Learning Learning

Volume 24 Issue 3
Winter 2017

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elcome to the Winter issue of Learning Learning. In this issue, we bring together a rich range ofwriting that explores learner development from various perspectives and across different
educational levels. In Members’ Voices, Kio Iwai, Bruce Lander, Akiko Kiyota, and Nick
Kasparek—all new members of the SIG in 2017—share stories from their own experiences as learners
and teachers around issues of identity, inclusion, learner autonomy, and creativity. In Looking Back,PanSIG 2016 LD presenters Joël Laurier, Alison Stewart, Katherine Thornton, Debjani Ray, Hiroyo
Nakagawa, and Greg Rouault invite us to consider a variety of educational approaches that have helped
foster creative ways of learning for their students both inside and outside of the classroom. LD grantawardees Daniel Hougham and Farrah Hasnain also look back to share their experiences and takeaways
from the 2017 JALT PanSIG and JALT CALL conferences, respectively. In Short Articles, Matthew
Hollinshead reports on insights into teacher identity, role, and power that emerged for him from keepinga reflective journal over a school year, while, within the different context of a self-directed learning
module, Yuri Imamura investigates the impact of her work as a learning advisor on guiding students tobecome more aware of affective aspects of their learning processes. Takeshi Ishikawa then looks at both
how and why a class of university students became more engaged with writing in English through acarefully scaffolded diary exchange. These short articles are followed by Ellen Head’s review of a bookby Caitlin Walker exploring the development of collaborative autonomy in groups. In Getting Connectedyou will find short reports on the Kansai, Hiroshima, and Tokyo get-togethers in 2017, after whichinterviews with the editors of the recently published and upcoming issues of The Learner Development
Journal focus on their diverse experiences of working together with each other and with the writers,
reviewers, and others involved in each issue’s creation. Without further ado, we extend a warm welcome
to readers and wish you and yours a very merry winter and as always … happy reading!
Learning Learning Editorial Team
December 2017
Arnold Arao
Editor, Layout & DesignDaniel Hougham
Editor, Digital Content

Andy Barfield
Editor, Members’ Voices Coordinator

Hugh Nicoll
Editor, Learning Learning Webmaster

Chika Hayashi
Editor, Japanese Translation Coordinator

Yoko Sakurai
Editor, Grants Essay Coordinator

Tokiko Hori, Yoshio Nakai, Koki Tomita
Editors, Japanese Translators

With special thanks to Sean Toland
Guest Editor******
It is our pleasure to welcome Ken Ikeda, Fumiko Murase, and Sean Toland to the editorial team for2018. We would like to encourage other SIG members to take part and work together with us on
Learning Learning. If you are interested, please see http://ld-sig.org/information-for-joining-the-learninglearning-team/ for more information, as well as for details of how to contact us. Many thanks!
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Volume 24 Issue 3
Winter 2017

Learning Learning/01
Members’ Voices
Bruce Lander, Akiko Kiyota, Nick Kasparek 2

SIG

2017

Kio Iwai,
0Looking Back
PanSIG 2016 LD
1
Joel Laurier,Alison Stewart, Katherine Thornton, Debjani Ray, Hiroyo Nakagawa, Greg Rouault 2
LDDaniel HoughamFarrah Hasnain
JALTCALL
2017 JALT PanSIG
Short Articles ()Matthew Hollinshead 2Yuri Imamura 222Takeshi Ishikawa
121Ellen
HeadCaitlin Walker
Getting Connected22017
get-together”The Learner Development Journal (LDJ)”
2002017

12Whose Autonomy?
Voices and Agency in Language Learning

Independent Learning Association Conference 2018,
Konan Women’s University, Kobe, 5-8 September
The Call for Proposals closes 14 January 2018!
For more information <ila2018.org>

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Volume 24 Issue 3
Winter 2017

Learning Learning

GREETINGS AND NEWS UPDATES łĿ/ȇŻíßGreetings all and welcome to the winter issue of Learning Learning!

As the new co-coordinators of the SIG, in writing our very first message to the members of
the Learner Development SIG, we had read a number of previously published LL
newsletters. In the course of the reading, we stumbled upon a message written by the 2013
Learning Learning coeditors, James Underwood and Glenn Magee. We have learned that the LD SIG isgoing to commemorate its 25th anniversary in 2018. We also encountered the footprints left by manydifferent active members of the LD SIG. We came to the realization that the anniversary is the productof collective efforts made by all the hardworking people who have been involved for the development of
the LD SIG.
We also would like to quote Hugh Nicoll who stepped down from the coordinator position in 2011.
“It is as clear as ever that we are a hard-working group, and that the SIG is an amazing, on-going work in progress”. As
Hugh stated in his message, the LD SIG has been and will stand strong with the support of hardworking
volunteers in the community. It is our honor to be involved as part of this amazing group and work withall of you. We would like to keep building on the legacy of the LD SIG until we pass the torch to thenext coordinators as the previous coordinators, Mathew Porter and Mayumi Abe, have done.
We believe that the year of 2018 is going to be as full of excitement for LD SIG members as thepast years have been. PanSIG, JALTCALL, and JALT International conferences are the three majorannual events for the LD SIG. In addition to these events, we would like to touch upon the Independent
Learning Association (ILA) conference, Whose Autonomy? Voices and Agency in Language Learning, which
will be held in Kobe in early September 2018. Chika Hayashi, one of our SIG’s active members, is goingto represent us and has been invited as a plenary speaker of the conference. To get more information
about the conference, please go visit http://ila2018.org/. The deadline for submitting proposals isJanuary 14th 2018, and we hope that many LD SIG members will be able to take part. Our local
activity, Get Togethers, will also be a great platform for new members to network and make beneficial
relationships with other members of our community.
We are looking forward to meeting and working with you in 2018!

Yoshio Nakai

Koki Tomita

Learner Development SIG Coordinators
December 2017

COORDINATORS’ MESSAGE |3Volume 24 Issue 3Winter 2017

Learning Learning
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288888 2James Underwood
Glenn Magee
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8LDSIG2013
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Hugh Nicoll 2 2011
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HughLDSIG
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88Mayumi Abe 1202018
ILA2018
http://ila2018.org/LDSIGLDSIG
8PanSIG JALTCallJALT
Whose Autonomy? Voices and Agency in Language Learning 2ILASIG
Chika Hayashi 2ILA2018
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