JALT Hokkaido Meeting

Last weekend, I took the bus and the subway to get to Hokkai Gakuen University for the Japan Association of Language Teachers – Hokkaido meeting.  The featured speaker was Paul Nation, Professor Emeritus, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and the topic was “What are the ten most effective vocabulary activities?” The presentation was interesting and I met a few people, so it was a successful day. After I returned home, I looked up Paul Nation's website and googled his name and was pleased to have been able to attend the presentation of someone so well-known in the field.  There are a number of free resources on his website.

I was very interested in the speaker’s definition for fluency because I’ve always thought of fluency in a language as mastering the language. Mr. Nation said one can be fluent at any level, that fluency is making the best use of what you already know. I came away with several new activities that I will incorporate into my university classes. I also learned some things that apply to my learning Japanese.

On Pins and Needles

I’m still working on my pins and needles accessory book.  I’ve finished the cover and the stitched top of the pin mattress.  I’ve stitched the edging of one needle page.  I’ve decided not to do five pages of needles so that I can have room for something else.  I'm still working on the details and hope to have more of it done to show you the next time!