SUTLF 2018
Where do you language? This year we turn our gaze outward, beyond the physical walls of the English classroom and into the world, where one's ability to communicate means much more than a grade. Our theme aims to highlight the many arenas, personnel, and opportunities available to language users, regardless of ability or goals. Presentations, posters, and workshops that address the following topics/themes are welcome for submission:
- pedagogical extensions of classwork
- study abroad & foreign exchange programs
- intercultural communication
- English in the community
- self-access / lifelong learning
- professional development
Plenary Speakers
Satoko Kato, Kanda Institute of Foreign Languages
Satoko Kato is a Chief Learning Advisor at Kanda Institute of Foreign Languages and a lecturer at the graduate school of Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. She holds a Master’s degree (TESOL) from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. She has conducted 3,500 advising sessions with hundreds of language learners in the past years working on promoting learner autonomy. She is in charge of developing and implementing advisor education programs for novice and experienced advisors. She has been extensively focusing on the reflective process in language learning and is the co-author of “Reflective Dialogue: Advising in language learning” published by Routledge NY, 2016.
Engaging Yourself in Reflective Dialogue
We all engage in ‘self-reflection’ to clarify the meaning of learning experiences as we want to keep growing as language learners and/or a language educators. Reflection is not simply thinking back and describing what happened and how you feel about it. It is a process of restructuring your established assumptions and beliefs which leads you to develop further. In this plenary, I will outline the approaches in advising in language learning (ALL) where learning advisors promote learners’ reflective process through conducting one-on-one dialogue. All the approaches, models, tools introduced in my talk can be easily applied to empower your self-reflection and to promote learners’ reflective processes in their learning outside of the classroom.
Sponsored by the Teachers Helping Teachers (THT) Special Interest group of JALT.
Randall W. Bollig, Chairman, Family & Friends Project
It is only natural, in any profession I believe, to want to find something meaningful in what one does, something that not only allows and encourages a person to grow, develop, and to reap financial, social, and emotional rewards, but also provides a sense that what you are doing has a benefit or positive impact on other people's lives. Teaching, obviously, provides ample opportunities for this. Thanks to my original decision, and a good mix of luck, attitude, and opportunity, I feel I have been able to achieve at least some success in this regard. Although, my journey, my experience, is naturally somewhat unique in detail, in essence, I am sure it is probably not much different from your own journeys/experiences. In this presentation, I would like to share some of my experiences that have brought me to where I am today, give you an idea of what I am doing at present, and encourage you not to hold back, but to continue in your own endeavors and experiences.
A Step and a Half Beyond the Classroom
Randall W. Bollig is from Colorado, United States, and has a BA in Education from the University of Northern Colorado, and an MA in TESOL from the School for International Training, in Brattleboro, Vermont. He has taught in the US, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and Japan, where he has been living and teaching for over 30 years. He has taught at almost every level of education including junior high schools, high schools, universities, and business and adult classes. He started the Family & Friends Project in March 2011 as a way to improve educational opportunities for children in Nepal.
Important Dates
25 December 2017
Presentation Submission Deadline
25 January 2018
Earl Registration Deadline
4 February 2018
Conference Day