Videos

Considering the Role of AI in Advising Language Learners
Jo Mynard, Scott Sheltoon-Strong, Dominique Vola Ambinostsoa, and Emily Marzin

Link to the video

Running a SALC-Integrated BonusCredit Point Card System
Jordan Svien and Colleen Seki

Link to the video

Ai-Powered Stimulator for Advisor Professional Development
Sina Takada, Satoko Kato, Emily Marzin, Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa, and Jo Mynard

Link to the video

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Slides

Addressing Affect in Self-Access Learning Settings
Giovanna Tassinari

Link to slides (PDF)

Intercultural Camping – Participant Motivation and Agency
Branden Carl Kirchmeyer, Alison Koga, and Kayoko Horai

Link to slides (PDF)

Empowering EAL learners The Ara PLUS model
Kerstin Dofs

Link to slides (PDF)

Redefining SALCs Student Staff as Change Agents
Daniel Hooper, Yuki Namiki, Sam Reid, and Yusuke Kon

Link to slides (PDF)

Hip Hop Dance for Well-being in the SALC
Beng Hwee Tan

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Emotions and Languages Spaces: IALLT Survey Results 2025
Betsy Lavolette and Angelika Kraemer

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Fostering Collaboration and Bonds Between Self-Access Centers
Misato Saunders, Hanako Schwehr, Kiyu Itoi

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Commensality as Emotional Infrastructure in a Canadian SAC
Shunyan Lyu

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Cross-Campus Collaboration in Advising: CAP Report
Hanako Schwehr, Kiyu Itoi, Misato Saunders, and Woo Kyoung Park

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Weekly Topics & SAC Conversation Groups: Impacts on Users & Staff
Christopher Cladis, Jeremy Eades, and Christopher Phelps

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Practical Report of Sign Language Café at SALC
Yoshio Nakai, Yoko Sei, and Yui Ishida

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Visualizing learner Well-being across 15 Dimensions
Satoko Kato

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Posters

Inviting Connection: A New Learner-facing SALC Showcase
Thomas Stringer

Link to poster (PDF)

Analyzing Multilingual Support in SALC: Issues and Prospects
Maya Abe and Yoko Sei

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地域で学ぶ短期集中日本語プログラムにおける自律学習能力を育むしかけ
Wakana Watanabe, Tamaki Sumida, Yoshie Itai, and Michisuke Miyama

Link to poster (PDF)

Implementing Student-Led Discussions: A Pilot Study
Isra Wongsarnpigoon and Bethan Kushida

Link to poster (PDF)

Over 20 conference delegates joined this year’s pre-conference SALC tour at APU’s SALC. We were first treated to a history of the SALC at APU by the Deputy Director of the Center for Language Education, Steven Pattison, and Lindsay Mack, who was involved in establishing the SALC in 2006.

Then students took the lead with some short workshop activities, where each table of participants were encouraged to share their opinions and experiences on a number of topics such as curriculum integration, support for learner autonomy and other topics.

Then we were given a tour of the SALC facilities and encouraged to speak to the different student staff on duty who explained the different spaces and services available in the SALC. The professionalism and enthusiasm of all the student staff was very inspiring to see, and it was great to connect with other SALC practitioners while exploring this very welcoming and innovative SALC.

Where? National Olympics Memorial Youth Center (Tokyo) – Room 307

When? Saturday, November 1st, 2025, 17:40 – 19:10

Who? Daniel Hooper (Tokyo Kasei University), Yuki Namiki (Tokyo Kasei University), Samuel Reid (Tokyo Kasei University)
Suwako Uehara (The University of Electro-Communications),
Conveners: Katherine Thornton (Otemon Gakuin University), Misato Saunders (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University)

What about? This year’s JASAL Forum explores two topics relevant for any self-access space: How to revitalise an underutilised SALC based on insights gained through needs analysis of student and faculty perspectives, and how an International Week event, in collaboration with faculty and other university departments, can enhance the visibility of global activities both within and beyond the university. Practical advice for implementing similar initiatives will be shared by the presenters and followed by a discussion.

Link – JALT2025

Transport

Here is information on the local bus schedule.

Meal orders

To sign-up for these optional services, and to order a bento lunch, please use this sign-up form. (Please note that this is a different form to the conference registration form – see Registration below).
Deadline: Sign-up and pay by Tuesday, September 30th.

Conference Schedule

Greetings to all students involved in self-access language learning centers, their advisors, and teachers!

• Are you currently working or volunteering for a self-access center at your university?
• Are you interested in sharing your self-access-related experiences with students from other universities?
• Do you want to meet and hear the stories of other students with similar experiences?

Then please join us for the 9th JASAL Student Conference and share your stories and listen to the stories of others!

Teachers and advisors are your students working on some amazing self-access projects? Or are they new to self-access and want to hear how other universities are doing?

Then please encourage your students to join, present or just attend the 9th JASAL Student Conference. Your students can introduce their facilities and student staff activities, or share their own experiences of learning languages, studying abroad or using their self-access language learning centers.

Presentations can be either solo or group presentations.

Date: Saturday, December 6th, 2025
Time: 09:30-13:00
Format: Online (Zoom meeting)

There are two ways to participate:

Option 1 (Present + Attend) – Submit your summary by November 28th, 2025, using this form:
https://forms.gle/Gf2tJHqo2tSyx9o78

Option 2 (Just Attend) – Register to join by December 1st, 2025, using this
form: https://forms.gle/Gf2tJHqo2tSyx9o78

We, the organizers of Student Conference, are looking forward to seeing you at our online event and hearing your stories about self-access and/or language-learning journeys!

For more information, refer to the Call for Proposal!

JASAL Journal Volume 6, Issue 2 is soliciting papers for the JASAL Journal for December 2025, with a submission deadline of August 31, 2025. The theme of this issue will be Supporting Language Learner Identity and Agency, but we will consider all proposals related to self-access language learning. Please refer to the journal guidelines and send submissions by email (jasalorgATgmail.com), indicating if your paper is a research, practice, reflective, or review article. In the subject heading, please write “Issue 6(2)”. Feel free to make enquiries to the editorial team by email if you are considering whether to submit a paper.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

• Student leadership and peer support
• Student ownership of self-access spaces
• Supporting language learners from diverse backgrounds
• Identity construction in self-access contexts
• Narratives of learner transformation
• Creation of self-access spaces which support identity and agency

Read Volume 6, Issue 1 here!

The theme of this issue is the power of collaboration in self-access language learning. This issue covers a variety of topics of interest to self-access researchers and practitioners, and reports from recent JASAL events.

Thank you to all the contributors for their valuable insight and research in the field of self-access!

A big thank you to the authors, reviewers, the editorial team for their hard work in curating this enriching collection!

Name of space: English World Terrace
Location: Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University Affiliated Elementary School, Japan
Website: None
Contact: Clair Taylor, taylor@gifu.shotoku.ac.jp

English World Terrace is an outdoor social language learning space for children located at Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University Affiliated Elementary School. It is staffed by a team of university student volunteers and the elementary school’s two Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). 

The playground-style space has an “English Only” language policy which provides the children with opportunities to freely and spontaneously use their developing English with children from other classes and year groups. It is open only during designated lunch breaks. Use of the space is entirely optional—children decide whether to visit English World Terrace or play in one of the other school recreation areas during their recess. When they visit, they can choose to stay until English World Terrace closes, or to leave at any time to enjoy another play area. 

Our mission is to immerse the children in English as they play so that language is acquired effortlessly and becomes associated with positive experiences.

The children enter the space by passing through “passport control”, where they have a brief chat in English with the “immigration officials” and receive an entry stamp in their passports. As they walk through the door, a bubble machine fills the air with bubbles. The children move around the space freely, choosing to play in any area. There is an open space with juggling balls and poi sets, a ring toss game, and a Twister® mat, so that children can enjoy physical movement in the fresh air. There are also tables and benches set out with tabletop games such as Dominoes and Jenga®. Some of the games have been designed specifically for English language learners, such as AGO®, Crazy Chefs®, and The Shopping Game®. There are soft bright yellow mats in one corner with a small library of picture books. There are also soft toys and glove puppets. The walls are decorated with animal stickers and a large mural which was painted by a team of university students. The windows are decorated with useful phrases such as: “Can I play with you?” Some of the activities have been designed specifically to develop positive self-talk. There are targets drawn on one wall with washable sidewalk chalk containing positive statements (including: “I can do it!”, “Let’s speak English!” and “This is easy!”) which students throw balls at. There is also an Affirmation Hopscotch Mat—as they play, the children chant “I am…” followed by adjectives (such as “kind” and “brave”) as they hop and jump.

As the children enjoy English through play, the university students gain valuable work  experience which stretches their own English and develops a range of soft skills.

Challenges

As an outdoor space, there are unusual challenges in the day-to-day operations, such as dealing with hornet invasions and bat droppings in addition to extreme heat in the summer. The passport control desk, tables, and toys are set up in the school hall during inclement weather.

During the coronavirus pandemic, ordinary activities were suspended (as it was not safe for children to cluster around and touch the same toys). Instead, we operated “English World Dance” in which the student volunteers taught dance routines using only English using a microphone and speaker, maintaining a fun atmosphere with a disco lights machine and the bubble machine.

If you would like to have your self-access center showcased please complete this form and mail it to: jasalorg@gmail.com.