Archive of past 2024 events in Fukuoka JALT
For upcoming events, please see our front page.
Fukuoka JALT My Share
Saturday, April 20th, 2024 (2024年4月20日(土))
In-person event
6 PM (18:00)~8 PM (20:00)
The Fukuoka JALT MyShare event is an opportunity for language teachers to share their work with a wider audience and gain constructive feedback. With a semi-formal round-table discussion format, MyShare offers time for multiple presenters to explain a specific language learning activity or idea. Presenters will have 20 minutes, including discussion.
Miki Tokunaga (National Institute of Technology Kurume College)
Two fun classroom activities you can use with any proficiency levels and class sizes
I will demonstrate two activities that I use most often in my classes. One is a picture guessing game for speaking practice and the other is a vocabulary review game. They are both easy to prepare, and can be used in classes of any sizes with students of any proficiency levels.
Pharo Sok (Kyushu Sangyo University)
From Bored to Board (Games): Collaboration and Creativity in the Classroom
Drawing on research about the benefits of gamifying education, I created an original board game creation project for undergraduate students at a Japanese university. In this presentation, we’ll explore the process behind making the games and the finished products. Ultimately, students had to think creatively in terms of construction and mechanics as well as create a game that encouraged English conversations about typical and unusual topics.
Fess Higgins
Semi-Automated Multimodal Flashcard Generation
Explicit vocabulary learning has a place in every classroom, and substantial evidence supports flashcards as one of the best resources for memorization. However, on their own, students often make flashcards that are far from what the research would recommend. In this presentation, I will outline a few web-based tools that can be used together to seamlessly make effective virtual flashcards from videos both inside and outside a classroom.
Tim Pritchard (Seinan Gakuin University)
The Benefits of a Simple Lesson Warm-Up Activity
This talk demonstrates a simple lesson warm up (or warm down) speaking activity for students in pairs or small groups. The pros and cons of a brief follow-up activity will be explained, as well as ways to deal with some problems that can arise and possible variations of the activity. Finally, several unintended benefits, expressed by the students after using this activity for one semester, will be revealed.
Prof. Yasuo Nakatani (Hosei University)
Utilizing Corpus Data Analyses of Top-tier Business Professionals in Presentation Instruction
To gain insights into instructing English presentations, we analyze 300,000 words corpus data from top-tier business professionals, which includes speakers from TED Talk and the Oxford Union. Through key word and cluster analyses, we investigate their significant words and collocations for persuasive public speaking. What communication strategies do figures like Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and James Quincey employ to captivate their audiences? Moreover, how can we effectively impart these techniques to learners in Japan?
Location: Elgala (Daimaru East) Building, Tenjin (6 F, Kurume University Satellite Campus room; go in the back entrance shown on the map). From Hakata, take the Nanakuma Subway Line to Tenjin-Minami Station, exit 4. If you haven't been to this location before, please note that the entrance is NOT through the department store, it is around the back from the department store entrances, here: https://goo.gl/maps/hj8VXmpfjAykeXBV9 (You'll find this by Googling エルガーラ オフィス棟). Click here to watch a video showing the venue location.
Miki Tokunaga (National Institute of Technology Kurume College)
Two fun classroom activities you can use with any proficiency levels and class sizes
I will demonstrate two activities that I use most often in my classes. One is a picture guessing game for speaking practice and the other is a vocabulary review game. They are both easy to prepare, and can be used in classes of any sizes with students of any proficiency levels.
Pharo Sok (Kyushu Sangyo University)
From Bored to Board (Games): Collaboration and Creativity in the Classroom
Drawing on research about the benefits of gamifying education, I created an original board game creation project for undergraduate students at a Japanese university. In this presentation, we’ll explore the process behind making the games and the finished products. Ultimately, students had to think creatively in terms of construction and mechanics as well as create a game that encouraged English conversations about typical and unusual topics.
Fess Higgins
Semi-Automated Multimodal Flashcard Generation
Explicit vocabulary learning has a place in every classroom, and substantial evidence supports flashcards as one of the best resources for memorization. However, on their own, students often make flashcards that are far from what the research would recommend. In this presentation, I will outline a few web-based tools that can be used together to seamlessly make effective virtual flashcards from videos both inside and outside a classroom.
Tim Pritchard (Seinan Gakuin University)
The Benefits of a Simple Lesson Warm-Up Activity
This talk demonstrates a simple lesson warm up (or warm down) speaking activity for students in pairs or small groups. The pros and cons of a brief follow-up activity will be explained, as well as ways to deal with some problems that can arise and possible variations of the activity. Finally, several unintended benefits, expressed by the students after using this activity for one semester, will be revealed.
Prof. Yasuo Nakatani (Hosei University)
Utilizing Corpus Data Analyses of Top-tier Business Professionals in Presentation Instruction
To gain insights into instructing English presentations, we analyze 300,000 words corpus data from top-tier business professionals, which includes speakers from TED Talk and the Oxford Union. Through key word and cluster analyses, we investigate their significant words and collocations for persuasive public speaking. What communication strategies do figures like Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and James Quincey employ to captivate their audiences? Moreover, how can we effectively impart these techniques to learners in Japan?
Location: Elgala (Daimaru East) Building, Tenjin (6 F, Kurume University Satellite Campus room; go in the back entrance shown on the map). From Hakata, take the Nanakuma Subway Line to Tenjin-Minami Station, exit 4. If you haven't been to this location before, please note that the entrance is NOT through the department store, it is around the back from the department store entrances, here: https://goo.gl/maps/hj8VXmpfjAykeXBV9 (You'll find this by Googling エルガーラ オフィス棟). Click here to watch a video showing the venue location.
Peer assessment: Two Practical Examples of Students Learning by Assessing
Sachi Oshima (Chuo Gakuin University, Chiba)
March 9th, 2024 (2024年3月9日(土))
Hybrid event*
Zoom starts at 5:30 (17:30) for socializing and networking.
Presentation: 6 PM (18:00)~8 PM (20:00)
* The presenter will be online. Attendees have the option of gathering in Tenjin, or attending from home. Details below.
As Topping (1998) described, students can "learn by assessing" the work of their peers. In this practice-oriented presentation, I introduce two peer-assessment projects I have done in my classes, and I hope they can serve as useful examples.
The first project was conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese beginner-level college students did a video presentation exchange, using a rubric to assess themselves and their peers and to exchange comments on a blog website. They repeated this sequence three times and tracked their learning.
The second project was implemented face-to-face. Students were divided into small groups for a project focused on pronunciation features. They chose their favorite English songs and worked together to analyze their lyrics and melodies. Each group introduced their chosen song and analysis to the class, and their classmates exchanged feedback.
I look forward to exchanging ideas with the audience and discussing how to introduce peer assessment in various teaching contexts.
About the presenter:
Sachi Oshima (大島 幸) is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Chuo Gakuin University, Chiba. She is also a research fellow at the Research Institute for Policy Studies, Tsuda University, Tokyo. After working for the Japan Foundation as a chief officer, she has been an English teacher at several universities in Japan. Her research interests are related to TESOL and intercultural exchange projects.
Links: Sachi Oshima on researchmap.jp | Sachi Oshima on Facebook
About participating in this event:
The presenter will be online. Attendees have the option of gathering in Tenjin at our usual venue, or attending from home. Those who join us in Tenjin will watch the presentation on a screen and interact together in person; afterwards, we will go out to a nearby pub to socialize and network.
As Topping (1998) described, students can "learn by assessing" the work of their peers. In this practice-oriented presentation, I introduce two peer-assessment projects I have done in my classes, and I hope they can serve as useful examples.
The first project was conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese beginner-level college students did a video presentation exchange, using a rubric to assess themselves and their peers and to exchange comments on a blog website. They repeated this sequence three times and tracked their learning.
The second project was implemented face-to-face. Students were divided into small groups for a project focused on pronunciation features. They chose their favorite English songs and worked together to analyze their lyrics and melodies. Each group introduced their chosen song and analysis to the class, and their classmates exchanged feedback.
I look forward to exchanging ideas with the audience and discussing how to introduce peer assessment in various teaching contexts.
About the presenter:
Sachi Oshima (大島 幸) is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Chuo Gakuin University, Chiba. She is also a research fellow at the Research Institute for Policy Studies, Tsuda University, Tokyo. After working for the Japan Foundation as a chief officer, she has been an English teacher at several universities in Japan. Her research interests are related to TESOL and intercultural exchange projects.
Links: Sachi Oshima on researchmap.jp | Sachi Oshima on Facebook
About participating in this event:
The presenter will be online. Attendees have the option of gathering in Tenjin at our usual venue, or attending from home. Those who join us in Tenjin will watch the presentation on a screen and interact together in person; afterwards, we will go out to a nearby pub to socialize and network.
- Online participation: Zoom will start at 5:30 PM for a half hour of socializing and networking, and the presentation will start at 6 PM.
- In person participation: Elgala (Daimaru East) Building, Tenjin (6 F, Kurume University Satellite Campus room; go in the back entrance shown on the map). From Hakata, take the Nanakuma Subway Line to Tenjin-Minami Station, exit 4. If you haven't been to this location before, please note that the entrance is NOT through the department store, it is around the back from the department store entrances, here: https://goo.gl/maps/hj8VXmpfjAykeXBV9 (You'll find this by Googling エルガーラ オフィス棟). Click here to watch a video showing the venue location.
Chapter planning meeting
February 24th, 2024
4 PM (16:00)
* not the usual venue
We will be holding a Fukuoka chapter planning meeting this Saturday to discuss items that came up in the JALT National Executive Board Meeting (EBM) last weekend.
The meeting (open to members in good standing) is from 16:00 over coffee.
If you’d like to read the agenda for last weekend’s EBM, please see jalt.org/news/jalt-central-145
- Place: Sancho Plaza (This is a restaurant.)
- Website: https://sanchopanzafukuoka.com/
- Location: 5th floor of the Daimyo11511 Building
- Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pzELiqHufXbT5phX7
- Date: February 24, 2024
- Time: 16:00 (4PM)
The meeting (open to members in good standing) is from 16:00 over coffee.
If you’d like to read the agenda for last weekend’s EBM, please see jalt.org/news/jalt-central-145
How to write a better abstract for the JALT2024 Conference call for presentation proposals
Presenter: JALT2024 Vetting Committee Chair Trevor A. Holster (Fukuoka Jogakuin University)
February 10th, 2024 (2024年2月10日(土))
Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/6zFiWk4wj8g?si=M1mUt5aUzQfLGYwn
JALT members free; non-members 500 yen
Conference presentation proposals for JALT2024 are due March 10. Every year, the JALT conference receives many more submissions than it is possible to accommodate, so many submissions must be rejected. Acceptance or rejection depends entirely on the quality of the abstract, so understanding the submission and vetting process is essential to improving your chances of acceptance. In this workshop, I will review the submission process and different categories of submission, including common mistakes that will result in rejection. I will then explain the vetting process and rubric that reviewers use and show some sample abstracts to illustrate common weaknesses in submissions. Participants are encouraged to bring their own abstracts for peer-review following the presentation.
Trevor Holster is the Vetting Committee Chair for the JALT International conference. He teaches English at Fukuoka Jogakuin University and has a Masters of Applied Linguistics degree from the University of Southern Queensland and a Professional Certificate in Language Assessment from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include formative classroom assessment and peer-assessment.
Online participation:
Click here to join Zoom Zoom will start at 5:30 PM for a half hour of socializing and networking, and the presentation will start at 6 PM.
JALT2024: The 50th Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) International Conference will be held November 15 - 18, 2024 at the Shizuoka Granship, in Shizuoka, Japan.
Trevor Holster is the Vetting Committee Chair for the JALT International conference. He teaches English at Fukuoka Jogakuin University and has a Masters of Applied Linguistics degree from the University of Southern Queensland and a Professional Certificate in Language Assessment from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include formative classroom assessment and peer-assessment.
Online participation:
Click here to join Zoom Zoom will start at 5:30 PM for a half hour of socializing and networking, and the presentation will start at 6 PM.
JALT2024: The 50th Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) International Conference will be held November 15 - 18, 2024 at the Shizuoka Granship, in Shizuoka, Japan.