Morning Session

9:40 AM – 10:00 AM Registration  

10:00 AM – 10:05 AM Opening Remarks

10:10 AM – 11:10 AM Presentation 1: Invited Speaker

Title: Thematic Coding: Looking for Patterns in Survey Data

Presenter: Andy Boon, Toyo Gakuen University

In this presentation, the presenter will describe a qualitative research study he conducted to gather stories about how and why English teachers started in the profession and why they continue to teach (Boon & Yanase, 2023). He will explain the steps of deciding the research theme and tool, creating and piloting the survey, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing it up. The audience will be encouraged to examine an exemplar to see the themes that can emerge through data analysis.

11:10 AM – 11:20 AM Break

11:20 AM – 12:05  AM Presentation 2: Invited Speaker

Title: Designing a Critical Thinking Course

Presenter: Andy Boon, Toyo Gakuen University

The presenter will give an overview of a critical thinking course he developed for 4th-year returnee students that made use of the critical thinking activities from Hadley & Boon, 2023. The presenter will describe the syllabus, the lessons, the activities, and the means of assessment. The aim is to support and inspire ideas for language teachers to foster a critical mindset in our students to help prepare them for an increasingly complex, information-saturated world.

12:05 AM – 1:20 PM Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

1:20 PM – 2:20 PM Presentation 3

Title: Empowering Beginner English Language Writers: Developing CEFR-Aligned Writing Materials for Pre-A1 and A1 Levels

Presenter: Engel Villarreal, Tsuchiura Nihon University Secondary School: This presentation details and action research for developing writing materials and activities for Japanese Pre-A1 to A1 CEFR-level English language learners. Research has shown that Japanese learners said levels need support to address the cognitive load issue associated with writing by promoting mastery of fundamental writing skills required to succeed in higher-level writing tasks. Such support is particularly essential in the areas of orthographic control and graphomotor fluency, underscoring the need to develop scaffolded activities and incorporate deliberate practice into ESL instruction to support learners who are still grappling with basic writing issues. Though a case study, we will go through the process of developing these teaching materials, highlighting the unique challenges developing CEFR-aligned writing materials at this particular level poses, particularly in assessing writing and the lack of detailed descriptors at CEFR levels Pre-A1 to A1. By the end of the session, participants will not only have gained insight into the challenges of developing CEFR-aligned materials, but will also have learned practical strategies and scalable tools for developing teaching materials to empowering even beginner CEFR level learners to write

2:20 PM – 2:30 PM Break

2:30 PM – 3:10 PM Presentation 4

Title: My Teaching—Changing; Evolving? Devolving?

Presenter: Martin Pauly, University of Tsukuba

My methods have changed over the years; stricter, especially organization of the first day.  Influenced by the teachings of Marc Helgesen, I have incorporated physical activities (i.e., One-minute Exercise, Sign Language, individual student tasks).   But in other areas (e.g., evaluations) I feel I may be considered not strict enough. I welcome you, as a student, to join The First Day of Class.  

3:15 PM – 3:55 PM  Presentation 5

Title: Mock Teaching Demonstration

Presenter: Tim Cook, Iryo Sosei University

English instructors sometimes teach in situations where they lack peer feedback on their instruction. This session is to allow me to demonstrate a reading lesson as an example of what he I teach this semester to three different first-year university classes of differing abilities, although all within the CERF A1 or Beginner level. I endeavor to maintain a communicative approach to teaching but typically end up speaking more than I would like. My aim in this demonstration is to receive feedback on how I may improve my instruction as well as to share teaching ideas that others may find useful. Your participation is most appreciated.

3:55 PM – 4:00 PM Closing Remarks