 |
| English Central with Charles Browne |
I had the great
privilege of attending the International JALT Conference in Shizuoka from November 20-23. Nothing could have prepared me for a hectic weekend filled to
the brim with presentations, workshops, talking to publishers, networking,
hands on learning, sharing ideas, socializing and this list goes on. It was
such an amazing opportunity to be surrounded by fellow peers, soaking in the
wealth of knowledge and experience available. The weekend changed my outlook on
the kind of educator I aspire to be, and armed me with the tools in order to
succeed.
I have never attended
a conference of this scale before, over 1800 attendants over the course of 4
days, from all sorts of teaching backgrounds. There is so much to see and do,
people to meet that there doesn’t seem to be enough time for everything. There
were many presentations and workshops I missed out on due to clashes or being
preoccupied with something else. My mind
didn’t even have to chance to wander as there was always something that
required my full attention.
 |
| A huge crowd gathers for Paul Nation |
The theme of the
conference was: Focus on the Learner, perhaps something that can be, but never
should, be overlooked. A lot of the presentations I attended had an emphasis on
the importance of needs analysis; who are the stakeholders and what do they
want? Are we truly fulfilling our role as a teacher if we fail to meet this
single requirement?
With needs analysis
also comes the task of identifying problems and solving them: what is not
working, why not and how to go about fixing it. Not every problem has a simple
solution and you have to be equipped with the suitable knowledge and tools. A
major point to keep in mind when it comes to self evaluation and expanding your
teaching skills, something I will be keeping at the forefront when it comes to
lesson planning.
 |
| Publicity Officers' meeting |
Another thing that
often cropped up, which is something I find myself guilty of at times, is the
teacher taking a step back and doing nothing. Let students do the work and let them
figure out for themselves. The less time the teacher spends talking the better.
I’m sure all my students would agree! I have a tendency to offer assistance
prematurely and it is something that I need to work and improve on.
It was fascinating to
get a glimpse of educators from across the globe sharing their insights, ideas
and experiences. There was so much to take in that I was furiously scribbling
in my notebook the entire time. I came away from the whole experience with a
better understanding of how to cater to my student’s needs, my own pitfalls and
weaknesses plus a host of ideas and techniques to implement in my classroom.
 |
| Research results on show at a Poster Session |
But it wasn’t all
sunshine and rainbows, I had to share a hotel room with Jim after all! One of
the main grumps was that Shizuoka did not lend itself to a good “after-event”.
There was a lack of venues to continue the conference into the evening in a
much more social manner, gathering ideas together over a couple of beverages
and exchanging personal experiences. I guess you cannot have your cake and eat
it too.
But in no way did
that take anything away from my first International JALT conference. I feel as
though I have come a long way since my first day on the job, but this
conference has made me realize I still have a long way to go. I am looking
forward to every single step of that journey. A massive thank you to all the
organizers of the event, the staff involved and everyone who contributed to
such a fantastic event.
A special mention to
Jim for driving me all the way to and from Shizuoka, (even though I was a lousy
navigator!), and introducing me to so many brilliant people. I cannot wait for
the next one!
