CUE Events - 2008

CUE at JALT 2008

Location: National Olympics Memorial Youth Center,Tokyo, Japan

Date:31 October – 3 November, 2008

The JALT international conference was held for the second year in a row at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Tokyo, from October 31st to November 3rd. The 2008 CUE Forum, held Saturday from 1:15 to 2:50, attracted between 40 to 50 attendees. The Forum was followed by the CUE Annual General Meeting, and later the same evening, CUE members enjoyed fine food and drink at the Pink Cow with members of the Learner Development SIG and Columbia Teacher's College students and alumni. Please scroll down to find out more about CUE activities during the JALT 2008 conference.

Note: Photos from the JALT 2008 concerning CUE activities have been uploaded to the CUE Group on Facebook and the CUE Members' Yahoo Group. Please join us online...and feel free to upload your own conference photos to share!

2008 CUE Scholar: Thomas Amundrud

In order from left to right: Terry Fellner, Treasurer; Thomas Amundrud, 2008 CUE Scholar; Matt Apple, SIG Coordinator

Thomas Amundrud (Ritsumei University) was selected as the 2008 CUE Scholar. His conference review of JALT 2008 will appear in the OnCUE Journal, 3(2) Special Conference Issue, coming out at the end of summer 2009. Many CUE members on the CUE SIG Members Yahoo group may have read Thomas's call for participants in his studies concerning teaching students with mental health. He is also interested in researching ways of helping Japanese science students develop rhetorical skills for presentation. Thomas is a member of the CUE 2009 Conference Committee. Each fall, CUE SIG sponsors one CUE member to attend the annual JALT conference. CUE Scholars receive 25,000 yen in return for help at the CUE desk and a conference review. Look for details of next year's CUE Scholar award in the upcoming Summer 2008 issue of OnCUE Journal, or CUE's e-newsletter, YouCUE, which is sent via Yahoo group. Both publications are free for CUE SIG members.

CUE Forum: Research design: The backbone of academic inquiry

CUE Forum: Research design: The backbone of academic inquiry Room 309, 1:15 - 2:50 Saturday, November 1, 2008

CUE Forum presenters: Peter Neff (Doshisha University), Dr. David Beglar (Temple University Japan), Matthew Apple (Nara National College of Technology).

Abstract Sound planning for a research project can often mean the difference between outcomes which are inconclusive and those which are definitive or even groundbreaking. We will examine in depth the essential components to developing and carrying out a successful study in the SLA field. Topics to be covered include: an overview of common design frameworks, formulating relevant research questions, developing survey instruments and other research materials, selecting contexts and participants, and managing ethical considerations. Summary of the 2008 CUE Forum An audience of approximately 40 to 50 conference goers were in attendance as the three presenters described how to plan and implement a quantitative or mixed methods study for second language acquisition teacher-researchers. Key points included allowing plenty of time for preparation of design and materials, careful consideration of the educational context and study participants, building and piloting instruments based on a solid understanding of the constructs involved, and working together with other researchers as part of a team study. Several audience members asked questions about ethical concerns, such as whether participants need to sign a contract giving their permission, as well as what the Japan Ministry of Education's stance was on conducting research in tertiary level institutions. While the Forum was not able to cover all research design concerns, it was our hope to provide a detailed overview of main issues for those who may be interested in starting their own research projects. For your information, CUE has added a few references as a starting point. Please click here or on "References" in the top menu. Click here to download a .pps copy of the PowerPoint presentation used in this Forum. (NOTE: You must have PowerPoint installed on your computer in order to see this .pps presentation file. The file should automatically open after you download it.)

CUE Annual General Meeting

What was discussed at the CUE AGM in Tokyo (November 2008)

Directly after the CUE 2008 Forum, the CUE Annual General Meeting took place with 15 officers and CUE members in attendance. Topics discussed included:

• The need for Assistant Chair officers
• The desperate need for a new Program Chair (still open!)
• The 2008 CUE Scholar, Thomas Amundrud
• The CUE Researcher Award (new for 2009)
• PanSIG 2009 (which CUE is supporting)
• CUE 2009 Conference, at Tezukayama University in Nara
• Using YouTube and Facebook to promote CUE events

As a result of the topics discussed at the CUE AGM, Daniel Beck has graciously volunteered to set up both a JALT CUE Group on Facebook and a JALT CUE SIG account at Twitter. Several photos and videos from the CUE Forum at JALT 2008 have already been uploaded to the CUE group on Facebook. If you are a CUE SIG member and have a Facebook account, please search for us, join the CUE Faceboo group, and feel free to upload your photos, stories, and ideas!

CUE 2008 Conference

Conference theme: "Language Education in Transition"

Location: Kinki University, Higashi Osaka

Date:Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, 2008

Featured Speakers: Alex Gilmore (Kyoto University), Kazuyoshi Sato (Nagoya University of Foreign Studies)

JALT CUE SIG officers, on behalf of CUE SIG, Osaka JALT, and Nara JALT, would like to express our appreciation to all the conference organizers, sponsors, presenters, and attendees at the CUE 2008 Conference. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to the Kinki University Language Institute for their generosity in providing a free bottle of water, juice, or tea for every attendee and for allowing us to use the Institute's amazing facilities for presentations, and to the staff of English Village (E-Cube) for a fantastic dinner at the CUE party on Saturday night. Thanks for a great conference!

1st JACET/JALT Joint Regional Conference

Conference theme: "Toward a Synergistic Collaboration in English Education"

Location: Chuukyou University (Nagoya Campus)

Date:Saturday, June 14, 2008

Exploring the ESP Paradigm: From Theory to Practice

Location: Himeji Dokkyo University

Date:May 10, 2008

CUE co-sponsored event.

Getting Published: at Osaka JALT

Location: Namba Shimin Gakushu Center ( Osaka City Municipal Lifelong Learning Center - Namba branch)

Date:February 23, 2008

Speakers: Steve Cornwell (former JALT Journal Editor) and Deryn Verity (former JALT Journal Associate Editor)

Whether studying for a masters or a doctorate; conducting quantitative or qualitative research, working as a teacher or administrator, or looking for a new job, one thing that almost all of us working in education have in common is the need to publish. Many of us live in a publish-or-perish world, and even if we do not feel the pressure to publish, publishing offers a chance to engage with our colleagues about our work. This presentation will help writers understand the publishing process from selecting a journal and submitting an article to receiving reviewer's feedback, and handling revisions (and even how to disagree with a review). This event is co-sponsored by CUE SIG. If you are looking for advice on how to prepare your manuscript and how the process of editing, reviewing, and revising works for peer-reviewed journals (such as JALT Journal or the OnCUE Journal), this event comes highly recommended. The presenters are both former editors of the JALT Journal and their advice is invaluable for CUE members looking to publish for the first time. Please see the Osaka JALT home page for more information about this event.