2015/03/29

Title: Starting the Year Off Right - A Saitama / Gunma My Share Collaboration

Speakers: Kayvon Havaei-Ahary, Taylor Mignon, Barry Keith and Ray Hoogenboom

Saitama Chapter welcomed four presenters from Gunma in this first-half of the Saitama-Gunma Dual My Share. Kayvon Havaei-Ahary, Taylor Mignon, Barry Keith, and Raymond Hoogenboom all gave 20-minute presentations on the topic Starting the Year Off Right.

Havaei-Ahary feels that in order to develop both English and thinking skills, Japanese English students should be tasked with asking questions, rather than just answering them. To that end, he presented attendees with three awareness-raising activities and nine task-based activities where question-making plays a major role.

Location:

Rental Space Holly

Time: Sunday, March 29th, 2PM to 4PM

Mignon shared a bit of the surreal. He led attendees through two surrealist writing activities adapted from A Book of Surrealist Games. His activities produced uniquely humorous and thought-provoking conversation starters that are certain to inspire motivation and interest in students.

Keith showed the success he has had using student profile sheets. Many small adaptations to this common tool have helped Keith overcome the problems of knowing and identifying with students.

Hoogenboom gave attendees ideas on how to start student listening audio journals. His students use IC recorders or cell phones to record English summaries of radio shows they listen to each week. The wide variety of radio shows available for free on the internet gives students an ample supply of materials to choose from.