Keynote Speakers

The aim of this talk is to provide a glimpse of the potential that peer interaction has for second language (L2) learning and socialization. First, the basic tenets of Vygotskian sociocultural theory and language socialization that have informed the recent growing body of L2 research on peer collaboration will be outlined. Then, by drawing upon examples from studies conducted in Canadian and Japanese educational contexts, the speaker will illustrate how L2 students can work together to accomplish tasks which they could not achieve individually. In some cases, the data showed there was no obvious "expert" in the group, but students jointly constructed L2 knowledge by using one another's strengths, thus going beyond their individual competence. In other cases, some students scaffolded their peers' construction of complex utterances, socializing them into appropriate language use. These findings suggest that peer interaction is an important context for students' learning where students can function as socializing agents and co-constructors of L2 knowledge. Finally, the importance of observing students・interaction for teacher learning will be discussed.

Masaki Kobayashi holds a Ph.D. in language and literacy education from the University of British Columbia and is currently Assistant Professor of Educational Linguistics at Kanda University of International Studies, where he teaches undergraduate courses on applied linguistics and second language acquisition as well as content-based and skill-based EFL courses. His research interests include academic discourse socialization, task-based language teaching and learning, and the integration of language and content through project work. Dr. Kobayashi has (co-)presented a number of papers at international conferences such as AAAL, SLRF, and TESOL, and has internationally (co-)published journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews. He has served as an abstract translator for Reading Research Quarterly and as a member of the TESOL awards standing committee and the editorial advisory board for The Language Teacher. As a teacher educator, Dr. Kobayashi has given a number of lectures and seminars for pre- and in-service teachers of English in Japan.

'Patient Zero' is that first individual who introduces a particular virus into a population. He or she is always at the center of any epidemic, and can often help doctors understand how and why a virus spreads-and sometimes why it stops. Therefore, identifying Patient Zero is one of the first tasks epidemiologists set themselves to during an outbreak. By analogy, could it be useful in an educational context to consider a 'Learner Zero'? Could there be a single distinct learner who stands at the center of the impact each teacher makes? Who is that learner, and what can they teach us? And what if Learner Zero is you?

The speaker will present a brief analysis of his experience as a learner of several languages over various stages of life in different contexts, and to varying degrees of success. He will demonstrate how these experiences have shaped his approach to teaching, both in positive and in negative terms. He will argue that such self-analysis can be fundamentally more important than any other single aspect of professional development, from doing classroom research to learning new methods and approaches.

Marcos Benevides is an assistant professor in the English Language Program at J. F. Oberlin University in Tokyo. He is co-author of two recent critically acclaimed textbooks, Fiction in Action: Whodunit (ABAX, 2010) and Widgets: A task-based course in practical English (Pearson, 2008), each a unique approach to English language teaching. He blogs on ELT, especially task-based approaches, at www.widgets-hq.com.