Published Papers - HALL James Meriwether

Dilemmas Student Teachers Experience Conducting Language Learning Activities at Elementary Schools

James M Hall

JES Journal ( 小学校英語教育学会 )  24   134 - 149   2024.03  [Refereed]

Academic Journal  Single Work

This study examines dilemmas that student teachers experience when teaching English communicatively at elementary school. As part of a two-year English teaching methodologies course, student teachers conducted English lessons at elementary schools. They then wrote critical incident reports about their experience. A critical incident is an unexpected event occurring in a lesson that causes some kind of pedagogical quandary. In this study, 297 critical incident reports written by 191 pre-service teachers between 2015 and 2022 were analyzed. Through thematic coding, the critical incidents were grouped into themes. An examination of critical incidents within a theme and across themes revealed dilemmas student teachers were likely to experience when conducting language learning activities. Among these dilemmas were how to mix fun and learning, how to encourage students to use the target words and phrases in an activity, the role of practice, and the challenge of teachers using English. The fact that there was no easy resolution for each dilemma show the complexity of teaching. This paper suggests that presenting student teachers with contradictory case studies can help them develop the ability to teach appropriately depending on the pedagogical content, characteristics of the learners, and teaching environment.

Resolving pedagogical dilemmas with preservice and in‐service teachers in Japan

James M Hall

TESOL Journal ( Wiley )  00   2024.03  [Refereed]

Bulletin of University, Institute, etc.  Single Work

A pedagogical dilemma happens when an in-class event or external factor contradicts with a teacher’s principles or instructional practices and compels them to make decisions. This paper focuses on how resolving dilemmas can enhance the conceptual understanding of both the teacher and the supervisor. The supervisory setting this paper describes is not extensively researched in international journals: University instructors in Japan supervising pre-service and in-service teachers. It presents three cases studies: two on supervising pre-service teachers and one on supervising an in-service teacher. Although approaches to supervision emphasize the facilitative aspect, the case studies of the pre-service teachers exhibited circumstances more conducive to a directive-oriented approach. Nevertheless, with the assistance of the supervisors, the pre-service teachers were able to develop episodic knowledge of pedagogical concepts through navigating the dilemmas they experienced. The case study with the in-service teacher, on the other hand, required a more facilitative approach to supervision. It suggests that the supervisor should understand and accommodate the pedagogical concepts under which the teacher operates to provide useful support in resolving classroom-based dilemmas.

DOI

Making commercials of Morioka and Thonburi, Bangkok: A Video Exchange Project between a School in Japan and Thailand

James M. Hall, Rie Yamakage, Thatsanan Waengwan, Kamlaitip Semsanga, Attachai Saenkhot

岩手大学英語教育論集   25   1 - 24   2023.03

Others  Single Work

This report describes an online video exchange between the Affiliated Junior High School of the Iwate University Faculty of Education (Hereafter, Fuzoku JHS) and the Wat Nuannoradit School (Hereafter, the WN School). The former is located in Morioka, Iwate, and the latter in the district of Thonburi in Bangkok, Thailand. For this online exchange, students in each school made video commercials (CMs) to show the appealing points of the places they live. The CMs were put on a blog (Thailand and Japan School Exchange Site, 2023) and students from each school commented on one another’s videos. Lastly, students participated in an online discussion with one another in which they asked questions about the CMs and related topics. This project has been conducted three times, and a total of 48 and 44 videos have been created about Thonburi and Morioka, respectively. In this report, we first describe the participating schools and relevant educational reforms which are impacting them. We introduce the CM project as a means to help students make use of the new abilities they are expected to acquire. Next, we present the topics of the videos and discuss how they collectively show the characteristics of Thonburi and Morioka. Lastly, we suggest ways that these CMs can be utilized to help students learn about their respective regions and give ideas for future projects and exchanges.

Incorporating Communicative Language Teaching into Foreign Language Teacher Education Programs in Japan

James M Hall

International Symposium on International Talents Cultivation: Cooperation and Opportunities ( Zhejiang University of Science and Technology )  1   1 - 16   2022.10

Others  Single Work

In this paper, I focus on preparing student-teachers and novice teachers to teachEnglish at elementary schools and junior high schools. I first introduce the educationalcontext: the national foreign language curriculum for primary and secondary schools, howteachers are prepared for their job, and the meaning of being a teacher in Japan. Second,based on previous research, I then discuss issues that pre-service teachers and noviceteachers experience teaching so-called communicative English. Lastly, I introduce theEnglish education program at Iwate University and present some ideas for helping teacherslearn to teach communicative English.

Eportfolio post tagging for student-teacher development

James M Hall

Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching     １ - 13   2022.07  [Refereed]

Academic Journal  Single Work

This paper introduces an innovative practice: post tagging as a way to enhance the use of ePortfolios in foreign language teacher education programs. The ePortfolio system is a WordPress multi-author blog, and a student-teacher’s ePortfolio is a page comprised of the posts they have written. Tags are keywords for a post. In this innovation, ePortfolio post tags are matched with content learning areas in the teacher education program. When student-teachers tag a post, they first choose a relevant content area from the teacher education curriculum, e.g. Methods, and then select an appropriate tag or keyword from that area, e.g. Focus on form. Tagging has the following benefits. First, it can encourage student-teachers to reconcile pedagogical concepts from their teacher education program with their professional goals, teaching practice, and teaching beliefs. Second, tags can be used as a means to understand the types of pedagogical concepts that student-teachers deem important. Lastly, tagging can inform the teacher educators about how to improve their programs. On the other hand, using tags to match one’s reflective writing with pedagogical concepts does not come naturally to student-teachers and needs to be carefully introduced. The paper concludes by presenting some guidelines for using ePortfolios with tagging.

DOI

外国語活動において中学年児童が感じる「やり取りの楽しさ」と尺度開発の試み

伊藤 汐里, 小川 春美, ホール ジェームズ, 山本 奬

岩手大学大学院教育学研究科研究年報   6   109 - 115   2022.03

Academic Journal  Multiple authorship

Teachers' Self Efficacy for Using Classroom English in Foreign-Language-Activity Classes and an In-school Effort to Enhance it

ITO Shiori, YAMAMOTO Susumu, OGAWA Harumi, HALL James

Research Journal of the Iwate University Professional School for Teacher Education   6   99 - 107   2022.03

Others  Multiple authorship

An Analysis of JHS Student English Typing Errors

Kodai Tamura, James M Hall

岩手大学英語教育論集   ( 24 ) 1 - 14   2022.03

Academic Journal  Multiple authorship

Task-Presentation-Practice-Task: Developing a Methodology to Enhance Students' Abilities in Interaction at Junior High School

Tamotsu Ariya, James M Hall

岩手大学英語教育論集   23   2021.03

Academic Journal  Multiple authorship

In the 1980s, the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science, Culture, and Technology (MEXT) first made developing students' communicative competence a priority in its secondary school English education policy (Hall, 2017). Since then, the emphasis on communicative ability in foreign language
education policy has increased. In 2017, MEXT released the new Course of Studies for elementary school and junior high school (JHS), which were scheduled to be enacted in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Among the notable changes was that foreign language activities would start from the 3rd grade of elementary school and the foreign language subject from the 5th grade. Another significant change was a revision of the four-skill areas of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The last skill was divided into two areas: speaking (presentation) and speaking (interaction). This paper will focus on how students' abilities in interaction can be developed in JHSs.

Enhancing teacher education through a lesson study application built with WordPress

James M. Hall, Kodai Tamura, Shuhei Kumagai

Teaching with Technology 2020 ( JALT CALL )  1   47 - 63   2021.02  [Refereed]

Academic Journal  Multiple authorship

A WordPress Lesson Study Application (LS APP) was developed for an English teacher education program at a Japanese national university for the following two purpos- es: (1) bridge the gap between teacher education classwork and school practice; and (2) en- hance collaborative reflective practice between student-teachers. The first was accomplished through linking student-teachers’ teaching practicums with theory and techniques learned in their university English teaching methodologies class using the tagging function of the LS APP. The second was accomplished through enabling students to give each other feed- back on their lessons during their practicum using the LS APP. This paper describes how WordPress content management functions and two plugins were utilized to accomplish the two objectives. Then, it describes the lesson study process facilitated by the application. Lastly, the authors describe the extent to which the LS APP has linked theory and practice as well as the type of peer feedback student-teachers perceive themselves to have benefited from. The goal of this paper is to describe how WordPress functionalities have been used to facilitate teacher development, and serve as a practical case study of using technology to enhance teacher education.

DOI

Development of a New Primary School English Curriculum and Textbooks in Myanmar

James M Hall, Brian Gaynor

TESL-EJ   24 ( 3 ) 1 - 19   2020.11  [Refereed]

Academic Journal  Multiple authorship

This article reports on the design and implementation of an innovative primary EFL program in Myanmar. Begun in 2014, the program is part of the CREATE Project, a joint initiative between the Myanmar Ministry of Education and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project has involved the planning, designing and implementation of a new curriculum for primary school English, along with concurrent materials development and the design of both pre-service and in-service teacher training courses. To give an insight into this multifaceted process, this paper focuses on the development of the Grade 3 textbook and compares it to the former book. After this analysis, it considers teachers’ needs and the challenges they face through analyzing posts and comments made on the “New Curriculum English Subject” Facebook page. Teachers’ primary challenges were learning the new textbook language, incorporating the recommended instruction into their established pedagogical approaches, and time management. The challenges and solutions outlined in this article have both policy and pedagogical implications for curriculum innovation at the primary EFL level, particularly with respect to the issues facing less economically developed countries.

A self-critique of facilitating dialogic reflective practice with novice teachers

James M. Hall

Reflective Practice ( Taylor & Francis )  21 ( 5 ) 672 - 685   2020.08  [Refereed]

Academic Journal  Single Work

Reflective practice (RP) is known as a cyclical process of identifying issues, discussing how to resolve them, and acting. RP is not supposed to be solitary but rather collaborative between teaching colleagues or supervisors and teachers. Thus, research on teacher development advocates a dialogic approach for mentoring novice teachers in which the participants mutually construct knowledge. The culture of the feedback event, though, can interfere with the participants’ intentions for collaborative discussion given the status of the supervisor. In an 18- month ethnographic research project on three first-year teachers, I attempted to engage in dialogic RP with them to identify issues they were experiencing and discuss how to resolve them. In ethnographic research, the researcher is part of the field being studied. Through field notes and interview transcripts, I constructed three critical incidents, or episodes, in which dialogic RP was not attained. Through my recounting of critical incidents with these teachers, I argue that collective understanding of issues and use of the teacher’s expertise are important, and that pushing for quick solutions is ill advised. The study shows the subjective side of conducting dialogic RP in a school setting in which participants have different backgrounds and educational perspectives.

DOI

日本とタイにおける先端的なレフレクティブ・プラクティス

ジェームズ M ホール

タイ日研究ネットワークThailand   1   103 - 108   2020.02  [Refereed]

International Conference Proceedings  Single Work

この論文は日本とタイにおける活用された授業研究研究アプリの使う目的、成果、課題をまとめている。

学生の省察を促進させるための手段としてワードプレスの所長と短所

James M Hall

言語教育のおける人工と知能と機械学習     18 - 32   2020.01  [Refereed]

Bulletin of University, Institute, etc.  Single Work

研究者は日本の大学に所属する教育実習生のリフレクティブ・ プラクティスを進行させるために、 ワードプレス使用して、 ウェ ブでアクセスできる授業研究アプリ （LS APP） を開発した。 LS APPはワードプレス付きの機能を使って、 授業研究の内容を整理し、 プラグインの活用を通して、 参観者による授業に関するコメント、 画像、 動画の投稿を可能にし、 授業者・参観者のオンライン・ コ ミュニケーションを進行させる。 今まで、 LS APPは日本とタイで使用されてきた。 LS APPの使用に対する利点として実習生の授業 の成果の保管ができること、 授業の参観者が自分の見識の共有ができること、 実習生にフィードバックを与えられることをあげら れる。 LS APPの減点として、 授業を見ながらアプリにコメントを書く難しさ、 他の利便性の課題、 アプリのバグ・不具合をあげられ る。 この論文では、 LS APPとして機能できるようにどのようにワードプレスがカストマイズされたかと、 ワードプレスの応用に当た っての利点と課題が述べられる。 この論文の内容が、 ワードプレスの教育活用、 又は、 実習生の教員養成をより高める為にのICT 活用に関心のある読者に参考になることが望まれている。

Results of the Second Internaional Internship Program of Mathematics Education at Satiti PIM Demonstration School

Yoshinori Nakamura, Harumi Ogawa, James Hall, Takashi Honda

Journal of Mathematics Education   60 ( 1・2 ) 87 - 101   2019.06  [Refereed]

International Conference Proceedings  Multiple authorship

We have been conducting an International Mathematics Teaching Practicum at the Satit Demonstration School in Thailand since 2018. In January, 2019, we conducted the practicum for the second time. In this paper, we summarize the utline of the program and report its result through an analysis of post participating questionnaires and teaching practice reports.

CLILの理論を開発した英語教育実習

ホール　ジェームズ、タウンセンド　サイモン

日本CLIL学会の研究紀要   1   176 - 194   2019.03  [Refereed]

International Conference Proceedings  Multiple authorship

PIM附属中等学校における教育実習の実践分析

小川春美、ホール　ジェームズ

岩手大学英語教育論集   21   44 - 54   2019.03

Others  Multiple authorship

生徒の「phonemic awareness」を高める小学校外国語活動におけるライティング指導の提案

菊池　紗枝、ホール　ジェームズ

岩手大学英語教育論集   ( 21 ) 28 - 43   2019.03

Others  Multiple authorship

International Internship Program of Mathematics Education at Satit PIM Demonstration School

James M Hall

Math Educaton Research Society   59 ( 1・２ ) 31 - 42   2018.07  [Refereed]

International Conference Proceedings  Multiple authorship

Mathematics education of Japan is paid much attention by Asian countries. In autumn of 2017, teachers of PIM (Panyapiwat Institute of Management) and Satit PIM Demonstration School in Thailand visited the Iwate University Faculty of Education. They showed a strong interest in the mathematics education of Japan and agreed to collaborate in an experimental teaching practicum with Iwate University. In January 2018, we conducted a mathematics teaching practicum at the Satit PIM Demonstration School . In this paper, we summarize the outline of the program and report its result.

　３．１１後の内陸部の生徒のための翻訳プロジェクト『つなぐ』とその課外活動としての英語教育に対する効果

ホール　ジェームズ

東北英語教育学会研究紀要   ( 38 ) 117 - 129   2018.06  [Refereed]

International Conference Proceedings  Multiple authorship

高校生と大学生が一緒になって、３・１１の後の岩手沿岸学校の復興支援を語る報告書の概要を翻訳した。岩手県知事が、復興支援をしたヨーロッパの国に歴訪したとき、この報告書を贈呈した。この論文では、頻繁に教育価値を問われている「翻訳」がどのような教育的な効果があるかが論じられている。