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The Language Teacher
September 2004
Sheltered English Workshops at JALT2004
Mary Christianson
JALT2004 Sheltered English Workshop Coordinator
Perspectives
. . . with Joyce Cunningham & Mariko Miyao perspectives@jalt-publications.org
November is still a couple of months away, but it's not too early to start dreaming of cooler days, autumn leaves, and the 30th JALT International Conference, the largest annual event for language teaching and learning in Japan. If you've never experienced a JALT conference, here's what you can expect.
- Choose from hundreds of presentations over 3 days on topics spanning the entire field of language teaching and learning.
- Hear plenary talks on the latest developments from internationally renowned language professionals.
- Browse for textbooks (and get free stuff) at the Educational Materials Exhibition.
- Network and socialize with over a thousand language teachers from Japan and abroad.
Despite these attractive features, JALT understands that for many Japanese English teachers the thought of attending an international conference where presentations are conducted mostly in English may be intimidating. For this reason, JALT2004 will offer a special program of presentations geared especially towards nonnative English speakers who may not feel confident interacting at a native-speaker level. These Sheltered English Workshops (SEW) will be either 1 or 2 hours long, take an easier pace, and include many opportunities for discussion of ideas in English or Japanese in a safe, relaxed atmosphere. They will be very practical in nature so teachers can see how the techniques presented can be applied in the classroom. Also, many presenters will use demonstrations so that participants can experience new techniques directly.
The SEW program will run on both Saturday and Sunday, November 20–21. The program so far includes topics such as classroom management, making textbook activities more interactive, creating your own communicative language materials, teaching grammar communicatively, an introduction to the Black English dialect, alternative assessment techniques, autonomy for young learners, and much more.
The theme of this year's JALT conference is Language Learning for Life. The SEW program is an excellent opportunity for lifelong learning, where practicing teachers can combine language learning with professional development. We hope this program will encourage more Japanese English teachers to participate in this very special 30th anniversary conference.
Reported by Mary Christianson
records@jalt.org
JALT2004 Sheltered English Workshop Coordinator
All materials on this site are copyright ©2004 by JALT and their respective authors.
For more information on JALT, visit the JALT National Website
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