Saturday, December 13, 2014

2014 December 13 | Terry Fellner | Pseudoscience in EFL: What is it and "woo" is responsible?

Terry Fellner
This presentation will focus on the use of several practices and methodologies currently found in language teaching that have little or no scientific evidence to support their use. The presentation begins with an examination of what is meant by the terms “pseudo-science” and “woo” and then provides the audience with a fun pseudoscience demonstration to illustrate how these concept can be easily accepted and misunderstood. This talk will examine the efficacy of the following concepts: learning styles, left/right brain learners, multiple intelligences, and neuro linguistic programming as well as question the teaching and utilization of several common TOEIC test strategies. The presentation concludes with a brief discussion about why it can be difficult to get evidence-based results in EFL contexts and yet, why it is important that we try.

Bio: Terry Fellner is Associate Professor at the Center for General Education at Saga University. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer, researcher, for more than 20 years in Africa, Canada, and Japan. Currently he is the section editor of @CUE in The OnCUE Journal, and his research interests include motivation, vocabulary acquisition, outdoor language learning and L2 reading.

Location: Dejima Koryu Kaikan, 2-11 Dejimamachi, Nagasaki
Fee for JALT members: Free
Fee for one-day members: 1,000 yen, free for students
Contact or Queries: Email contact form