NaraJALT2026

NaraJALT2026 will be held at the Nara Women’s University on December 6th. We have another great lineup of speakers for you this year. The program has four presentations throughout the day with plenty of time during and after for networking.

NaraJALT2026 once again celebrates the creativity and expertise of its members. This year, three of the four presenters are proud NaraJALT members, continuing our tradition of sharing fresh ideas and fostering collaboration within our teaching community. Furthermore, we are excited to introduce this year's invited speaker: Brett Hall.

Speakers: Brett Hall, Tan Liang Ye, Brian Inglis and Peter Chu.
Date: Sunday, December 6th, 2026, 10:00am-17:00pm
Location: Nara Women’s University. Lecture Hall S235 on the 2nd floor of the S building.
Cost: ¥1,000 (Free for JALT members)

Brett Hall — TBC

Tan Liang Ye — How is distributional semantics related to EFL vocabulary and language development?

Brian Inglis — Confident, Lifelong Learning: Design Principles to Promote Effective, Sustained Learning

Peter Chu — Pitching Pilots: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned with Self-Access Learning Centre

Congratulations to all of this year's presentors. Thanks to your participation, this year’s conference will once again be a showcase of the amazing depth and diversity of our chapter members’ work. Can’t wait to see you all in action, along with our invited speaker.

NaraJALT2026 Program:

Opening
10:00-10:15
Presentation 1
10:15–11:00: Tan Liang Ye
How is distributional semantics related to EFL vocabulary and language development?
Presentation 2
11:15-12:00: Brian Inglis
Confident, Lifelong Learning: Design Principles to Promote Effective, Sustained Learning
Group photo
12:00-12:15

Lunch Break
12:15-13:15
Presentation 3
13:30-14:15: Peter Chu
Pitching Pilots: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned with Self-Access Learning Centre
Presentation 4: Invited Speaker
14:30-15:30: Brett Hall
TBC
Closing
15:30-15:45
Social hour
16:00-17:00

Invited Speaker Presentation
Brett Hall
Presentation title:
TBC
Abstract:

Presentation 1
Tan Liang Ye
Presentation title:
How is distributional semantics related to EFL vocabulary and language development?
Abstract:

Distributional semantics is based on the distributional hypothesis, where the meaning of a word is derived from its distribution in a corpus. In this presentation, I share some of the basic concepts driving LLMs, how this relates to human language learning, and what language teachers can do in the classrooms to help their students develop language competency. Tips on how to construct contextualized word lists for in-class activities will be demonstrated at the end of the session as an example on how to utilize LLMs effectively for in-class activities.

Presentation 2
Brian Inglis
Presentation title:
Confident, Lifelong Learning: Design Principles to Promote Effective, Sustained Learning
Abstract:

Do you ever worry that, a few years from now, the only lasting impact of your course will be a grade on a transcript? Do your students? Using the results of a scoping review of how psychological principles of self-efficacy and self-regulation have been applied in language learning, this presentation will outline and demonstrate highly flexible, practical principles for learning design and classroom practice that will encourage greater retention of language skills while also making students more independent and effective language learners, helping them develop the consistency and discipline to sustain and advance their own learning over the long term.

Presentation 3
Peter Chu
Presentation title:
Pitching Pilots: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned with Self-Access Learning Centre
Abstract:

This would be a combination of two presentations I've done previously on the topic of creating a pilot programme (AY2024) integrating visits to the university’s self-access learning centre in a first-year speaking class. One focused on the process of developing the pilot itself and the outcome of the programme while the other examined it through the lens of the importance of human interaction in the age of GenAI. Surveys indicated that while not a resounding success based on quantitative data alone, students experienced valuable shifts in perception regarding the role of English and their motivation to study it.

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