Review
Respite for Teachers: Reflection andRenewal in the Teaching Life
Christine Pearson Casanave andMiguel Sosa. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press,2007. (pp. 159).
ISBN-10: 0-472-03221-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-472-03221-1

Reviewed by Barry McKenzie
Bunka Women’s University
Authors Christine Pearson Casanave and Miguel Sosa come tothe aid of beleaguered teachers with practical suggestions on how tomeaningfully connect their inner selves with their work. The authors alsocoach teachers on extending this inner self-connectedness to how they live
day to day. In the preface they state how the burdens of teaching can arrest
teachers from viewing their own learning, listening to their students,
and tasting life. Teachers’ neglect of such opportunities for personal
renewal and development ironically deals loss to “a satisfying teachinglife” (p. v).
Helping teachers find their way in living a satisfying teaching
life is the aim of this book. To this end, the authors urge teachers
to cultivate their skills of observation and reflection in theirwork and daily lives. Teachers are encouraged to exercise theseskills through such practices as connecting with people, events andthings in their lives in order to achieve balance and understanding,mentoring as a way to restore teachers’ faith in the work they do, andfinding time for solitude when teachers can reflect, renew themselves
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and achieve inner peace.
The authors’ recommendations for varied experience in observing
and reflecting evidently stem from each one’s own interesting mix ofeducation and experience that helped shape their individual views ofteaching and learning. Chris’s formal education is in art and applied
linguistics. Miguel’s fields are music and TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages). Both have studied second, third andfourth languages, and have taught English as a second/foreign language
for several years. Having come to know each other through an online
course at Teachers College, Columbia University in Tokyo, the authorsbegan conversing with each other mostly via e-mail and shared ideas
about art, language and teaching. These conversations enabled theauthors to “uncover” aspects of these issues to find “insights andinspiration in the familiar territory of [their] teaching and learning, andof [their] reading and conversing about them” (p. viii).
The authors’ approach in presenting the book’s themes and topics
is in itself an interesting study in diversity. The book’s emphasis onvaried opportunity for observation and reflection in helping teachers
toward a satisfying working life appears early as the authors tell thestory of how Respite for Teachers came together. The observation andreflection theme is further illustrated in variously formatted chaptersthat include anecdotal essays, personal reflections and topical lists
on teaching, learning and life experiences. In addition, the authors
reinforce their message on the pages with a thoughtful design of how thereader’s experience unfolds throughout the book. The text is carefullyinterspersed with artistic illustrations, themed lists and examples ofvarious writing genres from many contributors that enable the reader
to experience and practice the very things that the authors promote asways for reflection and renewing one’s perspective.
A view of the various sections in a chronological walk throughRespite for Teachers would enable an appreciation of its artistic,
experiential layout; however, for purposes of this discussion, content
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is considered in theme areas.
A few chapters address the challenge of “difficult students”; thatis, students who are capable but unresponsive in the classroom. The
authors recount instances of unreciprocated efforts to include such
students in the mainstream pursuit of the course syllabus, and the
feelings of frustration and helplessness that followed. Teachers are
cautioned about falling into the trap of taking personally the conflict
between teacher and student agendas. The writers counsel teachers
to seek and understand the reasons behind the difficulty as a way toadjust their perspective of difficult students so that teachers feel more ina position to help these students than to be antagonistic towards them.
Such students may have, understandably, lost trust in an education
system that has written them off as misfits and that seems uninterested
in helping them. The authors argue that teachers can connect in some
way with difficult students by offering support through observing,
conversing with and encouraging them as a means to demonstratethat teachers believe in these students’ potential. This belief, say theauthors, “may be compared to an act of faith” (p. 44).
Another theme area is list-formatted chapters in which the title
represents a topic and the authors provide several illustrative examples
or instances of the topic. Here the authors present ordinary life eventsin a way that helps the reader see them from a viewpoint different fromeveryday experience. This fresh perspective is witty and illuminatingwith respect to how seemingly disparate things come to be linked
through our similar feelings or responses towards them. For example,
this reader would unlikely put the concepts of “spam” and “bullying”
together in the same sentence, but the two ideas are somehow not
so dissimilar when grouped under the chapter topic, “Loathsome
Things” (p. 29). These list chapters show a novel connection amonglife experiences, and so help readers see these life events through neweyes. The ability to see things differently is important for renewal in theteaching life, say the authors.
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A third theme addresses a checklist of discrete but connected factors
in teaching and learning that the writers encourage teachers to consider
in their work. A chapter is given to each of the following: Grading;Fear and Curiosity; Conductors, Orchestras and Choirs (regarding
the teacher’s role in affecting curiosity in students); Connections;
Mentoring; and Solitude.
The book raises questions about an overemphasis on gradingin schools. Grading, an effective tool for enforcing conformity, iscontrasted with raising students’ curiosity in discussing the pursuit ofauthentic education. The authors also discuss the sensation of fear thatstudents and teachers have about failure, loss of dignity, or any of anumber of things. The willingness to take risks that fear can curtailis critical to learning. And curiosity, the authors’ weapon of choiceagainst fear, is essential for risk-takers to work at learning in order tohave more eventful and satisfying lives. Teachers must raise their own
levels of curiosity and “become absorbed in other people and eventsand in interesting and challenging tasks” (p. 53). And it is the task ofteachers to arouse such curiosity in their students.
The authors compare teachers to orchestra conductors who act as
catalysts for meaningful class performance by ensuring that there is ameasure of trust and unpredictability present to foster vibrant interaction
among class members. Teachers (conductors) project their enthusiasm
for a topic and, rather than wring token participation out of students,
affect them such that they are driven to active discussion. Students’
own reasons and desire to question are given impetus by teachers’
genuine interest in the topic and in the students. Teachers who show
their passion for a topic raise the classroom experience such that it
transcends seemly classroom behavior and focuses students’ hearts
and minds on learning.
The chapter on connections deals with how connecting withpeople, things and events help us achieve balance and understanding.
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only for their own sake, but also in order to extend care to students andhelp them connect with their studies and so facilitate their learning.
The authors also relate stories of mentoring in which teachers, ingiving help and advice to their students over an extended period, helped
their students see their own potential. The authors see mentoring as along-term investment in which a teacher’s soul stands to gain muchin return. In addition to mentoring as a means of self-support, theauthors encourage teachers to seek solitude in physically spacious
surroundings or in space created by their own thoughts. Solitude helps
teachers deal with the stress and loneliness of their work by enablingthem to become reinvigorated, to reflect and to be creative - all things
good for the soul.
The final theme is embodied in “Epilogue,” where readers are given
an update on Hiroshi, a difficult student introduced in the opening
chapter. The young man who had been let down by his home country’s
education system is in exuberant pursuit of his studies (in anothercountry) to fulfil his dream of becoming a music producer. This is anencouraging sign for teachers that they should stay the course, that
their efforts can reach students, and that they should not lose faith inthemselves as teachers. Such faith sometimes has a way of spreading
to students.
The authors’ effectiveness in achieving their aim of helping
teachers find their way in living a satisfying teaching life is evident
in a sound strategy for empowering teachers to pursue this aim.
The support that the authors give teachers in the following fourareas makes this book a useful resource for teachers in need of guidance
to leading a satisfying teaching life: (1) kindling teachers’ trust; (2)showing the teacher’s heightened valuation that comes with following
the authors’ suggestions; (3) showing teachers that they are able tocarry out the authors’ recommendations; and (4) inspiring teachers tofind their way in living a satisfying teaching life.
Firstly, the authors offer a candid account of the ups and downs
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OnCUE Journalof their teaching experience, and share their misgivings about theuncertainty that often surrounds the rewards of teaching. This sharing by
the authors establishes a basis of commonality with teachers who canidentify with what the authors have to say, and the authors’ openness
engenders a feeling of trust on the part of the reader teachers.
Secondly, the authors convey their profound belief in thevalue of diverse experience and thought in a teacher’s personal
development, and also a belief in the primacy of the teacher inshaping students’ classroom educational experience. This viewpoint
recognizes the necessity of teachers’ welfare in promoting students’
education, and so values teachers highly.
Thirdly, the authors draw teacher readers into the book’s discussion
by giving them opportunity to relate their own feelings and experiences
to the issues under discussion, and by encouraging teacher readers toreflect on their own teaching and learning as well as on how they live
their own lives. This approach enables teacher readers to feel involved
with the book’s discussion and to feel comfortable with their ability toapply the book’s concepts to real classroom situations.
Finally, through thought-provoking discussion, the artistry of thebook’s illustrations, and the book’s stimulating format, the authors
present a model forliving that places the teacher in the role of principal
designer. The authors encourage teachers to be their creative best in
this role, giving them inspiration to become artists of their own lifework.
In closing, the personable, conversational style of Christine Pearson
Casanave and Miguel Sosa makes this a comfortably readable andengaging book. It is, also, “an academic work of art” (p. 158), boldin its unconventionality, fresh in its creativity, and stirring in its spirit.
Respite for Teachers was a unique opportunity for this reader to observe,
question, and reflect on the teaching life in his own dialogue with theauthors. If, in your reading experience, you have never felt that a bookhas listened to you, try reading this one.
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Review
A Convenient Classroom Package for an
Inconvenient Truth
Keith Ford*
When the coast of California
Sinks into the ocean
And the ice poles are water
And England’s green and pleasant land
Is all desert sandNo one will answer you when you call………………………….
Make me a drink Caroline
Tall and icy(From “California,” lyrics by Richard Butler)*

There is something about a song—a musical mood, a telling
lyric—that can carry a message in a succinct and effective way whenperhaps an hour’s worth of dry rhetoric and proselytizing remains
unconvincing. But come on, the coast of California sinking into theocean, and England all desert sand? Isn’t this taking global warming
too far? Well, yes, perhaps, but to a certain extent, isn’t selling the
man-made global warming argument partly about playing on emotions
and relying on sentiment, fear and exaggeration? And using a popular
medium like music or film is undoubtedly one way to get across sucha serious message to a mass market. Indeed, one could say that this is
how Al Gore goes about trying to put across his message in the film
documentary An Inconvenient Truth, that through increased emissionsof carbon dioxide we—as opposed to a natural process of climate
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OnCUE Journalchange—are directly responsible for global warming and for all its
dreadful and seemingly apocalyptic consequences.
In having to deal with such a responsibility and potentially disastrous
reality, just like the character in the song above it is easy to reach fora drink in despair (“Tall and icy”—bitter glacial irony there perhaps?)
rather than face up to the horrendous future that may await the planet
for our children and future generations. But then hopefully, if we accept
that we are the cause, we can actually do something about it, andwithout attempting to excuse my own shameful inactivity or alcohol
consumption in response to any apparent crisis, perhaps something I
can do is encourage the next generation to really pick up the thematicoar when I belong to a generation that may well have missed the boat:
for as ELT agents we are undoubtedly in a privileged position to do
this, but hopefully without coming across to our students as being too
prescriptive. Using An Inconvenient Truth as classroom content is, I
suggest, one interesting and very visual way of doing this, while at thesame time keeping in mind the need to question some of the arguments
and evidence that it presents.
With a twice-weekly, first-year, high intermediate-level four
skills English class I used A Young Person’s Guide version of the An
Inconvenient Truth book in conjunction with the DVD of Al Gore’s
presentation and documentary, as well as providing my own vocabulary
lists and notes for helping students’ understanding of context andcultural references. A Young Person’s Guide follows the documentary
film almost exactly in terms of both content and language. Also, itworks as a relatively high-level graded reader in that it is a simplified
version of the original accompanying book. The readings are shorterand more concise while keeping the main ideas from the documentary
presentation and the keywords and concepts relating to geography,
climate, and other issues related to global warming. Also in the bookcan be found most of the excellent visual images that Gore uses as thebasis for his speech.
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Initially I used a PAL version of the DVD from the UK, which
unfortunately involved carting to class extra equipment, but theJapanese version of the DVD came out in Japan on 6th July 2007. It
has clear, accurate English captions and has many chapter divisions- 32 in all - with most chapters only a few minutes long and therefore
making it convenient when locating a particular section or using thechapter menu display. The timings and chapter references mentioned
below are from this Japanese version.
I used the DVD and some of the short readings from the book
as something of an experiment to challenge my class with an inputoriented project (reading, vocabulary preparation and video/listening)
after having already done projects/presentations on global issues anddeveloping countries that involved plenty of speaking opportunities.
We began the whole process with a short pair discussion/brainstorm
on causes, effects and solutions of global warming and to what extent
we are responsible.
I divided the DVD into four parts of about 20 minutes each, using itover four class periods. Conveniently, each part seemed to have a clear
focus: what global warming is and how it is caused (00.36 seconds to24.40), general effects of global warming (28.06 to 39.24 and 41.46 to
51.25), effects with a specific focus on Antarctica and Greenland (54.13
to 1.09.29), and misconceptions and solutions (1.09.29 to 1.29.30).
Each viewing was preceded by vocabulary preparation and a few
short readings from the book (done for homework) highlighting some of
the main issues covered in each section of the documentary. I divided
each of the 20-minute parts again into two sections (of approximately
10 minutes each) and after viewing each of these sections students
answered some review questions. We then watched the whole 20minute section again and later checked answers. Finally, in the last
15 minutes of each class students wrote a 100-word summary of the
20-minute section using the vocabulary sheets I had provided to help
them recall some of the main ideas and concepts and to recycle topic88

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related vocabulary. Given more time, as opposed to just four classes
at the end of the semester, the whole theme could well have been
extended into a mini research project as students might investigate
how an area and/or people of the world have been badly affectedby ice melting or rising sea levels, such as the Inuit in Alaska, or the
inhabitants of the Pacific islands of Kiribati.
In addition to presenting the key points about global warming (e.
g., process, causes, effects), supported by charts, computer graphics
and cartoon images, Gore makes good use of a few literary referencesand quotations to support his argument. To demonstrate denial? MarkTwain: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’swhat you know for sure that just ain’t so” (07.48). In cataloguing themisdeeds of a White House official in editing unfavorable researchfindings? Upton Sinclair: “It’s difficult to get a man to understandsomething when his salary depends on him not understanding it”(1.16.48). These quotes could well be used as freeze-frames in classwith further explanation from the instructor, discussion or multiple
choice questions about what point made in the documentary they
were used to exemplify.
As well as adding variety to his presentation style throughanecdotes, exceptional visuals and such quotation touches, there is agood deal of wit in dealing with this most serious of issues. There arealso some appropriate digs at a couple of former Republican presidents
demonstrating their contempt for the whole debate: Ronald Reagan(50.24) dismissing air pollution by making a trite comparison with
the Big Smokey haze in The Rockies as being the result of nitrogenoxides from decaying vegetation; Bush the elder in vitriolic mood anddefending business at all cost, damning Gore as “This guy is so far off
in the environmental extreme we’ll be up to our neck in owls and out
of work for every American” (50. 40).
There are, however, a few points on which Al Gore’s approach inthis documentary might come under particular scrutiny. One is the
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rather self-laudatory nature of Gore’s catwalk scenes as he arrives forgiving what he calls his “slideshow” at various locations around theworld and the scenes showing him being photographed and received
by an adoring audience. This is something we could have done without,just in case we are tempted to question Mr. Gore’s motives as an expolitician for going so public and up front on this issue.
Another critical note is that there are undoubtedly some rather
personalized sections of the documentary (not least, reference tohis son’s accident and long-term hospitalization, and to his sister’s
premature death from lung cancer) as it weaves together the actual
presentation and Al Gore’s personal experiences that led him to firstunderstanding carbon dioxide measurements and then making a
growing commitment to exposing carbon dioxide as the chief causeof global warming. He does, however, in referring to his sister’s death,draw a good parallel: how the cigarette companies dismissed researchin the 1950s showing the damaging effects of smoking and how manyof us only tend to react to a social problem or world crisis when things
start to touch us personally. And while there is no question that Al Goretries to play on emotions in getting his message across, it may well
be an effective way of getting people to consider the global warming
issue when otherwise they may not have even entertained the idea.
I would at this point like to add something of a balanced view ofthis issue. In a recent BBC radio program The Moral Maze the question
was raised as to whether the acceptance of human causes of global
warming has reached such a state of orthodoxy that morally it is beyond
debate. However, a strength of any democratic society that values the
freedom of speech is that even such an overwhelmingly popular view
can be criticized. Following the initial release of An Inconvenient Truthin 2006, and its public recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, Martin
Durkin wrote and directed The Great Global Warming Swindle, which
is billed as “The definitive answer to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.”
It presents strong evidence and compelling arguments from respected90

OnCUE Journalscientists and meteorologists to show that man-made global warming
is a falsehood, and that the phenomenon is actually due to changes
in the sun’s radiation. In fact, it turns the Gore argument on its head,pointing out that higher temperatures lead to more carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere rather than the other way round. It also points out thatthe climate science agenda for supporting the carbon dioxide view wasoriginally politically motivated back in the Thatcher years in Britain topromote nuclear power plants as a solution to energy dependency andpotential crisis.
These contradictory views, both apparently supported by scientificresearch, can make for something of a dilemma. Whose scientific truths
do we believe, convenient or otherwise? Anyway, having viewed the
Durkin documentary, I feel it is only fair to offer students a balanced
view of this issue, and so for a follow-up to classes on An Inconvenient
Truth I am planning to do a few classes using selected scenes fromThe Great Global Warming Swindle. However, as the documentary
is apparently only available in the UK at present in a PAL version,
I’m afraid I will be going back to carting that extra equipment to theclassroom. Furthermore, somewhat inconveniently, it does not have
English captions, so it will involve a good deal of transcription if it isgoing to be accessible for the students.
Finally, I’d like to conclude this brief review with a final comment
on Al Gore’s take on global warming. Even if the Gore camp have
got it wrong, and global warming is an inevitable consequence of
natural climate change, surely encouraging people to reduce carbon
emissions in the developed world can be no bad thing. Al Gore’s
documentary, after highlighting various solutions and ways that we
can all contribute to reducing carbon emissions, ends with a pertinent,
though perhaps rather sentimental comment that the planet we live
on “Is our only home.” This leads into the song “I Have Got to Wake
Up” while various recommendations for action for making a difference
are shown on screen, and indeed, using the song in class and looking
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at the lyrics can be an appropriate way to finish the last class on this
topic. Among its lyrics are the following lingering questions that wemight ask ourselves:
Have I been sleeping?
I’ve been so still
Afraid of crumbling
Have I been careless?
Dismissing all the distant rumblings(From “I Have Got to Wake Up”)

I just wonder how easy it will be for me to find such an emotive
song to support the viewing of The Great Global Warming Swindle?

Note
If you wish to have a Word document of the vocabulary lists and context
notes, please send me an email and I would be happy to send them toyou: fordkeith@hotmail.com

References“An Inconvenient Truth.” (2007). Paramount Pictures. Dir: Davis
Guggenheim.
“California.” Recorded by Richard Butler. From the album “Richard
Butler” (2006). Lyrics available at www.lyricsdir.com/richardbutler-california-lyrics.html
Gore, A. (2006). An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global
Warming. A Young Person’s Guide. Bloomsbury: London.
“I Have Got to Wake Up.” Recorded by Melissa Etheridge. From
the album “Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled” (2005).
Lyrics available at www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/lyrics2/
ineedwakeup.html“The Great Global Warming Swindle” (2007). Channel Four. Dir:
Martin Durkin.
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Review
2007 CUE Mini-Conference Report
Umidahon Ashurova
Nanzan University

The 2007 CUE Conference, held on the 23rd and 24th of June at
Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Nagoya, Aichi, offered attendees an
excellent opportunity to expand their knowledge of recent theoreticaland practical issues in the TEFL field. This two-day event lived up toits statement of “Promoting Lifelong Learning,” drawing a capacity
crowd of around 100 people with two invited speakers and nearly
forty participants delivering presentations. Based around key themes
such as “increasing learner motivation,” “promoting lifelong learning,”and “developing critical thinking,” the content of the conference
focused on topics that are highly relevant to the work of the majority ofcollege and university educators today. Due to the excellent program,attendees were able to attend presentations that met and stimulated
their interests. Also, Special Interest Groups (SIGS) such as LD, CUE,
and GILE promoted their upcoming events and distributed recent
journals, while several publishers displayed a large number of theirlatest books and assisted book authors with their presentations.

Day 1
On both days, two to four 45-minute sessions ran concurrently, so it
was always difficult to decide which presentation to attend. John Spiri’s(Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology) presentation entitled“The World at Work” attracted my attention. To start off, the speaker93Ashurova

engaged the audience by asking them to brainstorm the difference inmeaning between the words vocation, job and occupation, and thenhe introduced his main argument that “most Japanese learners do not
see the connection between education and the reality of work.” To
overcome this problem he has developed several teaching materials,
composed of readers – stories of different people from several countries
in Asia (Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and other Southeast Asian states)
talking about their “world at work,” – and also handouts to help
students prepare for job interviews, including suggestions for personal
appropriateness, tips for interviews, and self-evaluation sheets. With
comprehensible text at a conversational level and abundant information,
students are given confidence in finding the kind of job appropriate totheir personality. Through assignments that get students to interview
people, John believes in developing students’ communicative skills. In
addition, this project helps learners to have big hopes for their futures,and to focus on their future professional careers.
The workshop entitled “First Steps Towards Lifelong Learning”
featured talks by Suzanne Bonn, Shannon Kiyokawa, and Donovan
Clarke from Sugiyama Jogakuen University. Talking about motivation,
Suzanne stated that it would be useful for university language programs
to consider motivating teachers in addition to motivating students.
To encourage both full-time and part-time instructors to work moreenthusiastically, Sugiyama has a policy of supporting new teachers,
empowering them, recognizing and rewarding them, asking for their
input, establishing a good network through professional dialogue
and peer observations. While Shannon reported on her findings instimulating learning, Donovan shared a classroom experience on thedevelopment of critical thinking among his students. By conducting
constant self-evaluation and providing opportunities for peer
observation, Shannon’s teaching strategies definitely fill what formerly
was an unmet need. In his short talk, Donovan gave some practicaltips for getting students to interact in his class: restricting the usage of94

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long monologues was one of them. The variety of discussion topics
and in-class activities also serve as key factors. It was surprising forme to hear that government and environment are the least popular
discussion topics among university students.
The presentation by the invited speaker Professor Deryn Verity(Osaka Jogakuin College) was very informative and mainly focusedon “Neo-Vygotskian Psycholinguistics: Putting Theory into Practice.”
The focal points in her talk were the controversial questions of “whatlearners can do alone” and “what becomes feasible with others.” She
spoke about a common episode in language teaching, where “theteacher knows what the goal of an activity is and the student doesn’t.”Drawing on the scheme of teaching through interaction, Professor
Verity persuaded teachers to constantly dig into the existing knowledge
in their students’ brains. With this technique, learners can move from“no hope” towards “big hope” in accomplishing any language task.
Having the role of facilitator, teachers need to work to get students
to perform better in groups. Professor Verity highlighted that the goalof any learning process should be self-regulation, where the ultimate
result is the ability to act autonomously, in the process having beenchallenged countless times. Any portion of new information needs
to be repeated several times, until it becomes a part of the learner’s
automatic knowledge. She also spoke on the importance of training
our students to seek help, as this is one of the well-known learning
strategies. She concluded her speech by noting that “second language
acquisition is a second chance to symbolize the world.”
Mark Rebuck of Nagoya City University conveyed his thoughtsof “motivating by authentic materials” by presenting his idea of“LEAL (level excessive authentic listening) lesson.” In LEAL classes
the following are privileged: comprehension levels are constantly
checked; repeated playing is preferred; and students are given agood deal of time to reproduce the language they have heard. The
questionnaire response showed that students find the following the95

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most difficult aspects of authentic materials: fast speech; unknown
vocabulary; interruptions/stopping and omissions; and different
accents with muffled sounds. The presenter generally used listening
materials from accessible media, especially BBC Radio talks. He has
also highlighted that the use of the term authentic compared to theone of advanced generates a more neutral attitude among learners andtherefore, naming the course as he did builds students’ perceptions onwhat to expect from it. In their feedback, students have also pointed
to the usefulness of having a script and playing a recording several
times. However, making no script available can shape another way of
dealing with unexpected language. Bearing in mind the significanceof minimal pre-teaching, Mark has the objective of demonstrating tolearners the “achievement gap,” a journey from “unable to understandanything” to “able to understand everything.” He recommended thatteachers conduct LEAL lessons once or twice a semester in order to
add some tension to the general course.
Tetsuya Fukuda, from Dokkyo University, in his short talk “University
Presentation Class: Developing a Lifelong Skill”, described a recent
shift at Japanese high schools and universities in the appreciation of thevalue of teaching presentation skills. Although the Joho (Information
Studies) class is not a part of entrance exams, lately around 50 books
have been released on Joho Japan. According to Tetsuya, it is a sadreality that only 40% of high school students actually take this course
and, moreover, they just learn how to make beautiful power-point
slides. Tetsuya’s teaching method is intended to improve this situation
by encouraging his students to talk clearly, to maintain eye contact, beable to use other types of visuals, and lastly, discouraging them frommemorizing notes during their presentations in his class. He inspires
learners to handle unexpected problems during staging.

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Day 2
On the second day of the conference, being responsible for the
LD SIG table and also preparing for our own presentation, I could
only manage to listen to the presentation of the invited speaker, Heidi
Nachi Evans. Heidi addressed the topic of “Self-assessment and Learner
Development: Instrument Design and Implementation” in her talk. The
goals of the workshop were to discuss the challenges of self-assessment(SA) while analyzing its forms and model instruments, in addition to
applying certain frameworks to create these instruments, while at thesame time, considering the support that SA offers for lifelong learning.
The workshop kicked off with warm-up questions asking, “What kindof SA instruments do you use?” and “How does SA aid your instruction
and/or student learning?” Rather than throwing the audience directly
into the less-familiar world of terminology, Heidi prompted it to comeup with personal definitions for terms such as assessment, alternative
assessment, evaluation, non-referenced evaluation, reliability, rubric,
and validity. Then the numerous purposes of using SA in academic
contexts were considered. As with any aspect of the teaching process,SA faces challenges and limitations: in groups we discussed theeffectiveness of SA and some shared their opinions on the challengesof designing their own SA instruments and /or using the guiding
principles. At the end, Heidi introduced a very constructive idea, thatof collaborative student-instructor SA style, and concluded her talkby highlighting the consequence of implementing SA in promoting
lifelong learning.

Overview
The event provided an informal environment for sharing ideas
and experiences. All the sessions were worthwhile attending, withspeakers ranging from good to great. At the close, participants wereinvited to join round-up sessions and reflect on the workshops. With
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several coffee breaks and a lively pizza party, this gathering helped
newcomers like me get to know colleagues outside the work place andso build a sense of community.
A big round of applause should go to the organizers for theirthoughtfulness on scheduling the workshops only for the first half of thesecond day. This might have given a chance for the attendees to have arelaxing afternoon before the start of the regular working week.
I’m sure you have many more questions about the Conference!
Please look for answers in the up-coming “2007 CUE Conference
Proceedings.”

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Review
TESOL 2007: The View From Seattle
Gerard Marchesseau
Naruto University of Education
The 41st annual TESOL convention was held last spring in Seattle,
Washington. TESOL is one of the world’s largest applied linguistics
associations, with several major publications and approximately 13000 members located around the world. Recognized as an (NGO)by the United Nations, its mission is to “ensure excellence in English
language teaching to speakers of other languages.”
The convention spanned the week of March 19th, with preconvention
ticketed events being held on Monday and Tuesday and regularconcurrent sessions extending from Wednesday through Saturday. The
concurrent sessions included academic sessions, paper presentations,workshops, exhibitor sessions and discussion sessions. Poster sessions
and other types of discussion meetings were also held through thelunch break and into the afternoon. It might suffice to say that theevent was really big. You may be familiar with annual JALT conferences
held in Japan. The general orientation was similar to JALT, with several
keynote speeches, an array of sessions to choose from, a large exhibitor
hall, and so on. Inevitably though, the TESOL conference draws moreparticipants and attracts leading linguists from around the world.
However, as the majority of participants are from the U.S. and Canada,
there is a slant towards Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL).
The theme this year was “Tides of Change,” which recurred in some of
the keynote speeches and sessions to a limited extent.
I attended the conference interested in teaching language to young
learners, collaboration between Native Speaking Teachers of English
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Marchesseau(NESTs) and non-Native Speaking Teachers of English (non-NESTs),
and academic writing. There was a substantial number sessions
dealing with writing for specific purposes. Most of these sessions dealt
with academic writing issues for high proficiency non-native speakers
of English studying at the secondary or post secondary level in the
U.S. I attended about five of these, which proved to be interesting,although not always applicable to my circumstances. For instance,
while listening to a colorful secondary school teacher from Brooklyn,
New York speaking about her experience teaching racial minorities
was certainly interesting, her situation was very dissimilar to my own
in a Japanese University.
Sessions dealing with ESL in the Asian context were more limited,though I attended a couple which addressed NEST/non-NEST issues inHong Kong and Taiwan. Similar to research I have been conducting,these paper sessions indicated strong commonalities between Hong
Kong, Taiwan and Japan. I also attended two discussion groups focusing
on issues relating to teaching young learners in Japan and elsewhere.
Discussion sessions are commonly held in the evening between 7:00
and 9:00, when participants are a little more relaxed, though perhaps
jet-lagged and exhausted after a full day attending sessions. The qualityof discussion sessions depends on the preparedness of the presenters
and the contribution of the participants. Presumably the presenters arewell prepared, (though this was not the case in one of the discussions I
attended). Some presentations, however, only seemed to attract one or
two participants, which was unfortunate.
Due to jet-lag, I missed the first couple of plenary presentations but
managed to see the presidential plenary by Jun Lui on Friday. In his
presentation, entitled “Tides of Change: From Seattle to Shanghai”, Lui
spoke about his life, from his experience growing up in China during
the Cultural Revolution, through to his current success as a prominent
applied linguist. Lui is a charismatic speaker, and the content of his
speech was both accessible to all and interesting. It was a pleasure
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and a nice change to sit back and be passively entertained for anhour. Aside from merely amusing us though, Lui drew importantconnections to the broader theme of this year’s conference as well as
the current status of English around the world. There are more English
teachers who speak English as a second language than “native speaker”
teachers today, just as there are more users of English who speak it asa second language than a native language. These trends appear to
be increasing and Lui suggested that choosing a non-Native English
speaking president of TESOL is a reflection of the changing use andfunction of English. It would appear that TESOL, as an organization,is healthy, progressive and in good hands. Hopefully Lui will help tomotivate passive members of TESOL such as myself, to become more
active ones in the future.
Overall, the TESOL conference appeared well organized, but
obviously a conference of this size is not without its headaches. One
problem that did affect many was presentation cancellations. A list ofcancelled presentations was given out along with the program. By thesecond day though, all but the most organized of us had probably lostit amongst the many handouts that we were constantly accumulating.
One presentation I had hoped to attend had been cancelled, which I
only found out upon walking into an empty room. It had likely been
written in the appendage, of course. Another presentation had notbeen cancelled according to the latest information but none of thethree presenters showed. Evidently, the presentation had been muchanticipated. The room was full of disappointed people and there was
grumbling about other similar incidents.
Generally the quality of the presentations was high, but this is alsodifficult to control for such a large event, especially when presentations
are chosen based on relatively short proposals. One might expect thatthe quality of the presentations at the TESOL convention would far
surpass those of national associations such as our very own JALT, but
this is not necessarily the case. Some presentations are better and more101Marchesseau

prepared than others. Some speakers are better than others. JALT is nodifferent in this respect. Disappointment with the occasional lackluster
session though, should be more than offset by the sheer variety ofsessions available, spanning more than three days from 7:00AM to
9:00 PM. Besides, the occasional bad presentation might be equallyinteresting in its own right, depending on one’s purposes. For those
who might wish to present at a future TESOL conference, as prestigious
as the organization is, and as stringent as the screening process is (onlyone in five proposals was accepted this year), one needn’t feel that thepresenters form an exclusive and inaccessible club. Good research anda well-written proposal stand a fair chance at being accepted, and you
can submit more than one proposal. The Asian contingent is probably
under-represented and I’m certain that we have a lot to offer.
This year, Seattle proved to be a very suitable location for the event.
The convention Center is in the center of the city, and Seattle itself has
a healthy downtown, which means there were many restaurants tochoose from. There were also a variety of ways to “wind down” after
a full day of academic discussion, and the recommended hotels were
all convenient. This was in sharp contrast to last year’s conference inTampa, where shuttle buses ran from the Convention Center to thehotels, and the downtown area offered less in the way of restaurants
and nightlife. The Washington State Convention Center itself was fairly
easy to negotiate. There was a reasonable variety of restaurants locatedwithin the Center. Some events were also held in the Sheraton andGrand Hyatt, adjacent to the Convention Center, and the staff were
helpful in providing directions at these locations.
With Seattle behind us, next year TESOL goes to New York City.
TESOL has held conventions in New York City before and I’ve heardthat attendance is particularly strong. The city itself is no doubt a huge
additional attraction. If you’ve never been to a TESOL conference
before, next year might be a good opportunity to attend, and to have
fun in a great city.
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is seeking section editors for thefollowing sections:Ø Professional Development
Ø CyberpipelineØ Book Reviews
If you:Ø are a CUE member,Ø have experience and a strong interest in one or moreof the above areas,Ø are committed to helping both established and aspiring
researchers/writers publish their work, andØ want to be part of a team committed to the sharing ofideas and to the development of tertiary education in
Japan,
then talk to us at JALT at:
Ø the CUE deskØ the CUE Annual General MeetingØ any other CUE event
Or contact Dexter Da Silva <dasilva@keisen.ac.jp>

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From the Coordinator
CUE had an eventful year in 2007. The 2007 CUE Conference,
held at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya, was a resounding
success with over 100 participants in attendance (http://jaltcue-sig.org/
node/24). We also co-sponsored the GALE Two-day Mini-conference
at Temple University Japan Osaka and Kansai University of Foreign
Languages, as well as a special Donald Richie lecture in Kobe (http://
jaltcue-sig.org/node/27). And we awarded the very first CUE ScholarAward to Paul Wicking, of Meijo University.
The biggest event, however, is the journal you now hold in yourvery hands: Volume 1, issue 1 of OnCUE Journal, which now sports
a registered ISSN number, a new format, and an expanded editorial
board. We hope that OnCUE Journal will continue to inspire language
instructors and researchers in Japan for many years to come.
If you’re attending the JALT international conference this November
22nd to 25th, you can help CUE plan events for 2008 at the CUE
Annual General Meeting (Friday, 5:55 to 6:55 p.m. in Room 309). Also,
if you think you’ll have an hour to spare during the conference, pleasecontact John Gunning (kinkajapanmtb@yahoo.com) and sign up to sit
at the CUE desk and greet potential CUE members. Finally, don’t forget
to stop by the CUE Forum (Sunday, 9:15 to 10:50 a.m., Room 309) asPeter Neff, Harumi Kimura, Phil McNally, Peter Carter, and Matthew
Apple discuss various statistical techniques that commonly occur inacademic publications.
Thanks for your patronage, and hope to see you in November!

Matthew Apple
CUE SIG Coordinator104