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LD SIG Publications Team News
April 2012 Update
The LD SIG Publications Team is looking forward to another year of exciting projects. Adrenalin is still running high after the publication in January this year by Palgrave Macmillan of the collaborative book, Realizing Autonomy: Practice and Reflection in Language Education Contexts (Irie & Stewart, 2012). Adding to the two earlier anthologies (Autonomy You Ask! (Barfield & Nix, 2002) and More Autonomy You Ask! (Skier & Koyama, 2006), as well as its bi-annual online newsletter Learning Learning, the SIG now seems to be establishing a tradition of publishing collaborative and original research and writing on innovative practice.
Now, with a SIG 20th anniversary conference on the horizon next year, we've been thinking that would be a propitious occasion on which to launch a series of books, possibly in electronic format published and distributed via amazon and lulu.com. We already have three ideas that are firming up into clear proposals: one on learners’ vocabulary development, another on different interpretations of language learning histories, and a third on criticality and autonomy. Another idea in the pipeline is Tohoku stories - collected from people in the affected area and from those who have been involved in some way in the relief and recovery effort and presented as graded readers, tailored for different vocabulary levels. There are dozens more ideas still germinating in the get-togethers as LD SIG members discuss and plan research and other activities designed to increase our understanding of learning and learners. We look forward to seeing many of these ideas come to fruition in presentations, workshops, forums at the conferences over the coming year, and hope that some of them will be further expanded and developed for the planned book series.
If you would like to be involved as an author or an editor for any of the projects mentioned here, or if you have another proposal, suggestion, or just the glimmerings of an idea, please let us know: we'd love to hear from you.
JALT Learner Development SIG Publications Team
Alison Stewart, Masuko Miyahara
April 2012
JALT 学習者デイベロプメント研究部会出版チーム（JALT LD SIG Publications Team）は研究部会の様々な出版活動に携わっております。定期的には年に2回、「学習の学習」(Learning Learning)のウエブ出版ですが、様々な出版物のプロジェックトを進めており、過去にはAutonomy You Ask ! (Barfield & Nix, 2002), 及び、More Autonomy You Ask! (Skier & Koyama, 2006)の出版が大きな反響をよびました。又、今年一月には、Palgrave Macmillan 社よりRealizing Autonomy (Irie & Stewart, 2012)を出版させていただきご好評をいただいております。これらの出版物はいずれも、会員の皆様から投稿された論文を出版委員会が中心となって編集したものです。
さて、研究部会の20周年を来年に控え、新たな出版プロジェクトの話しが盛り上がってきております。学習者、学者を取り巻く環境、「学び方」、教師と学習者の関係など、「学習」や「学習者」には様々な形や個性があることを承けて、今回の出版プロジェクトの特徴は一つのテーマに固執することなく、学習者や学びに関し、色々な視点から検証したもののシリーズ化を試みようとしております。出版の形式としてはアマゾンやlulu.comを使い、e出版を考えております。シリーズ化にあたり、現段階では広く皆さんからのアイデアを募集中ですが、今のところ上がってきているものとしては学習者の語彙学習法のエピソードを集め、学習者の学習の履歴(learners’ vocabulary development)を検証していくという案です。もう一つのアイデアとしは、学習者の英語学習の経歴(learners’ language learning histories)を募り、その一つ一つのナラテイブを色々な角度から検証していという試みなども提唱されております。さらに三つ目の案としては、オートノミーとクリテイカリテイの相関関係を考えていこうとするものです。又、これはこれまでに上げた三つのアイデアとは性質が少し異なりますが、東日本大震災を経験された方、又、東北の復興になんらかの形でたずさわった方々による経験談をgraded readers形式にし、教材として提供しようとする案も湧いております。
今はまだアイデアを募っている段階ですので、広く皆さんからのご意見をお待ちしております。このプロジェクトに何らなの形で参加したいという方、是非、わたしどもにお声をおかけくださいますようお願いいたします。シリーズの編集者としてでもいいですし、原稿を提供してくださる形でももちろん歓迎です！ 使用言語は日本語でも英語でもどちらでも構いません。
JALT 学習者デイベロプメント研究部会出版チーム
宮原万寿子、 アリソン スチュワート
2012年 4月
Behind the scenes: Learner Development SIG membership matters
March 2012 Update
- お知らせ致します ~ Grants Deadlines Reminder
- LD SIG Forum at JALTCALL2012 Call for Proposals
- Message from the Membership Team
お知らせ致します ~ Friendly reminder:
助成金1-5 申込締切日：2012年3月20日, 全国大会参加助成金申込締切日：2012年6月20日
The deadline for all Learner Development SIG grants for 2012 is March 20th, apart from the two grants for JALT2012 (deadline June 20th).
Introduction to the Membership Team
The LD SIG Publications Team is looking forward to another year of exciting projects. Adrenalin is still running high after the publication in January this year by Palgrave Macmillan of the collaborative book, Realizing Autonomy: Practice and Reflection in Language Education Contexts (Irie & Stewart, 2012). Adding to the two earlier anthologies (Autonomy You Ask! (Barfield & Nix, 2002) and More Autonomy You Ask! (Skier & Koyama, 2006), as well as its bi-annual online newsletter Learning Learning, the SIG now seems to be establishing a tradition of publishing collaborative and original research and writing on innovative practice.
Now, with a SIG 20th anniversary conference on the horizon next year, we've been thinking that would be a propitious occasion on which to launch a series of books, possibly in electronic format published and distributed via amazon and lulu.com. We already have three ideas that are firming up into clear proposals: one on learners’ vocabulary development, another on different interpretations of language learning histories, and a third on criticality and autonomy. Another idea in the pipeline is Tohoku stories - collected from people in the affected area and from those who have been involved in some way in the relief and recovery effort and presented as graded readers, tailored for different vocabulary levels. There are dozens more ideas still germinating in the get-togethers as LD SIG members discuss and plan research and other activities designed to increase our understanding of learning and learners. We look forward to seeing many of these ideas come to fruition in presentations, workshops, forums at the conferences over the coming year, and hope that some of them will be further expanded and developed for the planned book series.
If you would like to be involved as an author or an editor for any of the projects mentioned here, or if you have another proposal, suggestion, or just the glimmerings of an idea, please let us know: we'd love to hear from you.
JALT Learner Development SIG Publications Team
Alison Stewart, Masuko Miyahara
April 2012
JALT 学習者デイベロプメント研究部会出版チーム（JALT LD SIG Publications Team）は研究部会の様々な出版活動に携わっております。定期的には年に2回、「学習の学習」(Learning Learning)のウエブ出版ですが、様々な出版物のプロジェックトを進めており、過去にはAutonomy You Ask ! (Barfield & Nix, 2002), 及び、More Autonomy You Ask! (Skier & Koyama, 2006)の出版が大きな反響をよびました。又、今年一月には、Palgrave Macmillan 社よりRealizing Autonomy (Irie & Stewart, 2012)を出版させていただきご好評をいただいております。これらの出版物はいずれも、会員の皆様から投稿された論文を出版委員会が中心となって編集したものです。
さて、研究部会の20周年を来年に控え、新たな出版プロジェクトの話しが盛り上がってきております。学習者、学者を取り巻く環境、「学び方」、教師と学習者の関係など、「学習」や「学習者」には様々な形や個性があることを承けて、今回の出版プロジェクトの特徴は一つのテーマに固執することなく、学習者や学びに関し、色々な視点から検証したもののシリーズ化を試みようとしております。出版の形式としてはアマゾンやlulu.comを使い、e出版を考えております。シリーズ化にあたり、現段階では広く皆さんからのアイデアを募集中ですが、今のところ上がってきているものとしては学習者の語彙学習法のエピソードを集め、学習者の学習の履歴(learners’ vocabulary development)を検証していくという案です。もう一つのアイデアとしは、学習者の英語学習の経歴(learners’ language learning histories)を募り、その一つ一つのナラテイブを色々な角度から検証していという試みなども提唱されております。さらに三つ目の案としては、オートノミーとクリテイカリテイの相関関係を考えていこうとするものです。又、これはこれまでに上げた三つのアイデアとは性質が少し異なりますが、東日本大震災を経験された方、又、東北の復興になんらかの形でたずさわった方々による経験談をgraded readers形式にし、教材として提供しようとする案も湧いております。
今はまだアイデアを募っている段階ですので、広く皆さんからのご意見をお待ちしております。このプロジェクトに何らなの形で参加したいという方、是非、わたしどもにお声をおかけくださいますようお願いいたします。シリーズの編集者としてでもいいですし、原稿を提供してくださる形でももちろん歓迎です！ 使用言語は日本語でも英語でもどちらでも構いません。
JALT 学習者デイベロプメント研究部会出版チーム
宮原万寿子、 アリソン スチュワート
2012年 4月
At the end of 2011, we welcomed Matt Coomber and Jeremy White to the membership team and, along with LD SIG co-coordinators Richard Silver and Andy Barfield, the five of us have been working behind the scenes on creating a more effective system for dealing with membership matters.
We started by creating a closed online list of our members accessible only to the membership team so that updates could be made immediately as new information is received. We also revised the letters sent out by the SIG every month to (i) welcome new members, (ii) welcome back renewing members, and (iii) remind those whose memberships are about to lapse. The letters provide valuable information regarding the SIG’s recent publications and activities, as well as plans for the current year, together with suggestions about how members can get in touch with other LD members and engage in different professional development activities that the Learner Development SIG offers. Finally, we created a detailed document describing the monthly duties of the LD membership chair so that we can facilitate a smoother transition when a new person takes over the membership chair position.
The increased contact with our members through this system and other efforts made by the SIG seem to be having a positive effect. We have significantly more members than ever attending LD SIG local gatherings, and current members, as well as those outside the SIG, have been commenting on how active and friendly the SIG is. Since January of this year, 19 people have joined and 19 have renewed their memberships. The SIG’s 2012 grant schemeis also playing its part in developing membership and participation in the SIG.
If you are thinking of joining the Learner Development SIG, you have two options: member or subscriber. You can join as a JALT member and receive the full benefits of both a JALT and LD SIG membership including discounts at all JALT or LD SIG events, discounts on LD SIG publications and invitations to apply for LD SIG member’s grants. If you are not a member of JALT, you can join the SIG as a subscriber, which gives you access to our SIG newsletter-journal, Learning Learning, access to the email lists LD-News and LD Discuss, as well as invitations to local get-togethers. For more information on how to join the LD SIG please go to the “Join the SIG”page on this website. If you need any additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at rachellejorgenson AT MARK gmail.com
Rachelle Jorgenson (rachellejorgenson AT MARK gmail.com)
Matt Coomber (mcoomber AT MARK hotmail.com)
Jeremy White (whitejeremy AT MARK gmail.com)
LD SIG Membership Team
Learner Development SIG Grants and Wider Participation for 2012
February 2012 update
February sees the launch of the Learner Development (LD) SIG Grants for 2012. This year we are offering several different types of grant to encourage and support wider membership and participation in Learner Development SIG events, publications, and activities. For all grants, we welcome applications from teachers from diverse teaching contexts (not just university) – including elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, distance learning and language school settings – and teachers teaching languages other than English. If you are a current SIG member without access to institutional funding or are interested in becoming a member of the SIG, please see the information further below about how to apply for one of the grants.
January was an active month for LDSIG members in Tokyo, Kansai and Hiroshima with local get-togethers taking place in all three locations. Click here or click on the “Get-togethers” tab above to find out more about the SIG’s local area get-togethers. And though the new academic year may still seem far away (!), the PAN-SIG LD SIG Forum 2012 deadline is this month. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Jim Ronald for more details. Jim is the LD SIG liaison for this year’s Pan-SIG conference in Hiroshima: jamesmartinronald AT MARK yahoo.co.jp or go to the Google LDSIG programme planning site where you can find comprehensive information about different conferences and events that members of the SIG are taking part in this year. If you would also like to take part too, please contact the respective event liaison.
Best wishes
Andy Barfield and Rich Silver
Learner Development SIG Grants 2012 Information
２０１２年度、LD SIGは助成金の枠を広げることに致しました。今までと同様に言語教育の現場で自律学習を研究しているLD SIG会員の支援を続ける一方で、学習者ディベロプメントや自律学習に新たに興味をもたれた方々に無料でLD SIGに参加して、この分野を探求して頂ける機会を設けました。
We are pleased to announce that this year we will be expanding our grants scheme. While we will still be supporting teachers who already have an interest in learner development, we are also offering opportunities for newcomers to discover the field through becoming members of the SIG for free.
| Grant Type and Number 助成金の種類と支給予定数 |
Eligible Applicants 支給対象 (支給内容) |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 First-time LD SIG subscription grants 10 LD SIG体験入会・会費助成(非JALT会員向け) |
Non-JALT members (非JALT会員) (1 year SIG subscription) (１年間限定SIG会員権) |
| 2 | 10 First-time LD SIG membership starter grants 10 LD SIG体験入会・会費助成(JALT会員向け) |
JALT members JALT会員 (1 year SIG membership) (１年間限定SIG会員権) |
| 3 | 2 Tohoku JALT+LD SIG membership grants 2 東北JALT・LD SIG会費助成 |
Teachers working in the affected areas 被災地にて働く教員・講師 (1 year JALT and LD SIG Membership) (１年間限定JALT・LD SIG会員権 |
| 4 | 2 Pan SIG conference grants 2 JALT PAN-SIG 2012年度大会参加助成金 |
JALT+LD SIG members ~ JALT・LD SIG会員 (¥25,000 each) ~ (¥25,000／件) |
| 5 | 2 LD SIG research grants 2 LD SIG 研究助成金 |
JALT+LD SIG members ~ JALT・LD SIG会員 (¥25,000 each) ~ (¥25,000／件 |
| 6 | 2 National conference grants 2 JALT全国大会参加助成金 |
JALT+LD SIG members ~ JALT・LD SIG会員 (¥40,000 each) ~ (¥40,000／件) |
特に以下の教育機関に所属されている教員・講師の方のお申込みをお待ちしています。申し込みは英語もしく日本語のどちらでも結構です。
The grants can be divided into two groups: those offering financial support to current LD SIG members, and free memberships to encourage people to join the SIG.. In particular we welcome applications from the following groups of teachers in English or Japanese:
- Elementary school teachers / teachers of children
~ 子供の言語教育（小学校、幼稚園、保育園／塾等） - Junior high school teachers ~ 中学校
- Senior high school teachers ~ 高等学校
- Language school teachers ~ ランゲージ・スクール
- Teachers currently doing graduate studies ~ 大学院（在学中の教員）
Full information on the grants scheme for 2012 can be found here or by clicking on the “2012 LD SIG Grants” tab at the top of the page.
Taking part in major Learner Development SIG events for 2012
January 2012 update
- Learner development SIG Conference Forums
- Speaking of Kansai: Learner Development SIG One-day Meeting April 8th
- Learner Development SIG Local Get-togethers
Happy New Year and greetings from the Learner Development SIG. We wish you and your loved ones all the best for 2012.
My name is Bill Mboutsiadis (boot-see-add-dis), and this year I have been kindly offered the role of Learner Development SIG programme chair. I hope to learn and grow into this dynamic position. I have just recently come to Japan in 2010 from Toronto and have come to discover the tremendous variety and quality of professional development here in Japan. There are so many educators doing so many different things in their fields that it has inspired me to get involved - much more so than I have been back home. I hope to get you all interested in participating in Learner Development SIG events in whatever capacity you feel comfortable. Please feel free to contact me and or any of the event liaisons for any questions, comments or suggestions that you may have regarding this exciting set of conference activities. The SIG is also offering a wide range of grants to help you take part. For more information about these grants, click here .
I really hope we have the chance to meet and I am looking forward to seeing you at one of the following events.
Bill Mboutsiadis, billmboutsiadis AT MARK gmail.com
Learner development SIG Conference Forums
The following events are continually developing as we speak, with deadlines starting this month and continuing through to April. The Learner Development SIG will be directly participating in the following four major events where we are putting together a forum each time. Please consider taking part and presenting in one or more of these forums. Contact the respective event liaison by email directly.
JALTCALL2012 Conference: “Beyond CALL: Integration, normalisation, or separation?”
Deadline: TBA, Contact: Darren Elliot, darrenrelliott AT MARK gmail.com
JALT PAN-SIG Conference: “Literacy: SIGnals of emergence”
Deadline: February 29th, Contact: Jim Ronald, jamesmartinronald AT MARK yahoo.co.jp
JALT2012 International Conference: “Making a Difference”
Deadline: April 13th, Contact: Bill Mboutsiadis, billmboutsiadis AT MARK gmail.com
Deadline: TBA Contact: Robert Moreau, im AT MARK plum.plala.or.jp
For other learner development events (and deadlines) in 2012, click here
Besides attending the events you are very welcome to drop by and/or help out at our Learner Development SIG information tables at different conferences. I also encourage you to take part in a Learner Development SIG local get-together in Tokyo, Kansai, Nagoya or Hiroshima, of which more details below:
Speaking of Kansai: Learner Development SIG One-day Meeting April 8th
Kyoto JALT and the Learner Development SIG will be holding a joint event on April 8th consisting of workshops and a roundtable discussion for all language teachers from elementary to university level. Workshop presenters will include Ann Mayeda (Konan Women's University) on learner autonomy and young learners, and Phil Brown (Konan Women's University) on developing learners' vocabulary strategies. For more details please contact Richard Silver, richinwit AT MARK gmail.com
Learner Development SIG Local Get-togethers
With various theme-based sessions, these informal get-togethers are a great chance to meet new and old friends who share a similar passion in our profession, as well as to exchange ideas. Many of those taking part end up at a second meeting of the beer and wine glasses at a local sanctuary where the discussions get really intellectual (or not). For more information about Learner Development SIG local get-togethers in 2012, see the community page community page.
Welcome
December 2011 update
2011 has been an extraordinary and challenging year for everyone in Japan. With the year drawing to a close, our thoughts stay with all those directly affected by 3/11, just as our hopes remain focused on continued recovery and shared learning from such bewildering events.
As we look back on 2011 from the SIG’s perspective, we see a highly active and energetic year: two 50-page issues of Learning Learning, local get-togethers in Tokyo, as well as Learner Development SIG participation at the Pan SIG conference in Matsumoto in May, the Nakasendo conference in June, the CUE conference in July, AILA Beijing in August, the Realizing Autonomy conference in October, the Kanda Advising for Language Learner conference and the JALT2012 conference in November. In July 2011 the SIG made a donation of 80 fude brushes to Oshima Elementary School in Tohoku, while members of the Realizing Autonomy project later donated 135,00 yen to Shanti, an NGO that supports children in Japan, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. During the latter part of the year, we were also extremely happy that Richard Pemberton could take part in the Realizing Autonomy conference from the UK, together with Tim Murphey and Mike Nix and many other presenters and participants in Japan. We were delighted too to have hosted plenary speaker Phil Benson at JALT 2011 and to have given conference grants to four teachers (three from Japan, one from Turkey) to help them attend major learner autonomy conferences or events this year. We would like to thank everybody who has contributed and taken part in all these different Learner Development events and projects in 2011: it has been an extraordinarily active and collaborative year for learner development, and it culminates in the celebration of the imminent publication of Realizing Autonomy in January 2012.
We are currently transitioning towards an equally exciting (and hopefully just as fulfilling) 2012. The Learner Development SIG is planning to continue and develop its outreach and support for teachers and learners, through different grants, research activities and publication projects. We are also moving towards gradually formulating a longer-term SIG project for teachers and learners in Tohoku. In 2012 local get-togethers will continue in Tokyo and take off in the Kansai and Hiroshima. The SIG is also planning to take part in a wide-ranging set of conferences (including JALTCALL, Pan SIG, Nakasendo, and the 2012 JALT international conference) over the coming 12 months. We hope to see you at one of these events at least and/or hear from you within Learning Learning or other SIG publications in the pipeline!
Finally, on a seasonal note, we wish Learner Development SIG members a very relaxing break over the New Year holiday and much happiness in 2012. We would also like to wish a very Happy New Year to our friends and colleagues in Japan and across the world.
Andy Barfield 2012 co-coordinator
Hugh Nicoll 2011 coordinator
Rich Silver 2012 co-coordinator