The theme of the conference is The Impact of AI in Language.  Takako Aikawa and Joel Tetreault will be the keynote speakers, with the CT SIG’s own James Dunn presenting on critical thinking through LMS-based classes.

For more information, see https://jaltcall.org/jaltcall-2024.  To register, please use the following link: https://events.jalt.org/event/1/registrations/19/.  Please note, registration by May 1st guarantees entrance to the Networking Reception.

We hope to see you there.

David A. Gann (Tokyo University of Science)

Highlighting Unsound Reasoning through Playing Card-Based Tricks

Sanae Fujisaki and Jennifer Green (Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University)

Critical Thinking in Academic Papers with and without ChatGPT

John McCarthy (Showa Women’s University)

Developing a Critical Thinking Curriculum: Lessons Learned

Dennis Koyama (Sophia University)

Critical Thinking in English-Medium Instruction Courses at Japanese Universities

James D. Dunn (Meiji University)

Thinking Critically about Career Advancement in Language Education

For more information about PanSIG 2024, including information on registration and social events, visit the conference’s official website < https://pansig.org/2024>. Registration will begin sometime in April, so be sure to register and make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

We hope to see you there!

The presentation from the MW SIG was delivered by Rachel Patterson from Kindai University. The title of her presentation was Corporate Climb! The Business English Board Game. In this presentation she highlighted how board games can be used to encourage language production in class.

The presentation from the CT SIG was delivered by James Dunn from Meiji University. The title of his presentation was Extending Critical Thinking Past the Text: Creating Supplemental Printouts that Focus on Students’ Needs. In this presentation he highlighted how to expand textbooks in a way that provide more opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking in their language courses.

If you missed this event, check out the presentations online with this YouTube link < https://youtu.be/4AsXp0cWPEQ?si=vLcbdi7IEpNHCsRB>.

You can find out more about this event here:

< https://jalt.org/event/college-and-university-educators/24-03-26>

Critical Thinking SIG Special Presentation

The speaker for the CT SIG section of the event will be James D. Dunn. He will be presenting Extending Critical Thinking Past the Text: Strategies for Creating Supplemental Printouts that Focus on Students’ Needs. In this presentation, you will learn how to create both paper-based and digital supplementary materials that both address students’ needs in the classroom and the development of their critical thinking skills.

To join Materials-Making March, register using the follow Forms link: <https://forms.gle/DNHg4VSNVr4ha7Zz5>

We look forward to seeing you online at the event!

We are now accepting proposals for presenters at the CT SIG Forum being held face-to-face at JALT 2024 in Shizuoka. This year, we are seeking proposals on either research or classroom practice related topics covering any aspect of critical thinking. Some possible topics are higher-order thinking skills, thinking dispositions, evidence-based thinking, problem solving, logical thinking, source evaluation, viewpoint-taking, debate and argumentation, and academic writing. Perhaps you even have a novel approach to critical thinking in your English courses to share. If you have something you would like to share, we would like to hear about your experiences.

Depending on the number of submissions, speakers will have approximately 15-20 minutes each to share their ideas and/or research. If you are interested in presenting, send the following to <program@jaltcriticalthinking.org>:

A title of 10 words or less

• An abstract of 200 words or less
• Your name, position, affiliation, and email address
• A short bio of no more than 40 words

The deadline for submitting a proposal is March 31st. We will notify speakers of acceptance in April once the vetting process has been completed. Please note that these presentations are vetted by the CT SIG independently of the JALT conference proper. That means that you could submit one presentation for our Forum by emailing your submission to program@jaltcriticalthinking.org, and another through the main JALT Conference call for submissions.

If you have any questions, you can contact Todd Hooper, the CT SIG Program Chair, at the email address above.

We look forward to seeing you as a speaker at JALT 2024 in Shizuoka.

The CT SIG Executive Board

Dear SIG Members,

We hope you are all well. This is a friendly reminder. The PanSIG 2024 submission deadline is January 14th. If you want to present, please check the information below. We are looking forward to reading your proposals.

Good luck with the writing. We have an abstract writing workshop on Jan 11th, from 5-7 pm. If you have any questions, please contact the PanSIG Conference Chair, Parvathy Ramachandran, at confchair@pansig.org.

Wishing you a lovely winter break
PanSIG 2024 Team

PanSIG 2024 Conference Announcement & Call for Presentation Proposals
Venue: Fukui University of Technology (FUT)
Dates: May 24-26, 2024
Theme: “Back to Basics”
Rapidly evolving technologies have changed the way language teachers work. Our conference will explore how foundational principles in language learning can help us make the most of these innovations and new opportunities.

Presentation Formats: 25-mins presentation, 40-mins poster session, 85-mins SIG Forum
Abstracts: up to 200 words (8 languages accepted, English summary required)
Deadline: Jan 14, 2024, at 11:59 pm (JST).
Submission Form: https://forms.gle/bZDD6Z7JGkKprrdH8
More info on proposals: https://pansig.org/cfp

Grants: https://pansig.org/grants
Abstract Writing Workshops: https://pansig.org/related-events

Join a vibrant community of language learners, teachers, and researchers.

We would just like to share that our 2023 issue of Critical Thinking and Language Learning (CTLL) has been uploaded for your reading pleasure.

We hope you will give it a read as we have some very interesting takes on CT in EFL and a newly minted section for Book Reviews. So, head over to our CTLL page, download it, and enjoy!

(Just a friendly reminder that we have multiple calls for presenters out. Please see the posts prior to this one on this website. Also, if you would like your paper published, please follow the instructions on the last page of this year’s journal.)

See you in 2024!

The CT SIG Executive Board

Your submission should touch on both critical thinking in some form and the interests of the CALL SIG. If you are unfamiliar with the interests of the CALL SIG, you can check the list of themes for the conference at the following website https://jaltcall.org/jaltcall-2024/. If your proposal is accepted, you will receive a free conference registration. The CT SIG has only one 25-minute slot available, so be sure to get your proposal in by the deadline: January 15, 2024.

If you are interested in presenting, send the following to program@jaltcriticalthinking.org with the title “JALTCALL 2024 CT SIG Submission”:

• A title of 10 words or less
• An abstract of 200 words or less
• Your name, position, affiliation, and email address

If you have any questions about the submission process, please send an email to program@jaltcriticalthinking.org.

We hope to see you in Nagoya at JALTCALL 2024!

When presenting L2 learners with writing assignments and tests, it is important to assist them in more than just learning syntax and lexical items. Learners might not necessarily internalize teacher feedback and correction when they review completed assignments. As an opportunity to enhance learning in L2 classrooms, metacognition, and by extension metacognitive activities, focus learners’ attention on how and what they thought and felt while they were working on their assignments post-task. Metacognition (i.e., thinking about thinking) provides learners with critical thinking skills that directly relate to their ability to complete and improve their L2 writing. This presentation briefly examines what metacognition is and offers framework that might be implemented in L2 writing classes. Furthermore, it offers a list of references for teachers and researchers.

Author Bio

Wayne Devitte is a junior associate professor at Tokai university. Though he specialized in sociolinguistics during his master’s degree at Sophia University in Tokyo, specifically in Language Management Theory, as a teacher, he is interested in understanding how to improve learners second language acquisition and as such has interest in critical thinking and metacognition.

Link for Presentation PowerPoint

Devitte_2023_MetacognitiveactivitiesascriticalthinkingwithL2writingassignmentsJALT (1)

To make a submission, send an email with the subject “PanSIG 2024 Submission” to program@jaltcriticalthinking.org with the following information in an attached Word file:

• Your name
• Your position
• Your affiliation
• The title of your presentation (10 words or less)
• An abstract of your presentation (200 words or less)

The deadline for submission is January 15, 2024. If you have any questions, you can email the CT SIG Program Chair at <program@jaltcriticalthinking.org>.