Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays

LD SIG 2013 Research Grant Awardees
2013 年度 LD SIG 研究助成金受賞者

LD SIG 20th Anniversary Conference:First impressions of the SIG

Opportunities for Career Development

As a new member to the LD SIG, the main thing

and Teacher Developmentthat stands out in my mind when I think of this
SIG is emphasis placed on its members to become
better educators. I mistakenly thought that the LD
SIG was geared towards non-native Japanese

Tanja McCandie
Nanzan University
mccandie@hotmail.com

speakers learning Japanese. However, at the 2013
Pan SIG conference I realised that the LD SIG was
not about studying Japanese and focuses on both
native and non-native speakers wanting to become
better language facilitators, regardless of thelanguage being taught to. I attended presentations,networked and met some amazing teachers who
are doing fascinating things in and out of theirclassrooms. I was introduced to The Japan
Association of Self-Access Learning (JASAL) by a

As a recipient of one of the LD 20th Anniversary

SIG member and joined both the LD SIG and

Conference grants, I have been asked to write
about my personal experiences at the conference

JASAL the week after Pan SIG. I looked forward toattending JALT National and seeing presentations

and how it connects with my learning andsponsored by this group. I was certainly not let

professional development. First and foremost, I
would like to express my gratitude to the LD SIG

down.

and its members for the opportunity to help me
attend the conference. Second, I would like to say

related to the LD SIG have been about practicalteacher development and training. I was able tothank you to the organizers, volunteers andtake something away from every plenary

presenters who make such events possible.
Without you, these conferences would not bepresentation, workshop or colloquium I attended

possible and I firmly believe that education in
Japan would suffer without the development andleft the weekend with handouts, memos andsuggestions that I have been incorporating into

discussion these opportunities provide educators.

lessons and I’ve been thinking about how to!

All of the presentations I have attended

and use it in the classroom the following week. I

improve my curriculum for next year based onwhat I learned over the course of the weekend. In

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
my opinion, being able to utilize the information

employers see as important. These are the kinds offrom other presenters is my main purpose for

qualifications and skills we need to demonstrate if

attending conferences, seminars and workshops. In
less than a year, my perception of the LD SIG has

we want to be employed. In recent years, the“publish or perish” pressure seems to have becomegone from, mistakenly, being a SIG for Japanesea very strong motivating factor in attending events.

language learners, to a SIG that I have great respect

As a teacher on a limited term contract myself, I

for due to the focus on becoming better educators.

have certainly felt the need to keep up with others

Career development and teacher developmentin the field due to the job insecurity that comeswith part-time and contract positions. I often

Since the conference, I have been thinking about

question how conferences help me develop my

how conferences benefit students, educators andskills as a facilitator and the purpose of those also

educational institutions. This has led me toattending. Presentations and research are highly

question not only my reasons and purposes forattending such events, but also the reasons thatvalued and indeed much needed but often I feelthat personally, they don’t always necessarily help

fellow educators and students may have. As stated,me in terms of becoming better at addressing my

I attend conferences because I am hoping to findstudents’ needs. In my opinion, the pressure on

new methods and activities that I can use in the

career development doesn’t always lead toclassroom. I want to learn what others are doing tohelp motivate their students, how they address

becoming a better, more effective and efficientteacher. It does however make us look better on

their students’ needs and learn about any new or

paper and hopefully, will increase our chances ofdifferent activity ideas they may have. However, I

finding stable employment. Career development iswould be lying if I said these were the only reasons

all about “us”, not our students.

I attend conferences. These days I feel an enormous
amount of pressure to present and publish.

!
Teacher development on the other hand isabout our students; it is when we focus on

Conferences offer opportunities for both, with the

improving our capabilities as a teacher so we canadded incentive of networking. With this in mind,

be more effective for our students. Teacher

while thinking about how this conference helped

development is about attending conferences tomy learning and career development, I’d like toseparate and address these as two separate topics. I

learn to be a better teacher. Teacher training andcertification courses like CELTA, DELTA or an MA

think we all have our personal beliefs with regards

related to education are clearly teacher

to what career development and teacher

development. Reading books on learning styles,

development are. To some, they may be the sameclassroom management or ways to become a betterthing while to others, they maybe seen as two
different types of development that overlap at

communicator, having discussions with coworkers
about effective lessons and peer class observations

times. I fall into the latter category.

are also other forms of teacher development. At!

times, I feel that because so many of us are

Career development, in my opinion, isfocusing on your career, your resume, and yourfocusing on career development, teacher

employability factor. It is about improving yourresume, increasing the number of research papers

development tends to be forgotten.
!
The LD SIG’s 20th Anniversary Conference,

published, networking and doing things that manywith the workshops, discussion groups, student

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
presentations, and focus on what we as teachers

relationships that we don’t usually question in ourcan do to help our students, was teacher

classes and institutions.

development at its best, in my opinion. I’d like tofocus on how my weekend was teacher

SAC Colloquium

development centered and how I have taken many

Four different groups described and discussed thethings I learned over the weekend and used themroles, goals and challenges that their university

in my classes and my institution in the weeks

self-access center’s (SAC) students and staff face.

following the conference.

As someone who never had the opportunity ofworking in a SAC until this year, it was a great

Learner Identity and Motivation

chance to compare notes on what is happening in

Mitsuki Kato is currently a first year university

other SACs around the country. I learned about

student who discussed her English learning history

how the four presenting institutions run theirand allowed us, the teachers, to become thestudents. It was the first student presentation I evercenters, and they in turn gave audience members
an opportunity to discuss how we could all makeattended at a conference and it was the highlight ofimprovements to our own centers.

my weekend. While I have had my students give!

numerous presentations over the years as part ofpresentation was the difference in student needs

their course work, I have never thought of asking
my students to attend a conference as participants.

and the overall design and outlay among the four
SACs. The discussion made me reflect on some of

The 25-minute presentation was inspiring as

the things I personally could do to improve theMitsuki talked about her struggles and initialquality of the SAC that I am involved with. How I

dislike of English, and about how she came toutilize the available space in my institution’s SAC

realise that English plays a vital role in her future. I
can’t imagine how nervous she was standing up in

could be better and it could become a much morepositive environment, not only for the students but

front of a group of English teachers and talking

also for the teachers, if my institution could

about her struggles with learning English, inincorporate some of the suggestions and methods

English. I was greatly impressed with her maturity

other schools shared. Based on the suggestions andand her confidence.
!
What I took away from her presentation is

ideas presented, I was able to talk to my boss andwe held a staff meeting to discuss ways we canthat I need to create more opportunities for my

improve and help our students when they attend

students to do similar things. I need to raise their

our SAC. The colloquium ideas and suggestions

awareness about opportunities, such as presenting

will hopefully improve my institution’s ability toin English, to help develop their English skills andhopefully help them see that English is a vital partmeet student needs.

of their future. Having students give presentations

Exploring Ethical Dimensions of Doing Researchat conferences also gives teachers a chance to listenThis workshop was a good reminder that while weto students’ opinions that perhaps many of ouroften ask our students to participate in ourstudents haven’t had the opportunity to share withus due to the student/teacher roles andresearch, we have an ethical responsibility to lookafter their learning and not to inadvertently harm

One of the major differences I noted in thisthem in the process of our research. In my opinion,

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
one of the most interesting discussions that camecovered on my survey which they would like toup during this session was the topic of discussing

address. Robert’s workshop helped me become a

our research with our students. Robert Croker
asked how many of us take data from our students

more thoughtful teacher when it comes to using
my students as research participants. By discussing

but don’t inform them of our research, our research

the results of their class survey, I was able to getprocess, or our findings. It made me realise that I

more feedback about my program and how I could

was being rather unfair to my students to ask themaddress some issues to develop and improve theto fill out surveys, but then not inform them of theresults or what I am doing with the findings.

quality of my self-access classes.

!

Creating a Self-Access Classroom for First YearI have one particular class that has beenvery supportive of my self-access classroom

Non-Major Students

research, from filling out surveys to wishing me

I was given the opportunity to give a workshop on

good luck when I have had to cancel classes toattend a conference. However, I hadn’t given muchdeveloping self-access classes for first year nonEnglish majors. During the workshop, I was able tothought to tell them about my findings and results

share my ideas, methods and concerns with theof their class survey. I honestly thought that theyaudience, as well as discuss student survey results

probably had very little interest in the topic andwith regards to their thoughts and opinions on thisthat they were often subjected to teacher surveys inother classes without receiving any follow up. It

style of classroom approach. I received excellent
feedback and suggestions from participants andwas a rather unfair assumption. The week after thethe workshop gave me a chance to meet otherconference, I sat down with my class and informed

teachers who were interested in learner autonomy,

them about my findings based on their classself-access classes and self-access centers. Before

surveys. I was surprised at how interested they
were in the results of the class survey. It seems thatthe conference, I believed that presenting waspurely professional development: I would present

many of them had been wondering about theand add it to my resume. However, after thinking

results and how their opinions compared to thoseabout the workshop, the participants and theof their classmates. They were also very interested

outcome, I now feel that I also developed as ain learning about the types of presentation I havegiven based on their self-access class. Thankfully I

teacher because I was able to walk out of myworkshop with constructive feedback on how I

had prepared handouts for them and gave each

could improve my classes and make my activitiesstudent a copy of the handouts I gave participants

more suitable for my students.

at the JALT National Conference and the LD
conference.
!
Giving my class the results of their survey

Conclusion
The LD SIG 20th Anniversary Grant gave me theand the handouts resulted in a discussion about

opportunity to attend the conference, meet many

how many of them feel towards English education

other likeminded and inspirational teachers andand their experiences studying English. It made me

present on a topic that I hope will help further

realise that while I wanted their opinions on selfaccess, I wasn’t giving them a platform to discusslearner autonomy in Japan. Without the grant, I
would simply not have had the opportunity toother things about my class that perhaps weren’t

attend. Non-tenure university teachers certainly

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
feel the “publish or perish” pressure when calls forshare/demonstrations, short papers/talks) –given

conference papers and presentations are posted.

at the 20th anniversary conference based on thisTeachers in such positions certainly have the desire
and need to attend and present but many do nottimeline, and then reflect on what these talks havemeant to me, my development as a teacher and/or

have the research budget or support that gives

my understanding of (learner/teacher) autonomy.

them the chance to do so. To have grants available!

to educators like myself is fantastic grassroots

SIG over the last two decades was the main focus

support for the teaching community. Many in thepast have benefitted from this grant in terms ofof the first plenary talk, given by Richard Smith. Asa founder of the SIG, Richard was able to offer

professional development and teacher

firsthand, valuable insights into its growth anddevelopment. I am very grateful to have had theimportance over the years. This was done byopportunity to be awarded with one this year andstating what learner development has meant tohope that the system of grants continues in the
future.

those within the organization, and by charting thehighlights of the SIG from its early beginnings. As

Looking back at the development of the LD

for the former, Mr. Smith pointed out that it has

Report on LDSIG Conference 2013
Michael T. Sullivan
Instructor, Nippon Steel& Sumikin-Intercom,
Inc.
mtsullivan@hotmail.com

always been hard to precisely define the term
learner development, but it has come to meansomething akin to a sharing of ideas among
teachers and empowerment of students to learn forthemselves. As for the latter, Richard took time togive an overview of the milestones from its origins
in the 1990s, remarking upon noteworthy
conferences/workshops that led to the publicationof the Learning Learning newsletter and an
appreciation of learner autonomy in the JALT

Twenty. To many, it iscommunity, as well as major books on autonomy

not just a number: it signifies a major turningfrom the SIG that have since become landmark

point. For many Japanese, for example, thispublications in the field. What resulted from allthese departments, he noted, was a group that has

number represents the age –celebrated on Comingof Age Day—from which they are recognized as
full-fledged adults. Similarly, in the case of the

become more inclusive and focused on teacher

Learner Development SIG, or LD SIG, this number!

represents a milestone for the association. As ame was both a consistent, important message
within the SIG over the years and the sense of a

result, it serves as the right time to look back at

exploration and learner empowerment.
In reflecting on Richard’s talk, what struck

what the organization has achieved in the past,
what it is doing now, and what the future of thecontinually growing and relevant organization. In

SIG will bring. In this article, I will summarize

learner development within the SIG organization

several sessions that I attended –the plenary talks
as well as some of the non-plenary ones (e.g.

has always been seen as an indefinable but
empowering process. In a way, this resonated withdiscussion/workshops, poster presentations, ourme. It did so because I have come to believe that by

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
giving students more responsibility in theirof experience as story” (Connelly & Clandinin,

learning and allowing them to tackle tasks through2006, p. 375), in professional development. At firsttrial and error, students will be more willing to
improve their language skills and take moreglance, it may seem that when teachers arerecounting experiences to each other there may becontrol over their learning. In terms of theno links among them. Yet, the point of Naoko’s

organization, Richard made an effort to outline theexercise was to make us realize that while wegrowth and importance of the SIG by pointing out

teachers may feel there are difficult or unpleasantthe four anthologies of work by SIG members, andby noting the SIG’s ideal of inclusiveness. This was

experiences that no one else understands therelating of our stories helps spark similar stories ingratifying to me, as it confirmed and legitimized

our listeners. But, upon deeper reflection, thethe relevance of learner autonomy in my own

question is as follows: Does such inquiry helpclasswork. It was further gratifying because itteacher development? I say yes, as it makes

meant that the group has been a forum in which
instructors, both Japanese and native English, canteachers question what they truly know and feel
about things, as well as recognize how and whatshare ideas.

they are teaching to students. Further, teachers can!

carefully evaluate not only their own teaching styleTurning to the present, the second plenary

speaker, Naoko Aoki, focused on teacher

but also the teaching beliefs of other teachers, as

autonomy and the concept of narrative inquiry. In
her talk, Naoko indicated that our teaching jobs are

well. As a result, this inquiry encourages teachers
like me to consider and develop alternative tasks

full of daily uncertainties, so we outwardly pretend

for learners. It may lead through trial and error toto be certain about things and sometimes make up

failure at times, but it can also foster the personal

cover stories for others to hear. As a result, theand professional growth of teachers. Therefore, I

genuine stories (referred to in this talk as “secretstories”) of teachers and their lives are untold.

see narrative inquiry as a useful tool for teacher
empowerment, as it encourages teachers to justify

What Naoko did during the talk, therefore, was to

and/or rethink their working practices.

get teachers in small groups to tell their real stories!

–in a “safe place”, as she put it –where secretthe state of English education in Japan was anstories are usually told. Each member of eachgroup told a secret story, and then the otherimportant aspect of the final plenary talk, given by
Professor Kensaku Yoshida. Kensaku’s talk focused

members were asked to jot down the key points ofon the state of English education in Japan ateach story, from which a web or tree showing

present and looked ahead to the future. He beganpossible connections was made. By the end of theby explaining that over the past few years there hastalk, Naoko suggested that such stories areimportant in discovering one’s identity and in

been a dramatic decrease in student TOEFL scoresand in both their attitudes to the usefulness ofhelping to spark insight into the contradictions

English and their willingness to study overseas.

between “official discourses” about work and theThis led to a discussion on the reexamination of thepractices that go on there and the way we reallydominance of the native-speaker model as the ideal

feel about them.
!
Reflecting on her talk made me think about

for learners and the concept of plurilingualism. He
promoted this concept (as well as a set of “can dothe importance of narrative inquiry, or “the study

criteria”) because he felt it allowed Japanese

Looking both at the present (and ahead) at

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
students, like those in Europe, to have a greater

to do and not on what they are supposed to do or

exposure to non-native varieties of English, toachieve.

develop at their own pace, and to logically express
ideas and persuade others. In moving students!
Now, it could be argued that although thesessions which I attended differed in content,

away from the goal of speaking exactly like aapproach and pedagogy, they could be classified

native speaker, Kensaku felt that students would

into the same three categories as the plenary

be more encouraged to continue their studies andspeeches: looking back, looking at the present andimprove their proficiency.
!
Yet, is the concept of pluralingualism

looking ahead. First, in terms of looking back, John
Bankier’s session spent time examining how(plurilingualism?) a viable alternative to the goal ofwriting has been taught over the years to Juniornative English-like proficiency by JapaneseHigh School and High School students in order tolearners? Perhaps the answer may be found inbetter explain the current views of Japanese

what the concept means. Pluralingualistic(Plurilingual?) competence “does not mean that

university students on academic writing and what
is perceived as a good writing style. As for the

students cannot produce standard language forpresent, a number of talks that I attended focusedformal production”. (Canagarajah, 2009, p. 20) It

on the use of current materials and technology. To

may mean, more broadly, that pluralinguistic

give several examples, one discussion/workshop(plurilingual?) students are able to deal with any
task or situation in the moment. In switching fromby Helen Hanae and Erina Ogawa dealt with theuse of comics and graphic novels in the classroom;

language to language, these students strategicallyanother (poster) presentation by Ben Rowlett

employ a number of strategies that they haveconcentrated on recent films/film themes and thedeveloped within those languages in order touse of tablets for students to make and collaborate

negotiate meaning and the exchange between
speakers. (Coste, Moore & Zarate, 2009) In the end,on their own films; and finally, there was a talk byPeter Voller which focused on a recently-createdthen, they get their point across immediately andonline booking system to allow for peer tutoring.

effectively. So, what can this mean for my own

Lastly, with regards to looking ahead, there were ateaching? It would mean that the lesson should

number of sessions which concerned language

perhaps focus less intently on target language andmore on open-ended discussion and conversation

learners and the future of language learning. For
instance, one session by Kevin Ryan talked about

strategies (e.g. changing topics, developing aan upcoming online magazine which aims tological/persuasive argument). By doing so,

explore various multimedia issues and tools tostudents would be steered away from the goal ofhelp learners improve their proficiency.

native English-like proficiency, and instead
encouraged to focus on acquiring strategies which!
Thinking back on the non-plenary talks that
I saw, I was not only impressed by the abundance

give them the linguistic resources they need to dealof ideas presented but also by the way in which thewith a variety of social situations. If thisvarious different talks added depth to the concept

interpretation is correct, it seems to me Ken’sof learner autonomy. Indeed, the talks which I

approach is a viable alternative, as it directs
learners to focus realistically on what they are able

attended put the learners in an active role to put
forth new, creative ideas or ways so as toreconstruct knowledge from others in order to

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
better understand the world around themflourish and promote autonomy in new and(Barfield, 2012). Let me explain my point withinteresting ways so that the group’s existence

several example sessions. One presentation
outlined how students were told to make a shortremains relevant.

film but it was up to the learners/filmmakers

References
Barfield, A. (2012). Exploring learners’ changing lexicallandscapes and learner autonomy. In K. Irie & A.
Stewart (Eds.), Proceedings of the JALT
Learner Development SIG Realizing
Autonomy Conference, (Special Issue)
Learning Learning 19(2), 18-30. Retrieved
from http://ld-sig.org/LL/19two/barfield.pdf

themselves to interpret through film how they
perceived or understood a particular theme,
language phrase, etc. In another presentation/
workshop, learners were given the chance to maketheir own comics to explain past and present
events, cultural situations/language, etc. To me,these talks focused on learner-directed tasks, which
force the learner to be more active and critical of
their learning process and content (Little, 2007). So,
what can I take away from this? Upon reflection, I
feel it is important not to impose my views or
expectations on how students come to know an
idea or language item. I would rather have thestudents reshape the language to suit them, not
me. Therefore, as long as learners understand themeaning and context of particular language items,
the tasks incorporating that language should be
open-ended to allow for individual interpretation.
!
In conclusion, the LD-SIG anniversary
conference was a success because it represented
well, and reflected on, the important milestone ofthe organization. More importantly, it shed lightthrough various talks, workshops, demonstrations,etc. on the continuing relevance of autonomy (e.g.

Barnes, D. (2008). Exploratory talk for learning. In N.
Mercer & S. Hodgkinson (Eds.), Exploring talkin schools (pp. 1-15) London: Sage.
Coste, D., Moore, D., & Zarate, G. (2009). Plurilingualand Pluricultural Competence. Language Policy
Division. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Canagarajah, S. (2009). The pluralingual tradition andthe English language in South Asia. ILA
Review, 22(1), 5-22.
Connelly, F.M. and Clandinin, D.J. (2006). Narrativeinquiry. In Green, J., Camilli, G. and Elmore,
P. (Eds.), Handbook of complementary methods ineducation research, pp. 375- 385. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Little, D. (2007). Introduction: Reconstruction
learner and teacher autonomy in language
education. In A. Barfield and S.H. Brown(Eds.), Reconstructing autonomy in language
education: Inquiry and innovation (pp.1-12).
Basingstoke, U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan.

in or out of the classroom, using technology-led
instruction or not), and on how autonomy-led
instruction has given learners more flexibility,
options and opportunities to direct their own
learning. Being a new member of this association
and a proponent of learner autonomy, I was happy
to learn more about the organization and attend somany interesting and autonomy-related talks, theactivities and ideas from which I have been eager
to share with my fellow instructors. It is, therefore,
my sincere hope that the organization continues toNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays

A student’s perspective on JALT 2013

very different. When being a volunteer, being
active to support the conference was what was

Aya Matsumoto
Student at Meisei
University

required. I was able to meet and talk to students,
who like me, had a passion for learning English.

10h1104@stu.meiseiu.ac.jp

participants. As a participant myself, I could freely

This year, however, I interacted more with othergo and listen to presentations that I was interested
in, which was not possible as a volunteer because I
was restricted by my duties. Both experiences were
extremely valuable to me in different ways, and I
am very proud to have made the big step fromvolunteer to presenter.

Participating in the 2013 JALT national conference
was a very meaningful experience for me. I am
grateful to the LD SIG for giving me theopportunity to go to it. Awarding a grant to a
student like me provides someone with the means
to attend an event like this and the opportunity tomeet and interact with a number of people that I
couldn’t have otherwise. My initial purpose forattending the conference was to give a poster
presentation with my co-presenter, Yuki Ide, at the
LD forum; however, the experience was valuable tome in so many other ways. I would like to outline
my reflections on the experience and explain what
I believe a student can gain from, as well as
contribute to a conference like JALT.
!

Currently, I am a senior student majoring inInternational Studies at Meisei University inTokyo. This was my second time for me to attend
the JALT national conference. The first time waswhen I went to the 2012 conference in Hamamatsu
as a student volunteer. This time I was there in
Kobe as a presenter. Together with Yuki Ide,
another Meisei student, I was to give a
presentation, titled “From Language Learner toLanguage User” at the LD SIG forum.
Transitioning from student volunteer to presenter
was interesting for me since those two roles are

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>!
Prior to the conference, I was concentrating
mainly on making a successful presentation, but
upon reflection, I can see that one of the mostsignificant results of the experience for me waswhat I gained from interacting with otherpresenters and attendees. At JALT, there weremany situations where I could communicate withpeople, such as, for example, during question timeafter our presentation, when we went to listen toother presentations, and when we met participants
at lunch.
!
I was pleased to see that the atmosphere at
the LD SIG forum was more relaxed than at someof the more formal presentations that I attended.
This created an environment that fostered free andopen discussion, which I feel is ideal for sharing
ideas. Around ten people came to listen to ourpresentation--all of them university teachers,
including some teachers from my own university.
As students, it was a daunting task to present to agroup of university teachers, in the language thatthey teach, but I felt very comfortable andwelcomed by them. As Yuki and I were the only
students at the forum, some people took an interest
in what we had to say. At university, teachers andstudents have a relationship of teaching andlearning. There may not be many chances forstudents to speak to teachers and express our21

Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
thoughts and feelings. Therefore, making a

be an English teacher after he graduates. He and I

presentation in front of a number of teachers gave

went to see some presentations such as ‘How tothem an opportunity to hear students’perspectives, and put us in a position where theGet Your Students to Like Your Class’ by Richard
Bailey. I learned a lot by watching other people’s

teachers listen to what we have to say, rather thanpresentations. In the past I have watched many

the other way around! I thought that the sharing ofpresentations by my fellow students, but I have notopinions between teachers and students was good

had a lot of opportunities to watch people giving

for both sides. The ideas which were exchanged
will hopefully be applied at their and our own

presentations outside of a university context. It wasinteresting to see a number of presentations with

universities to positively influence other students

different styles of speech, design, format, and bodyand teachers.

language. All of this made JALT fascinating, even!

for students.

At the end of the forum, during a reflection

session, I got to talk to other participants. One ofthem was at our presentation. He told me that in!
Going to JALT as a student was great interms of learning English because it was an

the seminar he teaches at his university his

opportunity to practice the language outside

students usually have trouble deciding on a theme

university. It is no longer just learning it but using

for their thesis. He asked me for my advice, and I

it as well, which is exactly what our presentation

told him about the seminar that I belong to at myuniversity and how we decided the topics. As

was about. Though most students just learn
English in class, actually using English for amentioned above, exchanging opinions between

purpose lets us apply the language to realteachers and students is not likely to happen muchsituations. I personally believe that this is a reallyat university. Nor is there much opportunity for me

important aspect of learning. Also, many students

to talk with teachers from other universities. I hopethat our discussion meant something to him which

do not get a chance to present their ideas outside
university. In our presentation, we highlighted

he can take back to his teaching context, and thatsome key experiences that we believe are turning

this in turn will help his students. I believe it is thispoints in terms of learning English. Suchcycle of student-teacher interaction that makes theexperiences allow us to learn something important

inclusion of students at such events so valuable.
!
At JALT, Yuki and I went to see manyand even cause a shift in our identities as learners.
The JALT conference became one of these key

presentations. After we finished listening to eachexperiences which I may also look back on as apresentation, we discussed what we heard andturning point.

shared our opinions about them. Almost all of the!

presentations were intended for an audience ofteachers. Nevertheless, some presentations were ofhelp me a lot going forward. In fact, about one
month after I went to JALT in October, I gave ainterest to me, such as one about high frequency

presentation about my graduation research at

collocations that are useful for students to learn,another conference in Romania. Thanks to theand English as a Lingua Franca, which is the topic

experience in JALT, I felt confident enough to do itof my graduation thesis. On the other hand, mypresentation partner, Yuki, was interested inwell. I am sure that it will help me on otheroccasions also. Again, I am very thankful to the LD

presentations about teaching because he wants to

SIG for granting me such a great opportunity.

I am certain that my experience at JALT will

Newsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays

Different perspectives on JALT2013
national conference

plan I’d succeeded with was having a two litre
bottle of water in my backpack. I didn’t know what
presentations to watch, or what strategy would
help me gain the most out of the conference;

Caroline Ross
Nakamura Junior & SeniorHigh Schoolc.jkoross@gmail.com

perhaps this is a skill that comes with conference
experience, perhaps not. But from my experience,
chance plays a huge role. For example, I was much
more likely to watch a presentation in room 206 at
3:30, if I had just attended a presentation along thecorridor in room 203 at 3 o’clock. If a presentation

I was fortunate and honoured to be awarded one of
the Learner Development SIG’s grants of 40,000
yen to attend the national JALT2013 conference inKobe. First I’d like to take this opportunity to
express my deepest gratitude to the SIG for thiscrucial support. Including travel, accommodation,
food, and membership renewals, the conference
weekend cost me close to 60,000 yen. For those of
us with no institutional support, these grants reallyprovide much needed assistance to participate in
events that may otherwise lie financially out ofreach. As readers may know, JALT2013 was soon
followed by the Learner Development 20th
Anniversary conference, for which I was a memberof the organizing committee. The various positions
I adopted within these two very different
conferences led me to consider this question: whatmakes a successful conference? I would like to sharewith LD members some of these reflections fromthe perspective of conference goers, conference
organizers, and presenters. I hope that thesecontemplations may prove useful for both readersand my future self, when it comes to attending,organizing or presenting at conferences.
Conference goers:
To begin with is the element of chance, or the valueof random, which should not be underestimated.
Although I’d really planned on having a plan,
when the JALT2013 conference kicked off, the only

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>is scheduled in the last time slot of the day, it’shighly likely the audience will be dwindling before
they even arrive. Consequently they may neverarrive at all. This is neither a reflection of theimportance of the presentation topic nor thequalities of the presenter, and if I ever deliver apresentation at such a time, I’ll be wise toremember that. Next is the chance of where you are.
You never know who you may find yourself sittingnear to, standing in line in front of, walking along
with, or listening to a poster presentation next to.
Chance knows no boundaries, and offers us theseopportunities to connect with a whole array ofpeople from all different backgrounds and from allwalks of life. One of my favourite moments in theconference was immediately after a plenary
speaker, when it was announced that the next
presentations were scheduled to start in an hour’stime – I breathed an enormous sigh of relief! Free
time is of absolute importance in conference
planning, as it allows us to visit people or groups
who are present at the conference, but do not havea designated time slot. Free time maximizes the
chance of chance, and who knows where that may
lead us?
Conference organizers
Now let’s change to the perspective of organizers
and the importance of having a lure. At any one
time in a conference, there is simply so much goingon that strategic use of carrots dangling on sticks

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
can really pay dividends. For all the talk of higherthat her slides would be made available online soorder thinking skills, we conference participants

there was no need to make notes, clarifying thatare ultimately governed by very primal instincts.
Therefore, the simplest, most effective, andshe was happy to have participants ask questions,and interrupting herself to invite those people

timeless lure of all is, of course, food. Unscientificstanding to come and find a seat. What simple andresearch (by myself) has proven that within the SIG

considerate gestures, yet such a rare occurrence

area of a JALT conference, SIGs who have theirthat I found them remarkable! Also, high-quality

table closer to the refreshments have up to eighttimes more visitors than those SIGs whose tables

presentations use personal stories, which arefrequently the best way of making a main point

are situated at the end furthest away from the food.

unforgettable. I can still clearly remember KeithIf you have any say in where your table or stand is

Folse’s story about the “Losing a ticket on thelocated, veer towards the food. Those left manningshinkansen” role-play, which he used to highlightthe table will be happy to be conveniently locatedso close to the option of a cup of coffee and cake.

the importance of transference, and how theactivities we do in class should be as close as

Lures can come in all shapes and sizes, aspossible to the activity students will actually havedemonstrated by Nellie’s Books, who offered theto accomplish. Furthermore, I know I am not alone

chance to win an iPad-mini. All you had to do wasin preferring presenters who make the audience do

to complete a slip of paper and give it to them –ingenious! The lure of the odd free book simply

a little bit of work but not too much! Asking theaudience to complete a simple task, or to discuss adoesn’t cut it at an event alongside numerous

particular question, or share stories is an excellent

publishers from all over Japan and around theway to - let’s be honest here - make sure they areworld, and I doubt I’d have visited the lovely

awake! That said, I believe it is important to strike

people at Nellie’s Books were it not for theircunning technology temptation. I attended thea balance between audience participation andmaking the audience feel like they’re doing too

opening party on Friday based upon the rumour

much work. Ultimately, the audience is hoping tothat food and drink may be provided – they reallylearn something from the presenter, so I prefer

did ensnare me with a stick of carrot! Lures can bepresenters who make use of interaction and keep

used to great advantage.

the audience active, but are also considerate anddon’t require the audience to do all the problem-

Presenterssolving on the presenter’s behalf. What’s more,

Moving onto presenters, and importantly, theconference participants are probably tired andquality of presenters which will clearly have a majorsuffering from information overload, with theirimpact on participant satisfaction of the conference
overall. I was generally very satisfied with thebrain power reduced in direct correlation to thepercentage of conference time elapsed. Therefore, aplenary speakers at JALT2013, in particular, Pennynormally simple task may well require the brain

Ur and Keith Folse. I tried to think of the reasons

power of three or four heads in any presentation

why I enjoyed their presentations and felt solate in the day or on a Sunday. Thoughtful

inspired by them. Penny Ur had a fantastic
presence, warmly strong and clearly in control. She

presenters take care of their audience, andaudiences that feel taken care of are more likely togenuinely empathized with her audience, telling us

have a fulfilling conference.

Newsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
laws of chance, influenced by basic instincts likeAll together

hunger and fatigue, and are buoyed by the quality

Finally, the most important factor for a successful
conference is people. The value of a conference isof presenters. Most importantly, it is every single
person and their individual contributions thatderived solely from all the people involved. From

together create a successful conference, and I am

organizers to student volunteers, first-time

extremely grateful that the Learner Developmentattendees to featured plenary speakers, theSIG provided me with the support to allow me toconference becomes greater than the sum of its
individual parts. There are numerous

be part of JALT2013.

opportunities to meet many fantastic people, so weshouldn’t hesitate to chat and share a business card

Autonomous learning and interculturalor three. Since effective presenters often ask thecommunication: discoveries andperspectives

audience to complete a task with those sitting
nearby, the ice is already broken between people
who were strangers just a few moments ago. It’s
also really worth making time to speak to theMichi Saki
Ritsumeikan University michimako3@gmail.com

volunteers, who are always keen to speak withconference participants and are some of thewarmest and friendliest people around. One
volunteer saw me alone, rehearsing my poem in
my head like a mad lady. She asked me what I wasdoing, and proceeded to offer me countless smiles
and positive words of encouragement. Also, as
previously discussed, people always congregate“I now realize that being anear food. Like Omar Khayyam said, "A loaf ofsuccessful and confident
language user means morebread, a jug of wine, and thou." Various parties

than being in the righttake place during the course of the conference. Not

environment. It means being

only can we relax and find nourishment, we canalso pretend to switch off and imagine that we arewilling and able to try to construct a new identity andno longer a teacher-geek, while clearly continuing

to be able to look at target and native cultures withdifferent eyes.” (a student’s commentary fromto discuss geeky teacher matters in a more informal

Palfreyman, D. & Smith, R., Learning Autonomy

context. We can talk while walking, speak while

Across Cultures, 2003, p.36)

sitting, and even converse while eating if deemed
appropriate. Conferences and their accompanying
social events are unique in their capacity to bring

I often find myself feeling frustrated in my EFL
classes; coaxing Japanese students to try andtogether such a wide range of people and haveexpress their opinions, initiate discussion andthem share and create experiences together.

debate, and collaborate with fellow students. For

Ultimately it is each of us who make the conference
what it is.

my students, I could imagine them feeling very!

To conclude, conferences are subject to the

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

frustrated and discouraged to try to meet the highexpectations of their native-English teacher, feeling25

Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
inadequate and insecure due to the lack of thethen conclude by giving suggestions on how to‘know-how’ and tools to help them accomplish theencourage learner autonomy through cross-tasks that are expected of them. As for me, an EFL
instructor, I need to remind myself regularly who incultural interaction in the classroom.

fact I am teaching in my classroom, and make sure

Definitions of autonomous learning

I am striving to teach students the skills they need

Autonomy in learning has been defined andin order for them to be able to actually do the tasks

described in a variety of different ways (see Rivers,

I set out for them. In doing so, I must teach them
how to be learner autonomous, as for some1975; Holec, 1981; Benson, 2006; Littlewood, 2009)
but have the same fundamental features: taking

students, they do not know how, nor even know

responsibility for one’s own learning; the capacity

why, it is important for them to be responsible forto communicate without the control and support oftheir own learning. Many instructors of EFL

a teacher; and a proactive action where learners

believe that teaching students 21st century skills
will help make students autonomous learners. I

take charge of their own learning, determine theirobjectives, select methods and techniques andagree with this; however, I think that is only half ofevaluate what has been acquired. As for mythe battle. Not only do our students need to learn

personal definition of autonomy in learning, both

21st century skills, they also need to havefor fundamental learning and language learning, it

opportunities to authentically use these important“soft skills” with people from different countries,

is taking responsibility and control of one’s
individual learning, and making use of one’s

cultures and backgrounds. ‘The ability to work

present abilities, skills, knowledge and motivation

effectively and creatively with team members andto improve one’s communicative competence.

classmates regardless of differences in culture andstyle is an essential 21st century life skill.
Understanding and accommodating cultural andLearner autonomy and Japanese students
The majority of classrooms in Japan still adopt thesocial differences, and using these differences to

traditional “teacher-centered approach”, wherecome up with even more creative ideas andauthority belongs to the teacher, the one active

solutions to problems, will be increasingly

entity in the classroom. The role of the student inimportant throughout our century’ (Trilling &Fadel, 2009, p.80).

most cases is a passive one. It is perceived as
normal for Japanese students to be “spoon-fed” in!

the learning process; not speak, but listen andI believe that it is important for students

to know how to be responsible for their own

therefore assume that this is their role as a learner.

learning, not only inside but outside of the

The majority of classrooms in Japanese universities

classroom, after the completion of their formal
education and throughout the rest of their lives. In

may be criticized as places where most of thestudents are a homogeneous, unified and collective

this article, I will briefly discuss issues regarding

cultural group; it is difficult to become an

Japanese students’ difficulty in acquiring learnerindividual instead of being part of the collective.

autonomy and introduce and briefly analyze some

The characteristics of the collectivist, passive,

results of my research, which I conducted on
students' learning experiences in learning together

teacher-dependent Japanese learner (Littlewood,1999) may strongly inhibit them from being able towith international students in the classroom. I willtake responsibility for their own individualNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
learning, or even learning why it is important to be

own individual opinions, questioning the opinions

an autonomous learner. Due to traditional methodsof other students and the teacher, disagreeing withand attitudes of classroom learning in Japan,
students are taught that it is the “teacher” who isother students and the teacher on their opinions,and taking initiative to speak out and express

solely responsible for their learning, and not theideas. Exposure to this type of student-centered,“student”. This attitude is also a result of socio-

proactive learning may engage Japanese students

cultural influences in the traditional learning

to take risks and try to become more active in theirenvironment in Japan. Many people believe that
autonomous learning is more of a ‘Western’language learning.
!
Learning with international students

approach to learning and not usually something

may make some Japanese students feel morepracticed in the East.

comfortable and relaxed, and as a result, making!

them feel that they have somehow been given

Many Japanese students are not awarethat being autonomous in one’s learning is a vital
21st century skill in itself. Students do not get

permission by their peers to speak freely, disagreeand debate in the classroom. The internationalenough practice in utilizing these skills in thestudent dynamic in the classroom can motivate

classroom such as problem-solving, criticaland encourage Japanese students to engage,

thinking, collaborative learning, self-initiateddiscuss and share their individual ideas andknowledge acquisition or decision making.
Japanese students lack not only communicative

opinions with their classmates. Having nonJapanese students in the classroom may change

competence (CC) but intercultural communicativeclassroom dynamics to promote a more positive,competence (ICC), due to lack of exposure tointeractive and communicative atmosphere in thecommunication opportunities; chances to interact,classroom. Moreover, learning with international

talk and learn with students from different
countries and cultural backgrounds. Most Japanese

students can make Japanese students discover
more about the world around them, as well asuniversity classroom environments are not set up

discover and better understand their own identity

to support autonomous learning, as mostand background. They can also come toclassroom dynamics do not encourage or invite aunderstand why being responsible for their own

venue for debate, argument, disagreement,
dispute, or difference. These things may be seen as

learning is so important in order to function
outside of a familiar, monocultural environment.

“taboo” in the traditional classroom in Japan,
especially if the student is the instigator of such

Student views on autonomy and interculturalacts.

learning

Learning together with international students

In order to find out what Japanese students think
about autonomy in their learning and their

Learning together with international students canopinions and personal experiences in interculturalprovide Japanese students with the opportunity tolearning, I collected students’ views in two

observe how students from different countries anddifferent ways: 1) a student questionnaire 2) a shortcultures learn in the classroom. Students from
Western and other English-speaking countries are

essay. The students from whom I collected my data
were undergraduate students studying at a private

more accustomed to asking questions, giving their

university located in the Kansai region of Japan.

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
The students were enrolled in the Faculties of“I don’t feel confident speaking English with

Business Administration, Economics andinternational students”.

Engineering.

“I would feel uncomfortable learning together
with international students in theStudent Survey

classroom”.

I conducted a survey on the topic of Japanese“I don’t have the opportunity to take classes

university students’ attitudes on learning together

with international students”.

with international students in the classroom. A
total of 90 undergraduate students answered the!
These comments may be interpreted assuggesting that many Japanese students are notquestionnaire. It asked mainly multiple-choice

motivated to practice their English, are notquestions, offering at least four choices of answers

confident in communicating with foreign students,

per question. Some questions asked for further

and have little exposure and opportunity tocomments and details regarding the answer thatthey selected. Some responses in particular which I

interact and speak with non-Japanese students
both inside and outside the classroom.

felt were significant to this study on Japanese!

students’ attitudes towards their learning will beinteresting responses was, “How does learning

briefly analyzed below.

with international students in the classroom make!
One question that was asked was, “Do
you enjoy learning together with international

you feel?” The responses were as follows:
40% motivated; 20% happy; 25% excited; 4%

students”? Most students (73%) who answered thestressed and pressured; 2% nervous; 8% otherquestionnaire replied with “yes”. When asked why,(relaxed, self-conscious, depressed, irritated, don’t

students replied with different answers:know)“It is easier to say my opinion in class whenanother student else says theirs first”.

!
As you can see from the above
percentages, the largest proportion of students

Another question which resulted in some

“It makes the class more interesting and fun”.

(40%) felt motivated when learning with

“It is more challenging and exciting wheninternational students in the classroom. With

international students are in the class”.

approximately 70% of students feeling positive in!
These replies may suggest that Japanese
students enjoy having some sort of interaction withsome way when learning with international
students in the classroom, this may suggest again

foreign students both in and out of the classroomthat students gain increased motivation andsetting. They become educationally stimulated andpositivity when given a chance to learn with aare engaged to try learning new and different

different dynamic, in a different environment.

things. Japanese may be more open and prone tochanging themselves and their learning habits if!
When students were asked, “Do you try
to say your opinion in class?”, 63% of the students

they see it from an “outside” of their own culturalanswered “yes”, whereas 37 % who answered

community, where they do not feel threatened or“no”. When asked the reasons why they responded

negatively judged as the student who is enacting“no”, they replied:change or difference. As for the remaining students(27%) who replied with “no”, their answers are

I’m too shy; It’s too difficult; I don’t think that I’msmart enough; I don’t have

below:

anything interesting to say; I’m worried how other

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
students will think of me;
I’m worried how the teacher will think of me; I’mcurrent global issues. Topics such as culture andlanguage, nationality and identity, gender andtoo scared to speak in front ofothers.

media were discussed, and debated throughout thecourse. As the class in the particular year and!

semester that I taught was comprised of

These reasons may suggest that Japanese

students lack self-confidence, and they worry too

approximately 50% Japanese domestic studentsmuch about what other students think or mightand 50% international students (comprised ofthink of them if they say their opinion. This alsocomes back to the Japanese students’ traditional

students from France, Sweden, Russia, China andthe United States), I had to make sure that I

way of learning in being used to being passive andconducted the class both in Japanese and English,

not knowing how to be proactive. Many Japaneseas there was no set English proficiency prerequisite

students may not be given enough opportunities tofor taking the course. In the first class, the Japanesepractice expressing their opinions in the classroom.
They may have a fear of being seen as the “other”

students and international students were sitting on
opposite sides of the classroom. While theor “different” and will not take risks. Due to theinternational students were talking English

lack of practicing risk-taking skills in theamongst themselves, the Japanese students satclassroom, many Japanese students lack confidence

silent in their seats and waited for me to instruct

and are afraid to make mistakes. Since many
Japanese students have a fear of being questioned

them. I began the class by introducing myself andthen asked each person to briefly introduce

or rejected by the teachers and their peers, in orderthemselves, giving them no real instructions as toto avoid this, they remain silent and find comfort

how go about this task. The international students

and safety in taking on the passive role in theirwere quick on their feet to stand up and introduce

learning.
!
When students were asked if they agreed

themselves both in English and Japanese with ease.
After directing each Japanese student to do theirwith the following statement: “There should be

introduction, many students shyly asked me

more university courses offered to Japaneseexactly what they should say and in what order tostudents to learn together with internationalsay it before beginning to speak. After the firststudents”, a majority of students (87%) agreed, 8%of students disagreed, and another 8 % of students

class, three Japanese students withdrew from thecourse, possibly due to a number of reasons.

replied with “I don’t know”. As for the 84 %, thisPerhaps they felt their English proficiency was

may suggest that Japanese students are realizing

inferior and inadequate to other students, or that

why learning with international students isthey didn’t feel comfortable with the style ofimportant and as a result, want to continue 21st
century learning in the classroom, practicing skills

learning in the course. Their lack of interculturalcommunication competence might also have beensuch as communicative competence, collaboration,a primary factor in dropping the class. This course

problem-solving and risk taking.

was especially challenging for the Japanese

Course Completion Essay

students for several reasons. Japanese students had

I taught an undergraduate elective course called“Culture and Comparison”, which was a course

to get used to a student-centered style of learningwhere each class was focusing on groupthat focused on discussing different cultures anddiscussion, debate and presentations. They were

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
constantly thinking and being asked their opinions

in the intercultural communication course together

by other students. They had to explain reasons forwith international students exhibited thetheir thinking. Students also had to prepare
questions and offer comments on other students’following:! improved communicative competence (CC)opinions. The course demanded each student to be!

a proactive member in the class, having no time forpassivity. At the end of the course, I asked students
to write a short essay about what things that they
had learned in this class. Below are some excerpts

acquired intercultural communicativecompetence (ICC)!

improved and increased cultural awareness!

and sensitivity
gained confidence not only linguistically, butfrom some of the Japanese students’ essays:

built up their self-confidence,“I frequently hear that Japanese students are shy when

and were able to express their opinions todoing discussion, and I found this out when I firstother members of the group, whether theyattended this class. I wanted to take part in discussion,and I thought about it over and over again, but I didn’t

agreed with them or not
became more aware of their own identity and!

know what to say. That is why I am disappointed withmy attitude when doing discussion, not in my English

self-esteem,

background!

became risk-takers in their learning

ability.”“I learned about how to ‘really communicate’.”“I feel that I gained a lot more knowledge than my other

Encouraging learner autonomy in the classroom
As for some suggestions on how to encourage

university lectures, where we listen to the professor who

learner autonomy in the classroom, the teacher

sits down in a chair and talks the whole class. In thismust first choose culture and language learningclass, the teacher and international students encouraged

tasks where students must:me to join the class and study together actively.”“If I didn’t take this class, my thinking would not have- think of how to initiate and encourage
conversation with other classmateschanged about English. English is not difficult. It is not- interact and communicate with other students

so important to speak perfect English fluently. English(intercultural communication activities as warm

is a communication tool. Don’t be afraid to makeups, group discussion, group presentations)mistakes”.
“I had the chance to understand who I am as a Japanese- express individual and unique opinions, pointout differences in opinions and encourage debate

and how I behave as a student.”(do role play activities, mini-debate activities)“I learned that the most important thing in class to try- assign leadership roles for each group (best to

to communicate and express your opinion, not about

have no more than 3-4 students in one group). For

how well you speak English.”“After I had the chance to be the leader of my group, I

example, designate an international student as thegroup leader who can demonstrate a good example

realized that I had been very passive in doing groupof how to lead a group in discussion, with thework….however, I found that if I join the discussion

Japanese students learning from that student inmore positively as a leader, I can gain more meaningfulobserving how to lead the group in discussion, etc.

things in class. Since then, I try to speak first and raise aquestion in group discussion.”

Then the next time, get a Japanese student to try
leading the group.

!

- create a classroom environment where students

The Japanese students who participatedNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』21(1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays
feel comfortable to disagree, debate and express

their newly acquired 21st century skills in a unique

individuality without fear of exclusion or rejection

classroom environment. This kind of collaborativefrom the group.
- create a learning environment where students feellearning is essential to improve Japanese students’communicative competence, and develop the skills

comfortable making linguistic mistakes (inthat they require in order to function and succeed

speaking and writing) and reinforce that,

wherever they are in the world.

communication and interaction is the goal, notaccuracy in speaking or writing.
- promote and scaffold the interculturalcommunicative competence (ICC) learning process,with the teacher helping, encouraging discussion,moderating and assisting when needed.
- encourage student-centered autonomous learning
approach. Get students to talk and be the center ofthe learning.
Conclusion
This article attempted to briefly discuss thedifferent perspectives of Japanese students’attitudes towards learning in an international class,and the author’s discoveries in encouraging
students to develop learner autonomy. Based on
the results of the student survey and course
feedback, it seems obvious that the majority ofJapanese students who had come from a teachercentered learning environment seem to prefer tolearn in an intercultural, student-centered

References
Benson, P. (2006) Autonomy in language learning,
retrieved on October 19, 2003 from http://
ec.hku.hk/autonomy/what.html and http://
ec.hku.hk/autonomy/#k.
Holec, H. (1981) Autonomy in foreign language learning.
Oxford: Pergamon Press. Littlewood, W.
(1999) Defining and developing autonomy inEast Asian contexts, Applied Linguistics, 20 (1)71-94.
Palfreyman D., & Smith, R. (Eds.) (2003). Learnerautonomy across cultures:Language education
perspectives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan
Rivers, W. M. (1975). A practical guide to the teaching of
French. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sercu, L. (2002). Autonomous learning and theacquisition of intercultural communicativecompetence: Some implications for course
development. Language, Culture andCurriculum, 15, (1), 61-72.
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills:
Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.

classroom. With an increased demand by bothteachers and students in Japan to change the styleof learning in the classroom and in order to prepare
the next generation of world leaders to be able tofunction as global citizens, educators in Japan mustencourage their institutions to develop curricula
where student-centered learning and learnerautonomy is strongly encouraged. One way toachieve this is to create more opportunities fordomestic and international students to learn
together in one classroom. Japanese students are
not only able to practice their English skills withinternational students, but have the chance to use

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 21 (1): LD SIG Grant Awardees’ Essays

LD SIG Grants 2014 AWARDED
The LD SIG Grants Committee would like tocongratulate all of the 2014 grants winners. We

LD SIG Grants 2014 YOU CAN STILLAPPLY FOR

look forward to their contributions to the LD

2 JALT 2014 National Grants
JALT全国大会参加助成金

SIG:(there might be enough funding for a 3rd grant!)

Winner of the LD SIG 2014 research grant:

Application deadline: June 20th, 2014

Tomoko Imamura
Winner of the PAN-SIG Conference grant:
Caroline Ross
2, with a possible 3rd, JALT 2014 National
Grants:Application deadline: June 20th, 2014

Outreach grant:

Second application deadline: July 21st, 2014
For more information please go to:<http://ld-sig.org/grants2014/>
Or send a quick email to:<learnerdevelopmentsiggrants@gmail.com>

Realizing Autonomy
ISBN:
978-0-230-28264-3
More Autonomy
You Ask!
ISBN: 4-931424-29-5

Autonomy You Ask!
ISBN:
4-931424-16-3

Reconstructing Autonomy
in Language Education
ISBN: 978-0-230-00173-2

Downloadable from: http://c-faculty.chuou.ac.jp/~mikenix1/ldsig/AYA.html

Newsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>32