Event

'It was fun! So what?': A Critical Analysis of the Role of Fun in Children's ELT

Sunday, December 8th, 2002, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Speaker: John Wiltshier, Sendai University

"Fun" must be the most overused and misused term in Children's ELT. Nothing is inherently "fun", just as nothing is inherently motivating. Fun can produce chaotic classes and is a poor substitute for actual learning and student success. So why do many English teachers, especially Children's English teachers, seem to be under pressure to make classes fun? When is fun useful and when does it become destructive to learning? What are other more permanent, pedagogically sound motivational strategies? By the end of this approximately one hour presentation the audience will:

1. have helped build a 3 dimensional model of motivational strategies in the presentation room;
2. have used the model to reflect on their own teaching situation and children's ELT in particular;
3. have learnt a simple technique called 'STAR analysis' and used it to analyze some common and not so common children's class activities;
4. have watched 4 videos of successful children's classes which contain ideas that can be immediately used in their own classes.

About the speaker: John Wiltshier trained in primary education at Lancaster University. He was a primary school teacher for 6 years in the UK and has taught at kindergarten, primary, junior and senior high schools in Miyagi over a period of 8 years. John also holds a masters degree in TESOL from Manchester University with a special emphasis on young learners. He has been the main speaker at the annual Sendai City Board of Education conference and guest speaker at Shokei Junior College. He currently teaches at Sendai University. (PLEASE NOTE: The meeting will be followed by JALT/TALE business (officer election and program planning) and the joint JALT/TALE bonenkai)

Organization: Sendai Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Sendai JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free (also free for TALE members; TALE is Tohoku Association of Language Educators)
Non-members: 1000 yen (for non-JALT and non-TALE members)

Venue: Aibaku Chuo Shimin Center (formerly the Ichibancho Shimin Center) behind Maruzen

Location: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

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