Jon Thomas
Hakodate University
About
Jon Thomas is a tenured lecturer at Hakodate University in Hokkaido, Japan. His research background includes constructive learning, content and language integrated learning, and action research. In HE as well as the private industry, he has focused his teaching on hospitality, intercultural communication, and various EFL themes. Currently active in JALT as Teacher Development SIG Coordinator, Hokkaido Chapter Officer, Officer Support Committee Member, and will be MC of "A Forum on Communities of Practice".Sessions
Teacher Development The TD & CUE SIG Forum on Communities of Practice more
Sun, Jul 10, 11:45-13:15 Asia/Tokyo
The TD and CUE SIG will hold their annual joint forum on the topic of Communities of Practice (CoPs). Such communities can be teachers, students, company workers, or otherwise, who form in organic or natural ways. The CoP members hold a common aim or concern for the activities they do and learn how to improve as they interact regularly within the group. Some participants may be more senior in age or experience than others, thus giving way to a learning experience and successful conclusion of their efforts for everyone. The forum speakers are university and professional educators with a specific background as a member or researcher ofCoPs. James Bury will inform us about the positive outcomes achieved as a result of encouraging colleagues at two separate workplaces to interact with research, question their own teaching practices, engage in their own practice-based investigations, and then share their findings with each other. Yoshifumi Fukada will explain how Japanese EFL/ESL learners actively engaged themselves in English-mediated socialization and grew as English users and as persons in a project-based English education program held in Japan and during studying abroad. Daniel Hooper will describe the shared goals, interpersonal relationships, and local repertoire of tools that emerged from a small reflective practice group for university teachers that met regularly to discuss critical incidents they experienced in their working lives and to explore their own professional identity. Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto will talk about the potential of informal online communities to improve teachers' professional and personal lives, sharing specific examples of the meaningful impact observed with teachers in a unique English for Teachers program, and the factors that made positive changes possible.
Networking JALT Officer Support Meeting more
Sun, Jul 10, 15:05-16:05 Asia/Tokyo
JALT's Officer Support Committee (OSC) was created to help orient new officers and support current officers in JALT’s SIGs, chapters, and committees. This session will be partially an introduction to the resources available to JALT officers, and partially a Q&A / troubleshooting session. If you're a JALT officer (or curious about becoming one), you are welcome to this meeting.
