Nicholas A. Bufton (Takasaki City University of Economics)

After the Task: Metacognition, Self-assessment and Evaluation

Patrizia M. J. Hayashi & Tyson Rode (Meikai University)

Fostering Critical Thinking and Global Citizenship through Significant Learning Outcomes

Stephen Jennings (Tokyo University of Science)

Active Learning: Reaching a Tipping Point

After the presentations, the Critical Thinking SIG Program Chair, Todd Hooper, will discuss future opportunities to present, publish, and participate in the SIG.

We hope to see you there!

The aim of this conference is to provide an opportunity for researchers and educators to share their research, methods, approaches, materials, and activities for encouraging critical thinking and the use of higher order thinking skills in the language learning classroom. Areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, higher-order thinking skills, evidence-based thinking, problem solving, logical thinking, evaluating sources, thinking dispositions, viewpoint-taking, debate and argumentation, academic writing, and of course, critical thinking.

The conference program features nineteen presentations given by twenty-three presenters, and the presenters come from three different countries, which promises that a wide variety of perspectives on critical thinking in language education will be offered.

If you have any colleagues that are interested in critical thinking in language classrooms, please share the conference website with them.

We hope to see you there!

Conference Fee (in Yen)
JALT Members 1,000
Non-JALT Members 2,000
JALT Student Members 500
Non-JALT Student Members 1,500
NOTE: All conference fees must be paid at the venue in cash.
We do not have the ability to take electronic or credit card payments.

To submit a proposal, click on this link.

The aim of this conference is to provide an opportunity for researchers and educators to share their research, methods, approaches, materials, and activities for encouraging critical thinking and the use of higher order thinking skills in the language learning classroom. Presenters will receive a 45-minute slot (35 minutes for presenting and 10 minutes for Q&A). Areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, higher-order thinking skills, evidence-based thinking, problem solving, logical thinking, evaluating sources, thinking dispositions, viewpoint-taking, debate and argumentation, academic writing, and of course, critical thinking.

If you would like to submit a presentation proposal, please fill out the form at <https://forms.office.com/r/f1Q91y10gq>. The deadline for submissions is May 31st, 2024.

If you have any questions about the conference or the submission process, you can contact the conference organizers at <program@jaltcriticalthinking.org>.

JALT Critical Thinking SIG Website: <https://www.jaltcriticalthinking.org>

Ludic Language Pedagogy Website: <https://llpjournal.org>

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