The School House Volume 32 Issue 3
To all our TYL SIG members,
Spring is here and with it we are all in the throes of the start of the new academic year here in Japan. We hope this issue will give you a little break as you read it.
We have three ‘new’ officers to introduce to you. I write ‘new’, as some of the names may be familiar to you. In no definite order they are Robert Chartrand, Ellie Fujimoto, and Alex Crockett. Robert is a long-time member of JALT and has served in a variety of capacities. His expertise and experience will be a great addition to your already hard-working team. Ellie is a newer member and as such brings a fresh perspective and energy to the team. Last, but not least is Alex who has been with us for a little while and came straight in to help with publications, and already, more behind the scenes, he is an established member.
Generally, our spring issue is our SIG News, updates, and therefore focuses on introductions. Nevertheless, this in no way sidelines or diminishes the submissions and we are delighted to include Ivan Botev’s article titled: Picture books & Project-Based Learning: A Synergistic Approach to Deep Learning. His article discusses the integration of picture books into a task-based framework. There is a plethora of ways to integrate picture books into younger learners’ classrooms, so I am sure you will find this article interesting and informative.
If you have not yet submitted anything to The School House, why not make 2025 the year you do? You can submit an article about an activity, a website you use and how you use it, about a book you use or have read, or a teaching tip, as well as some research if you have done some. Photos are also always welcome, too! Again, there is no pressure to share, and either way, we hope you enjoy being a part of the SIG; if you come to a conference, please come and say, ‘Hi!’. Finally, a gentle reminder, The School House accepts submissions on an ongoing basis for the three annual issues (Autumn/Winter/Spring).
So, please feel free to send your article to us at any time, and we will help you through the publication process to see your name in print!
Best wishes, Kate & Gaby
Articles:
TYL SIG New Officer Introductions
Picturebooks & Project-Based Learning: A Synergistic Approach to Deep Learning - Ivan Botev, Toita Women’s College
JALT Junior Update
The School House Volume 32 Issue 2
To all our TYL SIG members,
Here we are in the depths of winter, but spring and the new academic year will be here before we know it. At this time, we hope you are well and can get some down time over the upcoming Spring Break.
This issue of The School House is packed with ideas we hope will bring renewed energy and a fresh spark into your classroom. It starts off with Pak M. Au’s Five Ways to Manage a Japanese Classroom. More classroom ideas come from Sylvia Borg in her two articles that cover ideas for implementing grammar and for building motivation: A Novel Approach to Teaching There is and There are to Elementary and Junior High Children and First and Second Conditionals to High School Students and Five Activities to Build Motivation for Young EFL Learners. Sandwiched between those two authors, is Frances Shiobara’s report about the 21st Century Language Teaching Conference 2024 in Naha Okinawa. If you need any motivation or an excuse to visit Okinawa, please make a note as this is an annual event. The final article for this issue is a research article entitled Inquiry into Creating Supplementary Teaching Materials for Small Talk Activities: Understanding Primary School Teachers’ Concerns and Needs by Yoko Kita. While small talk activities may seem like an easy component to add to classes, in fact the quick thinking, spontaneity, and improvisation required for natural sounding small talk is incredibly challenging for non-native speakers of any language. This article calls for more varied resources to be made available to primary school teachers to help them gain confidence and reduce anxiety when implementing small talk into their classes.
Please remember The School House accepts submissions on an ongoing basis for the three annual issues. So, when you have put pen to paper, please feel free to send your article to us, and we will help you through the publication process to see your name in print!
Best wishes,
Kate & Gaby
Articles:
Five Ways to Manage a Japanese Classroom - Pak M. Au, Ehime University
21st Century Language Teaching Conference 2024 in Naha Okinawa - Frances Shiobara, Kobe Shoin Women’s University
A Novel Approach to Teaching "There is" and "There are" to Elementary and Junior High children and First and Second Conditionals to High School Students - Sylvia Borg, Saitama Medical University
Five Activities to Build Motivation for Young EFL Learners - Sylvia Borg, Saitama Medical University
21st Century Language Teaching Conference 2024 in Naha Okinawa - Frances Shiobara, T
JALT Junior Update
The School House Volume 32 Issue 1
Welcome, I hope you have had a good summer, although I have found it overly hot, even up here in Hokkaido. This edition of the JALT Teaching Younger Learners Special Interest Group publication has different contents, as well as a slightly different look.
What’s inside? We want to let you know a little more about what we, officers, have been doing. First is a word from our SIG president Erin Noxon. Other contributions are from Paul Nation (Treasurer) ,
Gaby Benthien (co-publications), Martin Sedaghat (Officer at Large), Frances Shiobara, and Masako Morikawa (Programs co-chairs). We also have a very comprehensive article on PBL from Ross Vida Anne Motos.
My role as publications chair is to receive submissions, look them over, and get the wonderful team to help polish them up for publication. If you want to see your name in print, please send me an article! We accept all kinds of articles; from lesson plans to activities, and research articles, all are welcome.
Please don’t be shy!
Kate
Editor
Articles:
Officer Updates - Erin Noxon, Paul Nanton, Gaby Benthien, Martin Sedaghat, Frances Shiobara, Masako Moriwaki
Project-Based Learning in ESL Settings: Enhancing Language Education through Real-World Application for Younger Learners of English - Anne Motos, ESL Instructor at LCA Kokusai Shogakko & University of the Philippines Open University
Navigate to the other pages to see the archive of all our former issues.