Kobe JALT - Events

Upcoming Events

October 2010 MEETING

Sunday, October 17, 2010

'The Course of Study and New Directions in English Education'

Date and Time:

Sunday, 17 October 2010 - 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Speaker:

Kensaku Yoshida with Ann Mayeda and Steven Nishida

Time: 13:30 (1:30 pm) - 15:30 (3:30 pm) (Sun., October 17)

Fee (JALT members): free

Fee (One-Day members): 1,000 yen

Venue: Kobe Kokusai Kaikan Hall (8-1-6, Goko-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo-ken) Room TBA

Guide to Location:

Link to meeting location

Description:

Professor YOSHIDA will discuss the meaning and background of the new Course of Study, ranging from elementary school to senior high school. He will also talk about new ideas in university entrance examinations, as well as English education in universities.

Kensaku Yoshida
Director of the Center for the Teaching of Foreign Languages in General Education at Sophia University. He is also the Director of the Sophia Linguistics Institute for International Communication. He has worked on many committees for MEXT to revise and improve English education in Japan. He is also a Trustee of The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) and an Executive Director of Asia TEFL. He has given plenary and featured talks at numerous domestic and international conferences.

Ann MAYEDA and Steven NISHIDA will attempt to answer the question-Elementary school English activities: are we there yet?-by defining and clarifying the MEXT Course of Study for elementary school foreign English language activities and look at the reasons for some misunderstanding of this policy by various stakeholders amongst the public and private school sector. They will then focus on how schools are implementing or changing current programs based on their interpretation of the teaching guidelines. The audience will be asked to share how activities are currently conducted at their schools and discuss whether they would be considered suitable under the aims of the guidelines. Lastly, the participants should come away with a better understanding of their role as HRT, ALT, JTE, or NT in the entire elementary English schema.

Ann Mayeda and Steven Nishida have co-coordinated a MEXT-funded teacher-training program hosted by Osaka Shoin Women's University between 2007 and 2010. Their work with close to 500 in-service teachers has provided them with an insider's view of the current situation facing public elementary school teachers in their struggle to implement English in accordance with the MEXT Course of Study. Ann currently teaches at Konan Women's University in Kobe. Steven teaches at Nara Institute of Science and Technology.

December 2010 MEETING

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Kobe JALT & Kyoto JALT Pecha Kucha Night & Bonenkai

Time: 16:00 (4 pm) - 18:00 (6 pm) (Sat., December 18)

Fee (JALT members): free

Fee (One-Day members): free

Venue: Konan University, Nishinomiya Campus (8-33 Takamatsu-cho, Nishinomiya) Room TBA

Description: The Kobe and Kyoto chapters will co-sponsor a Pecha Kucha Night (PKN) style event on December 18 (Saturday) from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Konan University, Hirao School of Management (CUBE) in Nishinomiya (just south of Hankyu Nishinomiya Kita-guchi station). Admission is free. Contact kobejalt@gmail.com or jaltkyoto@gmail.com by December 1, 2010 if you are interested in presenting. A year-end party (bonenkai) will also be held at a nearby restaurant from 6:30. More information about PKN is available at http://www.pecha-kucha.org/. is will be our second attempt at moving our annual potpourri meeting to a Pecha Kucha Night format (20 slides x 20 seconds each). Last year's was a big success and we are hoping to up the ante this year. Send your 20 slides (or jpg images) to bjones_jp [at] yahoo.com and get ready for some fun. We will hold our Bonenkai afterwards in a nearby restaurant.

Place Holder

Time: 16:00 (4 pm) - 18:00 (6 pm) (Sat., December ??)

Fee (JALT members): free

Fee (One-Day members): free

Venue: Kobe YMCA (2-7-15 Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe. tel: 078-241-7204) Room TBA

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