Date: Sunday, July 13, 2:00 — 4:00 p.m.
Place: Hokkai Gakuen University, Building 6 (subway building), 3rd floor, Room C-31
Cost: Free for JALT members; 500 yen for guests

いつ日本語を使うべきか。And when should we use English?

Presenter: Michael Critchley, Josai International University

Abstract: This presentation will focus on issues of Japanese support in the English class. In the first part of the session, we will discuss the pros and cons of L1 support within the framework of recent research on student learning and motivation, as well as from the teacher’s perspective of classroom management.

In the second session, we will look to minimize in-class Japanese talk by formulating the right balance of L1 support in ELT materials. I will use examples from textbooks to prompt group discussion about the role of L1 and/or English in objectives, focus on form, communicative activities, role plays and assessment.

Bio: Mike Critchley is from British Columbia Canada. As a language learner, he has taken classes in Italy, Germany, Japan and Thailand with mixed results (but all instructive). As a teacher, he has worked in Berlin at a Berlitz-type school, and then for the last 17 years at Josai International University in Chiba. After getting an MEd in TESOL, he has been trying to capture some of this experience in the form of materials and articles.