Preface
A professional conference is many things, but perhaps most importantly it is about the state of the art of the profession. People get together, discuss and present on what they are doing in the context of their avowed calling in life, share experiences, and ultimately (ideally), share knowledge and expertise with each other in the hope that such sharing will lead to the overall betterment of the profession to which they have committed a major portion their lives. What better way to acknowledge (if not celebrate) this professional commitment than to publish a volume such as On JALT 95: Curriculum and Evaluation? What better way to talk to our peers than to present to them a comprehensive cross section of what we are doing to contribute our professional sphere? We can think of no better way than this volume. We, the editors, are proud to present to our peers this wonderful cross section, and we are hopeful that it will not only represent to JALT what we are capable of as professional language teachers, but that it also gives to the profession something that will be of lasting value.
Of course, no conference is a representation of the totally “new.“ State-of-the-Art always means the foundations upon which the contemporary structure rests-that is, the past, present and future; in practical terms, what works and continues to work, why it’s still applicable and how it might be changed, and the implications of that change. In this sense, this volume represents only a state of inquiry, or a state of professional information exchange that contributes to the ongoing, evolving professional conversation.
This volume was not edited with the idea that it would in any way be ”definitive.” There is an uneven mixture of information that covers old as well as new ground, and we knew from the beginning that it could not be designed to present a single unified view. Our profession, with its rich diversity of views, its very aliveness, defies the definitive. The articles in this volume will bear this out: Some may appear to be contradictory with others of what the field is about in terms of research and practicality.
Nevertheless, how well the articles all began to interleave. Theory merged with practice. Practice reflected theory. Theorists showed themselves to be practitioners because they were bridging the gap to practice, and the practitioners were reaching out to theory. As we edited this volume, we discovered that the articles--every one of them-were small facets that reflected the professional whole.
The overall organization of OnJALT 95: Curriculum and Evaluation reflects this overlap. We begin with an Introductory section, ”Looking Back, Looking Forward,” that sets the tone, and then move into the first part of the theme-curriculum. We end with ”Testing and Evaluation.” Everything between stresses both parts of the theme that bridges the gap between the theoretical and the practical. Every article stresses the thinker as a doer, the doer as a thinker, the teacher as both thinker and doer.
We had thought to write an over-arching Preface to this volume in an effort to weave all of the threads into a tapestry. However, in the compilation of the works herein presented, as they all began naturally to cluster into the areas that we ultimately placed them, it became clear to us that further commentary was unnecessary. The articles speak well for themselves and, indeed, speak well of what JALT’s annual conferences are all about: teachers talking to teachers, sharing ideas and techniques, trading wisdom that ultimately benefits us all-teachers and students alike.
Gene van Troyer, Steve Cornwell, and Hiromi Morikawa, editors
