Our July chapter meeting brought together languageLa educators for an afternoon of workshops and presentations exploring classroom inquiry, writing instruction, and learner confidence.

The program featured Noriko Nagai on interpreting classroom experiences through theoretical perspectives, Clay Bussinger on practical and scaffolded approaches to teaching writing, and Abdollah Dodangch on fostering self-esteem and self-efficacy through collaborative EFL activities.

Our February chapter meeting brought together language educators for an afternoon of presentations exploring document design, artificial intelligence, and physical training in language education.

The program featured Naomi Takagi on teaching document design in a college English course, Naoko Ochiai on using AI to encourage student engagement and expression, and Abdollah Dodangch on the role of physical training in supporting confident EFL learners. The meeting concluded with an Ibaraki JALT business meeting.

Ibaraki JALT and the CEFR & Language Portfolio SIG joined together for an afternoon exploring speaking assessment and pronunciation instruction in the English language classroom.

The program featured invited speaker Dina Tsagari of Oslo Metropolitan University, who led a workshop on teaching and assessing speaking, and Juan Pablo Rodriguez-Gomez, who presented research on vowel production training and its relationship to affective factors in language learning.

Our July chapter meeting brought together educators for a hybrid day of presentations exploring professional life, labor issues, and professional development in language education and Japanese higher education.

The program featured Martin Pauly on conflict resolution and labor activities, Julia Kimura on women’s experiences in academia and labor activism, Theron Muller on employment precarity in Japanese higher education, and Gabriela Schmidt on the CEFR and Exploratory Action Research as tools for professional development.

Our May chapter meeting brought together language educators for a day of presentations exploring well-being, self-esteem, and empathy in language education.

The program featured invited speaker Chiyuki Yanase on learner and teacher well-being, Abdollah Dodangeh on the role of self-esteem and resilience in language learning, and Deborah Grow on practical approaches to teaching empathy in the EFL classroom.