Upcoming Events
June 15 (SATURDAY) TOEFL iBT workshop, by Kazuya Kito and Terry Yearley
Time: 1pm-5pm
Location: Yokohama City University Kanazawa Hakkei Campus, near Kanazawa Hakkei station on the Keikyu line – (directions)
Details: Poster for June 2013 Event
We will begin with an overview of the TOEFL iBT including: the origin and purpose of the test, its overall structure, the sequence of the sections, test takers’ probable score requirements, the difference between ‘independent’ and ‘integrated’ tasks, the use of templates, and the use of practice tests.
Kazuya Kito
This TOEFL iBT speaking seminar introduces the general format of the speaking section of the test. From there, the seminar will move on to talk about how the speaking section is rated and scored. Next, details of the speaking rubric will be discussed. The participants will be able to practice each speaking task and will also be asked to rate sample recordings of the tasks. In the latter part of the seminar, participants will do some practice activities in order to get an idea of how to teach TOEFL iBT speaking for their students. Lastly, the seminar will close with questions from the participants.
Bio: Kazuya Kito graduated with an Ms. Ed. TESOL from Temple University, Japan. He has taught TOEFL at national and private universities, and to Japanese business people at learning centers. Recently, he has been teaching speaking and ESP courses at a university in Tokyo.
Terry Yearley
We will begin with an overview of the two writing tasks, and then move on to a look at some of the challenges involved in preparing students to deal with these tasks in the test. We will pay particular attention to the differences involved in writing a summary or essay with a pen and paper compared to with a computer. Finally, we will look at two simple ideas that can help with this.
Bio: Terry Yearley has been teaching Speaking, Writing and Listening for the TOEFL Test since 2004. He regularly attends TOEFL training seminars, and has given several presentations on teachers’ strategies to help prepare students for the test.
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July 20 – Self Access centers
Time: 1pm-4.45pm
Venue: Yokohama Youth Centre, under Kannai Hall
Details: Presenters from universities with active self-access centers (conversational lounges, writing centres) will speak about what it takes to set up, administer and get your students to effectively use them. Brett Milliner and Travis Coyte will present on a personalized ELF tutorial service recently established at Tamagawa University to support students’ English language learning needs, in particular looking at how communication between teachers, students and tutors is maintained and how the collection of data on sessions is being used to inform decisions on how to improve the system and the ELF program. Darrell Wilkinson will present on the lounges, labs and tutorials available at Soka University. Bob Morrison from Kanda University of International Studies will describe their self-access centre, its curriculum, and the learning advisors employed to give students advice on self-directed learning, and will provide examples of materials and activities, looking at how they can be adapted to participants’ own contexts.
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August – summer holidays – no event planned
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September – Conference Preview.
Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Details: Call for presentations open. Only 4 slots left!
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October – National conference in Kobe – No Yokohama event
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November – Negotiating the discipline: Writing for publication in TEFL/TESL by Theron Muller
Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Abstract: This two part interactive workshop will first discuss the practices of teacher-researchers writing for academic publication, considering obstacles encountered and strategies for successfully overcoming those obstacles. The second part will examine examples of the process of negotiating publication, discussing samples of writing submitted for review alongside the comments of editors and reviewers. Discussion will center around how manuscripts require transformation through dialog with academic reviewers and editors. Participants interested in preparing their own manuscripts for publication will learn more about the process they should expect their papers to undergo and how to go about selecting potential publications for their work.
Bio: Theron Muller, University of Toyama, is a teacher and researcher based in Japan. He is lead editor of Innovating EFL Teaching in Asia, Palgrave Macmillan, and teaches the online MASH Academic Publishing course. He is interested in academic publishing research and TEFL/TESL classroom-based research.
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December – My Share and End-of-year party
Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Details: Call open for 10-20 minute practical presentations.
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2014
January: Call for Proposals open
February: Earmarked for Technology in Language Teaching event.
March: No presentation
April: Call for Proposals open
May: Call for Proposals open
June: Call for Proposals open
July: Call for Proposals open
August: No Event
September: Conference Preview
October: No Event (Conference)
November: Call for Proposals open
December: My Share and End-of-Year Party
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