JALT Executive Board Meeting Report for Feb 2021
Dear CT SIG members,
As your elected representative of the JALT Critical Thinking SIG, I attended the JALT Executive Board Meeting last weekend. Here are the important points from this meeting…
Presenters needed for the Online PanSIG CT SIG Forum
If you would like to submit a presentation proposal for the Critical Thinking SIG’s forum at the JALT PanSIG Conference 2021 the deadline is March 10, 2021.
Check our latest email from the Coordinator, James D. Dunn, for more information.
CALL for Presentations at JALT 2021
If you would like to submit a presentation proposal for the JALT International Conference 2021, Nov 12-15, in Shizuoka, the deadline is March 14, 2021. Go to: https://jalt.org/conference/call-proposals
If you would like to submit a presentation proposal for the JALT CT SIG Forum at JALT 2021, the deadline is March 20th, 2021. Please send submissions to: program@jaltcriticalthinking.org for internal vetting. make sure to include:
1- Your Name and Affiliation, 2- Your title (Max 10 words), 3- A short abstract (up to 50 words) for vetting purposes.
The JALT Website database
The JALT Website is being updated so from March 15th to 18th, the JALT Website database will be offline (no login, so membership renewal during this period), but we can still view content, such as the Job Center and Event Calendar.
Upcoming Events
Check out the JALT Event Calendar (https://jalt.org/events), there are some great events coming up from various JALT Chapters and SIGs. As JALT members, you can join most Chapter events for free. Sendai is hosting a talk on April 25 (15:00 – 17:00) with Scott Thornbury, entitled “Just for Fun” on Zoom (Register to get meeting information)
An important event for us, CT SIG members, is the CT SIG Online Event on February 28th. Please check out the event information at: https://jalt.org/events/critical-thinking-sig/21-02-28
In addition, as part of a new peer-support program, there is a Zoom meeting for Professional Development, February 28th, 7pm-8pm. So, after learning about critical thinking in online classes, you can learn more about the peer-support program at JALT. To sign up or submit a discussion topic, and to receive the Zoom link, click here: http://bit.ly/ZPDRSVP
The JALT International Conference 2021, Nov 12-15, Shizuoka Granship
Currently, the JALT International Conference in November is expected to be face to face with some online features. We’ll let you know if changes occur.
New Groups in JALT
A new Listening SIG was formed. For more information contact:
E-mail – jaltlistening@gmail.com
Mentoring and Orientation Committee
The Mentoring and Orientation Committee was created and will be responsible for developing mentorship-related initiatives, welcoming and orienting new members, and cultivating future leadership within JALT.
The Graduate Student Subcommittee
The Graduate Student Subcommittee was created and will be responsible for programming and matters related to graduate student issues (and student issues) within JALT.
Volunteer opportunities available
Are you passionate about environmental issues?
The Environmental Committee needs volunteers!
This committee gives advice on setting up the committee or environmental policy ideas and helps to source sustainable and fair-trade product options, find recycling companies, and give suggestions on environmentally friendly approaches to conference management. To volunteer, contact Jennie: roloffrothman@gmail.com
Peer Support Group
The Peer Support Group has become an official committee within JALT. This group gives feedback on academic papers prior to submission. It also needs volunteers to help (and learn about) peer-review of academic papers. Contact Rich Bailey (Chair): jaltpubs.peer.group@jalt.org
IAC Seeking Committee Members
The International Affairs Committee is looking for one or two new IAC roles to be filled. If one person can do both of the duties listed below that would be ideal, but the tasks could also be done by two people. The time required would likely be several hours per month for each position. Please see the descriptions below. Interested JALT members should contact Andrew Tweed: international@jalt.org
Don’t forget to submit your manuscript to the CTLL
The Critical Thinking SIG’s peer-reviewed journal, Critical Thinking and Language Learning, is looking for quality submissions for our November, 2021 issue. If you would like to learn more about our submission requriements or have questions about the process, Curtis Chu, our Publications Chair and the Chief Editor of the CTLL can answer your questions. Email him at: editor@jaltcriticalthinking.org
Thanks for being a member of the CT SIG!
As always, thank you for being a member of the Critical Thinking SIG. We look forward to helping you learn about critical thinking in ELL and giving you opportunities to professionally develop in 2021 and beyond.