Event

Back to Basics: Developing World Resources and the Japanese Classroom

Sunday, September 27th, 2009, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Speaker: Nicole Dewer and Barnaby Ralph

This combined seminar and workshop examines a series of issues in EFL education from two diverse perspectives: the Japanese and Cambodian classrooms. In Japan, most EFL teachers have virtually unlimited resources available to them. However, the overuse of, if not overdependence on, these resources sometimes distract teachers from the fundamental elements of EFL teaching. For Cambodian teachers, there is almost never more than a whiteboard,a marker, and an outdated, copied textbook to use in the classroom. Because of this, basic EFL teaching principles come into stark contrast.

Based on this premise, the speakers will examine a number of fundamental features of classroom teaching and lesson/curriculum planning,as well as taking a look at how some of these concerns have been addressed both in Japan and Cambodian: in other words, how can teachers get "back to basics" in the classroom.

Following this is a series of workshop activities designed to focus on specific issues related to these two teaching paradigms. The participants will be able to discuss the use of different materials and resource development, as well as design communicative tasks in a number of different work-related scenarios.

Barnaby Ralph is a graduate of the Universities of Queensland and New England and currently teaches at Aoyama Gakuin University. As well as having worked extensively in rural Australia, this year, for the first time, he participated in a teacher-training program in Cambodia, and is already preparing for his next extended visit.
Nicole Takeda develops curriculum resources and teaches at Meiji Gakuin University. A graduate of the American University of Paris and Sheffield University, she is also extremely active in Cambodia, where her NGO, the Bayon English Academy, delivers both lessons to children and training for aspiring teachers.

Doors open at 1:00 pm and the discussion begins at 1:30. We should finish no later than 3:30, though officers will stay later.

Shizuoka Kyouiku Kaikan is located on Miyuki Dori, the main street going directly North from Shizuoka Station, and is located right across from Shin-Shizuoka Centre, facing the outside moat of Sumpu-park. It is a 5-7 minute walk North from Shizuoka Station, and there are maps of the area in the underground crossing area between the station and the downtown core.

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

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1000 yen

Venue: Shizuoka Kyouiku Kaikan, Shizuoka City

Location: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Contact Shizuoka JALT

Gregg McNabb