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New Beginning Hisatake Jimbo President of JACET (Waseda University)

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New Beginning Hisatake Jimbo President of JACET (Waseda University) ―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――― October 2010 The Japan Association of College English Teachers No.175 ―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――― Contents Foreword (Hisatake Jimbo) SIG Introduction (Classroom-centered A Contribution from JASTEC Research) English Program (Sapporo International Report from Headquarters University) Reports from Chapters My Class (Mitsutada Metoki) Call for Classroom Reports [Foreword] New Beginning Hisatake Jimbo President of JACET (Waseda University) As new president of JACET, I asked Republic) and Mr. Yamaguchi Ko (Advisor, Professors Okada Nobuo and Terauchi Kyodo News). Hajime to become vice-presidents. My objective is to bring the following Nineteen other directors of the board were projects to fruition. also appointed including two non-JACET 1. JACET 50th Anniversary Publication members. They are Mr. Takahashi Koichi Project (former Japanese ambassador to the Czech We are publishing A Series of Studies on JACET 通信―――――――――――――――＜1 ＞―――――――――――――――――2446 English Education. So far five volumes issue of JACET News in December, 2010. have been published and other eight Next year the JACET 50th International volumes will be forthcoming in two and half Commemorative Convention will be held years. We will also publish JACET’s August 30 - September 2 at Seinan Gakuin Fifty-Year History in 2012. in Fukuoka, Kyusyu. The theme of this important event will be ―Challenges for 2. Key Events Tertiary English Education: JACET‘s Role This year the 49th JACET Annual in the Next Fifty Years.‖ The Convention National Convention was held at Miyagi will feature four keynote speakers: Dr. University in Sendai, Tohoku, September Koike Ikuo (Keio University, Professor 7-9. The theme was ―Tomorrow‘s Learners Emeritus), Dr. Rod Ellis (University of and Tomorrow‘s Teachers: Autonomous Auckland, New Zealand), Dr. Peter Skehan Development in College English Language (Chinese University of Hong Kong), and Dr. Learning and Teaching.‖ The following Ernesto Macaro (University of Oxford). We keynote speeches were delivered: A New will also invite many other scholars from Framework of Initial Teacher Education, abroad. Professional Development, and Evaluation for Secondary EFL Teachers in Japan. 3. Seminars JACET President Jimbo Hisatake (Waseda The 38th Summer Seminar was held in University); Autonomy in Language Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, August 22 - 25. Learning and Teaching: Fantasy and The theme was ―Theory and Practice in Reality! Dr. Barbara Sinclair (University of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Nottingham); Teacher Cognition and －the role of European Language Portfolio Teacher Autonomy. Dr. Simon Borg (ELP).‖ Dr. David Newby (University of (University of Leeds) and A Socio-cultural Graz, Austria) gave four lectures: Approach to Classroom Discourse and Competences in Language, Culture, Teachers’ Professional Development. Dr. Learning and Teaching: the Role of the Akita Kiyomi (University of Tokyo). In Council of Europe; European Portfolio for addition to six invited speakers, the Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL); Conference featured a wealth of Cognitive and Communicative Grammar presentations, symposia and workshops. and The Changing English Language. Two Thanks to the cooperation and contribution invited presentations were delivered: of all concerned, the Conference was a Professor Hisamura Ken on Adapting the great success with nearly 600 participants. EPOSTL Self-assessment Descriptors to the A more detailed report of the 49th Annual Japanese Educational Context and Dr. Conference will be published in a special Nagai Noriko on Design of English JACET 通信―――――――――――――――＜2 ＞―――――――――――――――――2447 Curriculum for Undergraduate Students on University. the basis of CEFR. Seven other presentations were also given. Forty 5. Contributions participants fully enjoyed the Seminar. The success of the above projects depends The next Spring Seminar will be held on largely on the tireless efforts of many March 26, 2011 at Waseda University. The volunteers, as well as on the financial tentative theme is ―A New Framework of contributions we receive. We are grateful English Education from Elementary to for your continued support of JACET Tertiary Level.‖ activities through involvement in the The 39th Summer Seminar will be held in planning, organization and delivery of the the first or second week of August, 2011. events, and your generous monetary The main lecturers will be Dr. William assistance. Grabe and Fredricka Stoller. The tentative theme is ―Advanced EFL and ESP Reading.‖ A Contribution 4. Collaboration with other academic from JASTEC associations JACET has been pursuing collaborative Kazuyo Yatsugi relationships with other academic President of JASTEC associations in and out of Japan. We have invited many representatives of associate English teaching organizations to our annual In 2010, JASTEC (The Japan Association conventions. for the Study of Teaching English to As a new initiative, we have begun to Children) is celebrating its 30th anniversary. collaborate with the academic associations Coincidentally from April 2011, after nearly of other languages. The first attempt was a two decades of trials at public elementary joint seminar with the Japan German schools, it was decided in 2008 that Foreign Association and the Japan French Language (English) Activities would Association on ―Contexualization of become compulsory in the elementary Common European Framework of school curriculum. While there are still Reference for Languages (CEFR) in unresolved issues to be addressed, previous Japanese Setting‖ on August 20 at Waseda initiatives and efforts in the field are now University. The follow-up collaborative likely to attract considerable attention. symposium on a related topic is scheduled JASTEC, as a study group, has been for March 17-18, 2011 at Waseda offering information on early learning in JACET 通信―――――――――――――――＜3 ＞―――――――――――――――――2448 English to the Ministry of Education, JASTEC started to let those who were Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in teaching English to children know how it recent years. Based on an original survey, should be done and taught. we presented JASTEC Appeals in 1995 and National conventions of JASTEC are held 2004 to the Ministry of Education, Culture, in June and autumn annually, and there are Sports, Science and Technology as well as other conventions held by its five chapters to the public, and suggested methods of (Kanto-Koshinetsu, Tokai, Kansai, implementing English classes at public Chugoku-Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa) elementary schools. JASTEC, valuing once or twice a year respectively with their teachers‘ points of view, as they are the own plans. ones dealing with children daily, is JASTEC has been an opinion leader in the expected to assist in making these activities area of teaching English to children, and by meaningful in elementary school education. looking back on the kinds of themes at the On November 16, 1980, JASTEC‘s first center of discussions and the kinds of Convention was held at Tezukayama messages dispatched from our surveys and University in Nara, and the late Professor presentations, we are able to perceive that Tadahisa Goto, an honorary professor at the concerns of administrative authorities Osaka University, was elected as President. and researchers have changed gradually with Other officers involved in the operation, the passage of time. namely Board of Directors, auditors and In February 1992, Mr. H. Sakamoto, Research Planning Committee were also Chief of the Elementary and Middle elected at this time. Education Bureau of the former Ministry of There was a certain movement to Education, announced at an interview that establish JASTEC at that point, due to the they had decided to begin an investigation to increasing number of private English classes introduce English education to elementary as well as elementary school children who schools. That marked the point at which wanted to study English. Yet, teaching administrative authorities took the first contents and methods varied from place to action to deal with English education at place, and instructors were free to teach as elementary schools. they pleased. In that situation, there seemed In 1995, when we celebrated JASTEC‘s to be a common awareness that appropriate 15th anniversary, a plan to publish a book guidance and advice from specialists was was proposed. In March 1997, ―Foreign required. Language Education from Elementary Before any message from Japan‘s former Schools” (Editor in chief: Professor T. Ministry of Education was delivered with Higuchi of Kinki University) was published regards to teaching English to children, from KENKYUSHA with the cooperation of JACET 通信―――――――――――――――＜4 ＞―――――――――――――――――2449 all official members. 30 years can have an important role in JASTEC has repeated this initiative helping to ensure the success of English regularly on its 5-year anniversaries. In education at public elementary schools in November, 2005, on the occasion of its 25th Japan. anniversary, ―English Education from now (cf. History of JASTEC, ―Development on at Elementary Schools—Theory and of Elementary School English Practice‖ (Editor in chief: Professor T. Education—Suggestions for Better English Higuchi, KENKYUSHA) was published to Activities‖) draw public attention to our way of thinking. On March 28, 2008, the new ―Guidelines for Learning at Elementary Schools‖ were announced and it was made known that One Distinctive Way of Learning ―English at Elementary Schools‖ would
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