Nov 2, 2010

Trip to Osaka 06


Here I am giving my presentation, "Just because they're learning doesn't mean you're teaching." I argued that traditional teaching of information about language is a very inefficient way to teach a language. I cited a number of classes that I have taught or supervised as examples, giving data comparing the results to regular more traditionally taught classes. When I speak or teach, I like to go low tech as much as possible. Chuck has PowerPoint slides that were very hard to see. I went with what is in the picture - a wireless mike and my Kindle. I downloaded an MS Word file containing my notes to my Kindle and used that during my presentation. That way, I could move around the room.Here I am standing at the back of the room, which had tables and chairs on the basic level and a balcony with built-in desks and chairs. It was a wonderful room to speak in.
Conferences of language teachers frequently have what we call "Poster Sessions". The speaker puts the information on a poster, which is then placed on a wall. The presenter stands by the poster and talks to people as the view the poster. It is quite informal and different people come away with differing amounts of information. I have given some at other conferences and quite like them. People who are interested in your subject can come and talk to you directly without wasting an audience's time. Most universities could a poster session as the same as a regular presentation, or as slightly less, when calculating research activities.
This is the formal conference picture that was taken to include all the people who were still there after the final session - a Q&A by Chuck Sandy and myself.

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