TEFL NEWS

TEFL NEWS is a quarterly publication, and it will appear at the end of March, June, September, and December at URL: http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/kkitao/teflnews/.

We started this newsletter mainly to inform people throughout the world about what is happening in Japan in the field of TEFL, and secondarily to inform people in Japan about what is happening in TEFL in other parts of the world. Thus this newsletter will mainly be made up of conference reports, research reports, and events or news related to TEFL in Japan by Japanese people in English. We will include similar content related to overseas events, written in either in English or in Japanese. We encourage Japanese people to write articles in English.

Conference reports need to include the date, the place, the organizer, the number of participants, the content of presentations, what were special about the conference, etc., as well as the comments or evaluations by the writer. The editors will not correct the English, though they reserve the right to accept or reject the manuscript, to request the writer to make changes, and to make minor editorial changes.

We will also include links to articles, reviews, reports, etc., on TEFL. If you have articles, reviews, reports, etc., related to TEFL on line, we would appreciate it if you would send us the URLs.

We feel that Japan is one of the major countries where active academic activities in TEFL are carried out, and it is our responsibility to provide information about what is going on here to those outside Japan.

We are hoping that TEFL NEWS will be a bridge between Japan and many countries to the north, east, west, and south. We look forward to your contributions and cooperation.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us.

"How to make students speak more in class" was Toshiaki Shimizu's demonstration of some of his junior high classroom techniques. At Takaida Junior High School, he uses questions in simple English to review his lesson and some gesture guessing games. His students also enjoy interviewing each other. Sometimes Shimizu's students draw pictures following his instructions in English. He uses as much English as possible. He demonstrated these activities in English at the conference.

Masayo Komura (Niwadani SHS, Osaka) showed her student motivating materials. They are made by Komura so that students can fully participate in the activities. They include 1) basic grammar worksheets, 2) dictionary exercises, 3) music listening handouts, 4) katakana-assisted English pronunciation drills, 5) contrastive analysis between Japanese and English, and 6) video watching. After finishing one lessen, she asks her students to write their own responses.

Masumi Terakawa reported her classroom research. She observed a junior high English class and analyzed the teacher's feedback to the students. She introduced seven categories of feedback: 1) acknowledging a correct answer, 2) indicating an incorrect answer, 3) praising, 4) expanding or modifying a student's answer, 5) repeating, 6) summarizing and 7) criticizing.

Hidekazu Itagaki showed his reading strategy teaching at the high school level. As for sentence by sentence comprehension, he stresses subject and verb relations and sense group recognition. As for paragraphs, he asks his students to find out topic sentences, and to guess meanings of unknown words. His term tests are well-coordinated with his teaching.

In the afternoon, a group discussion was held under the title of "How can we cope with students' difficulties in learning?" The participants were divided into four groups so that junior and senior high teachers could share their opinions. Two of the members presented some problems. In my group, a junior high teacher said that teachers are in a difficult situation. Sometimes communication-oriented instruction fails when students are required to write English for their tests. A senior high teacher touched upon students' lack of concentration and creativity. One of the participants suggested we should use phonics to teach sounds and spellings.

Eiji Saitoh gave the closing lecture of the conference. He mentioned the following points. It is important for teachers to know when students have learning difficulties. At the same time, it is important for students to let the teacher know what is hard to understand, so question and answer periods are recommended. Teachers should be aware that it takes time for students to fully understand teaching points. Then, we can be more patient.

JOINT was formed by mainly junior and senior high English teachers in Kansai in 1993. It holds two conferences and publishes one journal a year. English teachers share ideas and work together for the improvement of English education in Japan.

In the opening session of the conference, participants were greeted by Judy C. Pearson, WCA President. Francisco Barahona, rector of the United Nations' University for Peace, spoke to the delegates. He emphasized the importance of communication to the search for world peace and encouraged the World Communication Association to apply for official recognition from the United Nations. The opening session was followed by an opening reception.

Sessions were divided into panels organized around topics or regional issues. Many of the panels were related to global issues or intercultural communication. In addition, there were four President's Panels of competitively chosen papers.

On Monday afternoon, there were six panels. The panel "The Global Classroom: Adapting to a Multicultural World" was chaired by Paula Campbell of the University of San Francisco. The papers in this panel dealt with various issues related to teaching minority or intercultural students or teaching intercultural communication in the United States. Another panel was "Global Values: :Diffusion Theory Examined within the Communication Dissemination Systems of Cinema, Technology, and Public Relations," chaired by Bonita Dostal Neff of Valparaiso University. The University for Peace had a multi-media presentation on the university and its programs. "World Views, Global Values, and Effective Intercultural Communication," chaired by Paul E. Nelson, explored five religions and their influences on as a predominant element of cultural orientation and source of cultural values. The speakers discussed some of the basic tenants of these religions and how they influence their adherents. "The Values Communicated by Television" was sponsored by the University for Peace and chaired by Jack Perella of Perella Communication Services. "Addressing Gender Violence and Women's Empowerment: The Experience of the Interdisciplinary Program on Gender Studies, University of Costa Rica," sponsored by the University of Costa Rica, covered the program's mission and structure and addressed discrimination in Costa Rican society and what can be learned from the program's experiences by universities, practitioners, and policy makers.

On Tuesday morning, "Communication and Global Values: Pedagogical Issues in a Global Village" was chaired by Melissa L. Beall of the University of Northern Iowa. It emphasized the role of distance education. David W. Wright of Illinois State University chaired a session entitled "Global Communication in the Year 2000." The papers in this session discussed necessary communication skills for the 21st century in various settings, including educational, political, and organizational settings. "The Effect and the Problem of Communication Education in Japanese Culture," organized by Ayako Sato of Jissen Women's University, included papers related to various aspects of verbal and nonverbal intercultural communication in Japan. "Verbal Communication and Visual Communication in the Global Village: An Assessment of Similarities, Differences, and Effects," was a panel discussion by faculty members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. It addressed the relationship between Communication and the visual arts. "The Role of Media in Inculcating Caring Society and Enhancing Family Communication" included papers on the relationships between the mass media and family relationships and communication.

During the lunch break on Tuesday, about 20 of the participants went to visit the campus of the University for Peace (UPAZ). This university, which was founded by the United Nations in 1980, offers master's degrees in such topics and International Relations and Cooperation and Ecology and Peace. It also offers workshops on such topics as consensus building and negotiation. The campus, which is located outside of San Jose, has facilities for classes and workshops, administrative offices, and residential facilities. In addition, it has a sculpture monument dedicated to men and women who have worked for peace, with individual monuments dedicated to such people as Mahatma Gandhi, Yitzhak Rabin, Albert Schweitzer, and Riochi Sasakana.

On Tuesday afternoon, "The Impact of Globalization on Communication" was chaired by Seung-Jin Suh of Hallym University of Korea. "Popular Images of Teachers and Students: Views from Three Cultures," chaired by Stephen M. Ryan of the Osaka Institute of Technology, had three papers on how teachers and the educational system are portrayed in the mass media in Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States. "The Role of Celebrities in the Diffusion of Cultural Values," with William J. Brown of Regent University chairing the session, included papers about such topics as the influence of Oshin in Thailand and the cultural values that Elvis impersonators promote. "Spanish Speaking Program: A Transitional Bilingual Education Program" was a description of the bilingual education program for Spanish-speaking students at Kean University. "Candidate Debates and the Value of Democracy," under the sponsorship of UPAZ, was a roundtable discussion of the role that candidate debates play in the United States and Costa Rica.

Wednesday afternoon, "Communication and Global Values: Communication Research and Cultural Perspectives," chaired by Melissa L. Beall of the University of Northern Iowa, included reports of research related to intercultural communication in academic and medical settings. "Communicating the Value of Democracy--The UPAZ 'Culture of Democracy' Program" described a program for the six Central American countries, initiated by the Presidents of those countries and the United Nations, to promote democracy in those six countries. "Communication Applications of Megatrends Asia," chaired by Linda K. Fuller of Worchester State University, looked at topics related to racism, education, and literature in Asia. "The Internet and Education: Bring the Global Village into the Classroom" looked at the Internet and education in the United States and Costa Rica. "The Right of Reply in Costa Rica" dealt with the effects of a law in Costa Rica which allows anyone who is the subject of an unfavorable news article to reply. Perspectives included those of a judge, an editor, and a scholar.

Thursday afternoon, the panel "Teaching Values in Communication Curriculum: A Global Perspective" explored the question of whether values can be taught from the point of view of an American, a Briton, a Japanese, and a Malaysian. "A Postmodern Account of Communication and Global Values," chaired by Judith Hoover of the University of Western Kentucky, looked at modernist assumptions about leadership values, communication world views, and global cultural transfers from a postmodernist point of view. "Communicating the Value of Caring: Foreign Women Contributing in Costa Rica."

In addition to the panels, participants had various opportunities to learn about various aspects of Costa Rica and its culture. Excursions included a trip to a coffee plantation, a city tour of San Jose, and a trip to the rain forest.

The Closing Session included a discussion of where the next WCA biennial convention should be held in 1999. Closing remarks were made by Sharon Ratliffe, WCA Secretary General and Vice President for North/South America; Ron Applbaum, WCA Past-President, who discussed the concept of the global village and emphasized the role of the study of Communication to mutual understanding and peace; J. Jeffrey Auer, WCA Past-President, who reviewed the history of the World Communication Association from its roots in the Communication Association of the Pacific; Myung-Suk Park, WCA Vice President, Asia-Pacific; and Barbara Monfils, WCA Vice President At-Large. The conference ended with the traditional closing banquet.

The conference is intended for administrators of language laboratories and language teachers interested in using technology in their teaching and professional development. Almost all of the presentations were in some way related to computers and particularly to the Internet, for example, web pages or e-mail. Few presentations were done on any other aspect of technology. However, according to participants who had attended previous IALL and FLEAT conferences, there was more caution about the use of the Internet, concerns about ethics, etc., than in previous years. Also, most of the presentations had to do with how to use particular web pages, particular programs, etc., or techniques for use of the Internet in general, rather than reports on studies.

August 12 and 13th were dedicated to full-day and half-day pre-conference workshops before the conference itself began. These workshops were 3 1/2 hours to seven hours long, allowing participants to have intensive experience with some aspect of computer use. On August 12, the topics of the workshops were HTML and the Claris Home Page authoring system; the CAN-8 Multimedia Instructional System; using e-mail and the Internet in language teaching; SchMOOze University (a text-based virtual environment on the Internet in which participants can communicate in real time); and using forms and frames in web pages. On August 13, the workshops were on digital audio labs; graphics-based virtual worlds; JavaScript; the administration of learning resource centers; statistical programs; language lab design and planning; marking electronic texts; and using such features as Real Audio and GIFs on a web site. Most of the workshops allowed the participants to have hand-on experience.

The conference proper began with an opening reception and dinner on the evening of August 13.

Each day of the conference began with a plenary session. The first plenary was given by Roger C. Schank, director of the Institute for Learning Sciences at Northwestern University. Shank was extremely critical of the educational system, which he said emphasizes taking tests about things as opposed to learning to do things. He asserted that people learn by doing, particularly by making mistakes, seeing or experiencing the consequences of those mistakes, and making adjustments based on what was learned from the mistakes. Shank believes that computers have the potential to allow students to learn from their mistakes relatively painlessly. He showed examples of computer programs that apply his beliefs about education. One, for example, was related to the teaching of biology. In this program, the basis of the scenario is that student has been brought in to deal with an epidemic of unknown origin from which several people have already died. The student is required to make a number of decisions about how to diagnose, treat, and contain the illness as well as deal with the media and politicians. At various points, when a decision is necessary, the student can consult experts to get more information about the reasons for taking various courses of action and what the results might be.

Among the presentations on August 14 were "Involving Faculty in New and Emerging Centers: Strategies and Stories," "Innovations for the 21st Century Learning Lab," "Organizing People, Places," "Developing a Web-Based Language Course," "Comprehension and the Future of CALL," "Incorporating the Internet into Group Projects on Academic Issues: A University English Language Course in Japan," and "The Learner as Lexicographer: User-Friendly Concordancing."

The plenary for August 15 was a panel discussion with the title "Futurewatch: Language Learning and Technology in a Global Context." The three panelists were Shoichi Fujikake, Professor of English Education in the Department of English Education and Director of the Curriculum Research and Development Center at Gifu University; Claire Bradin, Assistant Director for Technology Implementation at the Center for Language Education and Research at Michigan State University; and Graham Davies, president of EUROCALL.

In his short talk at the beginning of the panel, Fujikake emphasized computers as an extension of the human mind, with multimedia PCs being extensions of human senses and thus of learning skills. He also discussed the future of "anytime, anywhere" computers that will allow users to connect to the Internet at any time, anywhere they are. Davies painted a darker picture of the Internet, emphasizing that for all the talk about globalization and the Internet, large parts of the world have no access, and that many of the new technologies are prohibitively expensive. He also complained that in some ways new technologies are a step back. For example, the Internet, at this point, is less interactive than old-style CAI. Baris took a more middle ground approach, discussing, for example, how much more widespread the electronic storage and retrieval of data will be within the next few decades but also emphasizing that there will still be a need for printed books. The audience had an opportunity to pose questions and comments to the panel. Among the audience concerns expressed were questions of control in the future of the Internet and the role that teachers will have as more and more teaching is done via the Internet.

The presentations on August 15 included "Oral Testing Software: Testing Speaking Skills via the Computer," "WWW Pages for SElf-Paced Language Learning," "Platform Packaging: Using Thematic Content to Put Websites and ESL Exercises Together," "Monads, Monks, Missing Links, and Multimedia: When Instructional Technology Fails," "Teaching English Composition through International E-Mail Exchange," "Developing Oral Fluency in Second Language Narratives," and "Computer Assisted Writing in CALL."

At lunch, participants were encouraged to sit with others from their IALL affiliate or LLA, so that they would have an opportunity to network with others from the same group.

The plenary speaker for August 16 was Lesley Ellen Harris, who spoke on "Digital Property." Ms. Harris is an attorney who practices in the area of copyright and related legal issues in publishing, entertainment, computers, and the Internet. Harris discussed the concept of intellectual property and emphasized the rights of humans to control and profit from what they create. She also discussed digital property--anything that has been or can be stored by digital means. She also discussed how people can profit from their own intellectual property, starting with inventorying it and deciding how much it is worth. She mentioned some ways that owners of digital property may be paid for the use of their property, such as a system of "micropayments" in which the user deposits, for example, ten dollars, and every time he/she reads an article, a fraction of a cent is deducted from the account.

Among the presentations for August 16 were "Reading Strategies of EFL Learners in Japan;" "IALL: The Next Generation," a panel discussion of the future of IALL; "Scheduling Student Employees with Software," "Peer Tutors in a Learning Centre," "The Ethics of Technology," "The WWW and the Subversive Teaching of English: The Example of Lotus and Rose, A Virtual Soap Opera," "Students' Use of Listening Comprehension Strategies in Multimedia Applications," and "An Empirical Study of Computer-assisted Class Discussion; Effects on Social Interaction and Group Dynamics."

At the end of each day, there was a session in which participants could see demonstrations of software in the CALL facility and other rooms and talk individually to presenters. This gave participants an opportunity to learn more about presentations they had seen earlier.