Skills Development Conference 2016
The 2016 Skills Development Conference (外国語指導助手の指導力等向上研修) was held on October 24th-25th at the Prefectural Education Center in Tenno.
Details
- Check in:
Day One: 09:30-09:50
Day Two: 09:00-09:30
- Dress: Formal Business Attire
What to Bring
For those lucky enough to be staying in the dorms at the Center, there is a bed and a shower provided for you but almost nothing else. You will need to bring:
- A towel (and a small towel for the onsen) and toiletries;
- Indoor athletic shoes if you plan on using the gym;
- Cash. There is no ATM at the Center. The vending machines for meal tickets accept notes of ¥1000.
Meals
The cafeteria at the Education Center served a different set menu each day.
Dinner Party
The SDC dinner was hosted by Charity Akita and catered by Me~GO (ミ～ゴ) who provided both non-vegetarian and vegetarian taco rice options. The meal was served with a selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Dinner costed ¥1,500 and proceeds were donated to AkitaFROG, a local children's play park located in the Sakura area of Akita City. Dinner was served at 6PM in the Akita Prefectural Education Center Cafeteria. Funds were collected on the day of the conference. Further details here.
Presentations
Special Lecture: Some Ideas for Engaging Students in Learning English
Dr Yasuhiko WAKAARI
File:Special Lecture SDC2016.pdf
Elementary School Activities
Dorene Yamaguchi & John Lennon
Are you finding it difficult to come up with new lessons and activities? Are you looking for interactive lessons that keep the kids engaged? I will share some of my unique and successful classroom activities and provide you with some of my tools created for those lessons so you can use them in the future. You will also work together to brainstorm new ideas to meet your interests and student needs. Let's have some fun!
Junior High School Activities
David Wilson & Nicholas Asquith
In this interactive workshop Nick and Dave demonstrate a few fun class activities commonly covered in the junior high school curriculum. They will also discuss how to find or create appropriate activities for more specific lesson requirements.
Senior High School Activities
Sasha Ryan & Keith Ikoma
When students recognize that they can really use their English to interact positively with others, it makes the classroom a joyful place for us all. In this session, Keith and Sasha will share some of the activities they use to get their high school students involved, motivated and ready to use their English for real communication. They will also invite you to share your own ideas, and will propose some views on how team teaching roles between JTE and ALT can be effectively divided.
Activities for Students with Special Needs
Jonathon Morris & Karl Booth
Are you looking for ways to enrich the learning experience of your special needs students? If so, this is where you need to be! We all want to get the most out of our lessons, so we'll discuss issues surrounding ALTs in special needs education and provide you with a variety of 'tried and tested' activities to implement in your classes. We welcome you to share your ideas and experiences with us. See you there!
Effective Lessons and Team Teaching
Cari Johnson & Nozumu Kurosawa
Looking for some lesson inspiration or pointers? The workshop will cover warm-ups and lesson plans through an engaging (cat-themed) demo, appropriate for JHS and SHS students. Participants should leave with fresh teaching ideas and strategies for improving team-teaching communication.
Teaching with Technology
Kei Lam
Are you curious about using technology in the English classroom but are technologically inept? Afraid of a steep learning curve? Fret not. I will show you six ways to use technology in the classroom that are so easy, a caveman can do it.
The Linguistics of English and Japanese
Jessica Fareri and Shereen Perera
An introduction to the linguistics of Japanese and English. This workshop will present an introductory comparison of Japanese and English linguistics. Followed by an interactive discussion focusing on how linguistic patterns of both Japanese and English together with cultural differences can influence communication and English language instruction."
Coaching Speech Contest Students
Brianna Hom
To succeed at the annual speech contest, a student needs to do more than simply memorize their speech. English speeches also require elements such as intonation, pronunciation, projection, and gestures--areas that ALTs or JTEs might not be familiar with teaching. This workshop aims to introduce methods for coaching speech students in these areas as well as advising on student selection, speech content, and team coaching between the JTEs and ALTs.
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 | ||||||
