Message from the Coordinator (January 2016)

Dear MW-SIG members,
Welcome to 2016! I hope that everyone is having a relaxing break, I know that I am making the most of it. In order to keep the MW-SIG members more informed in the activities of your SIG, I have decided to send regular messages to you. If you have information that you think that other members would be interested in, please don’t hesitate to share it with me. For example, if you have just published something or have an upcoming presentation, it would be great to share it with everyone! I hope that everyone has a successful and prosperous 2016.

Yours in Service,
Adam Murray

Contents of this message:
1. Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum 2016: Engaging Learners with Materials.
2. Calls for papers (Reminder)
3. Articles of interest

1.
Sojo University (Kumamoto) and the NanKyu JALT chapter are co-hosting a one-day event that I think will be relevant for all of us. It is the Sojo University Teaching and Learning Forum 2016: Engaging Learners with Materials. The program has not yet been finalized, but the plenary speakers have been announced. One of our SIG members, Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto, will be giving a plenary talk “Designing Materials that Work.” Also, Curtis Kelly, the co-ordinator of the Brain SIG, will be giving the other plenary talk, “The Neuroscience of Lesson Design.” The deadline for poster presentations has been extended to Friday, January 15th. More details can be found at the NanKyu JALT homepage.

2.
Before we know it, the deadlines for the upcoming PanSIG and JALT International Conference will be upon us. The deadline for PanSIG is February 7 and the deadline for JALT International is February 15.

3.
From TESOL’s English Language Bulletin, here is an article that may be of interest: Modifying traditional ESL materials for classroom use.

From John Hughes’ blog, Writing ELT Materials: Level, context and flow

The No-Nonsense Guide to Writing
A free e-Book for “for all of you who want to become (or continue to be) writers of ELT material, this collection of articles provides a one-stop resource of information about what you need to be able to do, what to be careful about, and how to enjoy it”

Finally, looking for ways to increase interest in your books?
Growth hacking your book sales