A day for talking

One description of the samurai has always stuck with me since the first time I heard it - few people are so dedicated to the daily pursuit of perfection in their craft. Of course, I am not that naive to think that all samurai were like that, but why did it stick with me? Because I have found my craft and I desire to constantly learn more and improve my knowledge and skills just like that description.

A while ago I made a little deal with myself. I need to either present or publish something academic at least once a year. So, today I fulfilled that deal. I was fortunate enough to have my proposal accepted at the beginning of this year and presented today at the JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching) CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and Brain Conference at Tamagawa University, in western Tokyo. I presented on the effective integration of e-learning at Brisbane Grammar School and the formation of the Blended Learning Design Research Team (in 2014). It was quite a while ago, but it is still very relevant. The process of experimentation, failure, success, reflection and refinement is something I believe many people need to hear more about, so I presented on it.

I actually presented this to my local chapter of JALT (Gunma JALT) in October last year, but that was as a 2.5 hour workshop. This time I had only 25-30 minutes to talk and allow 5 minutes of question time. I knew from the outset that this was going to be very difficult, so I planned to do a rehearsal at my school to test the time limit. After speaking to my head of department, it turned out to be a bigger deal at my school than I expected. The rehearsal was advertised and promoted to the staff (and a few classes of students) as an opportunity to experience an academic presentation in English, and see me speaking with my natural lexicon and speed. Not only that, the venue of the conference drew oohs and ahhs (Tamagawa University) due to its reputation, but it really had no relation to the organisation or theme of the conference. Anyway, I am very grateful for the support of the teaching staff at my school, particularly the teachers in the English department and especially two of my really good mates that provided valuable feedback and support from the day I first told them until after I finished. Great people.

My presentation was on in the first time slot (10 a.m.) at the conference. This was both a blessing and a curse. It was 2.5 hours away from home, so I had to leave at sunrise, but I could get it over and done with early. However, I knew this would also be the time that people would be trickling in at various times. There was another unexpected element that I am not that pleased about. The conference ended up not being that large (a couple of hundred people at most), but there were too many presentations on at the same time. There were perhaps 11 or 12 presentations on at the same time as mine, and the presentations were in rooms that were new and modern, but could only hold a small number of participants. Anyway, the small number of participants at my presentation were vocal and engaged and I thankfully was able to stick to my time limit without losing my main message. I was pleased with what I did, but am still a little annoyed at the organisation of the conference. I was not alone too. Other presentations were very light on numbers.

Some of the presentations I attended were interesting. Some were perhaps useful in their own context, but very few of them grabbed me or inspired me. There is an unfortunate pressure on many tertiary level educators to present something at one or two conferences per year as part of their contractual agreement. Often these presentations lack depth and are obviously just something they scrambled together in a hurry to make ends meet. They are always well described in their abstracts (that's what theoretical academics are good at) but obviously lacking when you are in attendance at one. Today I also attended one or two that used fanciful technology and pedagogical terms to disguise their lack of depth and meaningful purpose for the learners. As someone who loves e-learning (when used well), that annoys me. It adds fuel to the fires burning in the mouths of those who love to discredit the use of tech in education.

I had a good chat to a great mate and colleague of mine at work the other day about the desire to make students own their learning more, similar to what I discussed in my presentation, but that concept is more difficult to initiate here in Japan. It is definitely not impossible and is perhaps being done by many educators, but it is still a relatively foreign concept in the pedagogical repertoires of teachers here. The colleague is desperate to establish an environment where students are passionate about their learning and striving to think more deeply and apply themselves more. I am of similar mind, but what impressed me was the passion for learning and change for the better in the voice of my friend. I was really happy to hear those words and happy to be working along side passionate and inspiring people like that. They care about the learners and they want the best for them - this is what is sometimes lacking in the presenters when they share impractical information for the participants.

Afterwards, it was time to celebrate finishing one of my goals for the year by visiting the historic Zojo-ji temple and an absolutely fantastic Sapporo ramen at one of my favourite little hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the Daimon area of Tokyo.