This year marked the eighth annual Teacher Journeys Conference, and the Teacher Development SIG, in collaboration with the JALT NanKyu Chapter, organised the Teacher Journeys x SUTLF Conference. The conference was held on Saturday, June 29th at Sojo University in Kumamoto, and was housed inside the recently built Sojo International Learning Center (SILC). The aim of the conference was to explore the winding but meaningful paths teachers take towards greater self-awareness and improved classroom practices.

The featured speakers were Christopher Hale of Akita International University and Fumi Takegami of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto. They spoke on the topics: ‘Educating the Educators: Exploring the Experiences of Teachers Enrolled in an American TESOL Program in Japan’ and ‘Reconceptualizing Practice: Implications for Teacher Development’, respectively.

Through the combined efforts of the day’s many presenters, conference attendees learnt about varying aspects of English pedagogy, the efforts teachers make in the classroom, the challenges they face and overcome, and how their varied encounters impact their professional aspirations and students’ motivation. The evening culminated in a networking dinner with the organisers, presenters and conference attendees.

The Teacher Development SIG and JALT NanKyu would like to thank all our presenters, invited guests, host (Sojo University), and the conference attendees for coming and taking part. To our members: thank you for your continued support. We are look forward to seeing you again at JALT National!