Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

LD SIG Research Grant Reports
LD SIG 研究助成金受賞報告

JALT 2014: Bringing about active
participation through ELF andcollaborative learning

Joel Laurier
Toyo University
waldolaurier@gmail.com
I start my JALT International Conference
Report with a big thank you to the Learner
Development Special Interest Group (LD SIG)
for their support in awarding me one of the2014 LD SIG International Conference Grants. I
am grateful to the Grants Committee forgiving me the opportunity to attend thisconference, for without their assistance I
would not have been able to gain theimportant lessons I learned there. Hopefully
the grant system of the SIG can continue, sothat other teachers who do not haveinstitutional support to attend such

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

conferences can also benefit from the SIG’sgenerosity.
The 2014 conference in Tsukuba was mysixth JALT international conference. It wasanother great experience of learning andsharing. The presentations gave me valuable
insight into the latest trends in language
education as well as helpful hints of how to
improve my classroom practices. I learned
valuable theoretical perspectives and practicalideas that I have been able to implement in myclasses as well as in the staff room, such as thenegative impact our EFL grading has on ourstudents and how to maximize efficiency incommittee work. Moreover, reflecting on what
I observed at the conference overall, I havecome to question some of my previous
assumptions about English speaker identity andreinforced my beliefs about individual versus
collaborative learning.
ELF vs EFL
As English is my second language, I am always
conscious of my status as a speaker of English.
French is my first language, so I feel a sense ofcommonality with the large number of JALTInternational conference presenters who use
English as their second or additional language.
This view is not shared by all. There are many
English speakers who place a great importanceon the difference between ESL speakers suchas myself, and EFL learners of English. This,

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

despite our equally high level of fluency. Thisessentially forms the growing debate between
the English as a Foreign Language camp andthe more inclusive school of English as a Lingua
Franca (ELF).
EFL is a deficit model that uses the“native speaker” as the standard of English(Cook, 1999). Speakers of English are measured
in relation to their proximity to inner-circle
countries (Kachru, 1992), the de facto
standard. So, English speakers from thecountries in the outer circle and the expanding
circle are seen as learners of English, simply
based on their nationality (Firth, 1996). This
positions them as deficient or lacking inability, without ever being able to ascend to
the goal of being “native-like” (Han, 2004).
However, the discriminatory attitude inherent
in the EFL model is now giving way to a newattitude based on the realization that the large
majority of English speakers are not “native”
and use English as a lingua franca.
Following this precept of using English
as the medium of communication between
speakers of different first languages, ELF
proponents maintain that ownership of English
should not be limited to Kachru’s inner circle
countries. Rather, according to some ELF
academics, it is to be expanded to whereverEnglish is used (Shibata, 2011). The fact that
ELF proponents consider all speakers of English
users of the language distinguishes it from the
EFL model still predominantly in use in Japan(Firth, 1996). From this perspective, speakers
of English such as myself should also be
regarded as owners of English, further
empowering not only ourselves, but also thestudents we teach. Effective communication isthus more than simply a matter of sounding

like a native speaker.
It was empowering to see this new viewof English in action in Tsukuba. Throughout theconference, I heard English being used byspeakers of other languages. There were slightvariations in the way some people used andpositioned adverbs. Others could be noticed touse the auxiliary verbs “make” and “take”
more frequently than others. In no situation
was intelligibility impeded. With theirconfident and effective communication skills,
these JALT presenters lay their claim toownership of a type of English used in their
particular surroundings. So it was that I cameto see that, as English teachers, adopting an
EFL native-like standard to measureperformance robs our students of confidence
they might otherwise gain if we accepted andpromoted a lingua franca approach. As aresult, I have begun to call myself a user ofEnglish to properly describe my identity,rather than comparing myself to native
speakers. I hope that this will give my students
the confidence to call themselves users too.
One thing I noticed about the most effective
presentations by non-native speakers was thatthey were all using techniques that I teach in
my English for Academic Purposes classes—
things like circumlocution, negotiating
meaning, accurately and naturally using
discourse markers. If students develop thesetechniques, they can take ownership of English
too. Promoting student participation atconferences such as JALT, a position the LD
SIG actively promotes, would go a long way infulfilling this goal.
Collaborative learning
The second assumption that was reinforced atNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

JALT was that learning can be more
successfully achieved through collaboration. It
was refreshing to see that many conference
participants were applying innovative
collaborative practices beyond the confines of
the classroom. The LD SIG’s Annual General
Meeting (AGM) in particular displayed a strongemphasis on collaboration to effectively andefficiently conduct its meeting. I was
impressed to see practices that we try to
inculcate in our students could be successfully
adopted by teachers too.
Having taught at the primary, juniorhigh school and university levels in Japan, I
have witnessed an excessive emphasis onindividual performance. From students
jockeying for position in the highest levelschools to the preference given by someuniversity hiring committees to single author
publications over co-authored ones, theeducation system has a competitive element in
its design. However, as with education systems
in other parts of the world, the field of
education in Japan is increasingly gravitating
toward teamwork as a successful teachingpractice. While social interaction mightenhance learning, it also has the potential of
making less able students rely on morecompetent students to do the lion’s share of
the work. As the less able students participate
less, the education gap between the weakest
and the strongest students could widen.
Collaborative learning (CL), however, can beused to close the gap and enhance the learningof all.
Collaboration is “the mutual
engagement of participants in a coordinatedeffort to solve a problem together” (Roschelle& Teasley, 1991). Building upon the concept of

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

teamwork with a focus, collaboration brings
together people with a similar purpose so thatthey can all benefit from each other’s work
while reducing the amount of tasks eachmember must accomplish. In education, thisconcept is the foundation upon which CL isbuilt. The goal of CL is to use this engagement
to build a safe environment that properly
supports students in their learning. It is further
used to “achieve other goals such as thedevelopment of social and teamwork skills andto foster citizenship” (Ashwell et al., 2014, p.
6). The responsibilities each student has incollaborative work CL is a great form of
preparation for the real world, as it divests
students of the scaffolding provided in theclassroom and it constructs knowledge in a
way that most closely resembles the workplaceenvironment. As collaboration arises out of a
jointly-felt need by members of a community
to pool their resources to mutual benefit, theemphasis on communication naturally
encourages teachers to introduce groupingsthat have collaborative characteristics in any
context.
This principled belief in CL was inevidence at the LD SIG AGM. Each of thecommittees reported to the group at large, areflection of the importance the SIG places on
the democratic principles of collaboration. It
was the dynamic between the members thatwas most striking to me. I could clearly see theinterdependence between committee
members as they each gave their individualpart of committee reports to the assembly.
The peer-interaction between all members
showcased a collaborative effort that worked
because it ensured that a wide range ofmembers’ views were represented and each11

Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

opinion was respected. There were reports bycommittee teams, rather than individuals, andthose members responsible for submitting thereport were careful to include every
member’s thoughts. While it was stated that
this teamwork approach was a new system in
the group, the collaborative approach clearly
succeeded in involving the greatest amount ofmembers’ participation. The AGM had anambitiously long agenda but each committee
was represented and each item was discussed
openly, a testament to the SIG’s principles of
democracy and collaborative participation.
This environment made me comfortableenough to speak up myself in the AGM byoffering a theme for the new SIG publicationand volunteering to write in it.
Conclusion
Thanks to receiving a grant to attend the JALTInternational conference, I was able to seesome of my beliefs in a new light and thisgave me the confidence and motivation to
become more active in JALT by volunteeringfor positions on the LD SIG’s events team and
JALT’s The Language Teacher. I had long been
thinking about giving more of my time to JALT
since I have greatly benefitted from theprofessional development, the networking,and the friendships I had been involved inthrough organization since joining in 2011.
The perfect opportunity had never jumped out
at me. One of my biggest reasons for joining
the LD SIG was to extend my knowledge oflearning approaches and the methods andresources to effectively achieve better results
in my teaching and learning environment. It
wasn’t until Alison Stewart asked me to play abigger part in the team that I realized that I

could really contribute. Or rather, that I
should contribute. I look forward to helping
the LD SIG team continue to grow even moreas a collaborative organization.
References
Ashwell, T., Paydon, S., Miyahara, M.,
Stewart, A. (Eds.), (2014). Collaborative
Learning in Learner Development.
Learner Development Special Interest
Group of JALT.
Cook, V. (1999). Going Beyond the Native
Speaker in Language Teaching. TESOL
Quarterly, 33(2), 185-209
Firth, A. (1996). The discursive
accomplishment of normality: On‘lingua franca’ English and conversation
analysis. Journal of Pragmatics, 26(2),237-259.
Han, Z. (2004). To be a native speaker means
not to be a nonnative speaker. Second
Language Research, 20(2), 166-187.
Kachru, B. B. (1992). Teaching world
Englishes. The other tongue: English
across cultures, 2, 355-366.
Roschelle, J., & Teasley, S. (1991). The
construction of shared knowledge incollaborative problem solving. In C.
O’Malley (Ed.), Computer Supported
Collaborative Learning, Berlin,
Germany: Springer, 67-97.
Shibata, A. (2011). Rethinking the Ownershipof English as a Lingua Franca. 椙山女学園
大学研究論集 人文科学篇, (42), 71-83.

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

JALTCALL 2015 Conference Report:
New perspectives on engaging
learners through technology

Michael T. Sullivan
Linguage Intercom
mtsullivan@hotmail.com
Teach different. I think this message, to put a
new spin on an old Apple Computer slogan—
think different—best encapsulates what I
gleaned during the JALTCALL conference inJune 2015 at Kyushu Sangyo University inFukuoka. As the theme of the conference waslanguage learning technologies and learnerautonomy, the focus of many presentations
was on how language educators can transform
programs and syllabuses or at least modify
their lessons with new technologies toempower learners and prepare them for the
global workplace. This conference report will
give an overview of the presentations that I
attended as well as my reflections on how
these talks have influenced me as a business
English teacher, and how the information has
broadened my understanding of learnerautonomy and the role of technology in andout of the classroom.
To begin with, I was fortunate to hear

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the plenary talk given by the renowned Dr.
Ema Ushioda. She did not talk about any
particular technological device or app; rather,
she referred to two different types ofautonomy, and the distinction between themin the case of technology use in language
learning. These two concepts can be defined
as follows: autonomy 1 represents a learner’s
motivation to behave in a way that is
consistent with their attitudes and values;
autonomy 2 can be perceived as thewillingness of a student to be active in—and in
charge of—their own learning. While anautonomy 1 learner may freely engage inlanguage learning technologies that are
pedagogically designed and sound, they may
not have the capacity to exploit thetechnology to enhance their learning, which isan important characteristic of the autonomy 2learner. So, what does this mean for my own
classroom situation? First, in creating a kind oftechnological culture in the classroom, I feelthat I should consider and assess my students’motivations and assumptions about technology.
Second, with the aim of fostering autonomy 2learners, my role as an instructor should be tohelp facilitate the students’ use of technology
in strategic, creative ways to meet theirlanguage learning goals. This is a key point, asI have noticed in the past that my students arequick to use some technologies outside classthat are user-friendly but not particularly
helpful in the development of language andmetacognitive skills. To that end, I share
Ema’s contention that learning is more
effective when it is strategic and purposefulthan when it is informal and incidental.
Similarly, an emphasis on creative andlateral thinking alongside technology in the13

Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

classroom was at the heart of the talk given by
Rab Peterson, the second plenary speaker at
the conference. The reason behind this focus
was not only the mounting concern thattoday’s students are technologically
unprepared for the global workplace (Daggett,2010), but also that in this “age of creation”,
as Rab put it, Japanese classrooms are in thedigital doldrums. He therefore recommends
that these schools aim to produce more rightbrain thinkers (e.g., creative, empathetic
learners) who spend time reacting, doing,problem-solving and inventing, not justthinking about the task at hand. So, how do
we go about doing this? Rab suggests a numberof projects that involve technology, like thestudent-led Youtube/Go Pro mini-movie
projects, and hands-on and/or collaborative
projects such as the Marshmallow Challenge,
in which students are asked to build a tower
from marshmallows and the Island Fire
activity, in which learners consider what to dowhen they are trapped on an island consumed
by fire. But, could this work in my own
business English classroom? The short answer is
yes and no. On the plus side, my students
relish the chance to be involved in hands-on,group activities within the classroom; on theother hand, due to their company status andresponsibilities, they may lack the time,means and resources to engage in larger (e.g.
movie) projects using technology. As asolution, then, my students could work on suchcollaborative projects so long as the resources
are in the classroom and the task at hand
could be completed within the classroom
period.
In addition to the plenary talks, I had
the opportunity to attend the LD-SIG forum.

There were three talks which focused on social
networking and/or intercultural digitalexchanges among students. First, Richard
Pinner’s talk focused on his ongoingexperiences of using social networking sites(SNS) so as to line up his Japanese students
with overseas partners, and the potential
risks/drawbacks of out-of-classcommunication, such as oversharing
information to others and producing
inauthentic language (e.g., learner resistanceor silence). In another talk, Simeon Flowers
looked at digital pen pal exchanges as a way ofdeveloping intercultural sensitivity among
students, negotiating meaning, focusing less on
copying native English forms and boostinglearner confidence in their use of thelanguage. Last, Alison Stewart discussed what
students gain from intercultural Facebook
exchanges, such as new communication
strategies and critical insights into how they
react to and process information from others,
and that through this kind of active, digitalexchange they learn because it is aninteraction that involves socializing andperception.
I see both pros and cons in conducting
such online pen pal exchanges in my own
classroom. On the one hand, I believe thatsuch media sites like Facebook can allow forfriendly, casual information exchanges
between my students, and that the computercan serve as a social, interactive medium forlearners to express themselves (Wang &Coleman, p.114) in a timely way.
Communication on Facebook, for example, iswritten with a time stamp, so each of mystudents could be encouraged to respond
relatively quickly to the pen pal using clear

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

and appropriate language. In doing so, mystudents would further learn to develop somecommunication strategies to best convey theirmessage and negotiate meaning. On the flipside, however, I am reluctant to carry out
these types of exchanges in my own classroom
situation. As I teach businesspeople who canbe particularly sensitive to the release of any
work-related information, I would be wary of
having them share information with relative
strangers. Furthermore, it may take some time
to find an appropriate match for my students,
many of whom range in age from thirty to fifty
and tend to be more family-focused and lessoutgoing. Nevertheless, an online exchange
among my business-focused students has
potential value and could proceed as long as
the information shared is limited to those in
the class and is not confidential.
Other presentations I attended over thecourse of the conference also dealt withlearner autonomy as well as engagement,
implementation and assessment of online/
multimedia training. Two presentations wereof particular interest to me. The first one, by
Glenn Stockwell and Philip Hubbard, surveyed
the use and popularity of mobile phones and
PCs and discussed ways they have been
incorporated in the language classroom/
syllabus. Reflecting on this talk, I found it
useful as it helped me grasp, with the help of
their data, which devices and training weremost useful in keeping students engaged in thelong run. For example, a combination oftechnical, strategic and pedagogical training
by the instructor was shown to be effective inengaging learners using devices. As I teachmany on-the-go professionals in class who arekeenly interested in both self-study learning

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>and mobile language learning, I have sinceused the information from the talk to direct
my students to appropriate online activities
and explain how they can provide support foreach other (e.g., in collaborative debriefings
on each other’s use of language). In this way,
my roles as a moderator and facilitator andthe students’ role as autonomous learners
have become more clearly defined.
The second presentation of note, given
by Simeon Flowers and Brett Milliner, focusedon the use of Google Forms and Survey Monkey
in the classroom. The talk was particularly
useful as it showed how to put the mobile
phone to good pedagogical use and encourage
student autonomy. Although the free versionsof both of these mobile-friendly applications
are limited in features, they allow students to
not only answer basic grammar/vocabulary/reading quizzes (with or without video) and do
peer assessment/review but also do studentconducted research from their phone, theresults of which could be relayed back to the
instructor on a spreadsheet or in a report.
Reflecting on my own classes, I question if mystudents with their hectic work schedules
would continue doing these online tasks (e.g.,
quizzes and polls) by themselves over an
extended period of time. However, byscheduling both periodic sessions between theteacher and learner and sessions between
peers to check up on their progress, thismobile self-study practice could be a valuable
extension of classroom lessons and language
points.
In conclusion, the JALTCALL conference
was a worthwhile experience, as it showcasedin several ways how technology/
technologically-minded tasks can transform15

Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

our classrooms and stimulate learners. Yet
thankfully, it also stressed the importance ofthe teacher’s role when students arepresented with a multitude of technologicalresources. That is to say, there are manytechnological tools (e.g. QR codes, particularvocabulary apps and online testing resources)
the student can use freely; it is up to theteacher to guide learners to choose
technologies that are pedagogically sound,promote the right kind of learner autonomy
and encourage learners to think outside thebox so as to meet their language goals.
Presentations referred to in this article
Flowers, S. (2015). Developing intercultural
sensitivity in ELF through digital pen pal
exchange. PowerPoint presentation at
JALTCALL2015 conference, Fukuoka.
Flowers, S. & Milliner, B. (2015). Google
Forms vs. Survey Monkey: A practical guide toclassroom use and research using online
forms. PowerPoint presentation at JALTCALL
2015 conference, Fukuoka.
Hubbard, P. & Stockwell, G. (2015). Engaging
learners in mobile language learning throughlearner training. PowerPoint presentation at
JALTCALL2015 conference, Fukuoka.

Pinner, R. (2015). Transportable identities andsocial networks: A reflection on the pros andcons of out-of-class communication.
PowerPoint presentation at JALTCALL2015
conference, Fukuoka.
Stewart, A. (2015). Affordances forintercultural learning through a facebook
exchange. PowerPoint presentation at
JALTCALL2015 conference, Fukuoka.
Ushioda, E. (2015). Engaging with technologies
for language learning: Perspectives on
autonomy and motivation. (PowerPoint
slides). Retrieved from http://
conference2015.jaltcall.org

References
Coleman, J.A. &Wang. L. (2009). A survey ofinternet-mediated intercultural foreign
language education in China. ReCall,21(1), 113-12. doi:10.1017/
S095834409583440900056
Daggett, W. (2010). Preparing students fortheir technological future. New York:International Center for Leadership in
Education, Inc.

http://jaltcall.org/
Paterson, R. (2015). Creativity, innovationand 21st century literacies as a path tostudent academic autonomy. (PowerPoint
slides). Retrieved from http://
conference2015.jaltcall.org

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

Learning Through Participation: An
ALT perspective on JALT PanSIG in
Kobe

Nicole Gallagher
Rikkyo University
nicolemariegallagher@gmail.com
Last year I had the pleasure of attending andpresenting at the JALT PanSIG, my first ever
JALT conference, which was held at Miyazaki
Municipal University in May 2014. Since I was
based in Kumamoto it was quite easy for me todrive there. Being able to get there on abudget was probably one of the key deciding
factors for my attendance because, as an
Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) on the Japan
Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, I did
not have access to funding for attending
conferences, putting most academic
conferences out of reach. This year with thefinancial support of the LD PanSIG Conference
Grant, I was able to fly to Kobe to attend andpresent at the PanSIG2015 conference. I reallyappreciate the generous support and I thinkthese kinds of grants are an excellent way tomake JALT conferences more accessible tothose educators and students who do not have

学習者ディベロプメント研究部会 <ld-sig.org/>

access to conference funding. As a newmember to the LD SIG and JALT, coming to
Kobe was a great opportunity for me tobecome better acquainted with the various
SIGs and people who make up JALT.
Furthermore, part of the experience thatcame with receiving the LD conference granthas been becoming acquainted with the
Learner Development SIG. I had theopportunity to attend the LD SIG Forum on thefirst day, meeting and talking with otherpresenters and members of the SIG. In thisarticle, I will reflect on what I haveexperienced and learnt from the conference
and how it has influenced my outlook onteaching and research.
While attending the conference, I was
impressed with the sheer volume of learningand dialogue converging at one place. Overthe two days, I was exposed to many newideas and had the opportunity to meet new
people, evidenced by the pile of businesscards I amassed. At any conference like this,
there was some scheduled learning, and someincidental learning, learning that arose
unplanned, both of which shaped myexperience of the conference. This year’s
PanSIG took place at Kobe City University ofForeign Studies from May 16-17, 2015, withthe theme, “Narratives: Raising the HappinessQuotient”. The organizers created a positive,
playful conference atmosphere by handing out
candy, arranging a dream interpretation
service, and setting up special areas withnames like Narrative Café and Happy Roomwhich made for a fun and engaging social
environment.
The themes of story and happinesswere carried into the presentations of the17

Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

plenary speakers. These ideas are interestingfor me to reflect on as a language teacher, as I
believe teachers always need to consider how
to make classes more learner-centered andinspiring to connect with learner`s in a more
personally meaningful way. On the first day ofthe conference, Curtis Kelly gave an
impressive and cleverly executed plenary
speech entitled, “Why Our Brains Like
Stories”. He presented an argument forharnessing the human brain’s affinity forstories in order to advance classroom learning.
The concept of embodied cognition; the ideathat human thought depends on the way weexperience the environment through thephysical aspect of ourselves, suggests thatstories can influence our minds more
effectively than other forms of communication
because they refer to things that we value human events, experience and emotion. When
we listen and empathize with a story,
neurotransmitters responsible for regulating
our moods like dopamine, cortisol, andoxytocin are released from receptors having a
direct effect on our mental state. Kelly argued
that when the details of events and situations
are presented in a storyline, individuals
remember them much better than whenpresented as a list of information. Kelly
showed us a Google search bar commercial
played during the 2010 Super Bowl in order todemonstrate the powerful effect that stories
have on structuring and ordering facts into a
synthesized memory. After watching theprotagonist search for several pieces of
information on Google over the course of his
travels to Paris (where he met a woman,pursued her, and fell in love), Kelly asked us
to recall what he had searched for, and then

why we had remembered it. It seemed that we
could remember what he had searched forbased on how it was associated with the larger
narrative of the protagonist’s own experiencein Paris.
As an ALT teaching at senior highschools, I think that students respond well tostorytelling activities. For example, I havedone storyboard activities with high school
students in the past where they drew several
scenes in order to tell stories about things that
happened during their summer vacations. I
have also had them write and perform
television cooking shows, commercials, orshort dramas. From these experiences in theclassroom, I feel that using narratives can be
the basis for creating meaningful learnercentred activities and potentially make iteasier for learners to remember and orderlarge quantities of language at one time. I
think Kelly’s plenary was able to clearly
articulate some possible reasons why thesenarratives can be an effective basis forclassroom language activities.
On the morning of the second day, Kim
Horne delivered an inspiring talk on teachingvirtue to our students called “The Virtues ofCharacter Education—Simple Ways to Bring
Joy, Meaning & Purpose into Your Classroom”.
Horne took us through her own story ofcreating a personal teaching philosophy thataims to reach the lives of her young learners
through teaching virtue within her English
lessons. On a visit to the Hendrix IB World
School, in Boiling Springs, South Carolina,
several years ago, she noticed that the walls ofeach class had posters with inspirational andencouraging phrases, unlike what she was used
to in Japan. This experience influenced her toNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

expand the scope of what she does in theclassroom. For example, she teaches thealphabet with a picture storybook and song,
where each letter of the alphabet isassociated with a virtue. She recounted many
inspired episodes from her own classes,
shedding tears after retelling a story of one
boy’s realization of his own conduct. As many
EFL educators often sacrifice topic content fora focus on language, it was refreshing to see
her passion for creating goals for her language
class that focus on her students’ behavior andattitudes. In the discussion that followed
Horne’s presentation, one member of theaudience asked whether virtues as a kind of
moral education should be taught in theclassroom, as the history of moral education(dotoku kyouiku) in Japan is associated with
an oppressive social control which was
instituted under the Imperial Rescript on
Education prior to World War II. She quickly
dismissed this concern as irrelevant,expressing her own confidence and belief in
her own teaching approach and beliefs. I was
personally moved by her passion and felt that
her commitment to what she was doing wassomething all teachers should aspire to. It waseasy to see that Kim Horne is one of those rare
educators who can inspire many of her
students through her character. I look forward
to learning more from her in the future.
Kim Horne and her plenary provide agood example of the effectiveness of acarefully developed teaching philosophy andthe importance of teacher involvement on
student’s lives. As a young educator thisplenary both provided a great example andimportant lesson about great teaching. In
many language contexts, it seems teachers are

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given few opportunities to develop a personalteaching philosophy and are encouraged tofocus on language in the classroom, in otherwords teaching language content and skills.
However, in the ALT context, we are often
encouraged to act as role models for students
and share stories from our personal lives as away to both encourage cultural exchange andinterest in English. For example, we always
have to provide self-introduction lessons forevery group of students and share information
about our likes and dislikes, family, culturaland personal background. While ALTs are often
positioned as only assistant teachers, in somecases, depending on the placement and school
context, we are put in positions where wehave more flexibility to develop our own
teaching approach, and can try out new ideas
in the classroom. For example, I was given a
lot of freedom to design the semester syllabus
and lesson plans for my high school classes
according to my preferences. This flexibility
gives ALTs valuable opportunities forexperimentation with ideas and approaches,and can provide a good environment for an
ALT interested in a career in education towork on developing their own personalteaching philosophy. To such ALTs, Horne’s
presentation is particularly relevant as she
provided a great prototype for how each of us
could personalize our classrooms.
Probably the most important
experience for me was getting an opportunity
to present on my own research. I gave a poster
presentation on the topic of senior high school
English teachers’ beliefs on teaching English in
English on the afternoon of the second day. I
was interested in investigating how high school
teachers in Japan are adjusting their teaching

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Learning Learning『学習の学習』 22 (3): Research Grant Reports

practices in light of the new Course of Studythat came into effect in April 2013. In thispresentation, I showcased interview research
conducted with four high school teachers in
Kumamoto Prefecture in the spring. I inquired
about their beliefs and practices in theircurrent English classes, specifically looking at
what they use English and Japanese for within
their classes and their reasons for doing so. I
also asked them what they found challenging
about using more English in the classroom. I
found that the teachers still felt restrained byperceptions of university examinations, andthe reform process of their own classroom
practices was related to the teaching culture
and expectations of their particular school,with some teachers feeling more able to adapt
the new curriculum guidelines than others.
During the presentation, I spent the allottedtime talking with various educators working at
both universities and high schools, and could
meet people who were interested in either the
topic of high school English reform or teacher
beliefs. I received a lot of good feedback andsuggestions for further research andimprovement. It seemed that many people feltthat the improvement of high school English
education is still tied to issues of test reform,
whether those issues are real or perceived
falsely by high school teachers. I was able toestablish new contacts and encouragement topublish from this presentation making thistime an invaluable stimulus of my own future
research.
For the remainder of the conference, I
tried to attend as many workshops as I could
and find opportunities to engage with theother people present. One of the mostpleasantly unpredictable things that happened

to me at the conference was learning about
the various Model UN competitions organized inJapan from some of the university student
volunteers who were present in the Narrative
Café. While taking some downtime, I started tochat with some of the student volunteers who
were running the refreshment and snack
booth. One of them was involved with theModel UN at Kobe City University of Foreign
Studies and he told me how great of anexperience they had being involved withwriting position papers and joining
competitions. He explained to me in detailabout the benefits of Model UN, which requires
the participants to focus on consensus building,and mutual understanding and have them
manage the whole competition. I was reallyinterested in the participatory nature of theactivity and hope that I can be involved withthe competition as an educator in the future.
Although there are few ALTs or
students present, I think the conference is aworthwhile experience for younger or lessexperienced educators. Since some JET ALTs
are interested in continuing to work in Japanafter they finish their contracts, it provides a
glimpse into the broader language teachingprofession that exists in Japan. Personally, theconference exposed me to the breadth andrange of the field, as well as provided valuable
opportunities to meet and discuss ideas withother conference participants. Overall, theconference increased my motivation to try out
new ideas and challenge myself as a teacher
and as a researcher. I am glad I went and hopeto go to many more JALT conferences in the
future.

Newsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <ld-sig.org/>20