jalt62

AKITA JALT meetings in 2012
picture album page 2 - the 4th meeting of 2012

June

Guest speakers: Renaud Davies
Date: Saturday, June 23rd, 2012
Meeting Topic: Using Social Learning Technology in the Classroom
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Place: Akita International University, B-101

5 people attended.

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Renaud Davies

AKITA: June 2012 – Using Social Learning Technology in the Classroom: An Introduction – Renaud Davies. The presenter is the Program Advisor for Akita JETs, and he explained some of the tech tools he uses in his classrooms and for training new JET ALTs. Using Prezi, a free, non-linear alternative to PowerPoint and Keynote, he demonstrated an array of social networking and presentation tools to help enhance classroom instruction. Some of the social-networking tools he covered were ‘Glogster’, ‘Linoit’, ‘Wallwisher’, ‘Voicetread’ and ‘Speakpipe’. The second half of the presentation was a hands-on demonstration of how to hack a Wii remote handset and IR laser pointer to make an interactive whiteboard. This presentation proved to be highly informative, even for the CALL specialists in the audience.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

AKITA JALT meetings in 2012
picture album page 2 - the 5th meeting of 2012

July

Guest speakers: Joe Falout
Date: Saturday, July 21st, 2012
Topic: Motivating communities of practice for teachers
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Place: JOIN US (Kenshushitsu-7)

11 people attended.

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Joe Falout

AKITA: June 2012 – Motivating communities of practice for teachers – Joe Falout. Even the most motivated teachers can at some point feel the classic symptoms of burnout. Avoiding burnout and maintaining motivation is important for professional satisfaction. This workshop focused on ways for teachers to maintain their motivation through three principles — managing emotions, joining communities, and boosting efficacy. The presenter started by having the audience complete a survey, then he went on to provide a theoretical base from social psychology, and used anecdotes to illustrate particular points. Workshop participants were asked to explore their own pathways toward increasing their sense of control, autonomy, and relatedness within their work environments and professional communities of practice by engaging in a variety of interactive pair and group activities.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

AKITA JALT meetings in 2012
picture album page 2 - the 6th meeting of 2012

September

Guest speakers: Kathy Kampa
Date: Saturday, September 29th, 2012
Topic: The M&M's of Teaching English to Young Learners
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Place: JOIN US (Kenshushitsu-7)

12 people attended.

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Kathy Kampa

AKITA: September - The M&M's of teaching English to young learners by Kathleen Kampa. In a word - energy! Kampa led an active workshop on how to keep young learners engaged mentally and physically. The two go hand-in-hand for her pedagogical approach to teaching young learners. After introducing some information about cognition and how music and movement enhance language learning, Kampa showed us what the research was telling us. Activating minds and muscles, all participants sang and danced their way to enhanced English proficiency. Even though the introduced activities were targeted towards elementary and junior high school learners, Kampa encouraged teachers of other learners - senior high school and university - to incorporate movement and music into their classrooms as it is a break from the traditional seated learning style. Participants agreed using music and movement could motivate learners at any level (and is a good way to stay fit).

Reported by Wayne Malcolm

AKITA JALT meetings in 2012
picture album page 2 - the 7th meeting of 2012

September

Akita-JALT SPECIAL SESSION with JALT National President, Kevin Cleary

Saturday, September 29 (After Kathy Kampa's presentation and Annual General Meeting Business)

From 13:00 in JoinUS Room #5 (3rd Floor)

Report
Guest speaker: JALT National President, Kevin Cleary

The afternoon session consisted of a discussion with JALT National President Kevin Cleary. Participants discusses upcoming changes to JALT's management system and how chapters can benefit from the new system.

Reported by Wayne Malcolm

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