NaraJALT2025

NaraJALT2025 — Conference Wrap-Up

NaraJALT finished 2025 strong with another successful annual conference. NaraJALT2025 was blessed with lovely late autumn weather and the gold and yellow leaves of the Nara Women’s University campus welcomed participants from far and wide — some as far as Okayama and Chiba — and of course many of our ‘deer’ NaraJALT members. Thank you to all for coming out for the day. Along with the engaging presentations, stimulating discussions, and friendly conversations, your participation is what makes our conference a success. We look forward to seeing you all again at the next chapter conference in December 2026.

NaraJALT2025 was held onsite and in person at the Nara Women’s University on December 7th.

Check below for conference details.

NaraJALT2025 will be held onsite and in person at the Nara Women’s University on December 7th. We have another great lineup of speakers for you this year. The program has four presentations throughout the day with plenty of time during and after for networking.

NaraJALT2025 once again celebrates the creativity and expertise of its members. This year, three of the four presenters are proud NaraJALT members, continuing our tradition of sharing fresh ideas and fostering collaboration within our teaching community. Furthermore, we are excited to introduce this year's invited speaker: Paul Raine.

Speakers: Paul Raine, Melissa Meishang Chung, Shizuka Itagaki, and Benjamin Robertson.
Date: Sunday, December 7th, 2025, 10:00am-17:00pm
Location: Nara Women’s University. Lecture Hall S235 on the 2nd floor of the S building.
Cost: ¥1,000 (Free for JALT members)

Paul Raine is an English language teacher and web developer with 20 years of experience teaching English in Japan and developing online tools for English language teachers and learners. He has a Master's degree in TESOL (University of Birmingham, 2012) and a Masters degree in Technology Enhanced Learning (University of Lancaster, 2024). He is the founder of ZenGengo.com, Eigo.AI and LingoLesson.com. He currently teaches at Ritsumeikan University, Osaka Ibaraki Campus.

NaraJALT2025 Program:

Opening
10:00-10:15
Presentation 1
10:15–11:00: Mellssa Meishang Chung
Play, Engage, Learn: Adopting digital gamification for the EFL classroom
Presentation 2
11:15-12:00: Shizuka Itagaki
English learning through digital teaching materials: toward the promotion of inclusive and accessible education
Group photo
12:00-12:15

Lunch Break
12:15-13:15
Presentation 3
13:30-14:15: Benjamin Robertson
Whose English? Expanding Voices in Japanese ELT Materials
Presentation 4: Invited Speaker
14:30-15:30: Paul Raine
The shifting landscape of English language ed-tech in the age of AI
Closing
15:30-15:45
Social hour
16:00-17:00

Invited Speaker Presentation
Paul Raine
Presentation title:
The shifting landscape of English language
ed-tech in the age of AI
Abstract:

Since the seminal launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the English language edtech landscape seems to have been shifting daily under our feet. With OpenAI's latest launch of its agentic chatbot in July 2025, there has been another seismic shift that English language teachers need to understand. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss some of the latest breakthroughs in AI, including agentic AI, which can browse and interact with the Internet on the user's behalf. Questions posed will include how we ensure that students are engaging with online activities in an authentic and meaningful way, how to avoid a situation in which AI is responding to tasks (on the learner's behalf) that have been devised by AI (on the teacher's behalf), and what theories and frameworks might help us understand and leverage the affordances of AI for English teaching and learning while avoiding its pitfalls.

Presentation 1
Mellssa Meishang Chung
Presentation title:
Play, Engage, Learn: Adopting digital gamification for the EFL classroom
Abstract:

The presentation will offer some practical first principles that EFL teachers might use as a framework when considering digital gamification for their classes. We will consider how we can possibly enhance our lessons by focusing on interactivity. Rather than utilizing digital tools for passive learning, we will consider learning modes that students with the shortest attention span can still partake in classroom activities regardless of their English language skill.

Presentation 2
Shizuka Itagaki
Presentation title:
English learning through digital teaching materials: toward the promotion of inclusive and accessible education
Abstract:

In recent years, awareness of dyslexia and learning disabilities has been increasing in Japanese society. It has also been recognized that while some students are able to read and write in Japanese without difficulty, their dyslexia becomes evident when learning English. For students who face such learning challenges, digital teaching materials can often provide various support. Through the use of personalized learning approaches such as digital resources, it is expected that inclusive education in Japan will be further promoted, enabling students with and without disabilities to learn together.

Presentation 3
Benjamin Robertson
Presentation title:
Whose English? Expanding Voices in Japanese ELT Materials
Abstract:

In many junior high school classrooms, English materials emphasise a narrow range of language models, often under representing the diversity of English use worldwide. This presentation, grounded in the Global Englishes framework, explores the rationale for supplementing such materials to better reflect global communication. It will outline examples, discuss implementation challenges in the Japanese context, and suggest ways to include more representative voices to support learners’ intercultural competence.

Page updated

Report abuse