CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

In this issue:

FIVE FEATURE ARTICLES,ONE PREMIER
INTERVIEW
ARTICLESARTICLES ON WELLBEING, HUMOR,
PUBLISHING, TECH, &CLASSROOM SEATSCUE CIRCULARISSUE 13DECEMBER

2023

News and articles from the JALT College and University Educators Special Interest Group

CUE Circular back in full force!
After a long break we are very excited to share with you some articles that we believe you willfind useful in your career as a teacher. In this issue, contributors share ideas on mental
wellbeing as a teacher, using humor in your teaching, how to keep moving forward withpublications, implementing technological tools (Etherpad and Vocaroo), and using seating
charts. Please enjoy! Also, consider what valuable insights you can provide in our next issue.
This issue of the CUE Circular also introduces Joseph Oliver and Kim Bradford-Watts as coeditors, taking over the helm from long-term editor Steve Paton. We are sad to see Steve go,
but we are in contact with him to provide us with guidance as we present more articles with apedagogical bent.
A new feature in CC is premiering here, the Veteran Teacher Voices column as a series ofinterviews with retired or retiring teachers. Their wisdom and experiences should not be lost,so enjoy our first one about Diane Nagatomo.

Joseph Oliver & Kim Bradford-Watts, Co-editors
Glen Hill, CUE Publications chair

JALT CUE SIG

2

Roundup of CUE activities in 2023.

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

On May 14, 2023, the PanSIG forum wastitled “Grazing the Tertiary English Field Pathways of Cross-Disciplined Educators”
with presentations by Frederick Bacala,Gavin
O'Neill,andParvathyRamachandran.
Our 30th anniversary conference was held
on September 15-18 at the University of
Toyama, in the city where CUE itself wasconceived and founded in 1993. We were
honored by the presence of founder Gillian
Kay, who came from London to present andtalk to the masses as well as just see how
CUE has evolved over the past three
decades. Thanks to Theron Muller, too,for being a great site chair!
CUE’s forum at JALT International was on
November 25 with a theme of “The Purposeof Publishing: Getting Back to the Basics”.
The panel consisted of Programs Chair
Victoria Thomas hosting, and speakers
Melodie Cook, Joël Laurier, George
MacLean, Greg Rouault, and Kinsella
Valies. They spoke on various aspects ofgetting published, including how to submit,
what reviewers and editors think & do, andhow to make use of JALT’s Writing Peer
Support Group.
CUE also held its Annual General Meetingfor the first time as an online event without
interfering with attendance at JALTInternational. The newest group of officers
was announced as follows:
Coordinator: Fred Bacala
Treasurer: Gavin O’Neill
Publicity: Mariana Oana Senda
Programs: Tosh Tachino, Joël Laurier
Publications: Glen Hill
Awardees of the 2023 CUE grants were alsoannounced as follows:
Research grant – Nadiia Zaitseva
Conference grants – Joël Laurier, Tosh
TachinoFor more on CUE grants, see the link below
or the QR code on the right.
https://jaltcue.org/content/cue-grants-and-awards

JALT CUE SIG

3

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Feature articles
Promoting Teacher Well-being: Strategies for a
Healthy and Sustainable Workforce.

5

Chiyuki Yanase

Humor in the English Language Classroom:
Insights from Learners.
John Rucynski

7

Publish or Perish? Publish and Flourish!
Julia Kimura

10

Incorporating Technology in our English Classrooms:
A Vignette.
Theron Muller & Jerry Talandis, Jr.
Assigning Seats—Does It Make a Difference?
Ian Willey

12
14
14

Veteran Teacher Voices
An interview with Diane Nagatomo
Steve Paydon & Robert Dilenschneider

16

We are always looking for some nice photos ofcollege or university campuses, especially forthe four seasons, but also if there is someinteresting interior features, too. If you or yourstudents have something to submit, pleasecontact us! cuesigcc@gmail.com
JALT CUE SIG

4

Feature articles
Promoting Teacher
Well-being: Strategies
for a Healthy andSustainable Workforce
Chiyuki Yanase, Chuo
University
Chiyuki has been teaching
English for >30 years at
various institutions andholds an MSc in TESOL
from Aston University.
Her research focuses ondeveloping autonomy,
creativity, and selfefficacy of learners aswell as teacher wellbeing.
chiyanase@gmail.com

Have you ever experienced burnout or felt
overwhelmed during a hectic semester? If
you are an experienced and devoted teacher,your answer might be, “yes!” However, you
may reply, “no” if someone asks if you haveever sought any help.
Although teacher well-being is an essential
aspect of teaching and learning, it is often
overlooked. While our focus is generally on
student
achievement
andlanguageacquisition, the physical and mental healthof the teacher plays a significant role in theoveralleffectivenessoflanguage
instruction. We are not only responsible for
imparting knowledge and skills to ourstudents, but also for facilitating a positiveand supportive learning environment.
Research has shown that teacher well-being
is directly linked to student achievement
and overall classroom effectiveness (Bakker& Demerouti, 2007). Teachers who feel welland fully supported are more likely to be
motivating and inspiring in the classroom
andfacilitateapositivelearning
environment for their students. Conversely,
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

teachers who are experiencing stress orburnout may struggle to engage with theirstudents and may not be as effective in theirteaching.
There are a number of factors that can
impact language teacher well-being,
includingworkload,classroom
management, and the lack of support fromschool or district leadership. Teachers may
often experience excessive stress due tounprecedented working conditions such as
the introduction of Emergency Remote
Teaching that occurred in 2020 (Tsang etal., 2022). At that time, many teachers had
to deal with anxiety and a sense ofhopelessness on their own without
sufficient help. The scarcity of support at
educational institutions needs to beaddressed and revised.
In order to enhance teacher well-being, it isimportant for educational institutions todevelop less stressful working conditions
with manageable workloads and sufficient
time for teachers to rest and create
supportive work environments. Teachers
also need to proactively seek practices toboost our positive outlook and motivation.
In this article, I suggest a number ofactivities which promote well-being andincorporate it into our language teachingpractice.
One activity for promoting teacher wellbeingismindfulness
meditation.
Mindfulness meditation involves focusing
on the present moment and paying
attention to one's thoughts and feelings in a
non-judgmental way. Research has shownthat mindfulness meditation can help
reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing (Hoge et al., 2013). Language teachers
can incorporate mindfulness meditation
into their daily routine by setting aside a few
minutes each day to sit quietly and focus on
their breathing before going to work or
before a class starts. This can help us tobecome more aware of our thoughts andemotions and to develop coping strategies
5for managing stress.
Another way to promote well-being is
physical exercise. Exercise has been shownto have a number of benefits for physicaland mental health, including reducing
stress and improving mood (Naylor et al.,2016). You can incorporate physicalexercise into your daily routine by going fora walk or run, participating in a yoga class,or joining a sports team on weekends. On
busy weekdays, walking to the station,
cycling to the next station on the way towork, or doing a short workout or yoga forten minutes can be helpful. Doing physicalactivities can be a great way for you torelieve stress and improve your well-being.
In addition to mindfulness meditation andphysical exercise, you can also promote yourwell-being by participating in professional
development opportunities. Professional
development can help us improve ourteaching skills and knowledge, which canincrease your confidence and overall job
satisfaction. You can participate inprofessional development opportunities byattending workshops or conferences,joining professional organizations, or taking
online courses. Such action can also be an
opportunity to connect with other teachingprofessionals to share teaching ideas andapproaches.
Finally, seeking support from colleagues
and school or district leadership canenhance our well-being. Having a
supportive network of colleagues canprovide teachers with a sense of communityand can help us feel less isolated in our
teaching practice. Language teaching can bea stressful and lonesome occupation, so
having a community to seek mental,
pedagogical, and social support from is
crucial. This can be done by having a chatwith colleagues during lunch break or
participating on a larger scale inprofessional learning communities such as
Online Teaching Japan (OTJ) on Facebook
and the Japan Association of Language
Teaching (JALT). Such personal or
professional communities can enhance acompassionate and healthy work culture by
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

providingongoing
support,communication, and resources to help us
succeed in our roles.
In conclusion, language teacher well-being
is an important factor that impacts theoveralleffectivenessoflanguage
instruction. By incorporating activities that
promote well-being into our teachingpractice, such as mindfulness meditation,
physical
exercise,
professional
development, and seeking support fromcolleagues or a teaching community, we can
improve our overall welfare and create apositiveandsupportive
learning
environment for our students.
References:
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The
job demands-resources model: State of theart. Journal of Managerial Psychology,
22(3),
309-328.
https://doi.org/10.1108/026839407107331
15
Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Marques, L., Metcalf, C.
A., Morris, L. K., Robinaugh, D. J.,
Worthington, J. J., Pollack, M. H., & Simon,
N. M. (2013). Randomized controlled trialof mindfulness meditation for generalized
anxiety disorder: Effects on anxiety andstress reactivity. The Journal of ClinicalPsychiatry,74(8),
786–792.
https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.12m08083
Naylor, C., Das, P., Ross, S., Honeyman, M.,
Thompson, J., & Gilburt, H. (2016).
Bringing together physical and mental
health: A new frontier for integrated care.
The
King'sFund.
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/defaul
t/files/field/field_publication_file/Bringin
g-together-Kings-Fund-March-2016_1.pdf
Tsang, K. K., Wang, G., & Bai, H. (2022).
Enabling school bureaucracy, psychologicalempowerment, and teacher burnout: A
mediation analysis. Sustainability, 14(4),2047.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042047

6

Humor in the English
Language Classroom:
Insights from Learners
John Rucynski, Okayama
University
John has been teachingat the university level
in Japan for nearly 20
years. His main
research interest is therole of humor inlanguage acquisitionand cross-culturalcommunicativecompetence. rucynsj@okayama-u.ac.jp

English language teachers often have a very
simple test for deciding whether humor iseffective in the classroom: laughter. But it isan oversimplification to state that laughtermeans that students appreciate the use ofhumor, and that silence means that thehumor should be abandoned. To get deeper
insights into Japanese university students’
perceptions of humor in their English
classes, we (Neff & Rucynski, 2017)
administered a survey to over 900
university students and conducted multiple
follow-up interviews. I would like to sharefour of the most important takeaways fromour study.
Humor is not only for advanced
proficiency students
Some teachers and researchers warn that
humor is too complex and culture-boundand thus should not be introduced until
learners reach advanced proficiency. While
this may be true of some forms of humor,teachers can easily modify the use ofhumor–just as they would adjust speaking
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

speed or use of vocabulary–to suit the levelof the class. According to our survey results,
lower proficiency students embraced humor
just as strongly as higher proficiency
students. In fact, more than a few survey
participants wrote comments such as, “I
don’t like studying English, so I want theteacher to make the class more interesting.”
While humor is far from the only tool formaking English classes “interesting,” it is a
powerful one.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was a generalconsensus among participants I conductedfollow-up interviews with that even if they
did not understand all the teacher’s
attempts at humor, they still appreciatedhow it can contribute to a positive classatmosphere. Nonetheless, humor can be adouble-edged sword in the classroom andstudents are likely to get frustrated if theteacher is constantly making culture-boundjokes that go over their heads. In fact,
another lesson is that….
Teachers should not overuse humor
Humor may be one of the most effective
tools in the teacher toolbox, but if it is youronly tool you will have great limitations as ateacher. While we may prepare for a dinnerparty with the adage that it is better to havetoo much food than not enough, we should
not necessarily take the same approach tohumor in our classes. The consensus among
students I interviewed was indeed that
humor has diminishing returns if overused.
While participants in our survey strongly
endorsed the inclusion of humor, there werealso numerous comments suggesting thelimitations of humor, such as:●“I want the teacher to use somehumor, but it’s not the only way to makeclass interesting.”
7●“Having a good sense of humor does

not necessarily mean the teacher is effectiveat actually teaching a second language.”
So, while a good sense of humor is a valuable
trait for teachers to have, so are compassion,
creativity, and kindness, among others.
Another lesson, however, is that when you
do use humor….
Make a connection with the classcontent
In one follow-up interview, a student told
me the story of a former teacher who
sometimes liked to start class with “a jokefrom his home country.” As a strong
advocate of humor in the classroom, I canclearly understand the teacher’s goodintentions of wanting to begin the class on afunny, positive note. According to thestudent, however, the problem was that “thejokes had nothing to do with the class andwe couldn’t get them.” Humorous resources
such as memes, cartoons, and puns cancertainly enhance language learning, butthey are much more effective (not tomention comprehensible!) when they havea direct connection with the class content
and are not just randomly used to (attemptto) get a laugh.
When teaching about the humor of the
English-speaking world, it is also importantthat the type of humor focused on isconnected to the curriculum. My colleague
and I have conducted studies with the aimof improving learner ability to understanddifferent types of English humor, including
satirical news (Prichard & Rucynski, 2019)and verbal irony (Prichard & Rucynski,2020), but all of our studies have been
inspired by learner comments and needs.
In several follow-up interviews, participants
who had studied abroad made comments
about how “it was difficult to understandwhen the local people are joking, as they use
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

a lot of sarcasm.” While teaching aboutverbal irony may not be necessary in a basic
university English speaking course, it can bevery valuable for learners preparing to study
abroad. However you incorporate humor
into your teaching, just be careful that you…
Don’t target students
While this final point should be common
sense, the problem is teachers may
unintentionally target students, as “goodnatured” joking can easily get lost intranslation. One complication of verbal
irony, for example, is that it is used not only
to criticize, but also to praise. Anotherfollow-up interview participant told thestory of how she once humbly told a foreign
English teacher, “I’m not good at English”
and was initially shocked when he replied,“Oh yeah, your English is terrible!” It took
some frantic explanation on the teacher’spart to explain to her that his true message
was, “Don’t be silly! You’re very good atEnglish.”A teacher friend also told me theunfortunate story of how he was doing an
end-of-term quiz game and one student was
doing particularly well, prompting him tojokingly ask, “Wow, are you cheating?!?” As
she was a good student with strong English
skills, he assumed she would get his“obvious” bantering. Unfortunately, sheinstead came to him after class crying andstrongly informed him that “I wasn’t
cheating!” The lesson learned was that evenif we think we have developed a certain
camaraderie with a class, we still have to becareful with the target of our humor.
Concluding thoughts
Humor is a powerful tool in the classroom,
but how it is used is often based merely onteacher intuition. The four tips explained
here are a reminder that our learners 8can

also teach us important lessons of how andwhen to use humor in our classes.

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

References
Neff, P., & Rucynski, J. (2017). Japaneseperceptions of humor in the English
language classroom. Humor, 30(3), 279–301.
https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2016-0066
Prichard, C., & Rucynski, J. (2019). Second
language learners’ ability to detectsatirical news and the effect of humor
competency training. TESOL Journal,
10(1), e00366.
https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.366
Prichard, C., & Rucynski, J. (2020). Humor
competency training for sarcasm andjocularity. In J. Rucynski Jr. & C. Prichard(Eds.), Bridging the humor barrier: Humor
competency training in English language
teaching (pp. 165-192). Lexington Books.

Did you know…?
You don’t have to be a CUE member
to submit an article to CUE Circular.
You can submit a photo for ourbanner, too, and get credit for it.
There are three new columns in the
CUE Circular. See the end of thisissue for more information!

Interested in writing for
the CUE Circular?
Articles are only 1.000 words long,
written in casual non-academic style,and they do not need extensive
references.
Contact the editor by email:cuesigcc@gmail.com

All back issues of CUE Circular are available on
the CUE SIG website:
https://jaltcue.org/cuecircular
JALT CUE SIG

9CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Publish or perish? Publish
and flourish!
Julia Kimura, Mukogawa
Women’s University

Julia earned her Ph.D.
from Temple University in
2021 and is now a lecturer
in the School of Pharmacy
and Pharmaceutical
Sciences at her university.
jkimura@mukogawau.ac.jp

Universities in Japan make hiring decisions
based in part on candidates’ publishing
track records. The same holds for adjunctlecturer positions, even though universities
provide many contingent faculty memberswith no support for research in the form oftime or money. In this essay, I share ideas
about how to find the words, motivation,and opportunities that will help you topublish—with or without institutional
support.
Before diving into my favourite tips, I would
like to encourage you to start small. For
those of us who would like to improve ouroral health, BJ Fogg (2020) encourages us
to start by flossing just one tooth. Similarly,
I enjoy running to manage stress. When I
first took up running, on the days I could not
find the motivation to head out the door, I
started by simply putting on my runningshoes. Lacing up is often the hardest part ofany run. Similar “gateway habits” (Clear,2018) include writing a single sentence, forthose of us who want to write a book, or just
opening your notes, for those of us studying
to earn a graduate degree. You get the idea.
Writer’s block? Read and think. And
relax!
One frustrating phenomenon that somewriters claim to experience is the so-called
JALT CUE SIG

writer’s block. I think of writer’s block likemonsters under the bed—if you believe inthem, they exist. I no longer believe that
there are monsters under my bed, nor do I
believe in writer’s block anymore, either.
For those of you who do believe in monsters
writer’s block, I offer you three potential
solutions. First, read more! A serendipitous
search in Google Scholar may help you findthe article you needed but did not evenknow that you needed it! Second, I
recommend the Zettelkasten method. We
all know that brains are a great place forcoming up with ideas, but not for storing
them. I suggest you take each gem of an idea
in your head and store it on a cue card
(analogue format) or in some kind ofnotetaking software, such as Notion (digitalformat). Then, shuffle your ideas aroundand consider the relationships among them.
You may get more insights or find a way tobetter organize your thoughts, and in turn,your writing. For more on the Zettelkasten
method see Ahrens (2017).
Finally, you might feel like you have beenstaring at your manuscript until it no longer
makes any sense. If this happens, consider
turning your attention to another project
while your manuscript sits on the
backburner and percolates. Looking at what
you have written with a fresh pair of eyes
later might help you (re)consider yourmanuscript in a different light.
Motivate this!
Like finding the motivation to put on ourrunning shoes, we need to remember our“why” when it comes to academic writing.
Sometimes we are extrinsically motivated,
be it by job hunting, or our employer’s
expectations. You might find that over time,
you grow to enjoy writing! Even if you do
not come to enjoy it, you might find thatwriting feels slightly less onerous than it did
before. I cannot honestly say I enjoy writing,but to be sure, I find it engaging, albeit
occasionally frustrating. On the days that I
find writing engaging, I am in a flow state.
On the days I cringe at what I have written,
I want to scream and set my manuscript on
fire.
10

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Finally, if you are plagued with inertia,
blocking writing time in your already busy
schedule can help make it happen. For thosedays I do not feel like writing, I have founda solution analogous to putting on myrunning shoes: Focusmate.com. Focusmate
provides virtual body-doubling: a self-help
strategy that involves working with anotherperson nearby or online to help improve
motivation and focus. This online coworking platform pairs me up with somerandom stranger on the internet. It is not as
weird as it sounds. On a 50-minute call, we
work on our tasks, and when the time is up,
we update each other on our progress. I
have got to know people from around theworld, and now I regularly book sessions
with people I enjoy working with. When I
schedule a session with Maria in Latvia, I
feel obligated to boot up my computer so I
can get to work because I know she iswaiting for me.

eventuality that your paper is rejected, you
can reassure yourself that you are aiming fora prestigious enough journal. A helpful
editor will advise you on what to improveand may also suggest a more suitable venue
for your work.

Have faith (in yourself)!
People who struggle with imposter
syndrome believe that they are undeservingof their achievements and the high esteem
in which they are, in fact, generally held.
They feel that they aren’t as competent or
intelligent as others might think—and thatsoon enough, people will discover the truth
about them (Psychology Today, n.d.).

References

Have you ever been plagued by impostor
syndrome? Even successful academics canbe plagued with self-doubt. Getting
feedback can help us improve our writing
skills and perhaps give our confidence aboost. Asking a friend or colleague is one
way to solicit feedback, but depending on
the person, the quality of the feedback may
be dubious.

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy andproven way to build good habits and breakbad ones. Penguin.

If you lack confidence in your writing, as a
JALT member, you are entitled to contact
our expert colleagues in JALT’s Writers’Peer Support Group for help (https://jaltpublications.org/psg). The members of thisteam help writers develop manuscripts for
submission to any publication. Additionally,
all JALT Special Interest Groups
andmany chapters have publications to which
you can submit your work. In the unhappy

Psychology
Today.
(n.d.).
Imposter
Syndrome.
In
Psychologytody.com.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basi
cs/imposter-syndrome

JALT CUE SIG

Conclusion
Thanks in part to my publications, I am
fortunate to have found a tenured position
in a faculty. I worked for a long time as amember of the contingent workforce.
Therefore, I will never take my position for
granted. However, while working as an
adjunct and suffering crippling impostor
syndrome, which sometimes still rears its
ugly head, I still managed to publish, and I
encourage CUE members to give it a try.
Even though you might not get support topublish from your employer, you can findseveral opportunities in JALT to publish
and flourish. Good luck!

Ahrens, S. (2017). How to take smart notes:
One simple technique to boost writing,learning and thinking for students,
academics and nonfiction book writers.
CreateSpace.

Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny habits: The smallchanges that change everything. Eamon
Dolan Books.

11

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Incorporating Technology in
our English Classrooms: A
Vignette
Theron Muller and Jerry
Talandis, Jr., University of
ToyamaDr. Muller, associate professor, haspublished and presented widely on writing
for academic publication, English language
teaching and learning, and teacher
development. theron@las.u-toyama.ac.jp

Jerry Talandis Jr., professor, is interested inpragmatics, learner autonomy, teacher
development, and most recently,
applications of generative AI in L2 writing
instruction. talandis@gmail.com

At our JALT2022 Technology in Teaching(TnT) workshop, we explained how we use
two technology tools in our language
classes: Etherpad (https://pad.riseup.net/),a simple document editor, and Vocaroo(https://vocaroo.com/), an online voicerecorder. As there are already extensive
guides on using technology in the language
classroom, such as TESOL’s Technology
Standards Framework (Healey et al., 2008),
here we summarize how we choose tools to
use in our classrooms, keeping in mind that
our starting point is that they bepedagogically useful. We explain how these
two tools are compatible with our thinking
about technology use in the classroom andsome of the different ways you can
incorporate them into your classes,
JALT CUE SIG

acknowledging that your imagination is thelimit in terms of how they can be used tohelp your students practice English.
While we want to take advantage ofstudents’ devices in the classroom, we’realso conscious of the variety of different
devices students have and the need forcross-compatibility. Further, we’re sensitive
to privacy issues and ongoing discussions
about the commodification of user data. As
such, we look for tools that:• Don’t require users to make anaccount, as our university already issues
students IT accounts. Managing
multiple accounts brings with it theneed to troubleshoot lost passwords andcan create a barrier to getting to thelanguage practice part of activities.
• Don’trequireinstallationofsoftware, such as apps. We’re interested
in tools that can be used via web
browsers on phones (and other devices)
sothat
they’recross-platform
compatible. Students may have older
phones that don’t support new softwareor their storage may already be full,
which would create a barrier to quick,efficient participation.
• Improve portability and shareability.
Students often already have IC
recorders on their phones, but being
able to share files is often problematic,
especially since our university’s
learning management system (LMS)
has a 10-megabyte upload limit. Thus,
we want sites where a text link issufficient to share data between
individuals, without the need todownload and send actual files.
The two tools we introduced, Vocaroo andEtherpad, fit all of these criteria. Vocaroo
serves as a replacement for students’ IC
recorder apps on their phones. It allows
recording speech via a web browser andsharing links to recorded files. Thus,
students can record their conversations(and monologues) and submit them orshare them with classmates withoutworrying about file size limitations or device
storage limits. Further, recordings areautomatically deleted after 30 days,
12

meaning students’ privacy is somewhat
protected.
Etherpad, a simple online text editor, wasthe basis for
Google Documents’simultaneous editing of documents. It is aserver-side software that allows anyone
with the link to an Etherpad document toedit text. It automatically assigns different
colors to different authors, making it easy to
track who is writing what in a document(not unlike Google Documents’ Suggest
Changes function). We feel Etherpad’s
advantage is simplified user permission
management; anyone with the link can edita document, meaning students can get towriting right away without worrying aboutaccount information, login credentials, orfile permission settings. Writing about
Etherpad may make using it sound a bit
intimidating. If you want to see it in action,
we’ve made a how-to video for you here:
https://youtu.be/en4Vrhx1zKA
In our presentation, we shared threedifferent activities incorporating these tools
in our lessons. The first showcased how
students can record a short one-minuteintroduction on Vocaroo and then share thelink to their recording via an Etherpad.
Topics could range from simple selfintroductions to comments on topics
currently being studied. After making andposting their recordings, students listen to
their classmates’ comments and then use
them as a starting point for further
discussion.
In the second activity, students first record
a short conversation in Vocaroo thentranscribe it in Etherpad. They then use ateacher-provided rubric to self-evaluate
their performance. Since it takes about ten
minutes to transcribe a minute of recorded
speech, we ask students to talk for about
three minutes. We found a simple rubric
worked best, with a few criteria closely tied
to course aims, making it easy for students
to track and assess. This takes some of theburden of providing feedback from theteacher and shifts autonomy to students tothink about their language performance andhow they could improve further.
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Our third activity involved students
preparing model conversations in one classthat were then used as jumping off points
for a subsequent lesson, where students
could practice using those studentgenerated
modelstohave
newconversations with different partners. In thefirst class, students write dialogs based on
pre-assigned topics and provide a few
questions that classmates can use to getstarted. While students work, the teacher
can access each separate Pad document andoffer assistance as needed. In the next class,students access the models, read throughthem, then chat about the different topics.
This activity is especially useful for review or
expansion.
For our workshop, we prepared a handout
that goes into detail about incorporatingthese tools into English lessons that you can
see
here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BKnZ6w5iDvGdCUOmPjodTD3SCcvN8P/

However, this is not an exhaustive list of
how these tools can be used in theclassroom; the limitations of theirapplication is the teachers’ (and students’)imagination, as well as our word count limit
for this circular.
In conclusion, we believe that online tools
should be chosen with care taking into
account their pedagogical effectiveness,
accessibility, how easily they can be
integrated into an existing curriculum, andcost-effectiveness (read: free). The powerfulcombination of Vocaroo + Etherpad fit allthese criteria. We encourage you to checkthem out for yourself and explore what they
can help you and your students accomplish!
References
Healey, D., Hegelheimer, V., Hubbard,
P., Ioannou-Georgiou, S., Kessler, G.,& Ware, P. (2008). TESOL Technology
Standards
Framework.
TESOL.
https://www.tesol.org/docs/default source/books/bk_technologystandards_framework_721.pdf

13

Assigning Seats—Does It
Make a Difference?
Ian Willey, Kagawa
University

Ian’s researchinterests include
English for specificpurposes (ESP)and medium of
instruction (EMI).
willey.ian.david@
kagawa-u.ac.jp

Lately, I have started to wonder if allowing
students to choose their seats was getting in
the way of learning. Students sit next totheir friends, whom they speak to in
Japanese, while those without nearby
friends are on their own. The classroom
becomes a collection of student islands,
each with its distinct dialect and climate,and often not very welcoming to the teacher.
Last semester, for the first time in mytwenty-plus-year career, I tried to alter thegeography of my classes by assigning seats.
Overview
I decided to use seating charts in twoclasses. The first was a group of first-year
Technology majors. The second wascomprisedofsecond-year
studentsmajoring in Nursing and Psychology (twodistinct majors). Table 1 gives the name andfocus of each course and a breakdown ofstudents by gender. The Technology
students were predominantly male while
the Nursing/Psychology majors were
mostly female (Table 1). I thought that thesetwo classes would be good choices for thisexperiment, as I would be able to gauge
reactions from two very different groups ofstudents.
Before the first class meeting of each course,
I obtained a layout of desks in eachclassroom and prepared a seating chartusing Excel. I had planned to use an online
JALT CUE SIG

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

TABLE 1
Courses Utilizing a Seating Chart by Name,
Year, Major, and Gender
Coursename &
content
Comm
Engl. II(TOEIC)Comm
Engl. IV
(Writing)

Female
(%)

Male
(%)

Technology

6
(21%)

22
(79%)

28

Nursing /Psychology

20
(91%)

2
(9%)

22

26

24

50

Year

Major

1

2

TOTAL

Total

number generator to arrange students
randomly but decided instead to adopt asemi-randomized approach. With the maledominant Technology class, I tried to place
female students near each other so that theywould not always be grouped or paired with
all-male groups. I arranged each chart sothat it would be easy to break students into
groups of three or four. On the first classmeeting, I showed students the seating
chart using the overhead projector(displaying only student numbers) andstudents found their seats.
I quickly found myself wondering why I had
never used seating charts before. Preparing
the seating charts required about an hour’s
work but this investment seemed worth it.
By printing out the charts and placing themon the podium I was able to memorize
students’ names more quickly. There wasalso no need to give students name cards,
which often get blocked or fall to the floor.
Also, I no longer had groups of silent
students sitting in the back, and private
chit-chat and smartphone use decreased.
These advantages of assigned seating werealso observed by Westby (2018).
Most importantly, I felt as though I had abetter understanding of the character of
each student. I could see which groups ofstudents worked well together and how thearrangement could be improved by moving
students around. There was a sekigae(seating change) after the mid-terms, andagain this was not a random process but
rather informed by my observations of how
certain students worked with otherstudents. The only problem I encountered14

was that one student told me she was deaf in
one ear and wanted to sit on the other sideof the person next to her; this was easilyarranged.
Student Reaction
How did the students feel about the seating
charts? To find out, at the end of thesemester I prepared a Google Forms
questionnaire with two main questions: 1)“How did you feel about assigned seats inclass?” and 2) “How many times would you
like to change the seating chart?” For 1),
responses were on a 6-point Likert scale,with 6 meaning “It is a good idea.” For 2),
the options were 0, 1, 2, and 3 times or more.
Students’ responses were remarkably
positive. Out of 43 responses, 40 students(over 91%) leaned towards liking the charts(a mean score of 4 or above), while only 3leaned towards a negative attitude (with amean of 3 or below). Overall, they preferredchanging the seating chart 1.65 times persemester. Tables 2 and 3 show the meanscores divided by major and gender,
respectively.
TABLE 2
Attitudes Towards Seating Chart and the
Number of Seating Changes (by Major)

Major
Nursing/Psych(n = 20)
Technology(n = 23)

AttitudetowardAssigned
Seats
Mean (SD)No. of seatingchanges
Mean (SD)

5.0 (o.65)

1.65 (0.59)

4.7 (1.11)

1.39 (0.84)

TABLE 3
Attitudes Towards Seating Chart and the
Number of Seating Changes (by Gender)

GenderFemale(n = 23)Male(n = 20)

Attitude toward
Assigned
Seats
Mean (SD)No. of seatingchanges
Mean (SD)

4.9 (0.73)

1.7 (0.64)

4.7 (1.13)

1.3 (0.80)

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Nursing/Psychology
majorshadasignificantly more positive attitude toward
the seating chart than the Technology
majors (t(41) = 1.23, p = 0.04). Also, female
students had a more positive attitude thanmale students (t(41) = 0.74, p = 0.014). An
open-ended item on the survey allowed
students to write their opinions freely, inJapanese or English. Several responses are
given below, including the one negative
comment.
“It’s so fun to talk with many people fromthe same faculty.”“I think seating charts is the good
opportunity for us to make new
relationships.”
ぼっちなので指定席の方が助かります。
[I’m a loner, so seating charts are helpful.]
知らない人だと緊張してしまうのでできれば 自 分 で 決 め た い で す 。 [I get nervous
around people I don’t know so I’d prefer todecide by myself.]
Conclusion
I am now a believer in the power of seating
charts and will continue to use them.
Japanese students typically sit in assigned
seats their entire elementary and secondary
education career, and it should be no
surprise that they are mostly comfortablewith them. Changing the assigned seats
once or twice per semester also helps tokeep the atmosphere lively. Thanks to thesecharts, I feel more in control of my classes.
A student-centered approach does not meanthat the teacher relinquishes control tostudents, but rather gives students more
opportunities
tousealanguagemeaningfully.
References
Westby, J. C. (2018). Incentivizing participationin the classroom. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & P.
Bennett (Eds.), Language teaching in a global
age: Shaping the classroom, shaping the world.
JALT.

T-tests comparing mean scores between thetwo majors and genders found that the
JALT CUE SIG

15

Veteran Teacher Voices
Welcome to the premier article of a
new column in the CUE Circular!
The Veteran Teacher Voices section isintended to interview retired or retiring
teachers in the EFL industry. The aims ofthis section are as follows:•
To celebrate and salute teachers who
have had a successful career and madesubstantial contributions to the field of
tertiary education in Japan.
•
To record the experience and insightthese teachers have before it is lost withthem in retirement. CUE thanks Steve
Paydon for the idea and first contribution.

Interview with
Diane Nagatomo

Diane Nagatomo
Steven Paydon is an assistant professor in
the College of Community and Human
Services at Rikkyo University. His researchinterests have mostly revolved around groupdynamics, motivation, and lifelong learning.
paydo99@yahoo.com
Robert Dilenschneider is an associate
professor at Jichi Medical University in
Tochigi, Japan. He received an Ed.D. from
Temple University, Japan and has taught inJapan for >27 years. His research interests
include vocabulary acquisition, computerassisted language learning, lifelong learning,and study abroad programs.
bdilenschneider@yahoo.com

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Nationality: AmericanYears of teaching: 44
Qualifications: BA in Child Development and
Education, MA TESOL, PhD Applied Linguistics
Highestposition
attained:tenuredprofessor
Professional Fields of Interest: CALL,
reading, writing, materials development,
textbook publishing, teacher identity, beliefs,
genderSteven Paydon: Hi Diane. I want to start by
expressing my appreciation that you agreed tothis interview. Your story is very interesting for
fellow teachers teaching in Japanese
universities. So, thank you. Now, I would like tostart by asking a very simple but interestingquestion that a lot of us often talk about
together; What drew you into teaching?
Diane Nagatomo: Partly a calling (the teacher
gene?), partly an opportunity while travelling,
studying, and following a boyfriend to Japan. I
came to Japan in 1979, immediately after
graduating from college on a tourist visa,
answered some job ads in The Japan Times andstarted teaching lessons for a school. I also met
someone on the street and taught at what wasthen called Chiyoda Business College for a year
(a technical school). It was the first time in a realclassroom and I didn't have a clue what was I
was doing. Most people in Japan then weretravelers looking to make some money tocontinue their travels. I actually had a BA, not a
fake one that most had at the time. I stopped thecollege job to study Japanese and do private
teaching. Had a baby in 1982, and started
university teaching in 1984, thanks to theintroduction of a person who had been teachingat the business college.
Steven Paydon: That’s very interesting andreminds me a lot of my own path into teaching.

JALT CUE SIG

Diane Nagatomo: What also may be interestingis that I got a tenured position in 1988 withhaving only a BA. That wasn't so unusual inthose days but would be unheard of now. It 16
wasCUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

strictly a supply and demand situation. And I
was so ignorant back then, I didn't really knowwhat tenured even meant. When I was offered
the job, I said I needed to "think it over". The
offer came in the middle of taking a year off
because of having a second baby. Then I
immediately signed up for an online MA
program.
Steven Paydon: That’s funny (LOL). So, my nextquestion is what kept you in it?
Diane Nagatomo: I liked it. I enjoyed managing
people. When teaching at uni, I felt like aprofessional. I was challenged to keep learning
as my positions improved, and I found thispersonally rewarding. I also enjoyed seeing thelight bulb moments occur with students at thelower level but I really began to love teachingwhen I got higher-level students.
Steven Paydon: What are some of the biggest
changes you have experienced over the years?
Diane Nagatomo: The biggest change is the
supply and demand for EFL teachers. In the 70s
and early 80s, teaching opportunities fell into
people’s laps. But as programs expanded so did
the number of teachers, many of whom started
getting MAs and PhDs. An MA will open doors
to contracted work but not tenure now. And
universities prefer to hire young people at entry
level for tenure (unless you are already a famous
professor!), so the younger the better. Finishingup a PhD in your early thirties is the smartest
thing to do. Starting a PhD in your forties or
fifties (like I did) may not be useful for careeradvancement unless you already have tenure.
From my research I’ve found some gendered
concerns when it comes to postgraduate study:
many guys (particularly with Japanese spouses)
invest money for graduate school because they
(and their spouses) see that as a career
investment. But for many women (particularly
those with Japanese spouses), such a move is
not considered an investment but moving
financial resources away from children’s
educational funds. So, if women wait until after
JALT CUE SIG

their children are through schooling, it might be
too late for an advanced degree to pay off.
Women also get a later start due to family
dynamics. So, if they want to develop a career inteaching, there is a need for them to get started
earlier.
Steven Paydon: What are some trends orchanges that you expect to occur in the future?
Diane Nagatomo: I expect language centers tocontinue as separate entities as part of theschool, taking responsibility for language
learning. But as many other researchers havefound, teachers in language centers often do not
get the same level of respect because they are
not members of particular faculties. Also, they
are not permanent employees, and they
constantly come and go. I also think that more
schools are going to rely on dispatch companies
to provide them with teachers. It seems thateven dispatch companies are sending out
qualified EFL teachers with MAs.
Steven Paydon: What is, or what are, yourproudest achievements?
Diane Nagatomo: I’ve had two very proud
moments as a teacher recently. One young
woman, whom I’ve supervised ever since she
was an undergraduate student has just started atenured position at a national university.
Another former doctoral student has justpublished her PhD dissertation in a book, and it
reached #1 on Amazon in its category. As a
researcher, I’m also very proud of the two
academic books I have written.
••

Exploring
Japanese
University
EnglishTeachers’Professional
Identity (Multilingual Matters, 2012)
Identity, Gender and Teaching
English in Japan (Multilingual
Matters, 2019)

Steven Paydon: What advice would you give to ateacher starting their careers now?
17

CUE CIRCULAR 13/2023

Diane Nagatomo: Get an MA in TESOL but do a
PhD in a content subject, for example,
globalization or something like that. There isgoing to be a greater need for competentteachers who can teach content. We are moving
towards more content teaching.
Another thing is to learn Japanese. This might
be the most important thing, maybe more
important than anything. People in tenured
positions are now expected to do pretty much
everything that a Japanese professor would do.
Also, it is important to publish and attend
conferences. Another thing is to build
relationships with Japanese professors. If you
are a part-timer and hang out in the part-timeteachers’ lounge, talk to the Japanese professors
there. Build personal connections, do favors, benice, and it’ll come back to you.
Steven Paydon: That’s all great information. So,
my last question is, what’s next for Professor
Nagatomo?
Diane Nagatomo: Well, I’m retiring in March
2022, but I’ll be as busy as ever teaching parttime at three different universities, and I willprobably be doing some non-teaching work for
Ochanomizu University. And then, there are myfive grandsons that will be taking up a lot of myattention as well.
Steven Paydon: Thank you very much, Diane. I
have a lot of respect for you and all that you haveachieved. All the best with your part-time jobs
and most of all with your grandsons.
Implications of the Interview
There are three major takeaways from theinterview with Professor Nagatomo regarding
her 42 years of experience of working inJapanese higher education. First, the dynamicof academic qualifications for full-time andtenured positions has dramatically changed.
Although it may have been possible to attain atenured position at Japanese university with abachelor’s degree in the late 1980s, there is now
an over-abundance of educators who hold
JALT CUE SIG

master’s degrees competing for contracted
positions. Second, to be an attractive candidate
for a tenured position at a Japanese university,
it is important to hold a PhD. Ideally, it would
be good to pursue this degree while you areyoung and, because of more emphasis onteaching content than language skills, in a
specific subject area. Third, a high level ofproficiency in Japanese is very important for atenured position. Just as publishing andpresenting outside the workplace is importantfor professional development, Japanese ability
in the workplace is very important because
foreign tenured faculty members are expected tofulfill the same responsibilities as their
Japanese colleagues.
Interview by Steven Paydon
Implications section by Robert Dilenschneider
More new things coming your way!
In addition to kicking off the VTV column, CUE
is proud to inform readers of two more
upcoming sections. One is “ELT 101” and willcapsulize research of famous language experts
like Krashen, Vygotsky, Nation, etc. as arefresher “course”. The other column will offer
students the opportunity to author articles.
They can write on reflections of courses they
took or other language learning experiences. So,
if you are interested in writing a VTV interview
or an ELT 101 article, or if you have eager
students to write for the CUE Circular, don’t
hesitate to contact the co-editors with questions
about formatting and content.

CUE Circular
Issue #13, December 2023
A publication of the JALT College andUniversity Educators Special Interest GroupISSN 2432-5570
All right s r es er v ed

www.jaltcue.org/cuecircular
Co-editors
Assistant Editor
Kim Bradford-Watts
Joseph Olivercuesigcc@gmail.com

Mark Howarth

Proofreading
Mary Hillis
Ryan Richardson
Glen Hill

18