Distinguished Lecturer Series at
Osaka Center for Spring 2010

Nine times a year, the Distinguished Lecturer Series brings three internationally-recognized TESOL scholars to TUJ for intensive weekend seminars. Each seminar can be taken for elective credit for the M.S.Ed. and Ed.D. degrees.

The first three hours of each seminar (Saturday from 2 - 5 p.m.) are free and open to the public. TUJ TESOL alumni are welcome to attend the entire weekend without charge; the weekend auditing fee for others is ¥12,500.

To register for any of the courses below, simply follow the procedures described in the "Registering for Courses" section. If you already know the process, pre-register for courses here.




Eng Ed 8656: Distinguished Lecturer Series (Seminar 1): The Dimensions of Lexical Competence

1 credit hour

This seminar will consider three ways of looking at the lexical competence of L2 speakers.

The first approach considers how we can measure vocabulary size in L2 learners. The seminar will look at innovative ways of estimating how many words learners know, with a particular emphasis on ways of assessing productive vocabulary. The second approach goes beyond mere vocabulary size, but instead of focussing on vocabulary depth, it looks at how learners' L2 vocabulary is organised, and how we can tap into this organisation using some simple word association techniques. The third approach is concerned with how accessible learners' vocabulary is. Learners will often claim to "know" a word, but be unable to recognise it, or call it up when they need to use it. Some new ways of assessing how easily learners can process core vocabulary will be described.

Professor:
Dr. Paul Meara (Swansea University)
Schedule:
Saturday, February 6, from 2:00 until 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 7, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Eng Ed 8657: Distinguished Lecturer Series (Seminar 2): Qualitative Data Analysis, Narrative Inquiry, and Multi-method Approaches

1 credit hour

This seminar focuses on qualitative research in language teaching and learning. Qualitative research can take many different forms, but it generally produces data which is often referred to as rich, thick, or deep data, generated by, for example, interviews, observations, and journals or diaries. Put simply, qualitative data represents the nature or attributes of something (e.g., teacher beliefs about their practices, learner stories of their learning), in contrast with quantitative data, which is data that can be measured or counted. Qualitative analysts have the task of reducing huge amounts of text to manageable units for further analysis. In this seminar we will examine ways in which this can be achieved. Coding, for example, is one way of doing so. It refers to organizing data into themes and categories so that they can be used for the purpose of ongoing analysis, interpretation, and conclusion drawing. Topics to be covered in the seminar include: techniques for coding data, displaying qualitative data and findings in the form of tables and figures, an introduction to narrative inquiry and narrative analysis (including narrative frames), interpreting qualitative data, and combining qualitative data analysis with other methods of analysis. Case studies of actual qualitative research projects will be presented for discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to analyze and interpret different forms of qualitative data.

Professor:
Dr. Gary Barkhuizen (University of Auckland)
Schedule:
Saturday, February 27 from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 28, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Texts:
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Analysing learner language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. CHAPTER 11.

Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. CHAPTERS 2 and 10.

Barkhuizen, G. (2008). A narrative approach to exploring context in language teaching. English Language Teaching Journal, 62(3), 231-239.

Eng Ed 8655: Distinguished Lecturer Series (Seminar 3): Teaching English to Young Learner

1 credit hour

This seminar will provide an introduction to theory and practice in the teaching of a second language to young learners, dealing especially with English education for Japanese children. It will begin with a brief overview of the current situation concerning the implementation of English activities in Japanese public elementary schools and will move to a discussion of the most important points in teaching English to young learners.

The objectives of the course are 1) to develop an understanding of first and second language acquisition in young learners and 2) to develop a working knowledge of methodologies and classroom practices for teaching a second language to children.

Course topics will include 1) developmental psychology, 2) learning theories, 3) the critical period hypothesis, 4) language development, and 5) literacy development, as well as some practical issues such as 6) a content-based learning approach, 7) total physical response, 8) songs and chants, 9) storytelling, and 10) games.

Professor:
Dr. Mitsue Allen-Tamai (Chiba University)
Schedule:
Saturday, March 13, from 2:00 until 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 14, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact us at the Osaka center.
E-mail: tesol@tuj.ac.jp / Tel: 06-6343-0005