ELI at Kanda University of International Studies

Kanda University of International Studies hosted the Advising for language learner autonomy: A Learner Autonomy SIG event last Saturday, November 12th. The conference focused on language advising. Conference convener Dr. Jo Mynard added, “As far as I know, there has not been an event dedicated to advising in eleven years, so the time was definitely right for this conference.”

Plenary speakers included University of Birmingham’s Lucy Cooker and Macquarie University’s Dr. Chris Candlin. Aside from the main speakers, there were eighteen presentations, one workshop, ten posters and ten virtual presenters, who beamed their talks in from remote locations around the world. Talks focused on the field of advising for language learner autonomy. Although most delegates were from Japan, others hailed from over ten countries. “Advising for language learner autonomy is quite a specialist and emerging strand of applied linguistics, so I was really happy that we managed to attract over one hundred delegates,” reflected Dr. Mynard. For those who could not attend, some information, including presentation slides are still available on the conference website. More photos from the event can be seen here.

At the start of April, sixteen new lecturers joined the ELI at Kanda University.  The group consists of fifteen teachers and one learning advisor. They hail from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, or New Zealand with a variety of education and research experience. For example, Tam Roman, from Pennsylvania in the US, has taught in a wide variety of contexts from high school students in Hyogo as a JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) to Chilean park rangers.

The new lecturers are eager to contribute to the body of research produced at the ELI. Alex Worth, from Brighton in the UK, looks forward to “investigating the Dogme Theoretical Approach and interpersonal relationships and how they influence learner outcomes.”

Thinking about what she would like to accomplish at the ELI, Liz Lammons, a new learning advisor from New Jersey in the US says, “I’d like to have a positive impact on colleagues and students…to inspire them to a lifetime of learning.”

From left: Liz Lammons, Tam Roman, and Alex Worth