Event

Exploratory Practice: 'Quality of life' as a principle for research into language learning and teaching

Saturday, May 25th, 2013, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Speaker: Judith Hanks (University of Leeds)

Fukuoka JALT is pleased to announce that one of the Pan SIG conference plenary speakers, Judith Hanks, will come to Fukuoka to give a presentation at our chapter.

In recent decades Exploratory Practice (EP) has emerged as a way of combining research and pedagogy in language classrooms. Based on a framework of principles for research and pedagogy, EP recommends prioritizing 'quality of life' as the fundamental issue for practitioners to consider (Allwright, 2003, 2005; Allwright & Hanks, 2009; Gieve & Miller, 2006; Hanks, 2013; Miller, 2009). But what does this mean in practice?

In this seminar, I will consider the EP principle of 'quality of life' as practitioners work together to understand classroom language learning life. Drawing on a number of case studies from around the world, I will examine the notions of developing understanding(s), collegial working, and mutual development which are central to the EP approach. Participants will be invited to discuss their own experiences of language learning and teaching, and consider ways of researching classroom language learning life. We will end by considering future challenges and opportunities for EP in Japan.

Allwright, D. (2003). Exploratory Practice: Rethinking practitioner research in language teaching. Language Teaching Research, 7(2), 113-141.

Allwright, D. (2005). Developing principles for practitioner research: The case of Exploratory Practice. The Modern Language Journal, 89(3), 353-366.

Allwright, D., & Hanks, J. (2009). The Developing Language Learner: An introduction to Exploratory Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gieve, S., & Miller, I.K. (2006). What do we mean by 'Quality of Classroom Life'? In S. Gieve & I.K. Miller (Eds.), Understanding the Language Classroom (pp. 18-46). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hanks, J. (2013). Inclusivity and trust in Exploratory Practice: A case study of principles in practice. In E. Tarone & D. Soneson (Eds.), Expanding our Horizons: Language teacher education in the 21st century. Minneapolis: CARLA.

Miller, I.K. (2009). 'Puzzle-driven' Language Teacher Development: The contribution of Exploratory Practice. In T. Yoshida, H. Imai, Y. Nakata, A. Tajino, O. Takeuchi & K. Tamai (Eds.), Researching Language Teaching and Learning: An integration of practice and theory (pp. 77-93). Bern: Peter Lang.

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

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen

Venue: Seinan Gakuin Community Center (East Campus) (map)

Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Contact Fukuoka JALT

Trevor Holster