ALT Agorà – March 08, 2022 – Register Now!
While the school year is reaching its end, our monthly professional development event never stops. This time we have reduced the number of speakers to just two for a very simple reason: they are both too awesome! We apologize for putting you in the difficult position of having to choose only one!
When: March 08, 2022 @7:30pm JST
Where: Zoom CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
***Please update your Zoom software to the latest version**
How to join: the link will be sent to your email address.
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This month join us to talk about the following topics!
Room 1: Exploring Interactive Listening Skills in the Classroom
Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (Nagoya University of Commerce and Business)
Listening tasks can help learners to engage with the input or with each other when listening. Traditionally, listening approaches emphasize using product-based tasks which focus strictly on a language or grammar point, correct answers form the text, or answer-oriented questions. However, a recent shift towards using process-based tasks give learners the opportunity to use reflective tasks. These tasks provide learners with more evaluative and communicative opportunities to think about their listening approach (Goh, 2018). This session will encourage discussion based on product-based and process-based approaches to listening. The session will briefly introduce Goh’s (2018) five listening tasks (i.e., communicative, one-way, two-way, metacognitive and perception) to encourage discussion around how these tasks can be used in a three-stage listening lesson. Understanding the range of listening tasks available can help educators to prioritize learner opportunities while using structured pedagogic guidance in their L2 listening lessons.
Room 2: The Importance of Professional Development for Teachers
Tanja McCandie (Cambridge University Press and Assessment)
This presentation will focus on the various avenues for continual professional development related to English language teaching. It will outline the differences in types of qualifications, raise awareness regarding understanding local context, and discuss the importance of knowing what employers are wanting and expecting when they hire.
The speakers that will join us for this event are:
Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (Nagoya University of Commerce and Business)
Naheen Madarbakus-Ring is a lecturer at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business in Japan. She has taught in South Korea, the UK and New Zealand. Naheen received her PhD in Applied Linguistics from Victoria University of Wellington (NZ). Her research areas include listening strategies, curriculum design, and material development.
Tanja McCandie (Cambridge University Press and Assessment)
Tanja McCandie has been involved in English education for over 20 years and has taught in various contexts in Canada, the UK, and Japan. She is the founder of www.equityeltjapan.net, is an award-winning presenter, and the lead teacher training and senior tutor for Cambridge University Press and Assessment in Japan. Her research interests include gender, teacher education, and leadership.
Nicholas J. Wilson
Nicholas J. Wilson is an elementary and junior high school English teacher and curriculum developer fostering students’ digital literacy through foreign language education. He is a Level 1 & 2 Google Certified Educator and Level 1 Adobe Creative Educator in charge of supporting the professional development of English and Japanese teachers as a mentor, area leader, and member of the local board of education’s Digital Transformation Committee. His current research focuses on exploring the potential of the metaverse as a learning environment. He is also an active JALT officer involved in planning, promoting, and coordinating regional events and national conferences, and the founder and organizer of ALT Agorà, a series of monthly webinars designed for assistant language teachers, part of the ALT Training Online grassroots initiative.
