Our November 2016 Meeting was:
Sarah's lecture posterToyo.pptx

Wednesday 23rd November (a public holiday)

15:00 〜 17:30 At Room 541 in Building 5

Aichi University’s Toyohashi Campus

JALT Four Corners Speaker, Sarah Mercer (University of Graz, Austria)

In this workshop, Sarah considered how centrally important the teacher is for what happens within the classroom,
not just in terms of the practicalities of teaching but also in terms of the classroom atmosphere and learner motivation.
Essentially, the teacher is at the hub of all relationships within the classroom and, through various processes such as
contagion, they can have a tremendous impact on classroom dynamics, rapport and student psychology.

If the teacher is not engaged and motivated, then it is unlikely their learners will be. I argue that we need to become
a little more teacher-centred and talk more about teachers and their professional well being. For teachers’ own sake
as well as for their learners, we need to focus on what teachers need to ensure they flourish in their jobs. To this end,

  

Sarah and participants considered practical steps that teachers can take to protect their motivation and ensure they take pleasure from their jobs despite challenges they may face. They also examined the social and emotional competences which teachers can develop to help them promote positive relationships with and amongst their learners.


Find out about last month's meeting