The Teacher Development SIG are thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with the JALT Niigata Chapter for an exciting collaboration: the joint NEAR Language Education Conference x Teacher Journeys Conference.

Date: June 28th 2025 (Saturday)

Location: Chuo (Furumachi) Campus of Niigata University of International and Information Studies – https://maps.app.goo.gl/4iYa8ZcnGxPdtyFR9

Theme: “Teacher Journeys, Student Journeys: Leading and Learning”

At the heart of education lies a profound truth: both educators and learners embark on unique paths of growth and discovery. Our conference explores the rich range of experiences that shape our educational identities, from the initial steps into the world of learning to our ongoing development as teachers and students. These journeys not only define who we are but also influence how we teach, learn, and connect with one another in the classroom and beyond.

We cordially invite you to share your insights and experiences through a presentation. Whether your focus aligns with the theme of teacher/student journeys or encompasses broader language education topics, we eagerly anticipate your contributions.

To submit your abstract, please use our user-friendly Google Form to streamline the submission process. You can expect a response regarding your submission within 1-2 weeks. A quick turnaround time allows you to plan ahead and prepare for our upcoming conference.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative dialogue on education. Your unique perspective could inspire colleagues and help them shape the future of teaching and learning. We look forward to receiving your submissions and welcoming you to Niigata for what promises to be an enlightening collaborative event.

Submission Guidelines:  

• Presentation length: 25-minute talk, 40-minute talk (including Q&A), and 1-hour poster presentation.

• Submission deadline: March 23rd, 2025. 

• Submission procedure: Applications submitted online

  • Abstract (for vetting): 250-300 words        

  • Summary (for the conference handbook): 150-200 words

PanSIG2025 will be held May 16-18 2025 at Kanda University of International Studies in Mihama Ward, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture.

The Teacher Development SIG is inviting researchers, instructors, and practitioners to submit proposals for our forum at PanSIG focused on autonomy and agency in language education. 

The forum will highlight approaches and experiences with fostering learner autonomy and agency in educational settings. This topic is especially timely as we recognise that our learners often demonstrate a strong sense of both individual and collective engagement in their learning, while also expressing a desire for greater freedom in their learning journey.

Possible themes for the forum include:

• Blended learning
• Collaborative learning and peer-to-peer interactions
• Critical pedagogy and critical thinking
• Formative assessment and feedback practices
• Learner autonomy and learner-centered approaches
• Metacognitive skills and reflective practices
• Self-regulated and self-directed learning
• Teacher autonomy and teacher agency

We welcome a wide range of perspectives on these themes and encourage submissions from both new and experienced presenters.

Presentation Format:

• Presentations will be either 20 or 30 minutes in length (depending on number of presenters) followed by 10-15 minutes of discussion time.
   
• Forum discussions are interactive by design, and we encourage presenters to incorporate engaging elements such as scaffolded rounds, collaborative tasks, or other creative formats to encourage participant involvement.

Submission Process:

After submitting your proposal through the Google Form, you can expect feedback within 1 week of your submission. If your proposal is accepted, we will support you throughout the presentation process to ensure you have everything you need for a successful session.

You can submit your proposal via the Google Form until March 10th. Please email jalt.td.sig@gmail.com if you have any questions.

The TD SIG will be holding an interactive workshop-style forum at JALT 2024:

 Date: Sunday, November 17
 Time: 12:00 – 13:30
Place: Room 908

This unique, interactive workshop format offers more engagement and collaboration than a traditional presentation, so bring your curiosity and ideas! We look forward to seeing eager educators ready to connect and learn. See you at JALT 2024!

The TD SIG’s Teacher Journeys conference will be held in-person at Tokyo City University (Setagaya Campus) on Saturday, October 12th.

The presentation schedule is currently being prepared. In the meantime, pre-registration for the conference is now open and is ¥2,000 for JALT members and ¥3,000 for non-JALT members. Click here to pre-register.

Teachers’ stories are instrumental in shaping our professional growth and practices. This event is a prime opportunity to inspire and connect with others, enriching our collective understanding and contributing to our development as educators. We look forward to seeing everyone on the conference day!

Teacher Journeys is back! This year, the conference will be held in-person at Tokyo City University (Setagaya Campus) on Saturday, October 12th.

We invite you to submit a proposal and share your unique experiences as a teacher. Our stories are instrumental in shaping our professional growth and practices. This event is a prime opportunity to inspire and connect with others, enriching our collective understanding and contributing to our development as educators. Don’t miss out on this chance to make an impact!

You can propose either a 30-minute presentation or a 75-minute workshop, both of which will include time for Q&A.

Please use this Google Form to submit your proposal: https://forms.gle/UBd5rH6St3zJ3xRP8

Join the TD SIG Forum at PanSIG 2024 with our three panelists and dive into their take on the “Boon and Bane of Digitalized EFL Education”.

Although we commonly share the recent period of tech-based EFL lessons, we may differ as to which side of the fence we are on: the boon side or the bane side. This forum features presenters who will share their specific views and experience of recent large-scale technology implemented lessons, realizations and revelations stemming from those, and how their technology use connected to fundamentals of EFL education/lessons. Our interactive discussion with the audience centers on either support for increased use of technology (boon) or the notion that technology is overused and/or inefficient (bane).

Our three presenter topics relate to: (1) the paradox of advancing educational technologies, such as AI and VR, and their demand for educators to not only deeply understand these tools but also to increasingly apply traditional teaching methodologies; (2) the implementation of Virtual Exchange (VE) to maximise learning outcomes by offering students more comprehensible input while encouraging output and the negotiation of meaning; (3) the need to avert overreliance on technology tools and common classroom failures by supplementing traditional pedagogical approaches more strategically with technology to create unique opportunities exclusive to language classrooms.

Date: Sunday May 26th
Time: 10:10 – 11:40
Room: 2-703

The Teacher Development SIG will be holding a forum at the JALT 2024 national conference in Shizuoka (November 15-18).

At this year’s conference, the prompt words ‘opportunity’, ‘diversity’ and ’excellence’ related to the future, have been selected in order to generate, discuss and share related ideas.

The format for the forum will be an interactive workshop. We would like to emphasise the “interactive” component of this year’s forum to potential workshop leaders.

Within the 30 minutes given, each workshop leader will:

• Share a story related to themselves and/or their teaching context in connection with the JALT theme prompt words (opportunity, diversity, excellence), and how their identity or practice as an educator will or may evolve moving into the future.
   
• Involve and encourage attendees to participate in discussions and idea sharing related to their story, and allow them to connect their experiences, ask questions, and/or give comments or ideas about the workshop leader’s story.

We strongly ask people applying to be workshop leaders to keep the above two guidelines in mind related to this forum. We ask that the format of your proposed workshop not be presentation heavy, not involve too much of your talk time, and not have the interactive component be just Q&A at the end of a presentation.

The deadline for proposals is Sunday April 28th, 11:59pm. Click here for more details and the proposal submission form, or scan the QR code on the poster below.

The Teacher Development SIG is inviting researchers and teachers to join our debate forum at the upcoming PanSIG Conference.

The theme of the forum is “The boon and bane of digitalized EFL education: Building a new foundation for the future”. If you are interested, you can choose which side of the fence you are on: the boon side or the bane side.

This format will have a presenter sharing a specific view on the theme with a round-by-round format. Initially, speaking for 3-5 minutes each to explain their experience of the recent large-scale technology implemented lessons, their realizations/revelations that stemmed from that and which relate to the fundamentals of EFL education/lessons, and finally their support for increased use of technology (boon) or that technology is overused and that more traditional approaches are more efficient and effective (bane).

We want you, the educator with experience in the technology zoom-boom of the last years, to share with us your takeaways and wisdom which you can aptly apply as we move back to basics.

We are targeting these topics for forum presentations:

• teachers’ and students’ technological skills as a pivotal factor
• maximizing learning outcomes through the use of technology or not using technology 
• a move back to basics, everything digital, or amenable balance : as a problem of practice

Some potential questions for proposal submitters:

• How does learning theory and design impact your choice and/or use of technology?
• How did you maximize learning outcomes via technology? 
• In what ways did you consider the development of technological skills (for yourself and students) as a pertinent aspect within learning? 
• What can we pull out of this recent flood of online education to build a better basic foundation of EFL teaching?
• How will you be moving forward with a redeveloped sense of “back to basics”?

Please note that the PanSIG 2024 Conference is an in-person-only event from May 24th – May 26th, 2024. You must physically travel to Fukui University of Technology to participate in our forum.

You can apply via Google Forms until March 10th by sharing the following information:

• an indication of the targeted topic(s) you intend to submit for (listed above)
• a potential title for your presentation
• an abstract (up to 220 words)
• a basic explanation of your presentation content (3-4 main aspects in point form)

The Google Form is here: https://forms.gle/5Mm1esAhYyyC9hiu9

Thank you in advance for your application. We will respond within 2 weeks of your submission.

The Teacher Development SIG are excited to be holding our first face-to-face conference in years at Hakodate University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, this Saturday February 17th (09:00-17:00).

“Moving Towards Sustainable Education” has three tracks of research and will feature round-table speakers from the English Program of Utsunomiya University who will provide insight into their progressive teacher-led research agenda.

Our final schedule is all set – we have a full day of presenters with exciting and innovative research topics.

Please use the QR code on the publicity flyer, or click here, to register for the conference.

The Teacher Development SIG is inviting researchers and teachers to join our debate forum at the upcoming PanSIG Conference.

The theme of the forum is “The boon and bane of digitalized EFL education: Building a new foundation for the future”. If you are interested, you can choose which side of the fence you are on: the boon side or the bane side.

This format will have a presenter sharing a specific view on the theme with a round-by-round format. Initially, speaking for 3-5 minutes each to explain their experience of the recent large-scale technology implemented lessons, their realizations/revelations that stemmed from that and which relate to the fundamentals of EFL education/lessons, and finally their support for increased use of technology (boon) or that technology is overused and that more traditional approaches are more efficient and effective (bane).

We want you, the educator with experience in the technology zoom-boom of the last years, to share with us your takeaways and wisdom which you can aptly apply as we move back to basics.

We are targeting these topics for forum presentations:

• teachers’ and students’ technological skills as a pivotal factor
• maximizing learning outcomes through the use of technology or not using technology 
• a move back to basics, everything digital, or amenable balance : as a problem of practice

Some potential questions for proposal submitters:

• How does learning theory and design impact your choice and/or use of technology?
• How did you maximize learning outcomes via technology? 
• In what ways did you consider the development of technological skills (for yourself and students) as a pertinent aspect within learning? 
• What can we pull out of this recent flood of online education to build a better basic foundation of EFL teaching?
• How will you be moving forward with a redeveloped sense of “back to basics”?

Please note that the PanSIG 2024 Conference is an in-person-only event from May 24th – May 26th, 2024. You must physically travel to Fukui University of Technology to participate in our forum.

You can apply via Google Forms until March 10th by sharing the following information:

• an indication of the targeted topic(s) you intend to submit for (listed above)
• a potential title for your presentation
• an abstract (up to 220 words)
• a basic explanation of your presentation content (3-4 main aspects in point form)

The Google Form is here: https://forms.gle/5Mm1esAhYyyC9hiu9

Thank you in advance for your application. We will respond within 2 weeks of your submission.