Join us in February for 2 separate 45-minute presentations from Simon Capper.
Adaptable Vocabulary Activities for ESP and Beyond.
Learners of English with limited proficiency – particularly those learning English for SpecificPurposes (ESP) – are often overwhelmed by the heavy load of unfamiliar vocabulary in theirtextbooks. Avoiding this pitfall requires creative and practical solutions that encouragemeaningful recycling and repetition. Derived from materials created for elementary levelnursing English students, this workshop demonstrates a series of enjoyable, productive gamesand activities based on commonly encountered medical vocabulary, but which are alsoadaptable for general (non-ESP) courses.The activities covered in this workshop will include prefix / suffix dominoes, word rootbattleships, vocabulary bingo, and affix anagrams. Suggestions will also be offered to helpteachers to enable learners to create personalized vocabulary lists using free, readily availableonline vocabulary learning software.
Engaging Learners with Lateral Thinking Tasks.
Why did a group of men steal teeth from a battlefield at night? Why did the hopeless bank robber fail? Why was the young lady embarrassed by a visit from her grandmother? Lateral thinking puzzles provide excellent task-based, problem-solving, goal-oriented, communicative activities. They encourage maximum involvement, (even in large classes) and offer extensive, meaningful repetition.In this workshop I'll introduce the some lateral thinking puzzles, demonstrate how they can be adapted to the classroom, and offer some tips on how to create your own materials. These puzzles, inspired by the work of pioneering creative thinker Edward de Bono, are adaptable, practical and allow for easy classroom management, while at the same time offering a challenging and entertaining task for learners. If time permits, participants will be encouraged to share their own puzzles, discuss add-on activities and engage in trying out some of the presenter's favourite puzzles.
Simon Capper is a teacher at the Japanese Red Cross Hiroshima College of Nursing. He has been teaching in Japanese universities for over 25 years, and for the past five years has been President of Hiroshima JALT. His teaching interests include nursing English, global issues and materials development, and he has authored and co-authored 12 ELT textbooks on a wide range of subjects including nursing English, learning English with pop songs, explaining Japanese lifestyle and culture, and lateral thinking.

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