The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT), or 特定非営利活動法人全国語学教育学会 (“Specified Nonprofit Corporation – Zenkoku Gogaku Kyoiku Gakkai”) in Japanese, is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...

for foreign language teachers in Japan. Japan's "largest convocation of language educators", JALT has 2,800 members, many of whom are non-Japanese who have settled in Japan. Each member may belong to a local chapter, and has the option of also belonging to Special Interest Groups (SIGs). JALT holds an annual

conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...

, and has done so since 1975. JALT produces a bimonthly magazine, a semiannual journal, and an annual conference proceedings.

History

The first beginnings of the association began with a casual get-together (based on an interest in the Silent Way teaching method) organised in 1975 by Sharon Bode, then Chief Instructor at the Kyoto YMCA. A subsequent meeting was held at the National L.L. School in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

in spring 1976, where it was agreed to call the "organization" KALT (Kansai Association of Language Teachers) and the group grew to around 60 members. The group's first event was a KALT-sponsored weekend conference in August 1976 at Kyoto YMCA attended by about 120 people. KALT as a broader organisation came into existence when the Tokai Chapter (representing

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

) was formed in 1977, followed in the late 1970s by Chugoku ( Hiroshima), Takamatsu (

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ...

), and Nishi-Nippon (

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

). In 1977 KALT became JALT, and in September that year it became the Official Japan Affiliate of TESOL, and by the end of 1978, membership was around 800, alongside 30 commercial members. JALT was granted NPO status (as a nonprofit organization registered with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) in 1999.

Chapters

JALT now has Chapters throughout Japan, and each member of JALT may belong to one chapter. Chapters take their names from the geographical area that they serve (usually named for their prefecture), although Nankyu is a created name. Chapters sponsor activities for language teachers in their area, and most chapter events are in English, though some are in Japanese.

Current chapters

* Akita * East

* Fukui *

Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...

* Gunma * Hiroshima *

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

* Ibaraki * Iwate *

Kitakyushu is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one of ...

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

Matsuyama 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243541 househ ...

* Nagano *

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most p ...

* NanKyu *

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

* Niigata * Oita *

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

* Saitama, Japan *

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

* Shizuoka *

* Tottori, Japan *

Toyohashi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-la ...

* West

* Yamagata *

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...

Special Interest Groups

JALT now has many Special Interest Groups (SIGs) consisting of members who share a professional interest. Members also have the option of joining one or more SIGs. SIGs provide publications, mailing lists, and are involved with conferences.

Current SIGs

* Accessibility in Language Learning * Bilingualism * Business Communication * CEFR and Language Portfolio * College and University Educators * Computer Assisted Language Learning *

Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased an ...

* Extensive reading * Gender Awareness in Language Education * Global Issues in Language Education * Intercultural Communication in Language Education * Japanese as a Second Language * Learner Development * Lifelong Language Learning * Listening * Literature in Language Teaching * Materials Writers * Mind, Brain, and Education * Mixed, Augmented, and Virtual Realities * Other Language Educators *

Pragmatics In linguistics and related fields, pragmatics is the study of how context contributes to meaning. The field of study evaluates how human language is utilized in social interactions, as well as the relationship between the interpreter and the in ...

* School Owners * Speech, Drama, & Debate * Study Abroad * Task Based Learning * Teacher Development * Teachers Helping Teachers * Teaching Younger Learners * Testing and Evaluation *

Vocabulary A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the la ...

Conference

The full name of JALT's annual conference is ''Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition''. Conferences consist of

plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference which all members of all parties are to attend. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily related to a specific sty ...

s, featured speaker sessions, and concurrent workshops and presentations. There are about 600 of these, and about 1,600 attendees, and there is a balance between practical presentations and theoretical. The Educational Materials Exhibition (EME) consists of displays of language learning textbooks, reference books and other language education materials.

Publications

JALT's first publication,''The Newsletter'', began in October 1975, and gradually increased in both size and quality. Its successor, ''The Language Teacher'' (TLT), was first published in April 1984. Originally released monthly, in 2009, a decision was made to begin publishing bimonthly in order to concentrate on offering more content online. It is a refereed publication, meaning that articles are subject to peer review, and is distributed in both paper and electronic (online) form. The first annual

conference proceedings In academia and librarianship, conference proceedings is a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the conferen ...

publication was called ''TEFL Japan '77: Collected Papers'' whereas the most recent was the 2017 release of the ''JALT Postconference Publication - JALT2016.'' ''The JALT Journal'' is JALT's

applied research Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

journal which was first published in November 1979. It is still published semiannually, in May and November, with an emphasis on linking theory to practice.

Partner organizations

International Partners

* Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA) * English Teaching Association of the Republic of China (ETA-ROC) * Far Eastern English Language Teachers' Association (FEELTA) * The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) * International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) * Linguapax Asia * Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KOTESOL) * Malaysia English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) * Philippine Association for Language Teaching (PALT) * The Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia (TEFLIN) * TESOL International Association (TESOL) * Thailand TESOL (ThaiTESOL)

Domestic Partners

* Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (AJET) * Japan Association for Self-Access Learning (JASAL) * Japan Association of College English Teachers (JACET) * The United Associations of Language Studies (UALS)

References

External links

* {{Official website Japanese-language education English-language education Professional associations based in Japan Educational organizations based in Japan Language education in Japan