Garden in Umeda
Before summer vacation sets in and many of us head out of Kansai, let's share a cold beer or two high in the sky at the Hankyu Beer Garden in Umeda! RSVP via email at osakajalt@yahoo.com or on our facebook event page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138530646165349 so we can reserve more seats if necessary.
When: Thursday July 22, 5:30 - 9:00 pm
Meeting time and place: 5:30-5:45 in front of Big Man in Hankyu Umeda station
The Hankyu Beer Garden is about 50 paces south of Big Man. If you are late, ask for the Hankyu Beer Garden. You'll have to get past the scary security in Hawaiian shirts and give them the secret password: "Laura Markslag."
Cost: 3,400 yen for up to three hours of all you care to eat and drink nomi/tabehodai. (JALT members 2900 yen)
More info: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/k178817/map/
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Saturday, July 31st, 10:00am - 5:30pm (doors open 9:30)
The 9th Seminar on English Education at Kansai University of International Studies, Amagasaki campus
This event is hosted by the Communication Research Institute & Department of English Education at Kansai University of International Studies, Amagasaki campus, and is co-sponsored by the Osaka and Kobe Chapters of JALT with support from PHD Association, Pearson Longman Publishing, and Oxford University Press.
In addition to the two main talks there are 14 other presentations, complete details for which can be found here: http://www.kuins.ac.jp/kuinsHP/facilities/communication/pdf/conferenceprogram20100731.pdf
Kansai University of International Studies, Amagasaki campus, is a three-minute walk northwest of JR Amagasaki station. Here's a link with a map:
http://www.kuins.ac.jp/kuinsHP/facilities/communication/pdf/2010seminar_flier_english.pdf
Saturday, September 18th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mike McKay and Jean-Paul DuQuette
Cypris Society:
Teaching in Second Life
Workshop
Cypris Society for virtual world language learning is hosting workshops in Osaka to promote the benefits of this new field for online language teaching. Come see how we can bring the world to our classroom for engaging practice and meaningful learning. We'll begin with an introduction to Second Life in which we'll show you how to register, log in, and navigate. We'll also be available for more advanced user questions and be ready to provide tips and tricks to help you learn and understand the pedagogical advantages this environment can offer our students. We have thousands of hours of experience and we're ready to share it with you. We hope you can join us!
Mike McKay, founder of Cypris Society, teaches at Mukogawa Women’s University in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. Jean-Paul DuQuette teaches at Ritsumeikan University in Shiga and is working on his doctoral degree at Temple University’s Osaka campus.
Following the workshop we'll have a casual social from 8:00 to 9:00 or so.
For more information:
http://sites.google.com/site/cyprisswork/
http://cyprischat.org/documents/society-workshop-flyer9-10.pdf
Venue:
Digital Hollywood University - Osaka
6-5-17 Digital Eight Bldg.
Osaka, Nishi Tenma
Kita-Ku 〒530-0047
大阪市北区西天満6-5-17
デジタルエイトビル1F
Directions: http://sites.google.com/site/cyprismdir/
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Mark your calendar! Scott Thornbury and Paul Nation are coming to Osaka September 25th as part of the MASH Equinox tour!
http://mashcollaboration.com/mash-jalt-equinox-osaka/
Here's the schedule at Osaka Jogakuin International Center:
1:30 Registration opens
2:00 Welcome
2:10 Group Discussions “Defining our EFL contexts” facilitated by Steve Brown, Ann Mayeda, Steven Nishida, and Steven Herder begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlight
2:55 Question writing for Thornbury/Nation discussion
3:15 Scott Thornbury and Paul Nation Discussion
4:30 Break
5:00 Scott Thornbury Livestream to the British Council in Spain
6:00 Finish
(An informal gathering for drinks and food will follow the main event - stay tuned for more info)
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October 16-17
A Moveable Feast:
A collaborative teacher development event cooked up with JALT's TED & LD SIGs - exploring the connection between teaching and learning and how to maximize learning
Saturday evening, October 16, dinner party at Oven Oven Italian restaurant in Umeda, starting from 6:30 pm.
RSVP: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/678PRZS
Sunday, October 17, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
at Osaka Gakuin University
(Building 2, near Hankyu Shojaku and JR Kishibe stations)
http://www.osaka-gu.ac.jp/english/general/frame/index.html
Two plenaries:
Chuck Sandy is a well-known author, teacher trainer, essayist, and educational activist who has coauthored Passages, Connect (Cambridge), and Active Skills for Communication (Cengage). He teaches at Chubu University, builds online communities for educators like the one found at http://tinyurl.com/chucksandy & is centrally involved in spreading the Design For Change movement around the world. www.designforchangecontest.com)
Charles Adamson, PhD, has spent much of his 35-year career in Japan learning, applying and evaluating methodologies: primarily Suggestopedia, the Silent Way, CLL, Listening First, TPR, Accelerated Learning, the Natural Approach, and Content Courses. With this knowledge, he has developed complete curriculums for two universities and a senmongaku. He has also studied NeuroLinguistic Programming and Chaos and Complexity Theory as it applies to language learning.
Andrew Dowling, Ritsumeikan University - Passages To India: A Journey in Teacher Development through Literature: Teaching with Slum-dog Millionaire
Patrick Kiernan, Meiji University - Contrasting identities of returnee students: facebook vs. interview
Richard Miller, Kansai University - The more you learn the more you earn: teachers as learners in formal and informal roles
Toshiko Sugino, Dept. of National Defense Academy - Investigating the relationship between teacher and student ‘demotivational’ factors
Bob Sanderson, Kinki University - Reflections on how our learning experiences inform our teaching
Ruminations and Connections: Posters as Food for Thought
Offering vital nutrition for our teaching lives, the menu included lots of food for thought. The main course was the Big Buffet, a poster session with ample time for viewing, savoring, and discussion. Also on offer were the plenary sessions taking a new look at the relationship between teaching and learning, with Charles Adamson and Chuck Sandy, and a participatory workshop led by Steve Cornwell and Deryn Verity.
As a feast, this event was intended to provide refreshment for, and celebration of, our teaching and learning lives; as a moveable feast, it aimed to be bigger and more diverse than a single chapter meeting or SIG forum could be, and more participatory than a traditional sit-down conference. We hope that the day was well spent developing a new combination of dishes and delights from familiar ingredients. As a bring-your-own/potluck event, posters on any topic were welcome, including but not restricted to these:
•Connections between teacher development and learner development
•The role of context in development
•Reflection on how your learning experiences inform your teaching
•Reflection or research on teacher development and how institutions support or hinder it
•Learning and teaching outside the classroom
•Research or experiential reports related to study abroad
Please contact us with any feedback or to join our email list for semi-regular reminders and announcements of language teaching/learning related events in Osaka and around Kansai. We also have an Osaka JALT facebook group that all are welcome to join.
(Non-JALT members are very welcome ) osakajalt@yahoo.com
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This 11-minute video on motivation should be required viewing for all teachers, and everyone... Enjoy!
Scott Thornbury gave an almost identical Seven Ways of Looking at Grammar presentation as a plenary at JALT 2009 in Shizuoka in case you missed it or would like to see it again, recorded at the New School in New York City. There are also several other videos featuring Scott Thornbury on YouTube if you're interested.
The award winning film Obaachan's Garden was shown at the conference by film-maker Linda Ohama, and can be seen in its entirety here.
Scott Thornbury and Paul Nation discussion, introduced by Steven Herder at MASH Equinox 2010, at Osaka Christian Center, September 25, 2010, co-sponsored by Osaka JALT, Kobe JALT, and Nara JALT
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2010 Osaka JALT Chapter Elections
To vote, please click on the following link:
2010 Osaka Chapter Officer Election
Osaka Chapter President:
Please note that there are two candidates this year for chapter president.
Bob Sanderson: (currently President)
I’m originally from Rochester, Minnesota, USA, and have been living and teaching in Osaka for 19 years now. I have a BA in History from the University of Colorado and an MA in TESOL from the School for International Training in Vermont. I teach part-time at four universities and in Osaka International School’s Saturday School program for children.
My Osaka JALT experience includes serving as Treasurer from 1999-2003, and as President from 2001 to the present (concurrently in those positions for two years until that was no longer allowed). In addition I have filled the positions of Program Chair and Membership Chair at various times when those required positions were vacant. During these years we’ve been very active as a Chapter, with one of the most robust program line-ups of any chapter. Now with over 200 members (for the first time I believe), we’re second only to Tokyo Chapter in size. This year I was very active in our Treasury, Program, and Publicity departments, especially in helping with the annual audit in April and May, by being one of the main organizers of the Moveable Feast event in October, and with ongoing work on our website and sending out emails to our list. I also spent considerable time recruiting and liaising with other officers, among other things.
In addition to local chapter activities, I’ve also remained very active on the national JALT scene. I have served as Assistant Chapter Representative Liaison since 2008 and, as such, have continued to play a key role as I have since 2001 in the time-consuming but critical issue of how to distribute limited funds amongst the 35 chapters that range in size from less than 20 members to over 500, and range in geography from urban areas like ours to more remote areas of the country. I have also served as JALT’s national conference Photographer (2003-2005), EME Co-coordinator (2005), and On-site Accommodations Coordinator (2008).
I’m still up for continuing as Osaka Chapter President in the coming year if you’ll allow me the honor. I believe I have key knowledge, skills, and attitudes that can be of most service to our chapter and JALT as a whole in the role of Chapter President. In the coming year I’d like to continue to nurture the organization so as to make our chapter and JALT as a whole as inclusive and dynamic as possible. I’d greatly appreciate your vote and would welcome any questions, suggestions, or any other feedback you might have at any time. You can always reach me at sanderson808@hotmail.com .
Douglas Meyer: (currently Program Chair)
Hello fellow JALT members,
My name is Douglas Meyer, and I am running for Osaka JALT president. I have been very active since I joined, serving as publicity chair and program chair. I have attended almost every Osaka JALT event in the last two years, including four national conferences and two executive business meetings. In addition to my work with Osaka JALT, I have been serving as coordinator of the Job Information Center for the JALT board of directors for about two years now.
During this time I have made a number of contacts and friends in JALT, and come to know the organization well enough to seek your support for the position of president. If elected, I would like to realize the following goals for our chapter of JALT:
1. Hold face-to-face executive meetings on a regular, fixed basis.
2. Set an event schedule on a regular bi-monthly basis (ie. a set date every two months).
3. Update the chapter constitution, as well as making a Japanese version available.
4. Look into making Osaka JALT events free for all members.
5. Delegating JALT business more evenly among the executive members to improve our teamwork.
On the personal side, I am a married father of two children (5 & 8), the owner of a small home school, and a recent graduate of the Temple University Japan applied linguistics program. I enjoy writing on ESL matters, and have about a dozen publications so far. I have been teaching since 1995, and live with my family in southern Osaka.
I think this chapter would benefit from a new leader with new ideas and fresh motivation. I have the experience and energy needed for this position, and so I kindly ask for your support this election. Thank you.
Other required positions:
Nominee for Treasurer:
Kurt Hartje (currently Treasurer)
Kurt has served as our chapter's treasurer for the past 4 years and was our website editor for five years. He works part-time at Osaka Shoin Women's University, at a local community center, and at home. He is originally from western Illinois, and now lives in Ibaraki City.
Nominee for Membership Chair:
Steven Silsbee (currently Membership Chair)
Steve is well-known for his "hands-off" approach when dealing with people (apparently people weren't too comfortable with his equally famous bear hugs at organizational gatherings). He has been teaching at Momoyama Gakuin for about eight years now, and is in his second year as a full-time instructor, where he vows to realize in full all aspects of the Peter Principle. Once, when asked about his secret for success, he simply glared and said, "hoarding all information."
Nominee for Program Chair:
Matthew Walsh (currently Officer at Large)
My name is Matthew Walsh. I'd like to fulfill the role of Program Chair for Osaka JALT with the aim of organizing an engaging selection of events this coming year. I have been active in JALT for many years and have presented several times at the national conference and for local JALT chapters. I am presently an "Officer at Large" for Osaka JALT. I have been in Japan for 25 years. I attended the University of Guam, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, attained my CELTA from Cambridge University in Krackow, Poland, and completed my M.A. in TEFL/TESL with distinction from the University of Birmingham, U.K. In this year’s Pan-SIG conference I served as webmaster, GILE coordinator, poster session coordinator and proceedings co-editor. Yoroshiku! http://www.walshsensei.org/
Nominee for Publicity Chair:
Ray Franklin (currently Officer at Large)
I came to Osaka from Colorado, U.S.A. back in 1990 to teach English for "only a year or two!", and have been here ever since (just celebrated my 20th anniversary here)! The first 10 years I taught eikaiwa, and then since (finally!) getting my MA-TESL in 2001 I have been a "road warrior", teaching part-time at 5 different universities.
Last year while serving as an Officer-at-Large, I found that I could contribute most by posting JALT events & announcements on other media outlets, such as Japanzine, Kansai Scene, WhyNot!?Japan, Craigslist, and of course Facebook (but I don't Twitter). So it was suggested that I run for Publicity Chair, since I seem to have a knack for getting the word out (even if I don't attend so often myself).
Just last August a new slogan was selected: "JALT: Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn", so I would like to make a push to get that motto "out there" in public more next year.
Furthermore, as Publicity Chair I would like to contribute to the socializing & fun factor of some JALT events, so that we may all build our teaching and friendship networks as well as our professional development -- and have a good time doing it! Therefore, I plan to again organize our April hanami at Osaka-jo next year, in addition to helping out with PR, marketing, promotion, and recruiting new members, so that we can continue to be the most fun branch of JALT -- as befits Osaka's "kui-daore" reputation.
Nominees for Officers at Large:
Bryan Gerard (new officer)
Hello all. My name is Bryan Gerard. I am a new member to JALT as of September this year. I have been teaching English in Japan for the past 6 years and began studying for a Master's at the University of Southern Queensland in March of this year. I look forward to meeting more and more members of Osaka JALT and helping to make our events successful and enjoyable for all who can participate over the coming years.
Jeremy White (new officer)
Jeremy White is originally from Christchurch, the Earthquake capital of New Zealand. He has been in Japan since 2003 when he began teaching on the JET programme in Nara. He promised his family he would be here for just one year, seven years ago. Jeremy is currently working at Ritsumeikan Uinversity in Shiga as a shokutaku instructor, but still insists on living in Osaka. He has been a JALT and Osaka chapter member for three years and has always wanted to get more involved in the Osaka chapter. Doing this might also stop the Kyoto chapter members in his office from trying to convince him to switch allegiance.
Junko Omotedani (new officer)
I’m from Nagoya, Aichi but I’ve been in Osaka for nearly two decades. Teaching English has been my profession since after I graduated from university. First, I got a job as an English teacher at a private English institute, what we call Eikaiwa school, then I became a teacher trainer there and was in charge of both hiring and training of Japanese and native English teachers. I quite enjoyed my job there but I came to think that I wanted to do something to change the Japanese education systems. I didn’t know what I should start with, so I went back to school and completed the masters of TESOL. Currently, I teach TOEIC® at Ritsumeikan University, CALL courses at Otemae University, and core English classes at Poole Gakuin University. I haven’t figured out what would be the best use of “me” [for Osaka JALT]. However, I am hoping that whatever I do could give someone something. I also would like to learn more about teaching and education, and look forward to meeting new people through JALT and getting lots of inspiration.
Patrick Judge (new officer)
PJ has been living in Japan for almost 15 years. He earned an MSEd in TESOL in 2008 from Temple University. His research interests are learner identities and motivation. PJ mainly works at several universities and a private high school in the Osaka area. He teaches a variety of courses, but specializes in academic writing, extensive reading, and media rich content courses.
John Campbell-Larsen (currently Officer at Large)
My name is John Campbell-Larsen, and I'm originally from the Anglo Scottish borderlands. I have been teaching English in Japan for nearly 16 years, and I got my MA from Birmingham, enabling me to move from Eikaiwa to university teaching. I am currently teaching at Momoyama Gakuin university in South Osaka and also at Kyoto Women's University.
Kelly Butler (currently Officer at Large)
I've been living and teaching in Osaka for the past 2 years. I graduated with BAs in German, English, and International Studies, and earned a Masters of Linguistics from the University of Oregon in 2008. I currently teach part-time at three universities in Osaka and Kobe. I truly enjoy being an officer at large because it allows me to help out whenever and wherever needed. I look forward to continuing this role for the upcoming year.
Thank you!
Laura Markslag (currently Officer at Large)
Hello. My name is Laura Markslag and I've been teaching in Japan since 2005. I currently teach a very wide variety of courses (from Media English to Phonetics) at Kansai Gaidai and Otemae City College. A graduate of Temple University's M Ed program, I am interested in vocabulary learning and continue to look for and create interesting vocabulary building activities for my students. I am dedicated to the improvement of language learning and teaching in my classroom as well as sharing new ideas and best practices with other educators. This is why I would like to continue participating in JALT events and volunteering as an officer at large. Although my current schedule is quite demanding, I would like to continue helping out when possible. I'm looking forward to meeting you!
Masumi Azuma (currently Publicity Chair)
I retired from teaching English at a university, and am now Emeritus Professor of Kobe Design University. Though I retired, I am engaged in researching into language policy, idioms and metaphorical expressions. Since I have some free time, I would like to use it for JALT. I will do my best in the coming year.
Myles Grogan (currently Officer at Large)
Myles has been teaching for 14 years, and this is his fifth year teaching in Osaka. He has been involved with several large events with Osaka JALT (for example Tech Day, and our ER event), and previously served as our Program Chair. His research interests are technology and learning, Extensive Reading, and testing.
Stella Maxwell (currently Officer at Large)
Hello, my name is Stella Maxwell, I am from Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. I am an Associate Professor and the Director of the International Chat Lounge at Osaka Gakuin University. I earned a MS in Education from the US. My research interests include: The Exploration of Technology Rich Instructional Strategies and their Impact on the Learning Styles and Motivational Levels of Language Learners. My JALT experience includes my participation in local chapter activities, attendance at the JALT National Conference, as well as membership in Special Interest Groups such as GILE, Teacher Education and Study Abroad. This year I was active as an Officer at Large and played a key role in securing venues for both the Pan-SIG Conference and the Moveable Feast event. I would like to continue participating in JALT events and volunteering as an Officer at Large to continue helping to make the chapter events both enjoyable and successful for everyone. Thank you for your time to learn more about me and I appreciate your support! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Steve Cornwell (currently Officer at Large)
I am from the US (I grew up in North Carolina) and have lived and worked in Osaka since 1995 at Osaka Jogakuin College where I am currently a professor teaching English and education courses. Among my degrees are an MAT from the School for International Training and an Ed.D. from Temple University. I have been involved in JALT in a variety of positions with Special Interest Groups, Publications, Officer at Large for the Osaka chapter, TED SIG Co-coordinator, and as JALT2009 Conference Co-chair. This year my main JALT role will be as National Director of Programs, but I also look forward to continuing to serve as an Officer at Large for Osaka Chapter.
For the position of Webmaster:
Cameron Romney (returning officer)
Cameron has been involved in language education in both Japan and the United States for the last 13 years. Currently he has two adjunct appointments (one full-time and one part-time) at two private universities in Osaka Prefecture. He has previously served as both the vice-president and membership chair of Osaka JALT and is one of the original creators of the current Osaka JALT website. After taking a short break from volunteering with JALT, Cameron is well rested and excited to get back in the thick of things.