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From the ELT Calendar

Upcoming ELT Events in Osaka

TBD; the conference call for presentation proposals closes March 15, 2025
Sun. April 27, 9:30-18:00
(Osaka Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching)

Events from ELT Calendar

Upcoming ELT Events in Kyoto

There are no events in the immediate future. Click here to find the next events.

Events from ELT Calendar

Upcoming ELT Events in Hyogo

Miso Kim (Osaka University)
Sat. April 19, 14:00-17:00 in Kobe city
(Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching)

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Upcoming ELT Events in Nara

There are no events in the immediate future. Click here to find the next events.

 

Osaka JALT Journal Vol. 11 is out!
If you are looking for a job or an employer, please visit the JALT Jobs Forum.

Entries in In Osaka (8)

Tuesday
Jul042023

Summer social by the river, in Minoh park

Come join us in Minoh Park by (and in) the river to cool down, connect with old and new friends, and help wind down the semester while helping raise awareness of and some funds for a good cause. We'll have some refreshments to share, but please bring a bento if you like, snacks, beverages, and a rubber duck if you have one and would like to participate in the rubber duck race! (Rubber ducks can be found at Daiso and other stores.) It's 100 yen to sponsor a duck, or pitch in whatever you like, with all proceeds going to support Kodomo Shokudo, a volunteer group that provides free or reduced-priced meals for underprivileged children in Minoh and throughout Japan.

Meet at Minoh station at 2:00, or join us on the east bank of the river about halfway to the falls whenever you can, for as long or as short a time as you like as you enjoy all that the park has to offer. All are welcome, and the more the merrier!

If you miss the group get-together at 2pm, simply come up the walkway towards the waterfall. Walk past the Insect Museum and after walking under the red bridge at Ryoanji Temple you will see Yamamoto Coffee shop on your right. Go down the slope towards it, cross the rustic bridge looking at the "Monsoon Cafe" blue tarp, take a left, and keep walking along the river until you find us near the next bridge and public bathroom.

RSVP here to give us an idea of how many to expect, and to get emails of updated and more detailed information.

Sunday
May082022

Osaka JALT Back to School 2022

Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 9:30am to 9:30pm

Back to School 2022 is Osaka JALT’s 12th annual spring conference aiming to share ideas on a wide range of topics related to language teaching and learning to help everyone in the new academic year. This year's conference will again be online, which, as in the past two years, has the benefit of allowing us to welcome presenters and participants from all around the world. To get a sense of what to expect, and to see some of what you might have missed last year, please see the schedule and some of the recorded sessions from last year's conference and the presenters' bios and abstracts.

 

Please click here to view the abstracts for the conference presentations.


Here is the schedule for the Back to School Conference, please click on the presentation names to watch the videos.

 

9:30

Coffee Time & Welcome


30min

10:00


10:00

Bob Sanderson

Welcome and Steve Cornwell tribute

15 min

10:15


10:15

Jennifer Yphantides

A grassroots effort to help Ukrainian refugees learn English

15 min

10:30


10:30

Lori Zenuk-Nishide

Model United Nations: Building English as a lingua franca and 21st century learning skills

25min

11:00


11:00

Paschal Orjika

Self-directed learning in the university classroom

25min

11:30


11:30

John Carle

How to create a digital workbook

25min

12:00


12:00


Breakout Rooms

30min

12:30


12:30

Lunch


30min

13:00


13:00

Wade Muncil

Starting a startup from the start

25min

13:30


13:30

Eucharia Donnery

The International Virtual Exchange (IVE) Project: Meeting low-level EFL learner needs

25min

14:00


14:00

Terry Tuttle

A how-to video activity sequence for Japanese high school EFL students

25min

14:30


14:30


Breakout rooms

30min

15:00


15:00

Paul Goldberg

Xreading: What’s new and what’s next

25min

15:30


15:30

Paul Mathieson & Claire Murray

The AWL Readers: An Academic Vocabulary Story

25min

16:00


16:00

Thomas Boutorwick

ESL Speed Readings, the free mobile app

25min

16:30


16:30


Breakout rooms

30min

17:00


17:00

Zoe Barber

(Un)willing to communicate?: Incorporating different modes of participation in the classroom

25min

17:30

PPT

17:30

Anthony Walsh

A step-by-step guide for speech contests

15min

17:45


17:45

Elizabeth Leigh

A tour of the “Zero-waste” town of Kamikatsu, Tokushima prefecture

15min

18:00


18:00


Breakout Rooms

30min

18:30


18:30


Dinner Break / Social


19:00


19:00

Eric Martin & Robert Kerrigan

Presentation and evaluation of an Extensive Listening program using Xreading

25min

19:30


19:30

Michael Herke

From the known to the new: Everyday creative arguments for language learning

25min

20:00


20:00

Matthew Wiegand

Re-evaluating expectations of camera use in online language classes

15min

20:15


20:15

Mehrasa Alizadeh

Professional development and distance learning with Gather.Town: A preliminary report

15min

20:30


20:30

Catriona Takeuchi

& Bob Sanderson

Reflections on the day, more Steve Cornwell stories, & cocktail social

60min

21:30


Jennifer Yphantides – A grassroots effort to help Ukrainian refugees learn English

Jennifer Yphantides is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Soka University in Tokyo.


Lori Zenuk-Nishide – Model United Nations: Building English as a lingua franca and 21st century learning skills

Lori Zenuk-Nishide is the Director of Model United Nations Programs at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. She has taken delegations to over 60 conferences, and co-founded a high school and university conference since 1990.


Paschal Orjika – Self-directed learning in the university classroom

Paschal Orjika, is a graduate of Nanzan University, and currently teaches at Maple English School. He holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree. His area of specialization is self-directed learning, human resource development and adult education.


John Carle – How to create a digital workbook

John Carle is the author of The English Gym series, written under the pen name, Jon Charles. His books have been used at over twenty universities and language schools in Japan.


Wade Muncil – Starting a startup from the start

Wade Muncil holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the School for International Training and is presently teaching at Osaka Jogakuin University/College after spending nine years teaching in the Western Region of The United Arab Emirates. His interests are hiking, documenting and preserving the great cultures of our planet, and promoting service learning.


Eucharia Donnery – The International Virtual Exchange (IVE) Project: Meeting low-level EFL learner needs

Eucharia Donnery works as a coordinator of communicative English at the World Language Center, Soka University, Tokyo.


Terry Tuttle – A how-to video activity sequence for Japanese high school EFL students

Terry R. Tuttle is an ALT for Higashiosaka City, an Osaka JALT Member-at-Large, and a GALE SIG Co-Coordinator. He is pursuing a M.S.Ed degree with a concentration in TESOL at Temple University, Japan Campus.


Paul Goldberg – Xreading: What’s new and what’s next

Paul Goldberg has taught English for over 20 years, and is the founder of the online system, Xreading, which he developed to make extensive reading more accessible for students and easier for teachers to manage.


Paul Mathieson & Claire Murray – The AWL Readers: An Academic Vocabulary Story

Paul Mathieson is an associate professor at Nara Medical University, where he teaches medical students and nursing students. He is also a PhD candidate at Kyoto University.

Claire Murray has an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, UK. She is currently an ESP lecturer at Nara Medical University.    


Thomas Boutorwick – ESL Speed Readings, the free mobile app

Thomas (TJ) Boutorwick received his PhD in Applied Linguistics from Victoria University of Wellington in 2017. His research focuses on vocabulary development through reading. He also develops educational software and currently resides in Hiroshima.


Zoe Barber – (Un)willing to communicate?: Incorporating different modes of participation in the classroom

Zoe Barber is from Australia and has taught English at various educational levels in Japan for 10 years. She is a graduate of the Queensland University of Technology and currently teaches at Konan University. 


Anthony Walsh – A step-by-step guide for speech contests

Anthony Walsh is from Melbourne, is a graduate of University of Southern Queensland and currently teaches at the University of Fukuchiyama. He is trying to stay healthy by learning to cook various dishes.


Elizabeth Leigh – A tour of the “Zero-waste” town of Kamikatsu, Tokushima prefecture

Elizabeth Leigh is from the UK, is a graduate of Manchester University, and is currently a Tokunin teacher at Osaka Metropolitan University. Her interests include hiking, swimming and scuba diving, as well as environmental issues.


Eric Martin & Robert Kerrigan – Presentation and evaluation of an Extensive Listening program using Xreading

Eric Shepherd Martin teaches at Momoyama Gakuin University and is a candidate for a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Temple University. He can be reached at ericshepherdmartin@gmail.com.

Robert Kerrigan teaches at Shitennoji University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Temple University. He can be reached at kerrigan@shitennoji.ac.jp.

 

Michael Herke – From the known to the new: Everyday creative arguments for language learning

Michael Herke has been living in Kansai for over 20 years. He has taught in public and private institutions in Canada and Japan. He works in the Faculty of International Studies at Setsunan University in Osaka.


Matthew Wiegand – Re-evaluating expectations of camera use in online language classes

Matthew Wiegand: BA Cultural Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz, Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University. MA candidate at Waseda GSICCS. Teacher at University of Tsukuba Attached High School at Komaba, Sundai College of Business and Foreign Languages


Mehrasa Alizadeh – Professional development and distance learning with Gather.Town: A preliminary report

Mehrasa Alizadeh is an assistant professor at the International Professional University of Technology in Osaka, where she teaches EFL courses. Mehrasa's research interests include blended, mobile and immersive learning in second language education.

Friday
May072021

Back to School 2021

Thank you to everyone for making Back to School 2021 a great success. Click on the links in the block schedule to see recordings of sessions. More will be added later.

Back to School 2021 is Osaka JALT’s 11th annual spring mini-conference which aims to share ideas on a wide range of language teaching and learning topics to help everyone in the new academic year. There is sure to be something for everyone, and all are very welcome to join us for all or any part of the day or evening.

This year we'll again hold the event online due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Last year's event was our first online event and it went very well. Here's last year's schedule with links to recorded presentations, and abstracts.

Many thanks to everyone who submitted presentation proposals this year! Below are this year's conference presenters and presentation titles with some of the pre-recorded session links. You can find the list of presenters, their biographies, presentation titles and abstracts here.

Back to School 2021 Schedule


Room 1
Room 2
9:30~ Coffee Time & Welcome

10:00~ Neil Cowie Online assessment for language teaching
10:30~ Lindy Ledohowski & Tamanna Patel Improving the Confidence of EFL Students Writing Skills Using Smart Templating Software Jason Pipe Timed-Pair-Practice to improve the Suprasegmental Features of Pronunciation
11:00~ Gordon Carlson & Daniel H. Markarian Using Economics/ Financial Literacy Skills to Improve Cultural Dimension and Intercultural Competence Thi Minh Ngoc Phung Audiolingualism versus Task-based Language Teaching
11:30~ Marieta Simeonova-Pissarro & Philip Riccobono Evaluation of Academic Word Acquisition: ESL vs. EFL Daniel Orozco How and When to Give Oral Corrective Feedback
12:00
~13:00
Networking / Lunch (1 hour)
13:00~ Takaaki Hiratsuka Perceived, Projected, and Recognized Identities of Foreign Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs)

13:30~ Paul Goldberg Xreading: What’s New and What’s Next Alison Kitzman Classroom Management: Tricks from Start to Finish
14:00~ Laura Martinez Navigating Nearpod: Ways to utilize its activities to increase student engagement Claire Murray, Paul Mathieson, & Francesco Bolstad Foreign Language Learning as Professional Development
14:30-
15:00
Networking / Break (30-min)
15:00~ John Carle Using Humor to Create Engaging Materials

Oliver Rose Providing Sentence-Level Practice with LingoLabOnline
15:30~ Eric Martin Building and Measuring Second Language Listening Self-Efficacy Zoe Barber Supporting young learners with ASD in the EFL classroom
16:00~
Stuart McLean
Self-marking online form-recall and meaning-recall vocabulary tests
Wade Muncil International Collaboration: It’s just a click away
Networking / Break (30-min)
16:45~ Networking / Break (15-min)
17:00~ Bethany Lacy Wonderstruck: Impacts of Multimodal Text and Think-Aloud Reading Techniques on L2 Reading Motivation Andrew Blaker & Timothy Ellsworth Adapting an Extensive Reading Program with Authentic Materials
17:30~ Bertram Mullin Unique Pronunciation Method Guy Cihi & Aaron Campbell Motivate Your Students with a FREE Team Challenge Vocabulary Tournament
18:00~ Laura Martinez Jamming with Jamboard: Investigating its uses in the hybrid classroom Gabriela Torregiani How to become a Successful teacherpreneur with the power of self marketing
18:30
~19:30
Networking / Dinner (1 hour)
19:30~ Tomotaka Shiroyama Technology-Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching for College and University students.
20:00~ Andrew Decker Speaking without Reading with PechaKucha 20x20-style Presentations
20:15~ Gavin Young Create Interactive Projects in Hypertext with Twine, a Free Software
20:30~ Christopher Prowant Fostering English competence to maintain intrinsic motivation
20:45~
21:30?
Wrap-up, reflections, & cocktail social






 Supplementary Files & Links from the chat:

John Carle's "Who will take care of Mum?" Document.

Free Trial Request for EssayJack

https://www.essayjack.com/

https://share.nearpod.com/ZhNMVdDfldb

https://nearpod.com

https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/item/399

https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Wonderstruck-Innovative-Selznicks-Talented-ebook/dp/B009G4J5SO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wonderstruck+graphic+novel&qid=1620548916&sr=8-1

https://www.thebrianselznick.com/

https://youtu.be/0HeujZ45OZE?t=12

https://rb.gy/mfnp7n

 

This event is free for everyone, so please help spread the word and plan to join us on Sunday, May 9th, for part or all of what is sure to be a great day and evening!

Contact or Queries:  Send Email
Event Theme: Annual spring mini-conference

 

Back to School 2021は、新年度に向けて言語教育や学びに関するさまざまなアイデアを参加者の皆さんと共有する、大阪JALTが年に一度開催する春のミニ会議です。今年の会議はコロナ感染拡大に伴い59日(日)にオンラインにて開催します。過去の会議もそうであるように、今年のミニ会議も参加者の皆さんにきっと何かをもたらすはずです。最後まであるいはその日のいくつかのセッションの参加でも歓迎いたします。

どのような内容か興味がありましたら、去年のスケジュールと録音されたプレゼンテーションプレゼンテーションの要約をご覧ください。

今年度のこのイベントも大阪女学院大学 国際共生研究所(RIICC)との共催です。開始時間および終了時間に変更が生じる可能性はありますが、日時が近づいてきましたら詳細はこのホームページ上でお伝えいたしますのでご確認ください。

プレゼンテーションを現在募集中です!締め切りは44です。企画書提出の際にいただいた情報はこのイベントの目的のみで使われます。 何か質問がございましたら osakajalt@gmail.com までいつでもご連絡ください。

参加費は無料です。皆さんのカレンダーの5月9日(日)(母の日ですね!)にしるしをつけてください。このイベントを宣伝して、企画書を提出して、そしていくつかのあるいは全部のセッションにご参加ください!きっと素敵な一日になりますよ!

202159日(日)9:30a.m. 9:30p.m.

大阪

発表者:後日発表します。

連絡先および質問:osakajalt@gmail.comまでメールをお願いします。

イベントのテーマ:年に一度春に開催されるミニ会議です。

Thursday
Feb062020

Back to School 2020 - Osaka JALT's 10th annual spring mini-conference (this year in Cyberspace!)

Updated April 6, 2020:
 

DUE to concerns about COVID-19 we will not be able to hold this year's Back to School event in person at Osaka Jogakuin University as planned, but do plan to proceed in Cyberspace with pre-recorded presentations and hopefully with live online Q&A and discussions.

NOTE the change of date from Sat. May 23rd to Sun, May 24th.


Back to School 2020 
Osaka JALT's 10th annual spring mini-conference
(in Cyberspace this year!)

Saturday, May 24, 2020 - 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Event Speaker: Various
Fee for JALT members:  Free
Fee for non-JALT members: Free
Contact or Queries:  Send Email
Event Theme: Annual spring mini-conference

Back to School 2020 is Osaka JALT’s 10th annual spring mini-conference which aims to share ideas on a wide range of language teaching and learning topics to help everyone in the new academic year. There is sure to be something for everyone. This year, due to the Coronavirus, will be our first time holiding an event in Cyberspace, so it's sure to be a good learning opportunity all around.

The DEADLINE to submit a presentation proposal has been extended to THURSDAY, APRIL 30, with recorded presentations due on Sunday, May 10.

This year's event will again be co-sponsored by Osaka Jogakuin University's Research Institute of International Collaboration and Coexistence Research on Language Learning (RIICC).

In past years we've had two to three dozen presentations on many topics, from students, teachers, researchers, and publishers alike. To get a better sense of what to expect, here's last year's schedule, and abstracts.

Start and finish times are subject to change, and more information will be made available here as the date approaches, so please do check back later. We look forward to receiving your abstracts by April 30th and to seeing you there (actually _here_ in Cyberspace this year!) on May 24th!

Wednesday
Nov192014

Oxford will be giving away free stuff Thu. Nov. 27th @ The Blarney Stone in Umeda 7 - 9 pm

OSAKA

Date: Thursday, November 27th

Time: 19:00~21:30

Venue: The Blarney Stone, Umeda

06-6364-2001

www.the-blarney-stone.com

 You can find a map to the venue at the above link

 Come and check out Oxford University Press' new books to receive your free coupons.

Of course while you are there, you can enjoy good food and drink

as it is a lovely Irish pub!

 

If you have any questions,

please don’t hesitate to contact Oxford directly:

elt.japan@oup.com or 03-5444-5454