The Language Teacher
05 - 2001
JALT-JACET Liaison Report
Marilyn Books
Miyazaki Municipal University
JACET (The Japan Association of College English Teachers) held its 39th annual convention from November 3 to 5, 2000, with the theme "English Education in East Asia for the 21st Century" at Okinawa International University in Ginowan near Naha, the capital of the prefecture. This was the first time that the convention was held in Okinawa. I have been a member of JALT since the week I arrived in Japan 14 years ago and a member of JACET for about 13 years, and was appointed JACET-JALT Liaison as of this convention.
Presentations and Participants
There were 169 presentations at the convention, with the breakdown
as follows: 82 papers, 29 reports on "Classroom Activities,"
13 case studies, 13 symposia, 12 mini-lectures, 5 workshops, 4
publishers' presentations, 4 poster displays, 3 keynote addresses,
3 "Welcome to My Classroom" video presentations, and
1 plenary symposium.
If a presentation was published in the handbook in Japanese, then
the language of delivery was Japanese; conversely, if it was written
in English, it was read/given in English. Titles in English numbered
56, and about twice that number were in Japanese. With the disclaimer
that "nativeness" was determined only from names listed,
there were 209 Japanese presenters, 37 Western foreign speakers,
seven Korean, one Taiwanese, and one Singaporean. That means that
a high proportion of Japanese chose to speak in English. Put another
way, 33% of the speakers chose English as their medium of communication
although only 20% of the presenters were native English speakers.
All of the presentations that I attended in my field were enlightening
and well worth attending.
JACET often chooses Asian foreigners as keynote speakers, and
this year was no exception. Shih Yu-Hwei from the National Taiwan
Normal University spoke on "An Evaluation of the Primary
School English Teachers' Training Program in Taiwan." He
reported that there has been pressure from the public to begin
English education earlier; hence they have launched a program
beginning in the fifth and sixth grades with the attendant need
for more English teachers. Lee Hyo-Woong, the president of KATE
(Korean Association of Teachers of English) delivered his talk
on "English Education in Korean Elementary Schools."
The Korean Ministry of Education legislated that English be taught
starting in the third grade conducted in the target language only.
Presentation Time Allocations
The allocation of the total time and of the breakdown -- which
specifically mentioned the question and answer period -- is quite
different from that at other conferences such as JALT and TESOL.
When my first proposal was accepted at JACET about thirteen years
ago under the category of "Papers" and "Reports
of Classroom Activities," I was shocked to be informed that
I had only 20 minutes to speak. That remains the allotment for
the typical paper presentation today, with a ten-minute question
and answer period. (What a luxury it is to have 45 minutes or
more all to yourself at JALT and TESOL conferences.) It forces
the speaker to be succinct, and actually, it is just enough for
the presenter to put forth the main thrust and for the audience
to discern if the topic is relevant to their needs.
Two paper presentations are slotted in the same room for one hour
and each session has a moderator. The math does not work out if
you calculate the time taken by the moderator to introduce the
two (or several) speakers, and the changeover time. The second
speaker is usually short-changed unless the timing is slightly
altered, such as I have done as moderator -- introductions, 2
minutes each; presentations, 18 minutes; and Q & A, 8 minutes.
Perhaps it is this allocation that is conducive to the mobility
of the attendees. I have observed a lot of movement during sessions,
especially at the time of the changeover of a new speaker. For
example, at about the thirty-minute mark of a "Papers"
or "Reports of Classroom Activities" presentation, conference-goers
move in and out freely.
The Q & A portion is deemed very important and each type of
activity has set guidelines to follow; as much as 15 minutes is
to be devoted to Q & A. "Welcome to My Classroom,"
which is a video presentation of student activities, is allowed
40 minutes, with explanation set at 10 minutes, video at 15, and
Q & A at 15. "Case Studies," also 40 minutes, consists
of "presentation 35 and Q & A 5." "Mini-lectures"
have 10 minutes of questioning, with 50 of lecture. Symposia and
workshops, which are allotted 90 minutes, and keynote speeches,
which are apportioned 70 minutes, are the exceptions, with the
division of time left to the discretion of the chairperson. The
poster session affords the maximum amount of audience participation,
and is held all day Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, with the display
personnel requested to be present from 11:30 to 12:30 for explanations
and discussion.
Concomitant Events
On Friday the short opening ceremony took place, chaired by Nakamura
Houshin of Okinawa University and co-chaired by Namoto Mikio.
Nakamura is well known to many JALT members, and deserves credit
for much of the backstage in organizing the Kyushu-Okinawa branch.
The greetings portion was jointly officiated by the President
of JACET, Koike Ikuo, and Namihira Isao, President of Okinawa
International University. An award presentation and an hour-long
business meeting followed.
Publishers' materials were displayed on the first floor of the
main convention building from 10:00 to closing every day. There
were many Japanese publishers and some Japanese-only exhibits,
but enough English displays to occupy non-Japanese speakers for
hours.
The closing ceremonies were chaired by Nakamura, with "Greetings"
by Igarashi Yasuo inviting all participants to the 2001 convention.
Oka Hideo, the Convention Chair, whose hard work and vigilance
helped bring about a beautifully run, successful convention, gave
closing remarks. To some in the audience, the closing portion
of the convention seemed long because the preceding two-hour plenary
symposium was seen as part of the finale. The symposium title
was identical to that of the convention theme, and featured these
distinguished panelists: Willy Renandya of RELC (Regional Language
Center) in Singapore; Kim Young-Sook of Fukuoka Jogakuin University,
former President of Korea Association of Applied Linguistics;
Shih Yu-Hwei of the National Taiwan Normal University; and Koike
Ikuo, President of JACET.
Convention Size
As mentioned above, there were 169 presentations. The largest
number of concurrent sessions from which a member had to choose
was ten, for "Papers." For non-Japanese speakers, this
number is significantly decreased. This compares with about 23
concurrent events four or five times a day at a JALT conference;
at TESOL first thing in the morning 49 choices can present themselves.
Three days are set aside for the annual meeting. The 2000 event
was held on Friday from 9:00 to 19:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00,
and Sunday from 9:00 to 12:30, with no pre-convention institutes,
only the national board meeting, national committee meetings,
and the trustees meeting on Thursday afternoon.
A medium sized university is often selected, and proves adequate
for the concurrent presentations and other meetings. Rooms are
also appropriated for presenters, guests, a lounge, and luggage.
The exhibit space is generally small, with many Japanese and Japanese-only
publishing companies displaying their materials.
Social Events and Entertainment
The main social event is the Saturday night party, which is always
well attended, although it is preceded by too many rather long
speeches. I was reintroduced at this event, and delivered a short
speech incorporating JALT information and an invitation to join
in JALT activities.
Each day at noon we were treated to local entertainment; the first
day was the delightful "Eisa" dancing and the second
was the intriguing "karate dancing." Interested participants
could also view the Futenma Base from the rooftop of the main
convention building. Naha boosts numerous fine dining and entertainment
spots, and we were well rewarded at the Sam's of Hawaii steak
houses.
Organization/Smooth Running
Several institutions account for the smooth running of the convention
itself. The chapter in whose jurisdiction the convention is held
is responsible for the organization (or a good deal of the local
jobs); in this case, that duty fell to the Kyushu-Okinawa chapter.
But scores of people from across the land pitched in to ensure
good management and efficiency. Another point is that the presentations
as a rule start precisely on time, thanks to the institution of
a moderator.
Unfortunately, there was a time conflict with the JALT conference
-- they were on the same weekend. Many JALT and JACET members
were forced to choose between the two occurrences.
At the convention site, the placement of the activities was logical
and the venues were easy to locate. Those presentations that were
suitable in a classroom-sized room were located in the largest
lecture building. On the ground floor of that building was a large
open area, on the periphery of which was the registration desk
manned by friendly and obliging members. An information board
was strategically placed near Registration for announcements,
changes to the program, and contacting other participants.
That open space became the hub of the convention and a natural,
convenient meeting spot where it was a pleasure to run into old
friends and comfortably find space to compare news and research
projects. Even better was the pleasant courtyard that it led out
onto. The organizers had wisely moved their usual convention month
from September to November when Okinawa was selected as the site:
the temperature was perfect for being outdoors (about 24) and
the postponement avoided the main typhoon season. However, it
ran into the JALT scheduling as mentioned, and a tropical storm
kept me tracking the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center web site
every day and ruined any chance of snorkeling just before attending
the conference.
Those events that required a larger seating capacity, such as
the opening ceremony, award presentations, business meeting, keynote
addresses, plenary symposia, and closing ceremony, were conducted
in another building close by.
Costs
The registration fee for the convention is only ¥3000 for
members, ¥6000 for non-members, and ¥3000 for students.
Institutional and supporting organizations may send two delegates.
The annual membership fee to the national organization is ¥8000;
it cannot be accepted at the convention: it must be paid beforehand.
Membership in one of the chapters costs ¥1500, to cover postage,
but SIG membership is free.
Liaison Role
There were many ways in which I was honored and performed a function
at the convention. I took advantage of most occasions to enlighten
JACET audiences about these points about JALT: the PAC3 at JALT2001
Annual International Conference in Kitakyushu from November 22
to 25, 2001; the convention proceedings and other publications;
the large number of members, chapters, and SIGs; and of course,
the JALT home page. The night before the official start of the
convention, I was invited to a lavish dinner with a small group
of VIPs of JACET. At the opening ceremonies, I was introduced
as the JACET-JALT Liaison. Throughout the convention, the chairperson
of the event, Oka, and the President of JACET, Koike, went out
of their way to introduce and reintroduce me to distinguished
participants, to invite me to the guest room, the lounge, and
to lunch. I was given the big, thick proceedings of last year's
convention of AILA, an international association of applied linguistics,
which is associated with JACET, plus a JACET publication, which
I have sent to the JALT office for access by JALT members. JACET
expressed a desire to exchange publications starting with convention
proceedings. I was asked to proofread the English portions of
their home page "for life." Additionally, it is hoped
that the institution of the position of JALT-JACET Liaison will
help prevent the time conflict mentioned above.
Membership and Involvement
The 2800-strong membership is approximately 81% percent Japanese,
which is what attracted me to JACET. I sought to meet more Japanese
people when I first arrived, and I subsequently benefited by being
befriended by Japanese professors and offered many good part time
university jobs.
JACET maintains an office at 55 Yokodera-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
162-0831. The helpful office manager, Ohama Mitsuko, can be reached
at 03-3268-9686 by phone from 13:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday,
or fax at 03-3268-9695. Their URL is <www.jacet.org/> and email can be sent to
<info@jacet.org>.
Members can choose to belong to a regional branch -- in addition
to the national organization -- such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, Chubu,
Kansai, Chugoku-Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa. Members can also
join any of ten SIGs without additional charge: Classroom-centered
Research, CALL, Discourse/Pragmatics, Literature, SLA (Second
Language Acquisition), Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum,
Global Education, Modern English Grammar, English Education in
East Asia, and English and the Computer.
The next convention will be held at Fuji Joshi Daigaku in Sapporo
from September 14 to 16, and JALT members are cordially invited
to attend.
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For more information on JALT, visit the JALT National Website