Conference Review

Pan-SIG 2012 Literacy: SIGnals ofEmergence, Hiroshima

Jennie Roloff Rothman
International Christian University
In June 2012, on a weekend mid-month, language educators from across Japandescended upon the Higashi Hiroshima campus of Hiroshima University for the
11th JALT Pan-Special Interest Group (Pan-SIG) conference. Attendees wereable to see presentations from 22 different SIGs, each sharing unique approaches
or research related to teaching.
The opening plenary on Saturday, sponsored by the Computer-Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) SIG, was Dr. Thomas Cobb, creator of The
Compleat Lexical Tutor (Lextutor) web site. His talk “Literacy: SIGnals ofemergence” addressed the current redefining of literacy in the 21st century. The
core of his presentation was the idea that second language (L2) learners must
now be able to deconstruct multimedia documents that, while informative
to first language learners, may overwhelm L2 readers with so much detail thatcomprehension is impeded or impossible. Normal contextual cues only add tothe burden of a language learner, rather than open up the content for deeper
understanding. Cobb introduced and demonstrated new elements of Lextutor
that help to address these challenges. One such improvement is the inclusion ofvideos or audio files to combine reading and listening exercises. By uploading
video or audio and creating a transcript, students can improve core literacy skills
while developing the new literacy skills.
Dr. Toshihiko Shiotsu, whose presentation was sponsored by the Testingand Evaluation (TEVAL) SIG spoke later in the day about his research into
the component skills that L2 readers use to understand written texts. Findings67Roloff Rothman

included making a connection between high listening comprehension skills andbetter reading ability.
On Sunday, the plenary sponsored by the Global Issues in Language Education(GILE) SIG, was Dr. Hiromi Nagao, who gave a somewhat impassioned plea
for standardization in the field of judicial interpreting in Japan. At the moment,
there are currently no official qualifications for this role, and ambiguity could
impact someone’s life forever. Both language ability (English as well as Japanese)and cultural understanding are crucial for effective testimony, as it will not be thedefendant’s words that are recorded, but the interpreter’s. Nagao described one
situation where sentencing hinged on the translation of the word interesting. A
Thai woman who was on trial for shoplifting a cake had her reason interpreted
as omoshiroi, however, it was not until further questioning, that her full meaning
became clear. It was not the act of stealing that was interesting, but the unusual
shape of the cake, which she had never seen and wanted to share with her daughter.
If not for the interpreter’s diligence, a much harsher outcome could have resulted
due to unclear translation. It is these types of situations that Nagao believes needs
standardization the most urgently.
Two other presentations I particularly enjoyed were on Saturday afternoon.
James York from Tokyo Denki University walked participants through a way inwhich he teaches students about emotions through the understanding of online
memes and creation of online comics. York moderates a thread (sub-Reddit)on the social media site Reddit that allows his students to explore the Internet
while engaging in real, natural communication with English speakers around theworld. He shared several pieces of student work that have reached the front pageof Reddit because of their popularity within the online global community. It left
me inspired to explore how I might introduce this to my media studies students.
Mayumi Fujioka presented on pragmatically appropriate language for peer
feedback activities. She introduced materials based on Brown & Levinson’s(1987) concept of “from praise to critique” for promoting peer feedback in theuniversity writing classroom. She shared an extensive review of research before
inviting those in the audience to brainstorm possible ways to use or adapt thetechniques of peer feedback in their contexts.
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The break room conveniently doubled as the poster presentation room, soattendees were able to casually peruse the posters over a cup of coffee or pieceof chocolate. As with the overall structure of the conference, the poster session
mirrored the variety of topics. Yuko Sugiyama displayed activities for teaching
about Japan’s impact on the great world as a result of globalization, while Andy
Boon laid out an extensive reading program with a student-purchased library atits core. David Williams shared the experiences of student participants in theDisney World College internship program at DisneyWorld in the United States.
The conference was highly enjoyable, much like the previous year, so ingeneral, there were few issues. The location was a bit remote from the nearest
station, and bus service was limited. While not a major problem, the rainy
weather on Saturday made it a bit of a hassle. Perhaps next year’s conference
could be at a facility more easily accessible by train, bus and taxi. The conference
booklet also proved to be a bit challenging to navigate. Clear side labels suggested
it was sorted by SIG, but it was actually organized by room, which was noted in
the top corner of each page and rather difficult to see. The master schedule wasprinted on an insert that I misplaced a few times. This separation of the scheduleand abstracts led me to take several looks to find what I was looking for in thebooklet. I think simply sorting by SIGs with a master schedule printed in thebooklet would have been a better approach.
These small issues notwithstanding, Pan-SIG 2012 was a wonderfulexperience, and it continues to be one of my favorite conferences to attend inJapan. It is highly recommended to those who want to focus on one or two
specific sub-fields as well as those who wish to explore a variety of themes within
the field of language teaching in Japan.

References

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness. Cambridge, England:Cambridge University Press.

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Author’s bio

Jennie Roloff Rothman is an instructor in the English for Liberal Arts Program atInternational Christian University. She received her MA in TESOL from Teachers
College Columbia University. Her areas of interest include: academic writing, peer
feedback, writing centers, tutor training and development of critical thinking skills.
roloffrothman@gmail.com
Received: August 3, 2012
Accepted: January 14, 201370