The Language Teacher - Issue 40.3; May 2016


Volume: 40
Issue No. 3
Date of publication: May 2016
https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTTLT40.3
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In this month’s issue . . .

40.1 TLTWelcome to the May/June 2016 issue of ​TLT. During the March graduation season in Japan, we experienced many farewells and changes. However, as the new school year has started, we hope you have valued the combination of new and old as we meet incoming students and colleagues. 

It has been five years since the Great Earthquake hit the Tohoku area. JALT expresses sincere wishes for the wellbeing of the people in the devastated areas, and asks JALT members for continued emotional and physical support.  

In this month’s issue, in our Feature Article, Writing Instruction: What Is Being Taught in Japanese High Schools, Why, and Why It Matters, Bern Mulvey presents both recent national survey results and observations made during six years of teaching both Japanese and English academic writing. He concludes that in order to improve academic English skills, critical reading, and writing skills, the L1 needs development as well. He suggests collaboration among all teachers providing this instruction.

 In Readers’ Forum, ​ Paul Tanner  ​advocates the use of freewriting (FW) for EFL writing classes in Freewriting: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Write. In this article, the author defines and outlines one technique for guided FW and explains the procedure for implementing this activity, including possible pitfalls. 

Additionally in Age Effects: An Interview With Robert DeKeyser, University of Maryland, Robert DeKeyser and Daniel Dunkley discuss the effects of age on language learning, and the differences between children and adults in picking up a second language.

​Last, but not least, be sure to journey through our JALT Praxis sections for lots of classroom-oriented ideas, tips, and advice! As always, we really appreciate the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers at TLT. We hope that you find this issue enjoyable and helpful! 

Toshiko Sugino, TLT Japanese Language Editor 

 

TLTの2016年5/6月号へようこそ。3月の卒業シーズンにはお別れや環境の変化などがたくさんありますが、新学期が始まり新入生や新しい同僚との出会いに意義を見出されていることでしょう。

2011年3月の東日本大震災からすでに5年が経ちました。JALTは引き続き被災された方々のご健勝を祈りつつ、会員の皆様のご支援をお願いします。

本号のFeature ArticleではBern Mulveyが、What Is Being Taught in Japanese High Schools, Why, and Why It Mattersの中で、6年間の英語・日本語でのアカデミック・ライティング指導の経験をもとに、最近発表された調査結果を検討し、日本におけるアカデミック・ライティング指導の現状を提示し、英語のアカデミック・ライティングの能力向上には、母語でも批判的な読解力やライティング力を磨く必要であり、国語と英語の教員が協力し合って育てる必要性を論じています。

Readers’ ForumではPaul Tanner  ​が、Freewriting: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Writeで、EFLライティングの授業中のFWの採用を提唱しています。本論では、1つの手法を定義付けその概要を述べ、起こりうる難題など実施の手順を述べています。

さらに、Age Affects: An Interview With Robert DeKeyser, University of Marylandにおいて、Robert DeKeyser はインタビューに答えて、言語学習と学習年齢の影響と、第二言語習得における大人と子どもの相違について論じています。

最後に、JALT Praxisセクションにぜひ目を通してください。授業を中心にしたアイディアや、ヒントや助言が満載です。TLTの発刊に尽力くださったすべてのボランティアの方々に感謝の意を表します。皆様どうぞ本号をお楽しみください。

TLT日本語編集長 杉野俊子

 

Contents


The Language Teacher

Book Reviews

My Share

SIG Focus

TLT Wired

Old Grammarians

Outside the Box

Writers' Workshop

Young Learners

Teaching Assistance

Dear TLT