Kurt Ackermann
Hokusei Gakuen Junior College
About
No profileSessions
Teachers: Research Practice / Talk 研究／実践についての話し合い 25 minutes / 25分 Read To Me: Enriching the ER Classroom more
Sun, Oct 22, 13:50-14:15 Asia/Tokyo
When second language learners participate in Extensive Reading (ER) programs, they have many opportunities to be exposed to materials about social issues and the people who have contributed to our world through activism or just via the stories of their lives. There are many graded readers which address these topics and people, though it is relatively rare for learners to choose such books of their own accord. As part of Hokusei Junior College's ER course, the instructor will choose some short books to read to the students in class. Reading aloud to learners is said to be beneficial and presents the opportunity to expose the learners to various topics of the instructor's choosing. Suddenly introducing a topic without any particular justification beyond the instructor’s whim can seem unnatural, however relating it to a special day can be a convenient way to broach the topic and possibly generate further interest. Every year is full of special days, such as Earth Day, World Bee Day, Malala Day, and even World Chocolate Day. Finding books related to these days and sharing them with students contributes to global issue education, even in the context of a curriculum not necessarily designed to do so specifically.
Teachers: Poster Session ポスターセッション 55 minutes / 55 分 Cooperation to Raise Learner Awareness & Encourage Community Participation more
Sat, Oct 21, 15:25-Tue, Sep 19, 16:20 Asia/Tokyo
A content based language teaching (CBLT) course in Geography provides a useful platform for introducing topics such as the climate crisis, sustainability and sustainable development, ecosystem challenges, resource issues, and even issues related to the tourism industry. A background in environmental studies provides knowledge of the issues and their interconnectedness. However, the scope and depth to which the issues can be addressed is limited by time constraints, as well as the fact that instruction is being conducted in the learners’ second language. One avenue currently being explored is to encourage learners to participate in locally available ‘citizen science’ activities. For the most part, these would not be engaged in using the learners’ second language, but their introduction and discussion in the classroom can potentially lead to learner involvement in them outside of and independently from the classroom. Positive effects on both the students’ lives and on their local community because of their participation can reasonably be anticipated. The purpose of this presentation is to elicit opportunities to share and coordinate ideas with teachers with similar goals, regardless of background, which would generate synergy and allow all parties to benefit with regard to incorporating the issues into their teaching.