On Aug. 2, 2014, Anaheim University and Showa Women’s University co-hosted an open Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) seminar at Showa Women’s University in Tokyo with three leaders in the field of TESOL. The panel discussed the common theme “Learners are Different: Catering to Differences,” with opportunities for audience members to participate, ask questions, and meet the scholars after the event. Most attendees were TESOL students or English teachers.
The panelists for the open seminar included three esteemed professionals in the field of TESOL: Dr. Tomoko Kaneko, Vice President and Professor of English and Second Language Acquisition at Showa Women’s University; Dr. Rod Ellis, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Anaheim University; and Dr. Hayo Reinders, Director of the Anaheim University Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in TESOL Program.
Over the course of the three-hour seminar, each panelist gave a particular lecture around the larger “Learners are Different” theme. Dr. Tomoko Kaneko spoke about “Japanese University Students and Globalization: A Challenge for Showa Women’s University,” Dr. Hayo Reinders discussed “Learning Beyond the Classroom: A Research Agenda,” and Dr. Rod Ellis offered a lecture on “Catering to Individual Differences: What Do the Teacher Guides Advise?”
Dr. Tomoko Kaneko, the Vice President of Showa Women’s University commented on the entire open seminar experience, saying:
"Dr. Reinders clearly explained how important it is to learn outside of classroom, while Dr. Ellis stressed the importance of treating learners as ‘complex human beings’ by catering to the differences of each learner, as well as carefully choosing course materials and providing guidance through learning strategy. It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to listen to the lectures of world-renowned professors in the field of second language acquisition. The time flew fast and we wished we could have had more time. It was a great seminar supported by the audience’s high interest in the topics. Many participants remained after the seminar ended and continued their discussion or came up to the professors to ask questions. As one of the two host schools, we are very pleased that this open seminar concluded with great success."
This seminar was the first collaboration between Anaheim University and Showa Women’s University, and the response and support were positive from everyone involved.
