Joseph Dias
Aoyama Gakuin University
About
Joseph V. Dias coordinates the Integrated English Program in the English Department of Aoyama Gakuin University. His research interests include the assessment of international virtual exchanges and autonomy in language learning. Currently a reviewer for the JALTCALL Journal, he is also the coordinator of the Lifelong Language Learning SIG.Sessions
Lifelong Language Learning From Burnout to Burning Rubber more
Sat, Jul 9, 10:00-11:30 Asia/Tokyo
The pandemic introduced numerous challenges to our personal and professional lives as teachers. We may have felt an adrenaline rush in the early days as we had to rally all our personal and collective resources in transitioning to online teaching. But, as the pandemic dragged on, many of us felt the fatigue of having to pivot from F2F to hybrid to fully online teaching at the drop of a dime. The extra energy needed to help students cope with learning through different modes also drained our internal resources. This forum will focus on the strategies that teachers at various levels of education—from K12 to university and language schools and beyond—have replenished their stores of energy and enthusiasm.
Intercultural Communication in Language Education Challenges in arranging International Virtual Exchange (IVE) partnerships more
Sat, Jul 9, 16:25-16:50 Asia/Tokyo
The pandemic has forced many of us to move outside of our teaching comfort zones to master the use of online conferencing software, learner management systems, and other online tools. Through the experience of having to adapt to entirely online, hybrid, and hyflex teaching situations, participating in International Virtual Exchanges (IVEs) is less daunting than ever before. However, even though the technical hurtles are far lower, it remans a considerable challenge to find suitable partners, negotiate conditions for the exchange, and work out mutual or complementary goals. The presenter, who has engaged in such exchanges at the tertiary level for more than a decade, will share ideas for how to get the most out of them, whether the main focus is linguistic, cultural, or a combination of the two. Areas to be covered in the workshop include practical considerations such as the choice of partner classes or institutions, the selection of platform (e.g., Moodle vs. social networking apps), the role the exchange will play in student evaluation, and how it can fit pre-existing curricular goals for the respective sides of the exchange.