Learning Learning『学習の学習』 23 (1): Looking Forward

Looking Forward
今後のイベントThe 2016 Learner Development SIG
forums
大会でのLDフォーラムの予告
PanSIG 2016 - Innovations in Education
Nago-shi, Okinawa-ken, Meio University,
May 20-22, 2016
Learner Development SIG Forum:
Starting a new conversation: Using newapproaches to ensure new learning
Saturday, May 21 – 4:15-5:40PM,
Kogitoh Room 105
Our education system tends to value
compliance, conformity, and complacency. In
the effort to innovate our classrooms, old
mindsets often resist those pioneering newapproaches. But just as ineffective as those
resisting change are those who abandon
fundamental principles of learning for the sakeof “innovation”. In the digital age,technological devices may spur innovations
that are new tools, but not new ideas. While
this has involved a new dialogue in education,
has it brought about new schema in education,
appropriate for our learners in the 21stcentury?
For our forum this year, the LD SIG will
showcase five great presenters with incisiveand thought-provoking presentations. Here aredetails about the PanSIG 2016 LD forum
presentations:

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

Alison Stewart (Gakushuin University) Educational paradigms: Evolving theories
about language learning and learnerdevelopment
This presentation offers a broad historicalreview of the dominant theories of learningfrom Ancient Greece to the present day.
Starting with Plato’s views on education andthe subsequent history of language teaching, I
come to focus on cognitive, sociocultural andecological theories, approaches tounderstanding learning that are prevalent incontemporary language teaching theory andpractice. My argument is that, although thethree approaches currently co-exist, they
assume incommensurate notions of how andwhere learning occurs. I conclude bypresenting examples from recent publications
to illustrate how these theories relate to an
evolving conceptualization of learnerautonomy/development.
Hiroyo Nakagawa (Kansai Gaidai College) - Anassisted writing approach for Japanese EFL
college students
This presentation is based in part on a study of
how Japanese EFL university students may
improve paragraph writing by an assisted
writing approach, which helps them reflect on
their own errors and content. They wrote theirown thoughts and impressions on social issues
they had read. Despite their relative lack ofprevious writing output, the result implies that
this approach may be effective to develop
fluency. Yet feedback to the approach38

Learning Learning『学習の学習』 23 (1): Looking Forward

revealed an additional dimension: a sense of
maturation in their worldview, with greater
sophistication in global-glocal consciousness.
Katherine Thornton (Kanda University ofInternational Studies) - Established methods,
new setting: bringing learning advisingtechniques into the classroom
In this poster presentation, I will share myexperiences of taking the now well-establishedpedagogical approach of learning advising into
the classroom, through a blended approach ofclassroom activities, one-on-one advisingsessions, and self-directed learning. I will
provide practical examples of activities, andexplain how I have adapted the original idea
for this course to suit different groups ofuniversity students (freshmen, older students,
and those preparing for study abroad) over
several years. I hope to start a conversation
with other educators about how approaches
from advising can be used to enhance thelearning experience for students.

Greg Rouault (Doshisha Women’s College ofLiberal Arts) - Mentoring for professional
development: A case study ofundergraduates seeking teaching licenses
In developed countries, virtually everyone has
attended some form of formal education.
While one might think this experience would
foster great innovations, education delivery
has not changed much. As evidenced by thelearners coming into university foreign
language courses, it is clear that in the upper
years of schooling one-way transmission modes
dominate. Many English teacher licenses will
be awarded to university graduates with only
4-year bachelor’s degrees and common
knowledge is that teachers teach as they weretaught. This presentation reports on a casestudy into mentoring for professional
development as innovation, supported by an
LD SIG Outreach Grant.

Debjani Ray (Tokyo University of Science) New perspective: English Lounge
Conducting English Lounge as an
extracurricular activity is a relatively new
approach to enhance language learning. I
started it at my campus five years ago with theidea of giving the students an opportunity topractice the language they learn in theclassroom. In English Lounge, Japanese
students communicate with each other inEnglish without any hesitation. Away from any
course or syllabus, they feel free to use English
and through discussion their knowledge andskills of the language become deeper andbroader.

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 23 (1): Looking Forward

JALT CALL 2016 - CALL and the BRAINTokyo-to, Tamagawa University, June
3-5, 2016
LD forum: Stimulating technology? Let thelearners decide – day, time, and location TBA
Teachers implement technology in theirlanguage classes to increase learning. Whilethe goal is to have the students engage inmore interactive language-learning activities,oftentimes we never get accurate feedback on
the effectiveness of such technology. This
forum hosts a selection of projects that
explore the teachers’ motivations for
implementing technical solutions while also
featuring students’ reactions and narratives
about the language learning experience inthese computer-assisted environments.
This LD forum will feature fivepresentations from seven incredible presentersthat seeks to add to the debate on this theme.
Here are our forum participants and theirpresentations:potential content they would need forvocabulary review tests. This digital/poster
presentation will highlight some of thelearners' experiences as well as offer a glimpseof the vocabulary-building program in order tohelp attendees adapt such a program to theirown needs.
Darren Elliott (Sugiyama Jogakuin University)- Personal technology as a conduit forlearner creativity
Learning management systems and othercomputer mediated processes can make lifeeasier for the teacher but ultimately alienating
for the learners. It need not be this way,
however. As long as they are supported in
evaluating hardware and software, learners
can navigate their way through the technology
by selecting the methods which work for them,and using the resources available to them. The
presenter will discuss ways to maximize theconditions for learners’ autonomous use oftechnology, with examples from his own
teaching practice.

Blair Barr (Tamagawa University) - Learner
reviews of vocabulary-building with digital
flashcards

Simeon Flowers (Aoyama Gakuin University)- An international poli-sci perspective on
online intercultural exchange

Although grammar is still often a focus inlanguage teaching, learners need to develop alarge vocabulary to increase their confidence
communicating in a foreign language. In thisstudy, the teacher implemented a vocabularybuilding program using the digital flashcard
application Quizlet to help low-proficiency
learners increase their vocabulary size while
preparing them for review tests. Learners wereguided through two stages. First, learners built
their knowledge of words and phrases throughtraditional picture-translation flashcards.
Then, learners were encouraged to develop
their understanding of the words in context
through gap-fill flashcards containing all theTechnology continues to create an increasinglyinterpersonal global community. In light of
this, intercultural communicative competence(ICC) has never been more relevant. This
presentation focuses on Japanese student
reactions to a teacher-initiated Facebook
exchange with students in Taiwan. Thirty-eight
Japanese university students from aninternational politics program participated inthis study. Qualitative and quantitative datacollected from student exchanges over thecourse of a year indicates that this project
supported both cognitive and socioemotional
development leading towards ICC andgrassroots bridge-building between Japan and

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 23 (1): Looking Forward

Taiwan. Participant feedback also provided
several areas for improvement.
Jo Mynard, Kie Yamamoto, and Elizabeth
Lammons (Kanda University of InternationalStudies) - Student voices: Evaluating an app
for promoting self-directed language
learning
Students at the presenters’ institution have
had the opportunity to take non-credit, selfdirected learning modules offered by the SelfAccess Learning Centre (SALC). From April
2015, the students were able to choose either
the paper version or a custom-made app
version of the module. The research team isengaged in evaluating the app from different
perspectives, including collecting learner
feedback via questionnaires and interviews.
The presenters will demonstrate the ways inwhich students engaged with the technology.
In addition, they will share extracts from thedata where students raised benefits andchallenges of the technology for their learningexperience.
Michael Hetherton (Kanda Institute ofForeign Languages) - Powerful words forbetter worlds
In this poster presentation I demonstrate how
the use of learning technologies both in- and out-of-class both for vocabulary development
and to raise awareness of CALL, may result insignificant improvements in high-stakes English
language test scores amongst a segment of thestudent population at a vocational college inTokyo. My approach with the technology aims
to bridge the gap between conforming to theneeds of the examination-bound syllabus andmy aspiration to develop learner vocabulary
skills towards creating more well-rounded andsuccessful English language learners who are
more confident and proficient in CALL.

CALL AND THE BRAIN 2016
June 3rd-5th 2016, Tamagawa University, Tokyo.
Keynote Speaker

Mark Pegrum
University of Western AustraliaPlenary Speaker (virtual presentation)

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa
FLACSO, Quito, Ecador
Plenary Speaker (virtual presentation)

Paul Howard-Jones
Graduate School of Education, Bristol
University

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