David James Townsend
Shujitsu University
About
David is an associate professor at Shujitsu University in Okayama, Japan. He has an MA in political science from Acadia University as well as an MA in applied linguistics from Macquarie University. Most recently, his research interests include the measurement of anxiety in the EFL presentation classroom, the development of effective communicative language activities, and peer-assessment.Sessions
Short Presentation A Model for Success: An English Camp Experience more
Sat, Dec 18, 17:00-17:25 Asia/Tokyo
A tremendous amount of research has been devoted to understanding reticence in the EFL classroom. This presentation will highlight some of the major factors in the traditional Japanese education system that inhibit students from being more active in the English-language classroom. Following this, the presenters will outline the development and implementation of a two-day English camp that has proven to be very successful in preparing university students to become more active learners. Through group activities, including sports and cultural experiences, this camp has shown to help students understand the importance of cooperation and promote the development of empathy towards people from other cultures while at the same time greatly reduce anxiety.
Short Presentation Developing a Successful Peer-Editing Program in the Writing Classroom more
Sat, Dec 18, 09:50-10:15 Asia/Tokyo
The ability to plan, outline, and write an essay are invaluable to the language learner at the university level. Many writing programs also have students help each other develop their writing skills through the act of peer-editing. Unfortunately, not all writing programs invest the time and energy in training their students that is necessary to make peer-editing successful (Rollinson, 2005). This presentation will detail the implementation of a successful peer-editing system in a first-year writing course at a Japanese University. The presentation will begin by explaining the initial training the students undergo to prepare them for peer-editing. Then, the actual step-by-step process for conducting peer-editing will be clearly laid out. Finally, the student-to-student counseling sessions will be examined.