Planning for the PanSIG2013 Conference is on track, and the conference (May 18-19, Nagoya) is shaping up to be an exciting, useful one. We hope to see you there! For more information see <http://pansig.org/2013/JALTPanSIG2013/Welcome.html>.
BILINGUALISM (BILING)
The Bilingualism Special Interest Group (SIG) is made up of around 200 JALT members and subscribers, many of whom are raising or teaching bilingual children. Our aim is to further research on bilingualism as it occurs in Japan. We also promote mutual support among our members through our newsletter, academic publications, and an active email list. Parents in international marriages, people who communicate in more than one language, and teachers of multilingual students all take advantage of the practical and theoretical information available via our group. We're looking forward to seeing you at the PanSIG conference in May.
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 CALL SIG is very excited about our upcoming 2013 conference to be held at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Nagano, May 31-June 2. This year's conference is a continuation of the "conversation" between our conference and the JALT national conference. Last year, our conference theme asked whether CALL is becoming integrated, normalized or separated. JALT national replied to that question with a conference where more than half of the plenary speakers focused specifically on technology.
It seems as though many language teachers are using technology, but not everyone knows how to leverage it effectively. To further this conversation, our 2013 conference theme will be "Best Practices in CALL." We have invited Professor Dorothy Chun from the University of California, Santa Barbara's Graduate School of Education to be the keynote speaker. She brings a great deal of expertiseand research on the use of technology to enhance the learning of language and culture.
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY EDUCATORS (CUE)
CUE SIG is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. We are planning lots of regional events and a large conference on the theme “Content Driven Language Learning” to be held at Konan University in Nishinomiya on July 13,and 14 (with a pre-conference on July 12). Please visit our new website <jaltcue-sig.org> for more details of these events, as well as our numerous grants, resources, and peer-reviewed journal, OnCUE Journal (ISSN: 1882:0220).
Please also stay connected with other CUE members by visiting us on Facebook, searching for JALT-CUE, and joining our Yahoo group at <groups.yahoo.com/group/JALTCUESIGmembers>.
You can also become more involved in CUE by publishing in OnCUE Journal. Share your knowledge of teaching with others, improve your academic writing through co-development with our editors, and help improve your resume all at the same time.
We are always seeking CUE members to contribute in different ways, from helping to locate or set up conferences, staffing the CUE table at JALT national meetings or CUE regional meetings, or just contributing ideas to make the CUE SIG even better than it is now. As the biggest SIG in JALT, our greatest resource is you, our CUE members. No matter how small the task, through member contributions, we can continue to do even greater things. Please contact any CUE officer for more information.
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 aims to keep you informed about extensive reading. Whether you are new to ER or an old hand, please avail yourself of our resources. One way is our online presence. Check out our website at <ersig.org/drupal-ersig>. Here you can find news from the ER SIG, past issues of the ERJ, links to useful resources and publishers, event information and more. Please visit the site if you haven’t already. Friend us on Facebook. Look for JALT ER SIG or use the link on our website. Follow us on Twitter <@ERsigJALT>. Another way is our publications. Become a member of the SIG to receive the paper version of Extensive Reading in Japan in your post and periodic electronic newsletters in your inbox. Also, anyone can access the new online research journal, Journal of Extensive Reading. For information on joining us or accessing these publications, go to the website.
This year we are happy to announce that in cooperation with the JALT CALL SIG we will be holding a joint event encompassing both JALT CALL2013 and the 6th Annual ER Seminar to be held May 31 to June 2 at Shinshu University, Matsumoto. In keeping with tradition, ER presentations and plenary sessions will be concentrated on Sunday. We expect to have Kunihide Sakai, author of Misuteri De Hajimeru Eigo Hyakumango: Ninki Jidōsho Kara Honkakuha Pēpābakku Made and Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer, as our plenary speakers. We think this event will be a great opportunity to enjoy the energy of two conferences at once and find out more about how extensive reading and educational technology can be synergistic. We hope you'll join us for this exciting and unique event.
You can go to the ER SIG website to find detailed information about speakers, submissions, and more. Please note that the submissions deadline for ER presentations will be 17:00 JST, Friday, March 15.
Other upcoming ER Events
- PanSIG 2013, May 18-19 at Nanzan University, Nagoya
- Please join us at our joint forum with the THT SIG, TED SIGs and many other ER presentations. Go to the PanSIG 2013 website for complete details. <pansig.org/2013/JALTPanSIG2013/Welcome.html>
- Second World Congress of Extensive Reading, September 13-15 at Yonsei University, Seoul
- A conference following on from the First World Congress which was co-sponsored by the ER SIG. The submissions deadline is April 30. See the conference website for complete details. <er-korea-2013.org>
- Also please note, the ER SIG Annual General Meeting minutes, including the elected officers for 2013, are available as a pdf on the website at <ersig.org/drupal-ersig/reports>.
FRAMEWORK & LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO (FLP)
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> for more information, including info about the Can do statements language education in Japan and beyond publication and download of 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 and create 2 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 2013 Educational Development Seminar: Learning Through Communication was held February 23-24, 2013, and well-attended. This event was co-sponsored by the JALT JSHS SIG and Tokai University, RIED. Keynote speakers were Dr. John F. Fanselow, Professor Emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University and Professor Ehara Yoshigaki from Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Language and Culture Studies.
The theme was Reading Activities in English and participants explored a complete planning-to-practice framework, including educational goals, lesson design, materials creation, and teacher-student interaction and discussed the challenges of implementing MEXT’s Revised Course of Study.
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、多様な教育現場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、大学で指導されている皆様、そして英語以外の言語を教えている教師の皆様も、どうぞご参加ください(ld-sig.org)。
2013年度も研究部会の会費助成金、学習者ディベロプメントに関する研究助成金、5月に名古屋で開催されるPan-SIG Conferenceと10月のJALT全国大会、および11月に東京で開催される学習者ディベロプメント研究部会創設20周年記念大会への参加助成金などの助成金を支給します。これらの助成金の中には3月5日が申込締切日となっているものがあります。詳しい情報については、助成金についてのウェブページ<ld-sig.org/grants2013>をご覧ください。
11月23-24日に東京の学習院大学において、Exploring Learner Development: Practices, Pedagogies, Puzzles and Researchという2日間の学会を主催します。正規・非正規の（言語）教育における学習者ディベロプメントおよび学習者オートノミーに関する幅広い挑戦的な問題について生徒、教師、研究者、NGOが共に探求する、この特別な20周年記念大会にぜひご参加ください。この学会は中学・高校外国語教育研究部会および教師による教師のための研究部会と共催するもので、招待講演者は青木直子氏、リチャード・スミス氏、吉田研作氏です。発表の応募受付期間は2013年3月15～５月3１日です。詳しい情報については、<ld-sig.org/events /20thAnniversaryConference.pdf>をご覧ください。
The Learner Development SIG is a lively, friendly, and growing network with about 200 members who have an interest in exploring and researching practices that help develop autonomous learning and teaching. We welcome the participation of teachers from diverse teaching contexts, including elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, distance learning, language school, university settings, and teachers teaching languages other than English <ld-sig.org>.
In 2013 the SIG continues to offer grants for SIG subscriptions, SIG membership, learner development research, the 2013 Pan SIG Conference in Nagoya in May, the JALT 2013 National Conference in October, as well as this year for the LD-SIG 20th Anniversary Conference in Tokyo in November. The deadline for the first set of grants is March 5. For more details, please visit our grant webpage: <ld-sig.org/grants2013>.
Later this year, November 23-24, the SIG will be hosting a two-day 20th anniversary conference, Exploring Learner Development: Practices, Pedagogies, Puzzles and Research, at Gakushuin University, Tokyo. Please join us for this special 20th anniversary conference event in which students, teachers, researchers and NGOs will explore together a wide and challenging range of issues to do with learner development and learner autonomy in formal and non-formal (language) education. Call for Proposals is March 15-May 31, 2013. More information: <ld-sig.org/events/20thAnniversaryConference.pdf>.
LIFELONG LANGUAGE LEARNING (LLL)
The name of our organization is "Shogai Gogaku Gakushu Kenkyubukai" in Japanese and "Lifelong Language Learning Special Interest Group" in English, abbreviated as LLL SIG. The term lifelong learning, although meaning learning throughout life, has been adopted by the SIG as a term to mean post-compulsory education. In Japan, a growing number of young, middle-aged, and older adults are eager to study a second language as a part of their lifelong learning path. This trend reflects the understanding that the learning of other languages helps lead to an enriched quality of life as students learn more about the world around them and hope to gain as much as possible from foreign study and travel experiences.
With the aging of Japan's population, it is now widely accepted that engagement in learning, including language learning, enables an active and healthy life. Therefore, a national organization is needed to provide resources and information for those teaching languages to adult learners of all ages, and those nurturing students who will one day be adults who will have a lifelong perspective on language learning. JALT, as a national organization of teachers, provides the umbrella under which the Lifelong Language Learning SIG may grow and flourish. The importance that JALT places on lifelong learning is reflected in the theme of this year's Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition: Learning is a Lifelong Voyage.
The Lifelong Language Learning SIG invites those teaching languages to young, middle-aged, and older adults to share information through our website <jalt.org/lifelong/index.html>, newsletter, at various SIG conferences and events, and at the JALT National Conference, where an annual LLL-SIG forum is held.
Access all 24 issues of our newsletter (since the SIG's founding in 2005) at <jalt.org/lifelong/publications.html>, including reports about the LLL-SIG Forum at JALT 2012 on ways to create lifelong readers, with the help of a teacher-produced video, online resources, and by conducting "reading workshops."
To become a card-carrying member of the LLL-SIG, all you have to do is put a check next to our SIG's name when registering, or re-registering, for JALT membership.
Our Facebook page is <facebook.com/jaltLLL>. If you "like" us, you'll be able to find out about not only our SIG’s events, but also get tips about lifelong language learning and teaching, and find out about opportunities and events in the community that stretch your capabilities and broaden your horizons, including volunteering possibilities.
This year’s JALT PAN-SIG 2013 Conference will take place at Nanzan University in Nagoya on May 18-19, 2013. The theme of the conference will be "From Many, One: Collaboration, Cooperation, and Community." The LLL-SIG will have a table at the conference and will hold a forum.Please drop by and visit!
LITERATURE IN LANGUAGE TEACHING (LiLT)
The Literature in Language Teaching SIG was created for teachers and other educators who are interested in using literature in the classroom. Our diverse membership includes teachers at various levels teaching language through film, drama, creative writing, poetry, the short story, classic literature and world literature. We also welcome interest from educators interested in cultural studies, politics through literature, language learning and applications of literary texts in different contexts.
Our focus for 2012 was to promote literature-themed events around Japan, including the hugely successful World Storytelling Conference in December in Kobe. In 2013 LiLT SIG is looking to continue this focus and will be at the PanSIG (18-19 May, Nanzan University, Nagoya) and JALT National (25-28 October, Kobe Convention Center, Kobe) this year. The forum went well last year, so we plan to keep the same format this year. Send proposals to us at <liltsig@gmail.com> by April 12, midnight. Please include you name, affiliation, and a 100 word presentation abstract.
LiLT members have been out in force already this year at the Liberlit Conference at Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo on 15 February. Thanks to Paul Hullah and Mike Pronko for putting on this great event. Enjoying its fourth year, the Liberlit conference continues to grow and grow. Conference videos, manifesto, and other information are all available at the site <liberlit.com>.
2013 is also the year in which the Journal of Literature in Language Teaching becomes biannual. All important guidelines and information for contributors are available on our website <liltsig.org>. You can get in touch with us online through a newly established Yahoo group and Facebook. To join, tick Literature in Language Teaching when renewing your SIG membership. We look forward to welcoming you and meeting up with you soon!
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 issued its newsletter 65 with detailed information on the conferences it will be involved in this year: JALT 2013, PanSIG 2013, and JALTCALL 2013, and a few other conventions of interest for OLE teachers. It also announces the OLE at JALT 2012 compendium and the 2nd JALT OLE SIG conference Oct.12-13 at Chukyo University in Nagoya. The main part features a textbook introducing reasoning for, planning and administering the "target language country travel plan project." The official coordinator's report (short version) as well as a detailed report from the Kyoto conference on early other foreign language instruction, as well as a timeline for this year, conclude this issue. Copies are available for free from 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)
The Speech, Drama, and Debate SIG followed up its successful program at JALT2012 in Hamamatsu and its first conference in Nagoya (both featuring Carolyn Graham and Ken Wilson, courtesy of Oxford University Press) with a well-attended set of presentations on debate (David Kluge), and theatre games for English skills (Aya Kawakami, Dawn Kobayashi) at the SDD/LLL/West Tokyo/ETJ Conference in Tokyo and presentations and performances at the delightful World Storytelling Conference in Kobe (Kobayashi, White, Kluge). Kawakami and Kluge performed a Readers Theatre piece about parent/child relationships that brought tears to the eyes of the audience, made up of all the attendees to the conference. Kawakami, Kobayashi, White, and other participants in the workshop also performed a piece for the conference attendees.
In February, SDD co-sponsored with Tokai University Yogogi Campus a set of workshops on readers' theatre and theatre games for high school and university teachers. The SDD SIG has teamed up with the Critical Thinking SIG and the Literature in Language Learning SIG for the PanSIG2013 Conference to be held in Nagoya in May 2013. (See <pansig.org/2013/JALTPanSIG2013/Welcome.html>.) The first volume of the SDD Journal, Mask & Gavel, is now freely available to all at <sites.google.com/site/speechdramaanddebatepublicsite>. The SDD SIG was promoted to Affiliate SIG status at JALT2012, and is well on its way to full SIG status. Consider joining us for an exciting, dramatic year!
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, mini-conferences, social and networking events, and forums and presentations at JALT's annual conference. TED`s comprehensive newsletter Explorations in Teacher Education welcomes stimulating articles! TED is also proud to announce that we will be coordinating with the Teachers College Columbia University Tokyo Alumni Association to host our annual mini-conference entitled “EFL Teacher Journeys” in June 2013 in Tokyo. A call for papers can be found on the conference website at <sites.google.com/site/teacherjourneys>. 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.
TEACHERS HELPING TEACHERS (THT)
We have tentative dates for the Vietnam THT conference (June 14-16) and the Kyrgyzstan THT program (the week of September 9-13). 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 in presenting or would like more information, please email <thtjalt@gmail.com>, giving your name and the location in which you are interested.
TEACHING CHILDREN (TC)
The TC SIG has had a busy start to 2013. In conjunction with the International Teacher Development Institute we held a stimulating series of webinars in January featuring Özge Karaoglu, and we would like to thank both the presenters and participants for making them such a success. In January and February we co-sponsored the Electronic Village Online which, again, was a wonderfully varied and informative professional development program.
April 21, 2013 is the deadline for submissions to the JALT Jr. Conference in Kobe this autumn. We would like to encourage as many submissions as possible, be they presentations, posters, panels, forums, etc. Unlike the “top-down” nature of the national conference, JALT Jr. is very much a “from the bottom-up” event and its success requires the time, energy, and enthusiasm of all its members. We'd like to stress the “all”; as a SIG we're only as good as our members enable us to be. So please, do consider either submitting a presentation proposal or volunteering to help out.
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>. For more information about the Teaching Children SIG and all our activities, please visit our homepage <tcsig.jalt.org>, blog <jalttcsig.posterous.com>, or TCSIG Facebook page <facebook.com/pages/JALT-Teaching-Children-SIG>
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 publishes the bulletin VERB (Vocabulary Education and Research Bulletin) twice a year. To read online or to make a submission for an upcoming issue please see the Publications page on our website: <jaltvocab.weebly.com>.
We are looking forward to the 2013 Vocabulary Symposium (put on by Vocabulary and CUE SIGs) which will be in Fukuoka, Kyushu on June 29, 2013. Our featured discussants are Paul Nation and Yo In'nami. It will be a full day of presentations in two sessions on vocabulary learning and vocabulary assessment. The proceedings from the 2012 Symposium have been put online in the first issue of the online journal Vocabulary Learning and Instruction (VLI) at <vli-journal.org>.
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.