BILINGUALISM
Our group has two main aims. One is to encourage research in the area of bilingualism in Japanese contexts. This is reflected in our peer-reviewed journal, Japan Journal of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism. Our second aim is to support families who are raising bilingual children. Our newsletter Bilingual Japan contains articles about resources and experiences available to bicultural families. The SIG also works with various chapters to hold local events. The SIG's annual forum and banquet at the national conference provide an opportunity for members to network with other bilingual families. Further information at <bsig.org>.
BUSINESS ENGLISH
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 collaboration 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.
CALL
JALTCALL 2012 was a wonderful conference and we would like to thank all the presenters and conference attendees. We would especially like to publicly acknowledge the great talks given by our keynote speaker, Dr. Stephen Bax and our plenary speakers, Lance Knowles and Dr. John Brine. A special post-conference issue of The JALT CALL Journal on the topic of "Beyond CALL: Integration, Normalisation, or Separation?" will be published in December 2012. Full manuscripts are due by August 30, 2012. Submissions will need to follow the guidelines set out on the journal webpage <jaltcall.org/journal/jcjguidelines.html> and will go through the usual review procedures. For questions about submitting papers or the publication process, please feel free to contact the editor, Glenn Stockwell, at <journal@jaltcall.org>.
Once again, the CALL SIG Forum will be held at the JALT National Conference (day/time TBA). We will be exploring the diverse ways that Apple iPads can be used in various teaching environments. For example, a professor may use an iPad very differently than a junior high school ALT might. Likewise, the classroom dynamic in a classroom where only the teacher has an iPad differs significantly from that of a one-to-one iPad classroom. If you have practical experience using iPad(s) in any teaching context and are interested in presenting in the CALL SIG Forum, please contact Tom Gorham at <sig-program@jaltcall.org>.
CUE
All CUE members receive the refereed publication OnCUE Journal (ISSN:1882-0220).
Submissions for issue 6.3 are due July 1, 2012. Prospective authors should check out our helpful author's template and guidelines at <jaltcue-sig.org/node/56>. A slide show 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
We are ALWAYS looking for new input from teachers interested in critical thinking! 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 hope 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
The JALT Extensive Reading SIG is pleased to announce the Fifth Annual Extensive Reading Seminar, Extensive Reading: Research and Practice. Plenary addresses from Dr. S. D. Krashen and Junko Yamanaka. The conference will be on July 1, 2012 at Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya, Japan. Please follow the website link from the ER SIG page on the JALT website <jalt.org/groups/596> for detailed and updated information on the seminar and other related events.
FRAMEWORK & LANG PORT
This SIG wants to discuss the CEFR and ELP, and other similar frameworks and 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> and <flpsig@gmail.com> for more information, including info about the Can do statements in language education in Japan and beyond publication and to download the bilingual Language Portfolio for Japanese University.
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> or contact us for more details. Please email <coordinator@gale-sig.org>for any GALE related inquiries.
GILE
GILE aims to promote global awareness, international understanding, and action to solve world problems through content-based language teaching, drawing from fields such as 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.” For more information, please visit <gilesig.org> or contact Kip Cates <kcates@rstu.jp>.
JSL
The 11th Annual Pan SIG Conference was held on June 16-17, 2012, at Hiroshima University (Higashi-Hiroshima campus). The JSL SIG sponsored a forum entitled “looking for the universal teaching method in teaching Japanese” and other JSL related presentations. Would you like to join us? Next, researchers, teachers, and learners are invited to contribute research articles to our publicationJALT Journal of Japanese Language Education. Please visit <jalt.org/jsl/> for further information. 6月16日と17日に広島大学東広島キャンパスで第11回PANSIG年次大会が開催されました。日本語教育部会もフォーラムや研究発表などで参加しました。会員の皆様と本大会でお会いできるのを楽しみにしております。次に、部会では、現在2013年度発行予定のJALT日本語教育論集の原稿を募集しております。会員の皆さまからの投稿をお待ちしております。詳しくは＜jalt.org/jsl/＞にアクセスするか、以下までご連絡ください。部会代表川手<megumik@tuj.temple.edu>.
JSHS
The School House, the JALT Junior and Senior High School SIG Newsletter, is accepting submissions for its next edition. We are looking for research articles related to EFL theory or pedagogy, technology articles, lesson ideas, conference reviews, and anything else that pertains to teaching English in Japanese junior and senior high schools. All submissions and/or inquiries should be made to Robert Morel at <rcmorel@gmail.com>. Our goal is to function as an instigator, focal point, and clearing house for research into secondary foreign language education in Japan. In particular, we aim to encourage junior and senior high EFL teachers to think about their work and to share the results of their efforts with others, in the form of written or oral presentations. We also aim to provide a focus within JALT for discussion of issues directly related to the improvement and development of foreign language education in Japan’s secondary schools.
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190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.
The Learner Development SIG is a lively, friendly, and growing network with about 180 members around the world who have an interest in exploring and researching practices that help develop autonomous learning and teaching. We are also interested in socio-cultural theory, critical approaches to teaching and learning, group dynamics, literacy development, and other interdisciplinary spaces that teachers and learners may navigate.
We welcome the participation of teachers from diverse teaching contexts (other than university) including elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, distance learning, and language school settings as well as teachers teaching languages other than English. We share a commitment to exploring connections between our experiences as learners and our practices as teachers, and the learners’ experiences inside andoutside the classroom.
The SIG offers chances to get connected with other teachers, graduate students and researchers through our twice-yearly newsletterLearning Learning, email, and online resources, plus ongoing eBook publication projects. 2011 saw the publication of a third SIG book, Realizing Autonomy: Practice and Reflection in Language Education Contexts (Palgrave Macmillan). We hold regular local area get-togethers in different parts of Japan, focusing on discussion and practitioner research into learner development issues. Come out and meet the community: <ld-sig.org/get-togethers>. For more information about all our events please visit our website <ld-sig.org/events>. 2012 also sees the SIG offering membership grants, subscriptions, research grants and conference grants to foster wider membership and participation in learner development events and publications. For more information, please visit our website <http://ld-sig.org/grants2012>.
LL LRNG
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
Literature in Language Teaching (LILT) SIG recently formed to encourage and promote the use of literature in the language classroom. Appropriately chosen literature provides real content, to engage and motivate our language students. The literature itself provides ready-made context for learning that is so often lacking in our EFL situation.
What is ‘literature’? How to choose appropriate literature for our students? How to devise appropriate curricula? What activities to use? How to effectively assess student learning? These are some of the questions members discuss and seek to answer in our inaugural SIG publication, The Journal of Literature in Language Teaching.
Literature in Language Teaching (LiLT) SIG – is co-sponsoring “Effective English Language Teaching: The Never-Ending Challenge”held at Kansai University of International Studies (KUIS) in Amagasaki, Hyogo. This event is also co-sponsored by JALT’s Osaka and Kobe Chapters; the Research Institute for Communication and the Department of English Education at KUIS; and Cengage, Pearson, and OUP publishers. The objectives of this annual mini-conference are to identify and confront common challenges and to strengthen our network of language teachers. This year’s Plenary Speaker is literature expert Paul Hullah of Meiji Gakuin. For more information, visit LiLT’s new website: <http://lilt.jalt.org/>.
Perhaps you are considering using literature in the language classroom and would like to discuss how best you may try to do so. Or perhaps you yourself have some ideas to share with your professional peers, to improve their language classrooms. You are all very welcome to join the LILT SIG, to discuss, learn and share! If you wish to become actively involved in organising, we are looking for a Treasurer, and a Membership Chair and a Publications Chair. Interested? Contact Coordinator Simon Bibby at <liltsig@gmail.com>.
MAT'LS
The Materials Writing SIG was established with the purpose of helping members to turn fresh teaching ideas into useful classroom materials. We try to be a mutual assistance network offering information regarding copyright law, sharing practical advice on publishing practices including self-publication, and suggesting ways to create better language learning materials for general consumption or for individual classroom use.
OLE
OLE has published OLE NL 61 and 62, and the OLE-at-JALT- 2011 Compendium. NL 61 discusses Chinese LL strategies. OLE 62 contains ample information for the OLE-sponsored JALTCALL and PanSIG 2012, and the JALT 2012 theme in French, Spanish, Chinese and German for our OLE colleagues. Order free copies from the OLE coordinator at <reinelt.rudolf.my@ehime-u.ac.jp>. The OLE-at-JALT-2011-Compendium, gratefully hosted by Ehime University, offers of all OLE-related materials from JALT 2012 at <web.iess.ehime-u.ac.jp/JALT2011/OLE%20at%20JALT%202011%20Compendium%20cover%20page.pdf>.
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.
PALE
PALE’s mission starts from the recognition that language education does not take place in isolation from society and 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 appraise 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
The Speech, Drama, and Debate SIG has been extremely busy since its first meeting at JALT2011. Check our new website<sites.google.com/site/speechdramaanddebatepublicsite/home> to see what we have been doing. (The website is also accessible from the SDD SIG page on the official JALT website.) We prepared our first presentations as a SIG at the Asian Conference of Language Learning this April in Osaka, and have been busy building a good program for the June PanSIG Conference (poster session, a panel discussion, and presentations/workshops on drama, debate, and oral interpretation/readers theatre). We are planning our series of webinars for this summer, and starting to develop a strong program for JALT2012. Call for Papers for Mask & Gavel, the peer reviewed publication of the SIG. See the website for information.
STUDY ABROAD
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。
TBL
The JALT Task-Based Learning (TBL) SIG was created for teachers and other professionals who currently use, or are interested in using, task-based approaches in the classroom and focuses in particular on issues related to task-based language teaching and learning in the Asian EFL context. We hope that the SIG will serve as a useful forum for the exchange of practical teaching ideas, theoretical discussion, 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>.
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!
TED and Shizuoka JALT hosted a successful mini-conference “EFL Teacher Journeys”on June 24, 2012 in Shizuoka city. 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.
THT
The THT workshops in Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan are moving ahead and we are looking for participants! The seventh THT/BELTA program will be held on September 12-14, 2012 in Dhaka, hosted by the Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA) and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), while the 4th Kyrgyzstan program at Bishkek Humanities University has been tentatively set for September 17-19, 2012. 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 you are interested.
TCHG CHILDREN
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. There is an email list for teachers of children who would like to share ideas or questions <tcsig@yahoogroups.com>. 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. 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 & EVAL
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 who are new to this area and wish to learn more about it. Our interests encompass both quantitative and qualitative approaches to language assessment, and include 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, and instructional columns on statistical analysis, Rasch measurement, and assessment literacy.
VOCABULARY
JALT members with an interest in the teaching and learning of vocabulary should watch this space for future Vocabulary SIG events. The Vocabulary SIG is one of the newest additions to the JALT family, but its future contributions appear to be very promising indeed. Please visit the JALT Vocabulary SIG at <jaltvocab.weebly.com> for links to the symposium proceedings, upcoming events, the Vocabulary Education and Research Bulletin (VERB) online publication website, and their Facebook web page at <facebook.com/groups/236623256372419>.