Date: Saturday, November 3, 14:00 - 17:00
Place: Hokusei Gakuen University, Oyachi  Access map
Cost: Free!

Presenter:
Neil Anderson, Cengage Learning

14:00 - 15:00 Commercial Session

Title:  Cultivating Active Readers

Reading is perhaps the most important language skill to develop in our learners. With strengthened reading skills, learners increase their language proficiency in all other areas. Whatever learners are reading - an exam passage, an academic text, a novel, online news, or even a blog - the ability to read fluently and with high comprehension is essential. Using examples from Active Skills for Reading, Second Edition, the author will show how graded steps towards developing reading fluency can be taken from the lowest levels onwards, and will also show how taking an "ACTIVE" approach to reading can increase English language learners' reading comprehension and fluency. Participants will walk away with practical ideas and materials to use in their classrooms.

15:00 - 15:30 Refreshments and Browse the Materials Display

15:30 - 17:00 Academic Session

Title:  From Egg Crate to Omelet: Energizing Teacher Development

Teachers and classrooms have been compared to an egg crate (Lortie, 1975) where teachers enter the privacy of their classrooms and do not allow others to enter. Each classroom stays in its compartment of the egg crate and does not come in contact with others. Instead of viewing our work through the lens of an egg crate, let's energize our teaching by considering how we can make an omelet. Making our teaching public allows us to improve our teaching. This session will focus on 13 tools that teachers can use collaboratively for reflective practice to make their teaching public and thus move from the egg crate to an omelet. The 13 tools include:

(1) The Minute Paper
(2) The 3-2-1 Summary
(3) Groupwork Evaluation Form
(4) Teaching Journals
(5) Teacher Study Groups
(6) E-mail Peer Mentoring Groups
(7) Web-based Bulletin Board Discussions
(8) Video Taping for Self Improvement
(9) Collaborative Research on Teaching
(10) Review of Class Syllabi
(11) Review of Class Quizzes
(12) Review of Lesson Plans and
(13) Peer Observation.

The key to successfully moving from the egg crate to the omelet is using these tools to make aspects of our teaching public. The tools provide a way to engage in meaningful discussions with other teachers about how teaching and learning can be improved.

17:00 - 18:00 Refreshments/Chat with Neil/Book display browse

Bio Data: Neil J. Anderson is a Humanities Professor of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. He also serves as the Coordinator of the English Language Center. Professor Anderson has taught and presented papers and workshops in over 20 countries. His research interests include second language reading and language learning strategies. He is the author of a teacher education text in the TeacherSource series entitled Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and Strategies (1999, Thomson ELT) and an EFL reading series ACTIVE Skills for Reading (2002/2003 Thomson ELT). He is also the author of the ELT Advantage: Reading on-line professional development course published by Heinle/Thomson. During 2002-2003 he was a Fulbright Scholar conducting research and teaching in Costa Rica. Professor Anderson served as President of the international association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. 2001-2002. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The International Research Foundation for English Language Education