In this month’s issue . . .
Welcome to the September/October issue of TLT. In this, the third issue after introducing our new JALT Praxis section, we come to you stronger than ever. Feedback from the readership has been overwhelmingly positive, and we at TLT would like to encourage you to get in touch with column editors if you have particular topics, or a submission, you would like to see in print. After all, our goal, generally speaking, is to promote dialogue within our language teaching community. We thank you for your feedback and for your active participation.
Our second to last issue of 2015 comes loaded with two Feature Articles: Richard J. Sampson, in “Absorbed Expectations About English Study of Adolescent Japanese Students: Insights to the Ought-to L2 Self”, offers a qualitative study on contextualizing motivation in Japanese Kosen students; and Gilbert Dizon, in “Japanese Students’ Attitudes Towards the Use of Facebook in the EFL Classroom”, explores the benefits of using Facebook as a language learning tool. In the Readers’ Forum, we bring you two articles: first, “The Case Against the Case Against Holding English Classes in English”, by Rintaro Sato refutes the opinion by many teachers who see the MEXT decision to hold English classes entirely in English as inefficient; second, “Suggestions on Self-Evaluation Checklists for EFL Teachers in Japan”, by Akihiro Mikami, argues for incorporating self-evaluation checklists for EFL teachers as part of their professional development.
To the more classroom-minded reader, we bring four great My Share practical activities by James C. Jensen, Rachel A. Manley, Charles McLarty, and Annie Menard. In Book Reviews, Gary J. Wolff reviews CNN Student News, Vol. 2. In addition, we have new thought-provoking articles in TLT Wired and Outside the Box. Of course, also be sure to meander through our JALT Focus section and see what’s going on in the larger JALT community.
A hearty thank you to all the volunteers at TLT who work to bring the readers six quality issues a year. From the production team to the column editors and editorial staff, TLT is made possible by volunteers who are energetic and enthusiastic about getting involved and collectively contributing to the acquisition and dissemination of ideas that help keep our professional fields and personal interests lively and energized. At TLT, we are always looking for volunteers who can help us not only run the journal, but take an active role in developing and improving the quality of TLT. If you are interested in getting involved in, copyediting, proofreading, or editing, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Finally, and certainly not least, a brobdingnagian thank you and Otsukaresama-deshita to Carol Borrmann-Begg, who is completing her tenure as TLT senior co-editor. This being Carol’s final issue, we thank her for all her hard work, and wish her the best with future endeavors.
Please enjoy what we have to offer here in the September/October issue.
John Wolfgang Roberts, TLT Co-Editor
Glenn Magee, TLT Associate Editor
TLT9/10月号へようこそ。新JALT Praxisセクション導入以来3号目になりますが、TLTは進化し続けています。読者の皆様から非常に肯定的なフィードバックをいただいていますが、論文や記事を書くことを考えている方は、各コラムの編集者に連絡を取り、ぜひ出版されるようお勧めします。我々の究極の目標は言語教育に携わる人々の会話・交流を推進させることですので、皆様のフィードバックや積極的な参加を感謝しております。
2015年の最後から2番目にあたる本号では、2本のFeature Articleがあり、Richard J. Sampsonが“Absorbed Expectations About English Study of Adolescent Japanese Students: Insights to the Ought-to L2 Self”の中で、日本の高専の学生におけるcontextualizing motivation（文脈化への動機）に関する質的研究を提供し、Gilbert Dizonは“Japanese Students’ Attitudes Towards the use of Facebook in the EFL Classroom ”の中で、語学学習の手段としてのフェイスブック利用の利益について調査研究しています。Readers’ Forumは2本あり、最初に、Rintaro Satoが、“The Case against the Case against Holding English Classes in English”の中で、英語のみで英語の授業をするというMEXTの決定は非効率であるという多くの教師の意見に反論します。次に、Akihiro Mikamiが、“英語教師の成長を促す自己評価チェックリストの提案”の中で、EFL教師のための自己評価チェックリストを専門能力の開発の一部として取り込むよう提案します。
授業のやり方に興味を持つ読者のために、My Shareでは、James C. Jensen、Rachel A. Manley、Charles McLarty、Annie Menardの4氏がそれぞれ、実用的なアクティビティを紹介します。Book Reviewでは、Gary J. Wolffが、CNN Student News, Vol.2を論評します。さらに、TLT WiredとOutside the Boxでは、啓蒙的な新記事を提供します。もちろんJALT Focusを読めば、より大きなJALTコミュニティーについて知識を深めることもできます。
ここで、良質な論文誌を年に6回読者に届ける仕事をして下さるボランティアの皆様に感謝を表したいと思います。制作チームからコラムの編集者や編集スタッフまで、TLTはエネルギッシュで熱意にあふれたボランティアで成り立っていますが、一致団結し、専門分野や個人の興味を活性化し、やる気を起こさせてくれるような様々なアイデアを見つけ出し、皆様にお届けしています。TLTでは、この論文誌を発行し続けるためだけではなく、TLTの質の開発、向上のためにも、常にボランティアを募集しております。原稿整理編集、校正や編集に興味がある方は、ぜひご連絡ください。
最後になりましたが、本号で担当を終えるTLT Senior co-editorのCarol Bormann-Begg氏に心からの感謝の言葉を捧げます。これまでの貢献に感謝するとともに、これからのますますのご健闘をお祈りします。
皆様、どうぞ9/10月号をお楽しみください。
John Wolfgang Roberts, TLT Co-Editor
Glenn Magee, TLT Associate Editor
Correction: In the July issue of TLT, In the JALT Notices column on p. 30, we introduced a new Associate Member, Cornelsen. The final sentence of the article should have read, “Only our local partners, such as Seibido Publishing (which Cornelsen is already working with), have the expert regional knowledge which will ensure the best possible fit between coursebooks and learners.” We apologise for the error.
