Date:
January 2013
PanSIG2013
The Call for Papers for the JALT PanSIG2013 Conference to be held May 18-19 at Nanzan University, Nagoya, can be found at <pansig.org/pansig2013f/PANSIGWEBSITE/JALTPanSIG2013/Call_for_Papers.html> via a web search for PanSIG2013. The theme is From Many, One: Collaboration, Cooperation, Community. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2013.
BILINGUALISM (BILING)
Are you raising bilingual children in Japan? Join the Bilingualism SIG to receive our newsletters (three times a year) containing practical advice and information on raising bilingual children, education in Japan, and resources for parents and teachers. Membership also includes a copy of the peer-reviewed Japan Journal of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism, the world's premier source for scholarly articles on bilingualism in Japanese contexts. B-SIG also supports members who are researching and writing academic papers.
BUSINESS ENGLISH (BUS ENG)
The JALT Business English SIG is intended to develop the discipline of teaching English conducive to participation in the world business community. We wish to provide instructors in this field with a means of collaborating and sharing best teaching practices.
JALT Business English SIG は、世界のビジネス界に通用する英語教育の発展を目的に持ち、結成されました。連携体制を組み、最善の教育方法を共有することにより、英語教育に携わるインストラクターの皆様のお手伝いを致します.
COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL)
The JALT CALL SIG will be publishing information about our upcoming annual conference, JALTCALL 2013, in the next month or two, so keep checking the SIG website <jaltcall.org> or follow us on Twitter <@JALTCALL>. Also, the SIG will be looking for people to help with the JALTCALL Conference. Anyone interested should contact the SIG Coordinator <sig-coordinator@jaltcall.org>. Finally, the post-conference special edition of the JALT CALL Journal will be published in December so people should check out the Journal archives on the SIG website <jaltcall.org/journal>.
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY EDUCATORS (CUE)
All CUE members receive the refereed publication, OnCUE Journal (ISSN:1882-0220). Prospective authors should check out our helpful author’s template and guidelines at <jaltcue-sig. org/node/56>. A slideshow on basic statistics for SLA educators is available at <jaltcue-sig. org/node/32>. Details about the OnCUE Journal sections can be found at <jaltcue-sig.org/ node/160>. Our website also provides useful information about how to use APA formatting and statistics at <jaltcue-sig.org/node/37>. For more information about CUE SIG news and events, see the CUE website at <jaltcue-sig.org>, follow <@jaltcue> on Twitter, or join JALT-CUE on Facebook or Yahoo Groups <bit.ly/9NZBTC>.
CRITICAL THINKING (CT)
We are ALWAYS looking for new input from teachers interested in critical thinking themes! We invite your ideas about the theory and teaching practices regarding critical thinking. Whether it’s a classroom idea, a reflection, or a full research paper, we want to hear from you! Think about writing for our quarterly newsletter, CT Scan, or our SIG website today. All submissions are welcome at <ctscan.editor@gmail.com>. For more information, visit us at <jaltcriticalthinking.org>.
EXTENSIVE READING (ER)
The ER SIG will be working in cooperation with several other SIGs to bring you exciting events this spring. Firstly, we are a Sponsoring SIG for PanSIG 2013 and will be partnering with the TED and THT SIGs. This partnership will include a forum on outreach and program development that should be quite interesting. The conference will be held May 18-19 at Nanzan University in Nagoya, and we hope that you’ll join us at this exciting event.
Two weeks later, from May 31- June 2, in cooperation with the CALL SIG, we will be holding a joint event encompassing both JALT CALL2013 and the 6th Annual ER Seminar at Shinshu University in Matsumoto. In keeping with tradition, ER presentations and plenary sessions will be concentrated on Sunday, but we think this event will be a great opportunity to enjoy the energy of two conferences at once and to find out more on how extensive reading and educational technology can be synergistic. We hope you'll join us for this exciting and unique occasion. Please go to the ER SIG website at <ersig.org> to find detailed information and links.
Also, we would like to encourage anyone interested in starting an ER program but doesn’t have enough resources, as well as anyone who is presenting research on ER, to use our website to learn about our grant programs.
Finally, our new peer-reviewed publication, Journal of Extensive Reading, should release its first articles online via Open Journal Systems early in 2013. Lots of people inside and outside of Japan have been working to make this journal a reality. Feel free to use our website to find the latest information and a link to the journal.
FRAMEWORK & LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO (FLP)
keywords: curriculum-planning, assessment, language education reform, Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), European Language Portfolio (ELP)
publications: newsletter
other activities: seminar, workshops, materials development
email list (yes)
This SIG wants to discuss the CEFR and ELP, and other similar frameworks with respect to their relevance for Japan. There is an emphasis on developing materials to support educators who would like to use these pedagogic tools. The SIG holds periodical seminars focusing on classroom use of the CEFR, among other things. Please refer to <sites.google.com/site/flpsig/home> for more information, including info about the publication Can Do Statements in Language Education in Japan and Beyond, and download the bilingual Language Portfolio for Japanese University.
‘The FLP SIG Kaken Project 2012-2014’: The purpose of this research is to develop English language integrated skills textbooks that suitably adapt and apply the CEFR for the higher education context in Japan. To support learner and teacher autonomy as well as the classroom implementation of the text, we will aim to develop supplemental learning materials such as a language portfolio, and autonomy informed resources. For more information, please visit <tinyurl.com/FLPKaken>. The plan for the immediate future is: 1. Decide the basic details, 2. Make project teams that will create two course books, and 3. Publish the books in April 2014.
We have outlined, to those who show interest, how you can get involved in these project teams toward the end of 2012. For more information, please contact <flpsig@gmail.com>.
GENDER AWARENESS IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION (GALE)
GALE works towards building a supportive community of educators and researchers interested in raising awareness and researching how gender plays an integral role in education and professional interaction. We also network and collaborate with other groups to promote pedagogical and professional practices, language teaching materials, and research inclusive of gender and gender-related topics. Ongoing call for papers for the academic journal. Visit our website at <gale-sig.org> and contact us for more details. Please email <coordinator@gale-sig.org> for any GALE related inquiries.
GLOBAL ISSUES IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION (GILE)
GILE aims to promote global awareness, international understanding, and action to solve world problems through content-based language teaching, drawing primarily from the fields of global education, peace education, environmental education, and human rights education. The SIG produces a quarterly newsletter, organizes presentations for local, national, and international conferences, and maintains contacts with groups ranging from Amnesty International to Educators for Social Responsibility to UNESCO. Contact us for a sample newsletter or for more information about the SIG's work in “teaching for a better world.” Visit <gilesig.org> or contact Kip Cates <kcates@rstu.jp>.
JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
論文・記事大募集：JALT日本語教育学会では日本語教育論集の発行を計画しています。研究報告、学会発表報告論文、日本語教授・学習法に関する論文、ブック・レビューなど募集。日本語研究者、指導者、学習者の 皆様応募お願いします。詳細は、Megumi Kawate-Mierzejewska ＜megumik@temple.edu＞まで。
*Call for Papers: JALT Journal of Japanese Language Education. Japanese as a second language researchers, teachers and learners are invited to contribute articles, research reports, essays, and reviews. Please visit our website: <jalt.org/jsl>.
JUNIOR & SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The 2012 Educational Development Seminar: Learning Through Communication will be held February 23 - 24, 2013. The theme is Reading Activities in English and this event is being co-sponsored by the JALT Junior-Senior High School Special Interest Group (JSHSIG) and Tokai University, RIED. Keynote speakers are Dr. John F. Fanselow, Professor Emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University and Professor Ehara Yoshigaki from Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Language and Culture Studies.
In this two-day workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore a complete planning-to-practice framework, including educational goals, lesson design, materials creation, and teacher-student interaction. They will also be invited to discuss meeting the challenges of implementing MEXT’s Revised Course of Study, including ways to: 1)conduct classes primarily in English, 2)provide students with more meaningful and enjoyable English reading experiences, and 3)nurture the communication skills students need to participate in today’s globalized society.
This event is free of charge, but capacity is limited to 30 participants. The venue is Tokai University's Yoyogi Campus, Tokyo. The target audience for this workshop is junior/senior high school English teachers, university faculty in charge of teacher training courses, and researchers in the fields of pedagogy, materials development, and teacher development. Registration deadline is January 31, 2013. For further information, go to <ried.tokai.ac.jp/ried/events/index.html> or contact Chizuru Muramoto, Communication Department, RIED at (03) 3467-2211, ext. 2203 or at <muramoto@tokai-u.jp>.
LEARNER DEVELOPMENT (LD)
学習者ディベロプメント研究部会はオートノミーのある学習と教授を発展させるための実践を探求・研究することに関心のある者約200名 が世界中から集まって組織する、活発でフレンドリー、そして成長し続ける研究部会です。私たちは、社会文化理論や、教授と学習への批判的アプローチ、グ ループ・ダイナミックス、リテラシーの発達、その他の教師と学習者に関わる学際的な分野にも関心があります。私たちは、多様な教育現場(大学以外)で ご活躍の皆さんの参加を歓迎しています。小学校、中学校、高校、通信教育、語学学校での指導や、英語以外の言語を教えている教師の皆様、どうぞご参加くだ さい。私たちは、私たち自身の学習者としての経験と教師としての実践、教室内と教室外での学習者の経験における関連性の探求に尽力します。私たちの研究部 会は、年に2回発行されるニュースレター「学習の学習」やＥメール、オンライン資料、そして現在進行中の電子書籍の出版プロジェクトなどを通じて、教師、大学院生、研究者間のネットワークを広げます。さらに詳しい情報については、私たちのウェブサイト<ld-sig.org>. をご覧ください。
We welcome the participation of teachers from diverse teaching context, including elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, distance learning, language school, university settings, and teachers teaching languages other than English. Our plans for 2013 include a retreat and volunteer activity in Tohoku March 2-3, forums at JALTCALL, the PanSIG conference, the annual JALT conference, plus a 20th Anniversary Learner Development SIG conference in Tokyo November 23-24. For further information, including details of our SIG grants for 2013, publication projects, and local get-togethers in Hiroshima, Kansai and Tokyo, please go to <ld-sig.org>.
LIFELONG LANGUAGE LEARNING (LLL)
The energy of older learners who wish to lead active lives is reverberating all across Japan. The LLL SIG aims to help these older learners enrich their lives through language learning. The SIG provides resources and information online at <jalt.org/lifelong>.
LITERATURE IN LANGUAGE TEACHING (LiLT)
It has been a busy time for the Literature in Language Teaching SIG as it continues to grow and develop. As 2013 begins we have plans for an interesting year ahead - which promises to be just as busy! The SIG welcomes Tara McIlroy as joint coordinator of the SIG along with Simon Bibby. Tara teaches at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba. Simon is based in Kansai so we now have Kanto and Kansai representatives. We hope to be able to plan events with greater efficiency for increased effectiveness. Get in touch with the SIG with questions or comments at <liltsig@gmail.com>. To cap a busy and successful year, the World Storytelling Conference, held November 30 - December 2 at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, brought together a broad and talented group of speakers and performers. Weaving tales about hope, inspiration, love, life and tragedy for the participants helped to connect the threads of our various backgrounds. LiLT members could mingle with the invited speakers at this event. With five plenaries and concurrent sessions over the three-day conference, attendees were spoilt for choice. Congratulations to the organising committee, particularly Lori Zenuk-Nishide and Donna Tatsuki, who both put in much work in the literature and ELT calendar, helping to create a wonderful event. In addition to the help that we at LiLT gave, a big thanks to the generous supporters of this event, which included the JALT Kobe and Osaka chapters.
Next, we’re gearing up for the PanSIG in May, with deadline for submissions in February. LiLT will be attending for the first time so be sure to get involved if you are looking for an opportunity to do so! For greater communication between members, we created a Yahoo group. Make sure to join the group for conversations with LiLT members; suggesting collaborative projects and sharing ideas for upcoming events are most welcome. A Facebook page and group have also been made for publicity and connects the SIG to the JALT website. To join the SIG, tick ‘Literature in Language Teaching’ when renewing your SIG membership. Finally, a call for contributions to the Journal of Literature in Language Teaching. We will become a biannual publication from 2013, and are looking for submissions. All important guidelines and information for contributors are available on our website <liltsig.org>. We look forward to working with you in 2013!
MATERIALS WRITERS (MW)
The Materials Writers SIG now has a ‘Members Profiles’ section on its website where SIG members can post materials of their own creation for anyone to download. Even if you are not a member of the MW SIG, please check out the materials available at <materialswriters.org>. Also, if you are interested in posting your own materials on our website, please contact the MW SIG Coordinator at <mw@jalt.org>.
OTHER LANGUAGE EDUCATORS (OLE)
OLE has put up a special issue on the OLE Coordinator's Ehime University homepage containing all OLE related presentations at JALTCALL2012 and PanSIG 2012, including OLE-sponsored guest speaker Tom Cobb's lecture. To view and download this for personal purposes, please go to <web.iess.ehime-u.ac.jp/katudouhoukoku.html>. As usual, OLE also plans to gather all presentations at JALT2012 and make them available as a compendium on the same homepage some time after the conference so check back soon. For more and details of upcoming OLE activities, contact the coordinator at <reinelt.rudolf.my@ehime-u.ac.jp>.
PRAGMATICS
The Pragmatics SIG is currently calling for submissions to the third volume in its Pragmatics Resources series, a collection of ‘pragtivities’. Titled Bringing Pragmatics into the Classroom, this book will be a practical collection of lesson plans that incorporate pragmatics concepts into classroom activities. See the SIG website at <pragsig.org> for further details.
PROFESSIONALISM, ADMINISTRATION & LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION (PALE)
PALE’s mission starts from the recognition that language education does not take place in isolation from society or other fields of education. Issues of concern include curriculum design, implementation and maintenance, professional ethics, professional development and evaluation, administrative methodology, leadership dynamics, comparative education, sociological trends in education, employment problems, legal issues, and the demands that societies place on educators. PALE seeks to apprise teachers of research and trends in these issues by organizing conference presentations and through its journal, newsletter, listserv, and website <jalt.org/groups/PALE>.
SPEECH, DRAMA & DEBATE (SDD)
What a busy few months for the SDD SIG! We had a successful JALT2012 in October with excellent co-sponsored workshops by Carolyn Graham and Ken Wilson, followed soon after by a highly popular Speech, Drama, and Debate Conference at Nanzan University in Nagoya featuring Carolyn and Ken (special thanks to Karl O'Callaghan and Oxford University Press), and then a wonderful co-sponsored event at ETJ Tokyo at KIFL with excellent audience numbers (20-30). The SDD SIG was well-represented at the World Storytelling Conference November 31-December 2 in Kobe. The first volume of our peer-reviewed journal, Mask & Gavel, came out at the beginning of October. (Download a copy at <sites.google.com/site/speechdramaanddebatepublicsite/home> or go to the JALT website SIGs <jalt.org/groups/657> and click ‘Link to Website.’) Our next event is the Dramatic Classrooms conference February 23-24 at Tokai University-Yoyogi Campus (Tokyo) co-sponsored with The Performance Division of the Communication Department at the Research Institute of Educational Development (RIED) of Tokai University and the JSHS SIG. For more information, check the SDD public website at the URL mentioned above.
STUDY ABROAD (SA)
The Study Abroad SIG provides a supportive place for discussing areas of interest regarding study abroad and intercultural training. We welcome submissions for our newsletter, Ryuugaku, and we are looking for new officers to join the team. Visit our new website at <jalt-sa.org> or contact us at <studyabroadsig@gmail.com>.
当研究部会は、留学や異文化教育に関して議論し、また支援できる場を提供しています。当部会のニュースレター“Ryuugaku”への皆様からの投稿をお待ちしております。新役員の募集をしております。詳細は新ウェブサイト<jalt-sa.org>へお問い合わせは、 <studyabroadsig@gmail.com>へお願いします。
TASK BASED LEARNING (TBL)
The special edition of OnTask, which is devoted to the presentations of our successful Task-Based Learning and Teaching in Asia conference, was released in December.
TBL SIG was created for teachers and other professionals who currently use or are interested in using task-based approaches in the classroom. It focuses, in particular, on issues related to task-based language teaching and learning in the Asian EFL context. The SIG serves as a useful forum for the exchange of practical teaching ideas, theoretical discussions, and academic studies of TBLT issues. Our journal, OnTask, focuses on both research and theory in the form of feature articles as well as more practical TBLT-informed lesson plans. Potential contributors to OnTask are invited to contact our publications officer, Julian Pigott at <julianpigott@gmail.com>.
TEACHER EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT (TED)
The Teacher Education and Development (TED) SIG is a network for those who want to help themselves and others become better teachers. Our activities include retreats, conferences, a library of books available for loan, and an Internet discussion group. TED’s comprehensive newsletter Explorations in Teacher Education welcomes stimulating articles! Our current issue features proceedings from the engaging EFL Teacher Journeys Conference held on June 24th, 2012 in Shizuoka city (with Shizuoka JALT). Featured speakers Dr. Patrick Kiernan of Meiji University, and Wilma Luth of Hokkai Gakuen University both have articles in the issue, as do many other interesting presenters from the event. Find out more about TED at <jalt.org/ted>. You can also stay in touch with us online by becoming a friend of our mascot, Ted Sig, on Facebook, or following him <@tedsig> on Twitter or Google Plus.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the TED-CUE forum at JALT National this year in Hamamatsu! This was a great event that highlighted many unique perspectives on the conference's theme of “making a difference.”
TEACHERS HELPING TEACHERS (THT)
We recently finished up our conference forum, and Yokohama JALT chapter THT showcase for their chapter meeting on November 18. Our upcoming events are Laos (February-March, dates flexible) and Vietnam (early June), so if you are interested, please contact Joe Tomei, JALT THT-SIG Coordinator <thtjalt@gmail.com>. The programs are not limited to SIG members or to those having JALT membership, so feel free to pass this information on to others. If you are interested or would like more information, please email <thtjalt@gmail.com>, giving your name and the location in which you are interested.
TEACHING CHILDREN (TC)
TCSIG and the International Teacher Development Institute (iTDi pro) are proud to present esteemed educator and web expert, Özge Karaoglu, as the host of a series of online 'webinars' this January. Building on the success of her wonderfully stimulating plenary and workshop at the 2012 JALT Conference, Özge will be showcasing some of the exciting possibilities for using web tools that make learning fascinating and fun for both students and teachers. For more information, please visit the TCSIG website <http://www.tcsig.jalt.org/>, blog <http://jalttcsig.posterous.com/>, the TCSIG Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/pages/JALT-Teaching-Children-SIG>, or the iTDi.pro website <http://itdi.pro>.
Submissions are now being sought for the 2013 PanSIG Conference to be held in Nagoya in May. We would particularly like to encourage first time presenters to consider giving a short talk, holding a workshop, or joining a panel discussion on any aspect of teaching young learners. We also warmly welcome submissions for presentations in Japanese.
If you have any ideas, activities, advice or experiences you would like to share with your fellow teachers, please consider submitting them to some of our upcoming issues of the TLC Newsletter! Email your submissions to the editor at <editor@tcsig.jalt.org>.
The TC SIG is for teachers of children of all ages. We publish a bilingual newsletter four times a year with columns by many of the leading teachers in the field. We are always looking for new ideas and new people to keep the SIG dynamic. With our bilingual newsletter, we particularly want to appeal to Japanese teachers and teachers who team teach. There is an email list for teachers of children who would like to share ideas or questions <tcsig@yahoogroups.com>. Hope you can join us for one of our upcoming events.
児童教育部会は 子どもに英語（外国語）を教える全ての教師を対象にした部会です。当部会では、この分野で著名な教師が担当するコラムを含むバイリンガルの会報を年４回発 行しており、日本人の先生方の参加も積極的に募っています。日ごろの活動として子どもに英語を指導するアイデアや疑問を交換する場であるメーリングリスト<tcsig@yahoogroups.com>を運営しています。活発な部会を維持していくためにも新会員を常に募集しておりますので今後開催される部会の催し物へぜひご参加ください。
TESTING & EVALUATION (TEVAL)
The Testing and Evaluation SIG is concerned with all aspects of testing and evaluating language performance and language programs, and welcomes both experienced teachers and those new to this area who wish to learn more about it. Our interests encompass quantitative and qualitative approaches to language assessment, including alternatives to traditional testing such as peer and self assessment, portfolios, and project evaluation. Shiken, our refereed newsletter, contains a variety of assessment-related articles, including research reports, interviews with prominent authors, book reviews, instructional columns on statistical analysis, Rasch measurement, and assessment literacy.
VOCABULARY (VOCAB)
The Vocabulary SIG thanks you for your participation in activities at this year’s JALT National Conference in Hamamatsu. The conference was a great success and we had the pleasure of signing up 12 new members, bringing our total membership to 115.
This year several executive positions have changed. Co-Coordinators will be Aaron Gibson & Raymond Stubbe, Program Chair Jeffrey Stewart, Membership Chair Mark Howarth, Treasurer Quint Oga-Baldwin, Publications Chair Tomoko Ishii & T J Boutorwick, Publicity Chair Alonzo R. Williams and the Member-at-large will continue to be Rob Waring.
As always we publish our bulletin VERB (Vocabulary Education and Research Bulletin) twice a year and the fall issue is out. To read online or to make a submission for upcoming issues please see the Publications page on our website: <jaltvocab.weebly.com>. We are looking forward to the 2013 Vocabulary SIG Symposium, which will be in Kyushu at Kyushu Sangyo University on June 29th. The proceedings from the 2012 Symposium are online in the first issue of the online journal Vocabulary Learning and Instruction (VLI) at <vli-journal.org>.
The Vocabulary SIG is a special interest group (SIG) of the Japan Association for Language Teaching. The Vocabulary SIG aims to provide a forum for focused research and discussion in specific regard to vocabulary acquisition. We aim to offer both teachers and researchers a place to connect regarding how learners improve vocabulary knowledge, how to test their knowledge, and how these theoretical aspects connect to classroom practice.