All JALT Chapters large and small are encouraged to submit
a 900-950 word report (in English and/or Japanese) about their rich and
varied activities, challenges, experiences and successes. Also, please remember
to make a chapter poster again for JALT99 (more information to follow).
This month, as a special feature, the newly forming SIG, GALE, discusses
its efforts to gain a place among other special interest groups.
Gender Awareness in Language Education (GALE) Special Interest
Group (SIG) is JALT's newest forming N-SIG. As witnessed by the dramatic
yearly increase on presentations related to gender at JALT conferences,
gender encompasses a wide range of topics of interest and excitement to
language educators and students. We warmly invite all JALT members to join
us in the following goals:
1. To research gender and its implications for language learning, teaching,
and training, such as differences in discourse styles, preferred teaching
and learning styles, interests, needs, motivation, aptitude, achievement,
classroom interactions, same-sex versus coeducational classrooms and same-sex
vs. opposite-sex teaching, and social identity.
2. To improve pedagogical practices, develop language teaching materials,
and provide a clearinghouse for materials inclusive of gender and gender-related
topics in FL subject areas such as communication, history, literature, linguistics,
science, sociology, cultural studies, etc.
3. To raise awareness of workplace and human rights issues related to
gender for language professionals, such as discrimination, harassment, and
violence based on gender and sexual-orientation, and discrimination on the
basis of marital or parental status, and to provide information for countering
such discrimination.
4. To increase networking opportunities among language professionals
interested in teaching, researching, and/or discussing issues related to
gender and language education, such as biological sex, gender identity,
gendered language, sexual orientation, gender behavior, gender roles, and
gender socialization.
If you are interested in finding out more about GALE, join us on Sunday,
June 20 at our first mini-conference. In cooperation with Women in Education
and Language Learning (WELL), an independent organization, we will sponsor
a day of workshops and discussions at the Daito Kaikan of Daito Bunka University,
near the North Exit of Tobu Nerima Station in Tokyo. Over lunch (noon-1
p.m.), we will discuss how we identify ourselves to others at work and how
this affects our work relations. From 1-4 p.m. we will continue with other
workshops. An experienced feminist trainer will give a three-hour assertiveness
training session in Japanese, aimed mainly at helping foreign women in expressing
themselves more assertively at work in Japanese, but all are welcome. A
concurrent session is tentatively planned to introduce new research challenging
common stereotypes about the Bible and homosexuality. From 4:30-6:00 p.m.
we will hear from a panel of Japanese gay, lesbian and bisexual authors
and activists on their experiences with and efforts to combat homophobia
in schools, and gain ideas for making our own classrooms safer places for
sexual minorities. All attending are invited to an informal dinner afterwards.
For more information, please contact GALE Program Co-Chair, Barbara Summerhawk;
t: 0424-67-3809 (h), or GALE Co-Coordinator, Cheiron McMahill; <
"mailto:cheiron@gpwu.ac.jp">cheiron@gpwu.ac.jp>.
You can also get a closer look at GALE at our presentation at JALT99
in Maebashi, entitled, "Living and Learning New Gender Approaches."
Four panel members, including the facilitator, will share their unique experience
of functioning in dual roles as teacher and student of foreign languages
in different environments. The facilitator will introduce the history of
gender-related education in Japanese universities, referring to the development
of Women's Studies in particular. As a Japan-born Korean, the next panelist
will refer to her research and personal experience to bring home the necessity
of teaching and learning an awareness of gender. She will present a theoretical
linguistic analysis of conversation modes and problems faced by minorities.
The third panelist will introduce practical ways of teaching about gender
and sexuality. The fourth member will present ideas on using translation
as a tool for a better understanding of gender in both English and Japanese.
The forum will conclude with a discussion between the panel and the audience
on how to create a safer, more open and tolerant classroom environment that
encourages our full potential as human beings.
During the JALT98 conference in Omiya, the members of GALE enjoyed a
rousing good time at a dinner following our general meeting. We are now
planning to make this an annual event. Please stop by our table for more
details at JALT99.
We welcome your participation in our e-mail list and newsletter. To join
the list, please contact Paul Hilderbrandt; <phiro@gol.com>.
To contribute to the newsletter, published in March, June, September and
December, contact Colleen Austin; t: 0762-80-1002 (w); <alice1@shift.ne.jp>.
The theme of our first issue was issues of power/empowerment in the ESL
classroom. Regular forums are scheduled related to HIV education, teacher
education, and research and publishing. We especially seek ongoing submissions
reviewing and deconstructing some of the more popular textbooks in the ESL
classroom. As Colleen says, "A close reading of any ESL text and a
discussion of photos, language and audio aids would be a good resource for
all of us. To continue on a positive note, please think about any books
you have found useful in your classrooms on the issues of gender, class,
race and sexuality."
Finally, to join GALE, please send your dues by the JALT postal transfer
form in the Language Teacher, or contact our treasurer, Barry Mateer; <
hrEF="mailto:barrym@gol.com">barrym@gol.com>. For more information
on GALE, or to volunteer to help, contact Amy Yamashiro; <amy@gol.com>.