Conference Reviews

A Review of the 2016 JALT CUE SIG
Conference

Gordon D. CarlsonOtemae University
The 2016 JALT CUE SIG Conference, titled ConTENT with CONtent?
Embracing Alternative Methodologies in the Modern Classroom, was held on
September 25, 2016 at Kindai University, Osaka campus. From technology
to pedagogy to research, this small conference offered teaching professionals aunique variety of exciting, intellectually challenging, and enriching experiences
for all who attended. Sponsored by Osaka JALT, the General Union, and WestJapan Cambridge Center, this symposium addressed the challenges of teaching
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Content-Based Teaching (CBT),
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), English for Specific Purposes(ESP), and various perspectives on Content-Based Learning (CBL) in Japan. A
diverse range of topics and speakers were featured in five ESP presentations, four
45-minute and thirty 35-minute presentations, as well as ten poster presentations
on subject matter related to the conference theme. The main events showcased
two plenary speakers, Dr. Laurence Anthony of Waseda University and Dr.
Makoto Ikeda from Sophia University whom will be highlighted in this review.
Upon arrival, guests and presenters were greeted by organizers in an
exceptionally bright and friendly manner. The schedule for the entire day ran
with precision due to the professionalism of the organizers, presenters and thehelp of proficient student staff assistants. A Cambridge book representative waspresent on the fourth floor to answer inquiries during breaks, and the cafeteria
in the basement was open for lunch with a broad range of choices at reasonableprices. In all, the conference had a buoyant atmosphere of camaraderie among190

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academics and practitioners.
The morning plenary session commenced with Dr. Lawrence Anthony.
An expert in corpus linguistics, educational software tools design and natural
language processing, Dr. Anthony delivered an engaging morning discussion on
the accelerating trends of CBL courses in Asia. With a commanding knowledgeof ESP and CBL, he touched on two main dilemmas that result from a lackof qualified teachers. On one side, some courses are taught by ESL teachers
without adequate knowledge of their core subjects, resulting in overly simplistic
or potentially inaccurate instruction. Conversely, specialists with little orno training in language teaching can leave students frustrated in dealing withboth challenging content and the ambiguous language in which it is presented.
In layman’s terms, he discussed the relationship between ESP and CBL in
tertiary program development, including English Medium Instruction (EMI)and CLIL, and how balancing content and language can result in successfully
designing courses that meet their goals for learners. To realize better success in
CBL courses, he contended, a clearer vision and integration must occur betweenESP and EMI.
In the later section of his talk, Dr. Anthony spoke of new approaches inbridging a gap between ESP and CBL. First, he drew attention to corpusinformed ESP such as data-driven learning that helps students discover target
language that links to their particular fields of study. Additionally Dr. Anthony
pointed to a growing market for online learning and new technologies forcontent subjects in English. Specifically, he highlighted online classes provided
by Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs), one of the biggest global trends
currently unfolding. As institutions struggle to find adequate teachers for theircourses, Dr. Anthony suggested that quality, cost-effective courses such as
MOOCs could help alleviate the dilemma of finding local subject-specialist
teachers. However, he contended that learners will still need sufficient language
competency and skills which require ESP teaching experts to support EMI andCLIL programs. He maintained that ESP and CBL teachers and administrators,
therefore, more than ever need a clearer plan for unification and collaboration tobridge the needs of their students and create successful programs.
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CarlsonDr. Anthony’s talk might have been more applicable if time had allowed
him to address questions concerning computer literacy skills, learning styles,and personal communication. For example, why do less than 13% or MOOC
students complete their courses (Onah, Sinclair, & Boyatt, 2014)? Is online
content teaching sensitive to cultural and language barriers? Moreover, how far
does technology factor in personal individualities, circumstances and learning
styles to make fair assessments and generate student involvement in learning?
Attendees could have benefited if he had touched on some of these relevant issues.
Nonetheless, Dr. Anthony’s talk was insightful and offered useful suggestions for
implementing technology into learning as well as merging language acquisition
with content matter.
The afternoon plenary session featured Dr. Ikeda, known for his works andauthorship on CLIL and competing grammars. His presentation was laced withhumorous anecdotes, personal experiences and clear illustrations, which helped
illustrate his main points and make a rather weighty discussion more personal andengaging. To decrease confusion between various definitions and preconceptionsof CLIL, he compared his version of CLIL to a smartphone that has multiple
functions in one package. Such features might include hard skills such as
listening, reading, writing, and speaking, but also more communicative dexterity
like critical thinking, collaborative learning, and subject-specific vocabulary that
ultimately create one component of language proficiency. He demonstrated tohis audience that CLIL should be a student-centered framework within what
he referred to as the “4Cs”: Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture(Mehisto, Marsh, & Frigols, 2008). Of the four Cs, Dr. Ikeda asserted thatcognition separates CLIL from traditional instruction as it encourages students
to engage in critical thinking and discussion that leads learners to think in
English rather than relying on recalling grammar and vocabulary. He contended
that such development is of utmost importance in improving students’ “softskills” such as situational awareness and overall communicative competency. As
opposed to more conventional teaching methodologies, he gave examples of how
CLIL goes beyond developing learner’s language knowledge by stretching into
communicative competency through a task-based approach. His fundamental
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challenge was to bridge the gap between CBL content and language proficiency
by selecting level-appropriate materials, visuals, and tasks requiring target
language that enables students to discuss what they learn within the content.
Dr. Ikeda’s talk struck the heart of the conference by promoting CBL as apowerful means to fortify language acquisition and retention through studentcentered learning tasks. In an era of essential benchmark tests, teachers are caught
in the prevailing system that assumes that uniform tests are sufficient to measurelearning. The system leans toward “hard skill” approaches to teaching with anemphasis on translation, memorization, grammar, and rote learning (Kikuchi,2009; Hisamura, 2012). Conversely, Dr. Ikeda advocated the use of CLIL as abetter medium to achieve purposeful communication skills that enable students
to consider alternatives, strategize, and to think flexibly while putting theiracquired language to use with their peers.
Some in attendance might have hoped for some concrete teaching strategies
on how to enhance soft skills while engaging with content that focuses on hardskills. To be fair, however, every instructor has unique circumstances with varied
student needs. An instructional method that works for one might not work for
another. Attentive listeners would have clearly understood that Dr. Ikeda wascalling on educators to reexamine their own instructional methods to strengthen
student-to-student mentoring, create healthy group dynamics, foster teambuilding, and enhance problem-solving through student-centered tasks. The
presentation was most helpful in that it challenged teaching professionals to finda better balance between incorporating soft and hard skills within their personalteaching contexts.
In addition to the plenary speakers, the true essence of the conference
derived from the ambience of the parallel presentations. The overall atmosphereof these sessions was not one of imparting knowledge. Rather, it resembled
more of a conversation between practitioners who encounter similar issues
and intricacies when dealing with communicative and content-based learning.
Both paper and poster participants offered perspectives on CLT, CLIL, CBT,and ESP, providing useful approaches to the various challenges that come withteaching ESL/EFL learners. Some of the complexities that were addressed
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Carlsonincluded dealing with mixed English levels, special needs and impairments,
motivation, differed learning styles, new technologies, and building bettersupport for CLIL and CBT within curriculums. All presenters came fromdifferent walks of life, offering a broad spectrum of viewpoints and ideas that areoften missing in smaller conferences of this sort. Whether one could appreciate
all the presentations or not, one of the greatest merits of this symposium was
the wide variety and diversity of the talks from which attendees could choose
according to their needs and interests.
If there were a combined theme that defined the entire event, it would bethat the unique challenges of CBL require high adaptability and flexibility in theinterest of the learners. There is no one method that perfectly weaves together
language acquisition and academic content instruction. However, creative,
joint scaffolding of the two can contribute to advancing communicative skills
and critical thinking. That is why the strength of this conference was that over
40 presentations offered a myriad of innovative ideas and methods to blend
language acquisition and content learning. As a result, participants could
adapt some of the mechanisms presented to fit their unique teaching contexts.
The ultimate result is better teacher development that spills into numerous
classrooms, instilling in students higher motivation and the realization of theircapacities to learn and communicate.
Whether a presenter or attendee, the reviewer highly recommends educators
and administrators to participate in future JALT CUE conferences. Withthe rise of CBL and CLIL in Japan, there will be an increasing challenge forinstructors to deal with classes of mixed English competence while at the sametime maintaining meaningful scholarship. Therefore, symposiums of this sort
will be indispensable channels for teacher development in the years to come. The
growing CBL and CLIL teaching community will need continued support thataccentuates teacher development, flexibility, and adaptability to the needs oftheir learners. Therefore, more symposiums like the ConTENT with CONtent
Conference are necessary to provide professionals more opportunities to explorenew and tested methods to implement into their personal teaching contexts.

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References

Hisamura, K. (2012). JACET special interest group (SIG) on English language
education. In P. Broeder & K. Hisamura (Eds.), Language and Educationin Japan and Europe: Proceedings of the 2012 Japan-Netherlands Education
Research Seminar (pp.7-8). Tilburg, The Netherlands: Tilburg University.
Kikuchi, K. (2009). Japanese learner’s demotivation to study English: A survey
study. JALT Journal, 31(2), 183-204.
Mehisto, P., Marsh D., & Frigols, M. J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL: Content andLanguage Integrated Learning in bilingual and multilingual education.
Oxford, England: Macmillan.
Onah, D. F. O., Sinclair, J., & Boyatt, R. (2014). Dropout rates of massive open
online courses: Behavioural patterns. EDULEARN Proceedings, 14, 58255834.

Author bio

Gordon Carlson is an associate professor at Otemae University where he teaches
EFL and Global Japan Studies. His interests include teacher development, CLIL,
culturally suitable texts, English camps, and language retention through interactive
activities and games. gordy@otemae.ac.jp
Received: September 27, 2016
Accepted: March 7, 2017

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