Event

Conversation Strategies: Teaching, Learning & Motivation

Saturday, July 14th, 2012, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Speaker: Ivan Brown (Joetsu University of Education)

More information can be found on the JALT Niigata events page

A: Hi, how’s it going?
B: Oh, not too bad, thanks. You?
A: Yeah, pretty good, thanks. By the way, what are you doing on July 14th?
B: I’m going to an exciting presentation about, erm, what are they called? I can't remember the words in English.
A: The rules of cricket?
B: No, no. Let me see. They can help you when you, you know, have trouble talking to someone, especially in a second language.
Big sticky pieces of mochi? Hygiene masks with extra loose tissues inside? Both combined? [Caricatural miming]
B: That’s enough facetiousness, thank you.
A: Jokes? ... Gestures?
B: Jokes and gestures? Well, yeah, I suppose they can sometimes help, but these are for doing things like, erm, let me think, asking someone to repeat, filling awkward pauses and holding the floor, erm, oh yeah, and giving hints when you can’t think of the right word.
A: Oh, you mean conversation strategies?
B: Pardon? Could you say that a little more slowly please?
A: C o n – v e r – s a y – s h a w n s t r a h – t e r - g e e z.
B: [“OK – don’t patronize me” look] YY-es, that’s it.
A: Oh, I see, well that sounds like an interesting presentation - there, a rejoinder! Now, a follow-up question: Erm, don’t learners have to be really motivated to use conversation strategies?
B: Well, maybe, but this presentation will also look at how we can teach conversation strategies, and whether this might, in turn, affect learners’ motivation. And Ivan promises to keep self-parodying cynicism to a minimum. It is expedient to terminate this conversation at this point. Goodbye.
A: Oh, was it something I said? Oh well, nice talking to you. See you there, then. Bye.

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

Cost: JALT Members: Free
Non-members: 500 yen

Venue: Assembly room (2F), EIR Manshon, less than 10 minutes walk from Niigata station map

Location: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Contact Niigata JALT

Howard Brown