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Upcoming Events
April 2026 Events - A Presentation and A Book Club
Dear Hiroshima JALT members and friends,
We hope all is well with you at this end-of-year / beginning-of-year season. A time of reflection and change, with graduations, new starts, and new challenges. All of this is part of what we hope to support through our HiJALT programme: this month, next month, and through the year.
Starting this Friday with:
Hiroshima JALT My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Friday, March 13 @ 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Come along and share something that was new for you in this past year’s teaching and/or something new you are planning for this coming year. Time availability for each person will depend on how many “sharers” there are – but maybe around 20 minutes. Or just come along and learn from other people!
会議室2 Meeting Room 2, 5th floor
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
Then, on Friday April 3rd, at the same venue,
会議室2 Meeting Room 2, 5th floor
Christopher Regier
Music, Art, & English: Fostering Creativity in EFL Classrooms
Research highlights the pedagogical value of integrating music and art into EFL classrooms. Specifically, singing-based instruction is associated with improved vocabulary retention and pronunciation accuracy (Zhang et al., 2023), while art-integrated activities promote curiosity, active participation, and learner engagement (Gandhioke & Singh, 2024). However, few instructional designs systematically combine both modalities, representing an underexplored opportunity to deepen language retention and creative expression. This presentation introduces a structured, layered activity that integrates music, art, and language learning within a cohesive multimodal framework, thereby creating an immersive learning experience that supports diverse learning styles. Participants will engage in a guided, hands-on demonstration of the integrated music-and-art activities.
Christopher Regier is a Canadian educator and graduate of the University of British Columbia and King’s College London. He teaches at Kyoto Prefectural University and other institutions in Japan. He brings over 17 years of ESL and EFL experience across four countries, and remains deeply committed to lifelong learning.
And finally, here is a brand new adventure, planned for the coming month, and starting in April:
Engaging Language Learners: Chugoku Region JALT Online Book Club (ChuJALT!)
Starting this April, we’re creating a small, supportive space for teachers to connect, reflect, and grow together. Here’s our basic plan and playbook:
Our Goal: We’ll read a book together, chapter by chapter, reflect on the insights, and discuss how they may apply to our actual teaching practice.
Our Commitment: Just one hour, once a month. We’ll tackle one chapter at a time, so no pressure, or homework pileup!
Our Space: Beyond our monthly Zoom meetups, we’ll have an optional online space to keep the conversation going at your own pace.
The Book for 2026: Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms by Sarah Mercer and Zoltán Dörnyei (Amazon Link). This book addresses learner engagement, motivation and wellbeing.
Inclusive & Intimate Priority will be given to any JALT member in a Chugoku+ JALT chapter (Hiroshima, Okayama, Matsuyama, Tottori, and East Shikoku). To keep the discussions meaningful and inclusive, we are limiting the initial group to 10–12 members.
To avoid disappointment, please apply before the end of this month!
Ready to join us? There is no cost to attend; we only ask that you purchase your own copy of the book.
[Click here to sign up via Google Forms]
Or here: https://forms.gle/EwVCaT939QX79UHdA
We look forward to reading and growing with you!
Warm regards,
The ChuJALT OBC Team
Event Details
Friday, 13 March 2026, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
What:
My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Where:
会議2 Meeting Room 2
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
6th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjiYiq8dgKAbn2Bh8
Friday, 3 April 2026, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Presenter: Chris Regier
What:
Music, Art, & English: Fostering Creativity in EFL Classrooms
Where:
会議2 Meeting Room 2
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
5th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjiYiq8dgKAbn2Bh8
Engaging Language Learners: Chugoku Region JALT Online Book Club (ChuJALT)
What:
MThe Book for 2026: Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms by Sarah Mercer and Zoltán Dörnyei (Amazon Link)
Interested?
Sign up soon via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/EwVCaT939QX79UHdA https://forms.gle/EwVCaT939QX79UHdA
March 2026 Event - My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Dear Hiroshima JALT members and friends,
Apologies all! In case there was confusion about the upcoming event date, it is Friday, 13 March 2026!
================================
In Japan, this is a kind of in-between season, with the school year ending or ended, and the next year looming or beckoning in a month or so.
For Hiroshima JALT, we have a changed line up of officers, with a couple of officers moving on to other things, one moving sideways to something new, and two Hiroshima JALT members joining our team. We had lunch together to express our thanks to Matt French (sadly unable to join us - we missed you!), Monika Szirmai, and Olivia Saputra, and our appreciation of Melissa Mosher, Emi Iwasaki, and Olivia for taking on new responsibilities - as publicity chair, treasurer, and programs co-chair. And also our thanks to Martyn McGettigan for continuing as membership chair - and to me as president and now also programs co-chair! Here we are at Cook Han, after the sundubu chige, bulgogi, bibimbap... had all gone.
We also have a line up of mostly yet-to-be confirmed events and activities for this year.
What we do have settled and coming up very soon is this:
My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Open to all - and free!
Come along and share something that was new for you in this past year's teaching and/or something new you are planning for this coming year. Time availability for each person will depend on how many "sharers" there are - but maybe around 20 minutes. Or just come along and learn from other people!
Friday, 13th March 2026, 6:30pm~8:30pm
会議B Meeting Room B
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
6th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
There are also presentations or workshops pencilled in (we are in communication with presenters) for late March/early April, July, and September.
We are also working towards the biennial HiJALT conference in December, in cooperation with the JALT Pragmatics SIG as they (well, "we"!) launch a new book focusing on this aspect of language education in our more than ever globally connected age.
A further project in the planning stages is a monthly online book club, maybe run in cooperation with a neighbouring chapter. I've been a part of a couple of these in recent years, through KOTESOL and independently, and it could be a great way for more of us, regardless of distance, to benefit from being part of Hiroshima JALT.
And something special, in June, is the JANET (about teaching English for nurses) conference, held this time at Eikei University in Hiroshima. JANET is a JALT Domestic Affairs Committee partner! See the attached poster below for more information.
That's all for now. If you haven't joined a HiJALT event for a long time, why not make this year a fresh start? We plan to have in person and online events, a wide range of topics and presenters, and hope to reach and support more teachers this coming year. All the best to you!
Jim Ronald
Current President, Hiroshima JALT
hiroshimajalt.president@gmail.com
hiroshimajalt.president@gmail.com
Event Details
Friday, 13 March 2026, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
What:
My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Where:
会議B Meeting Room B
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
6th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjiYiq8dgKAbn2Bh8
March 2026 Event - My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Dear Hiroshima JALT members and friends,
Apologies all! In case there was confusion about the upcoming event date, it is Friday, 13 March 2026!
================================
In Japan, this is a kind of in-between season, with the school year ending or ended, and the next year looming or beckoning in a month or so.
For Hiroshima JALT, we have a changed line up of officers, with a couple of officers moving on to other things, one moving sideways to something new, and two Hiroshima JALT members joining our team. We had lunch together to express our thanks to Matt French (sadly unable to join us - we missed you!), Monika Szirmai, and Olivia Saputra, and our appreciation of Melissa Mosher, Emi Iwasaki, and Olivia for taking on new responsibilities - as publicity chair, treasurer, and programs co-chair. And also our thanks to Martyn McGettigan for continuing as membership chair - and to me as president and now also programs co-chair! Here we are at Cook Han, after the sundubu chige, bulgogi, bibimbap... had all gone.
We also have a line up of mostly yet-to-be confirmed events and activities for this year.
What we do have settled and coming up very soon is this:
My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Open to all - and free!
Come along and share something that was new for you in this past year's teaching and/or something new you are planning for this coming year. Time availability for each person will depend on how many "sharers" there are - but maybe around 20 minutes. Or just come along and learn from other people!
Friday, 13th March 2026, 6:30pm~8:30pm
会議B Meeting Room B
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
6th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
There are also presentations or workshops pencilled in (we are in communication with presenters) for late March/early April, July, and September.
We are also working towards the biennial HiJALT conference in December, in cooperation with the JALT Pragmatics SIG as they (well, "we"!) launch a new book focusing on this aspect of language education in our more than ever globally connected age.
A further project in the planning stages is a monthly online book club, maybe run in cooperation with a neighbouring chapter. I've been a part of a couple of these in recent years, through KOTESOL and independently, and it could be a great way for more of us, regardless of distance, to benefit from being part of Hiroshima JALT.
And something special, in June, is the JANET (about teaching English for nurses) conference, held this time at Eikei University in Hiroshima. JANET is a JALT Domestic Affairs Committee partner! See the attached poster below for more information.
That's all for now. If you haven't joined a HiJALT event for a long time, why not make this year a fresh start? We plan to have in person and online events, a wide range of topics and presenters, and hope to reach and support more teachers this coming year. All the best to you!
Jim Ronald
Current President, Hiroshima JALT
hiroshimajalt.president@gmail.com
hiroshimajalt.president@gmail.com
Event Details
Friday, 13 March 2026, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
What:
My Share: Reflecting, Planning, Sharing
Where:
会議B Meeting Room B
Hiroshima Fukushi Center,
6th floor, Big Front Building
732-0822 広島市南区松原町5番1号
Hiroshima-shi, Minami-ku, Matsubara-cho 5-1
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjiYiq8dgKAbn2Bh8
Hiroshima JALT usually hosts events online via Zoom, or in-person at International Conference Center Hiroshima (ICCH) in the Peace Park or Hiroshima YMCA, both of which are located in central Hiroshima.
Hiroshima JALT usually hosts events online via Zoom, or in-person at International Conference Center Hiroshima (ICCH) in the Peace Park or Hiroshima YMCA, both of which are located in central Hiroshima.
If you have ideas or requests for speakers or events, please send an email to our Program Chair at hijaltprogramme@gmail.com. To join our mailing list, please complete the form below.
If you have ideas or requests for speakers or events, please send an email to our Program Chair at hijaltprogramme@gmail.com. To join our mailing list, please complete the form below.
Call for Volunteers:
Call for Volunteers:
Hiroshima JALT relies exclusively on volunteer leadership to keep the chapter running as smoothly as possible. If you have not volunteered in the past but would like to step up at any time, please get in touch soon! If you are interested or would like to know more about the various possible roles, please contact the following officers anytime:
Jim Ronald, President (hiroshimajalt.president@gmail.com)
Shaun Wilbraham, Programme Chair (hijaltprogramme@gmail.com)
Minal Zehra, Treasurer (hijalt.treasurer@gmail.com)
Martyn McGettigan, Membership Chair (martynmcgettigan@hotmail.com)
Matthew French, Publicity Chair (hiroshimajalt.publicity@gmail.com)
Volunteering is not only good for the Hiroshima JALT community but also looks good on a CV. It is a great opportunity to get involved and contribute to your community. We sincerely hope you will consider applying your talents, whatever they may be, to Hiroshima JALT's cause. We are now looking to fill co-chair positions that entail shadowing an elected officer in order to become familiar with the ins and outs of the job.
Useful Links
Useful Links
Submit a proposal to present for Hiroshima JALT at one of our monthly chapter meetings here (Google Form).
Read our latest newsletter here.
See job postings here.
Join JALT or renew your membership here.
Learn how to get involved and get the most out of JALT here.
Contact us at: hiroshimajalt.publicity@gmail.com
Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hiroshima-JALT-165483106820785/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hiroshimajalt
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