(November 2016) Message from the Coordinator

Dear MW SIG members,

The autumn semester has been flying by and the JALT International Conference will soon be here. I’m sure that it will be a great conference for professional development!

Best,

Adam Murray

SIG Coordinator

1. MW SIG Annual General Meeting (AGM)

MW SIG Annual General Meeting
Sun, Nov 27, 11:35 AM – 12:20 PM; Room 1208

At this meeting, we will elect new officers, report on our activities over the previous year, and discuss ongoing SIG matters. Please plan to attend the AGM – we need your support! If you are considering becoming more active in your SIG, this is the perfect opportunity!

2. Between the Keys

Got something to share with your colleagues in Japan and around the world? The deadline for submissions for the next issue is November 10th. We publish a wide range of articles including reviews, and “My Share”-style articles. For more details (and the style guide) take a look here.

3. MW SIG Forum: Materials Writers Forum: Writing & Publishing

Sun, Nov 27, 1:05 PM – 2:35 PM; Room 1208
Two publishers and eight materials writers will share ideas and experiences in the field of materials design, writing, and publishing. Some writers publish and present internationally. Others concentrate on writing for niche markets or their own classes. Cengage and ABAX editors will explain how to work with them. Presenters will sit at separate tables. Attendees will listen to a brief explanation of their topics and then join whomever they wish for short focused conversations.

Adam Murray - Thoughts on Developing Listening Materials

Gregg McNabb - Professional Level Self- Publishing in Japan         

Jim Smiley - How a Non-Medic Can Write Medical texts: A Methodology

Gregory Strong - Five Principles in Writing Graded Readers

Tsuyoshi Yoshida (Cengage Publishing) - TBA

Gregory Hadley -Making the Most of Student-Generated Vocabulary Materials      

Tim Frandsen - How to Self-Publish Through Amazon        

Junko Yamanaka - Creating Materials that Promote Critical Thinking             

Barbara Hoskins-Sakamoto - Designing EFL Materials for Young Learners

Hugh Graham-Marr - The Writer-Publisher Relationship: One Publisher's Perspective

4. Presentations by SIG Members

In addition to our Forum, there are three presentations by SIG members that you certainly won’t want to miss!

1. Sourcing Images for Teacher-Made Materials

Romney, Cameron - Doshisha University

Sat, Nov 26, 12:05 PM - 12:30 PM; Room 1201

We are increasingly living in a visual world. Our students are comfortable with deriving meaning by both textual and visual means and they often expect visually rich learning materials. But where can educators find images for their materials? How can they legally use images without violating copyright? In this presentation the advantages and disadvantages for three leading sources of images will be analyzed to show how educators can legally source images for their materials.

2. Language Teaching: Culture & Environmental Issues

Goodmacher, Greg - Keiwa College; Kajiura, Asako - Keiwa College

Sat, Nov 27, 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM; Room 1003

What principles should teachers consider when teaching culture, environmental issues, and language to Japanese students? The presenters have been teaching courses covering these three subjects as content-based language instruction (CBI) for many years. They will share ideas about organizing language lessons and creating effective teaching materials. Attendees will leave with teaching ideas for their classes after examining a new CBI textbook and experiencing interactive activities that stimulate students to communicate about culture and environmental issues.

3. 10 Top Tips for Getting Your Textbook Published

Capper, Simon - Japanese Red Cross Hiroshima College of Nursing

Sun, Nov 27, 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM; Room 1002

This poster shares the knowledge of an experienced writer of over a dozen commercially published textbooks, providing (at least) 10 tips to enhance the book-birthing process, from conception to delivery. Those wishing to get involved in textbook publishing will also find suggestions that may help to transform their projects. The tips to avoid labor pains include: getting your foot in the door; finding your ‘gap’; establishing your principles; common pitfalls, and post-publication promotion.