[13:08] Opinie | Een nieuwe functie voor de Korenbeurs is populistisch geneuzel van het CDA

Fractievoorzitter Jalt de Haan van het CDA in Groningen opperde enige tijd geleden dat de Korenbeurs een nieuwe bestemming verdient. Reden: de gemeente wil minder supermarkten in de binnenstad en volgens Jalt „schreeuwt het pand om meer dan een supermarkt.” Met recht een onzinnige proefballon van de CDA’er.

https://sikkom.nl/spraakmakend/Opinie-Een-nieuwe-functie-voor-de-Korenbeurs-is-populistisch-geneuzel-van-het-CDA-45429859.html

#JaltdeHaanvanhet #CDA #Groningen #Korenbeurs #Jalt

New publication: "English Education and Bilingual Education in Japan." Bilingual Japan, 33(1), 9-13.

The Japan Times quoted the author extensively in a recent article on bilingual education. The reporter agreed to share the full interview. Asked why the level of English in Japan remains low, the author goes well beyond the standard explanations to diagnose deep cultural barriers. Then the author defines bilingual education, cites a successful example in Japan, and suggests balancing the input and opportunities for communication in Japanese and English. Next, the author touches upon current trends stemming from parental and societal recognition of the value of becoming bilingual. Finally, the author tackles the populist slogan that the Japanese do not need foreign languages, presenting individuals with a choice of lesser or greater freedom.

See: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381519445_English_Education_and_Bilingual_Education_in_Japan

or download the PDF from the Knowledge Commons repository: https://works.hcommons.org/records/ygjk1-kfy51/files/bilingual_edu.pdf

#JALT
@edutooters @linguistics

The Japan Times interviewed me for a May 27, 2024 article on #bilingual #education (1st picture).

While the newspaper article is for paying subscribers, the reporter Eric Margolis agreed that the publication Bilingual Japan of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (#JALT) #Bilingualism SIG may publish the full interview. After that issue comes out next month, I will make the article available in research repositories.

The article is subtitled "Japan wants its next generation to be fluent in English. Culture and economic inequality stand in the way." What it means by #culture getting in the way is treated in my answer as to why the #English level in #Japan is relatively low (2nd picture).

The conclusion quotes part of my response to the common opinion that #foreign #languages are not needed in Japan (3rd picture). My complete answer also predicts that the increasing influx of foreign #tourists and #residents will change that complacent attitude.

@linguistics @edutooters

Good news on open access to my works on bilingualism, the research area related to my teaching, child-raising, and using Japanese for over 40 years. I was interviewed by The Japan Times on #bilingual #education for a forthcoming paywalled article. It was a long interview, and usually a newspaper article uses only short passages from one individual. However, the #Japan Association for #Language #Teaching Bilingualism Special Interest Group (#JALT #Bilingualism SIG) would like to publish the full interview in its newsletter Bilingual Japan. Everyone should be able to read that as I back it up in research repositories. The tentative title is "English Education and Bilingual Education in Japan."

My publications on bilingualism have been backed up mostly at Academia Edu, which is not so easy to access anymore [any comment?], so I've added links to the original sources of articles, which are open access, at https://japanned.hcommons.org/bilingualism

#BilingualEducation #OpenAccess
@linguistics @edutooters

Language teachers, join me for a FREE online event w/ Niigata JALT: Games, Play, Language & Teaching!

Explore playful learning & discover game-based methods. Sign up: https://t.co/ftIOLYgPlY
⏰March 10th 9am JST
#JALT #GamesAndLanguage #PlayfulLearning #LudicLanguagePedagogy

The JALT Learner Development SIG held a 30th Anniversary Conference at my university last autumn. 30! Hard to believe I had been at the 20th! The post-conference publication is out now.

https://ld-sig.org/spring-2024-volume-31-no-1/

#autonomy #languagelearning #languageteaching #JALT