Skills Development Conference 2011
The 2011 Skills Development Conference (外国語指導助手の指導力等向上研修) was held October 13th-14th at the Prefectural Education Center in Tenno.
Details
Check in was at 9:45-10:20 with the opening ceremony starting at 10:30. Feel free to come early drop your bags off in your room and grab a ticket for lunch in the cafeteria before they run out. This is a work event and sadly the coolbiz season was over, so formal work clothes for this event. (For guys this means work shirt and a necktie)
The gymnasium will still be open for use, but all those who want to use the gym must bring athletic shoes. There will probably be an organized game of dodgeball or basketball after dinner on the 13th. Also be aware that the Education Center has no real medical supplies; it would be in your best interest not to get hurt that badly.
What to bring
As always, there is a bed and shower provided for you but virtually nothing else. Make sure to bring:
- A towel and toiletries
- Athletic Shoes and a change of clothes if you plan on using the gym
- Money. There is no ATM at the Center
- Poster of your best lesson.
Tatami Party
A dinner was held on the 14th from 18:30. Dinner cost ¥1,500.
Presentations
Easily Adaptive Activities
Do you ever struggle for lesson ideas? Feel like you don’t have enough time to make an awesome activity? Need to pull a last-minute game out of thin air? All-purpose activities can help! Whether you teach in elementary school, junior high, or high school, a few flexible lesson ideas can go a
long way. This workshop will focus on games that can be used for a wide variety of lessons and grammar points, adaptable classroom activities, and how to make the most of your preparation time.
Get into Your Students` Shoes: French
The aim of this workshop is to remind attendees how one can get lost very quickly when in a foreign language environment, to give them a taste of the feelings and difficulties that their own students can experience sometimes. Even though all of us have been in a foreign language class and
have learned a second or third language, many of us have forgotten what it's like to go through the process since it has been a few years. If you already know French, do not come to this workshop since it will be geared toward people with no knowledge of the language.
Elementary School Activities
As the focus on English education in Japan grows, ALTs and JTLs are teaching more often at elementary schools. This presentation will introduce activities and team teaching strategies for 1-6th grade elementary school English. This presentation will be especially helpful for those who will be working with 1-4th years where no textbook is required, and you may be asked to take a leading role in the design of their curriculum. This presentation has been designed to help give you a variety of activities that can help in the elementary classroom setting. We will also demonstrate a number of games and activities that can be tailored to suit a variety of lessons in the 5th and 6th grade and the eigo noto text.
Internationalization in the Classroom
Creative ways of how to incorporate internationalisation into the classroom at any level. Two main examples:
1. Educating students about the world through travel experiences. Using technology and original printed materials to enhance learning and understanding about other countries/cultures.
2. Connect with people around the world by having students teach people around the world about Akita through handmade travel brochures. In return the recipients of the brochures send photos of themselves and their country with the students works, making the exercise a true exchange.
Teaching with Technology
Are you looking for ways to teach without relying on the standard textbooks and handouts? In this workshop we will discuss how to use technology to improve your lessons, assist your students in their studies and foster an interest in English outside of the classroom. We will discuss resources for teachers and students, software, hardware and web 2.0.
JHS Activities: Engaging Your Students
Formal English education begins at the JHS level. The English curriculum becomes much more focused on grammar and passing the high school entrance exam. So what is the ALTs role in all of this? While it most certainly varies by situation, we hope at least part of that role is to remind the students that English is a living, breathing language. Our main focus will be on warm-up activities and review games that will help the students apply their English knowledge while having fun! These activities can be adapted to fit any topic in the textbook and the different teaching styles of the JTE. Let's Enjoy English!
Senior High School Activities
High School ALTs are often overwhelmed with the responsibility of designing and delivering countless novel activities that take up entire classes. We are further requested to create activities that complement what the Japanese teacher is currently teaching. In brief, High School ALTs are required to be not only teachers but curriculum designers. Thus, this year’s presentation will give focal attention to curriculum design. Attention will also be given to activity sharing and JTL/ALT activity planning in an endeavor to inspire ALTs to view this overwhelming responsibility as not a burden, but rather, a creative opportunity to kindle within our students a genuine interest in learning English.
See also
| Skills Development Conference | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Year Conference | 2008 • 2009 • 2010 | |||||||||
| Skills Development Conference | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
