JASAL 2026 National Conference

Host University

JASAL 2026 will take place at Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT), Omiya Campus in Osaka, on Saturday, 10th October, 2026.

We also hope to offer a SAC Tour of the Language Learning Center (LLC), the self-access centre at OIT, on the afternoon of Friday, 9th October, and an online component to the conference – more details to follow later.

JASAL 2026 will take place at Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT), Omiya Campus in Osaka, on Saturday, 10th October, 2026.

Conference Theme

Empowering Language Learning: Self-Access, Advising, and Technology
Supporting language learners to navigate the affordances offered by technology has been a key aspect of self-access language learning (SALL) since its foundation in the 1970s and 1980s. This has long been a key role for learning advisors and other educators, and is equally important in a world increasingly dominated by mobile technologies and AI.

Join us as we bridge the gap between theory and practice, investigating how the integration of physical spaces, pedagogical support, and digital innovation can empower learners to navigate their own language learning journeys with confidence and purpose.

Plenary Talk

Empowering Learning Advisors: Thinking Routines as Tools to Develop Learner Autonomy in Diverse Environments
Maria de la Paz Adelia Peña Clavel
Associate Professor at the School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation in UNAM, Mexico

Abstract

Advising in Language Learning (ALL) is an intentional mediation process that guides learners to take ownership of their learning and actions to achieve their goals through informed decision-making (Kato & Mynard, 2016). Building on the foundational distinction between “teaching” and “advising” (Gremmo, 1995), and drawing on more recent models grounded in complexity and the ecology of learning (Mynard, 2020; Tassinari, 2022), ALL has evolved considerably. It has moved from physical self-access learning centres (SALCs), hubs, and lounges toward language courses (Skupeňová & Herout, 2024) and the management of diverse virtual and hybrid models (Peters & Mynard, 2021). This is; an evolution that reflects dynamic responses to rapid technological transformation and advances in neuroscience and positive psychology.
Fostering autonomy in these contexts requires advisors to draw on dialogic competencies, socio-affective sensitivity, and empathy—qualities essential for managing the emotions and anxiety that can hinder learning (Kato & Mynard, 2016; Tassinari, 2016). As teachers or advisors, we are constantly searching for approaches and techniques that can help students find their own path toward their learning goals while exercising their autonomy in virtual or physical environments. How can this process be supported concretely, across such diverse and ever-changing settings?
In this plenary, I will address that question directly by illustrating Visual Thinking and Thinking Routines (Project Zero, n.d), originally applied in science and language education (Abdullah, Halim & Zakaria 2014), as adaptable tools. I will demonstrate how I embedded these routines as cognitive tools in collaborative virtual spaces—such as Virtual Exchanges (Teletandem) and “learning to learn” workshops—as well as in one-on-one advising sessions in my context at ENALLT-UNAM in Mexico. By making thought processes explicit, these routines transform abstract reflection into tangible, shareable structures, providing learners a visual image of their thoughts, feelings and learning (Ritchhart et al., 2011). By the end of this talk, attendees will have ideas for incorporating Thinking Routines into their advising or teaching practice.

Bio:
Maria dela Paz Adelia Peña Clavel is an associate professor at the National School of Languages, Linguistics, and Translation (ENALLT) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She is responsible for the Teletándem Project at the ENALLT Self-Access Centre (Mediateca). She is a tutor for the online Diploma Program for Learning Advisors of SALCs. She is a professor in the Applied Linguistics Program at ENALLT, where she teaches Learner Autonomy and Telecollaboration. She has been an advisor at the Mediateca since 1996. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Technology from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and a Master’s degree in Virtual Learning Environments from Virtual Educa and the University of Panama. She has just graduated from the Online Diploma Course in Artificial Intelligence and Gamification. She is also a specialist in Virtual Learning Environments, certified by the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI) and Virtual Educa. She has presented lectures and workshops at national and international conferences on learner autonomy and learner development in the classroom, in self-access centres, and with digital tools. She is the founder and President of the Academic Research Network of Learner Autonomy in México. Her research interests are gamification and learner training for Learner Autonomy, Telecollaboration, and the impact of AI in SALCs.

Registration

Registration Fees:
On-site in Osaka:
JASAL Members: ¥2500
Non-JASAL members: ¥3000
Online:
Free
Undergraduate students are entitled to free registration).

Membership (free) must be active prior to the day of the conference. Please note that all presenters must be JASAL members.

Call for Papers

At this year’s JASAL conference we invite practitioners and researchers to examine how advising in language learning provides the essential human scaffolding for self-directed paths. Furthermore, we seek to analyze how emergent technologies, from AI-driven personalization to immersive digital environments, can be harnessed to support, rather than replace, the reflective process.

We welcome submissions on this and other self-access related topics, such as:

● Innovations in learning advising/counselling/coaching
● Influence of emergent technologies and AI on self-access
● Virtual self-access
● SAC design and layout
● Self-access and curriculum, learning program design
● Managing and administrating self-access centres
● Learning communities and learner involvement in SACs
● Student perspectives on SALL
● Assessment of self-access SALL
● Research design in SALL
● Professional development for SALL / Learning advisor education
● Promotion of SACs & SALL
● Lifelong learning
● Study abroad & SALL

Presentation Formats

We are accepting proposals for the following kinds of presentations. Please note that at this year’s conference we will have a limited number of online presentation slots available.

Research presentation (on-site or online) (20+5 mins)
Practices presentation (on-site or online) (15+10mins)
Workshop (on-site only) (45 mins)
Poster session (on-site only)

When submitting your proposal, please indicate if you are only able to accept an online presentation slot. All presenters should be JASAL members at time of registration. (To join JASAL, please send us an email, and include the information requested on the website.)

We welcome submissions in both English and Japanese. Please note that each presenter should be the lead presenter on only ONE submission, and may appear as a co-presenter on only one other submission. Once received, proposals will be blinded and peer-reviewed by at least two members of the JASAL board to ensure quality and relevance to JASAL.

Undergraduate students are welcome to submit to one of these formats with a member of staff (faculty member or administrator), but we encourage these students to participate in the dedicated student conference and other student-centred events, where they will have more opportunities to interact with peers.