JASAL Forum @ JALT 2014 Tsukuba

JASAL Forum 2014
Self-access conversations: beyond classroom borders
at JALT 2014, Tsukuba

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Forum this year ! Photos and abstracts can be found below, along with links to the posters and slides from the presenters.

A full review of the forum has been published in SiSAL Journal by JASAL member Erin Okamoto – you can read it here: http://sisaljournal.org/archives/mar15/okamoto/

Scene from the JASAL 2014 Forum

Forum abstract: Self-access conversations: beyond classroom borders
As they offer opportunities to extend language learning beyond the classroom borders, more and more institutions are realising the value of self-access facilities such as resource centres, advising services and language conversation lounges, and the number of such centres is growing every year in Japan. Organized by the Japan Association of Self-Access Learning (JASAL), this forum will offer opportunities for those involved in running existing centres and setting up new ones to share professional experiences, observations and research into their current practices. This year’s forum will take the format of several short presentations and a whole-group discussion. All presenters either run or work in self-access centres as directors, teachers or learning advisors and their presentations will focus on issues such as the challenges of setting up a new centre, how to attract new users to centres in different contexts, tips for running a self-access centre smoothly, and issues involved in evaluating self-access centres effectively. Through this forum, we hope to support people who are new to self-access and further contribute to the professional development of established members of the growing self-access community in Japan.

Presentation abstracts:

Establishing a new English Lounge: Hopes and Challenges (ppt)
Vick L. Ssali & Greg L. Rohe, Aichi Gakuin University

Establishing any new Self-Access Language Learning (SALL) space can be both exciting and challenging. In our presentation we shall be describing the activities done at the AGU English Lounge since it was opened one year ago. We will consider issues such as funding, staffing, creating and maintaining an SALL space in general, as well as elicit discussion and professional advice from innovators and practitioners of other SALL spaces.

Vick L. Ssali, Aichi Gakuin University

Greg L. Rohe, Aichi Gakuin University

20 Tips for Running a Self-access Centre (pdf)
Jo Mynard & Satoko Watkins, Kanda University of International Studies

New to self-access? Not sure where to start? In this short presentation, the speakers share a range of ideas that have worked well in their institution and also some ideas that they have noticed working well elsewhere. The presenters will share a self-evaluation tool that participants can adapt in order to help them to plan the next steps in setting up or improving even the smallest self-access facility.

Jo Mynard, Kanda University of International Studies

Satoko Watkins, Kanda University of International Studies

Starting a Movement: Let’s go to SALC! (ppt)
Satomi Shibata,Tokoha University

A number of factors influence on students decision making on whether or not they use the self-access language learning center (hereafter SALC). Is it possible to create the environment that will help learners choose to make use of SALC? In the presentation, I would like to share an idea that starting a movement toward the same purposes among learners could help them to use SALC.

Satomi Shibata, Tokoha University

Evaluating a self-access centre – options and challenges (ppt file)
Katherine Thornton, Otemon Gakuin University

One of the most contentious and challenging issues in self-access management is that of evaluation. With a fluid user base and a seemingly endless number of variables, how can the contribution a centre is making be effectively evaluated. This presentation will address a number of options available to SAC managers and give an example from the presenter’s own context, a self-access centre that opened in April 2013.