Equipping Teachers to Incorporate Drama Covenant Players Our chapter was treated to another session with the Covenant Players; this time it was Kate, Cathy and Kurt who gave us some new tools to take back to the classroom. Introducing themselves as actors rather than teachers, they explained their purpose as...

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Developing resources for self-directed learning Paul Collett, Kristen Sullivan, Malcolm Swanson The trend in faculty development is towards accountability, more awareness of student needs and building courses accordingly, with bridging of levels becoming an important issue. With this in mind, Collett, Sullivan and Swanson are teaching their students how to...

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Adapting Board Games for Language Practice: A Workshop Margaret Orleans Adapting Board Games for Language Practice: A Workshop Margaret Orleans (Seinan Jo Gakuin University) Kitakyushu JALT, January 14, 2012 Following the advice of Guy Cook (1997) that students should be playing with their new language right from the start, Orleans...

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Here we are, now motivate us: Strategies for generating student motivation Andy Boon Andy Boon started by defining motivation and then got us into groups to brainstorm and pool ideas about why Japanese learners may not be motivated to study English, which he then commented and expanded upon. He showed...

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Using effective search strategies to access available English language resources for research in Japan James Hicks As a student of library science working on his second distance degree, Hicks is well-placed to advise regarding the improving access to research materials for English speakers in Japan. He introduced four sources of...

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Lightning Presentations Night various speakers Charles Ashley reviewed the history of error correction and reported on his experience with a workbook to correct common errors, concluding that his students' level was too low for them to recognize the errors and that teachers must be aware of the Been Here Too...

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A Fluency First Approach through Extensive Writing in the EFL Context Steven Herder Steven Herder describes his epiphany after many years of classroom EFL teaching when he took an MA course in the subject as, having dutifully followed the Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP) module for all those years, realizing that...

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The significance of the implicit vs. explicit distinction for language pedagogy Rod Ellis Rod Ellis reminded us that the main goal of second language instruction is to develop implicit knowledge-- because without it, you're a lousy communicator. Implicit language learning occurs without intentionality, without awareness (beyond the level of noticing)...

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Connecting Neuroscience with EFL in Japan/Asia various presenters In a day so packed with presentations and discussions that attendees had to take notes while eating, but were fueled with Turkish coffee and cookies, about fifty people explored the implications of brain research for the EFL classroom. Robert S. Murphy began...

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Testing Times: Ensuring Success Michael Phillips Michael Philips gave us a zany and fun glimpse into the principles of test construction (and an invitation to see it again in its entirety online at http://prezi.com/zx8dwynovou3/testing-times-ensuring-success/), insisting we anticipate answers for our as-yet un-posed questions, in groups, in a quite effective way...

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