Event

The Benefits, Challenges, and Results of a Research-based Vocabulary Program

Saturday, May 12th, 2018, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Speaker: Stuart McLean (Osaka Jogakuin University)

Please note the earlier-than-usual start time. We are holding this event from 3 PM to 5 PM so that Stuart can repeat his presentation in Kitakyushu later that evening.

This presentation first describes the beneficial features of a hypothetical program of vocabulary study. These features include spaced rehearsal, adaptive learning, increasing retrieval difficulty, the use of an appropriate word counting unit, the presentation of both audio and orthographic forms, the use of context, and the use of the learners' L1. Findings in the research literature on vocabulary learning are easy to understand, yet difficult to apply to a vocabulary program in practice. As a result, vocabulary programs often fail to help students reach their potential. The second part of the presentation describes the challenges faced, the great assistance received and steps taken when the presenter piloted, created, and administered an institution-wide research-informed vocabulary program.

Stuart McLean is an instructor at Osaka Jogakuin University. He holds an M.S.Ed. (TESOL), a Ph.D. in Forensic Medicine, and a P.G.C.E. He is currently an Applied Linguistics doctoral student at Kansai University. He has published in Reading in a Foreign Language, Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, Language Teaching Research, TESOL Quarterly, System, Applied Linguistics, and Language Assessment Quarterly.

About the venue
NAMIKI Square is opposite Chihaya JR station west exit. As you exit through the ticket gates at Chihaya, you'll see Trandor bakery and Reganet supermarket in front of you, turn right and exit the station. Namiki Square is immediately across the road.

Getting there:

• By subway: 12 minutes from Tenjin to Kaizuka, a 20-second walk to the Nishitetsu platform, and a 3-minute Nishitestu ride to Chihaya (the second stop on the Nishitetsu from Kaizuka).
• By JR Kagoshima line: from Hakata JR it's the fourth stop (11 minutes)

There is a free car park next to Namiki Square.

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

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

Venue: Namiki Square, 2F AV room, Chihaya, Fukuoka (opposite Chihaya JR station west exit; map)

Location: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Contact Fukuoka JALT

Trevor Holster