jalt70

AKITA JALT meetings in 2015
picture album page 2 - the 4th meeting of 2015

June

Guest speakers: Donald C. Wood, Akita University
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2015
Topic: Medical English and Medical Anthropology for Large Classes
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Place: Join-us (Floor 3, Room 6)

7 people attended

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Donald C. Wood

AKITA – June 2015 – Medical English and Medical Anthropology for Large Classes - Donald C. Wood, Akita University. Large class size is one of the most common problems facing teachers of English in Japanese medical schools and similar environments. Another is not being able to provide such students with instruction tailored to their needs and interests, such as Medical English (or EMP—English for Medical Purposes), often due to a lack of control over the curriculum, and to inadequate medical science knowledge. This presentation outlined the developmental course of Medical English education at Akita University over the last 15 years, and then discussed the current situation in detail, while paying special attention to the ways in which the two aforementioned problems have been overcome. A short Q & A session ended the presentation.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

AKITA JALT meetings in 2015
picture album page 2 - the 5th meeting of 2015

July

Guest speakers: Rachael Ruegg, Akita International University
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2015
Topic: Why, What and How of Teaching and Learning English Vocabulary
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Place: Join-us (Floor 3, Room 6)

7 people attended

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Rachael Ruegg

AKITA – July 2015 – Why, What and How of Teaching and Learning English Vocabulary. Rachael Ruegg, Akita International University. Words are the basic building blocks of the language and the most important factor influencing language proficiency. Despite learning English for 6 years in junior high school and high school, many Japanese students report feeling that they lack sufficient English vocabulary. This presentation explained why vocabulary is such an important aspect of language. The presenter introduced which vocabulary should be learnt, and in which order. Following this, she explained how vocabulary should be learnt for maximum effectiveness. Finally, she shared some tools that can be used by teachers and learners to help in their vocabulary teaching and learning. Although the PowerPoint portion was only about an hour long, the remainder of the presentation was a lively round table discussion on teaching vocabulary.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

AKITA JALT meetings in 2015
picture album page 2 - the 6th meeting of 2015

September

Guest speakers: Rachael Ruegg, Taku Sudo, Hinako Takeuchi and Yuko Sato, Akita International University
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2015
Topic: Peer tutoring: A whole new world of academic support
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Place: Join-us (Floor 3, Room 6)

8 people attended

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Rachael Ruegg, Taku Sudo, Hinako Takeuchi and Yuko Sato

AKITA – September 2015 – Peer tutoring: A whole new world of academic support – Rachael Ruegg, Taku Sudo, Hinako Takeuchi, and Yuko Sato, Akita International University.
This presentation introduced Akita International University’s (AIU) Academic Achievement Center (AAC), a place that employs peer tutoring to support students. The presentation included an overview of the AIU curriculum, the theoretical background of peer tutoring, and the implementations of the peer tutoring method conducted at the center. The presenters, who all work in the AAC, discussed the cultural aspects affecting the center, what they considered to be the benefits of peer tutoring, the types of students who request support from the AAC, plus their motivations and expectations. A lively Q & A session ended the presentation.

Reported by Mamoru “Bobby” Takahashi

AKITA JALT meetings in 2015
picture album page 2 - the 7th meeting of 2015

October
Guest speakers: Bryan Hahn, Akita International University
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
Topic: English as a Co-Language: Perspectives by the Foreign Language Learner
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Place: Small Lecture Room 1 at Collage Plaza

8 people attended

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Rachael Ruegg, Taku Sudo, Hinako Takeuchi and Yuko Sato

AKITA – October 2015 – English as a Co-Language: Perspectives by the Foreign Language Learner - Bryan Hahn, Akita International University. The presentation was divided into two parts. The first part explained a research project surveying the language learning attitudes towards English at four universities in one Japanese prefecture. The purpose was to investigate whether attitudes might have changed today compared to a decade and a half ago, when it was proposed that English should become the second official language in Japan. Based on percentage positive response ratings, the results showed that students believe English education would increase their chances of finding a good job. However, many of the respondents were dissatisfied with their level of English proficiency despite a desire to learn the language. Paradoxically, students generally disfavor changes to the foreign language curriculum and the vast majority oppose adopting English as a co-language in Japan. This reluctance to change might explain why Japan consistently ranks near the bottom in TOEFL iBT scores. The second part of the presentation was an in-depth round table discussion of the research results.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

AKITA JALT meetings in 2015
picture album page 2 - the 8th meeting of 2015

December
Guest speakers: Ben Grafström, Akita University
Date: Saturday, December 12, 2015
Topic: Teaching Haiku and Haiku Composition to English Language Learners
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Place: 2nd Floor Meeting Room, Student Support Center, Akita University

8 people attended

Chapter Report
(to be printed in The Language Teacher)
Guest speaker: Ben Grafström

AKITA – December 2015 – Teaching Haiku and Haiku Composition to English Language Learners – Ben Grafström, Akita University. The presenter teaches an English immersion-style course titled “Journey to the Interior” at Akita University. This presentation introduced the two-pronged approach that he took to the planning and preparation of the course. The first approach he took was to make the English language-course content-based: the course is an in-depth study of the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō’s Oku no hosomichi. The second approach he took was to design class activities that fostered active-learning vis-à-vis a writer’s workshop.

During the presentation the presenter introduced the course materials that he uses as well as guided participants through some of the writing exercises that he did with his students. This included writing haiku and English to Japanese and Japanese to English translating. An enjoyable time was had by all.

Reported by Stephen Shucart

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