Learner Development College & University Education Forum
Serendipities in Self-Access Learning: Positives From the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been problematic for self-access and social language learning spaces where community, interaction, and proximity are central to our mission. Moves to remote or hybrid learning and the need for social distancing have forced us to rethink our practices. This forum explores how these initiatives have led to greater choice for learners and even some surprising benefits. There will be two mini-presentations, followed by discussion time.
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I'm currently president of JASAL (The Japan Association for Self-Access Learning, 日本自律学習学会). We are a small, friendly, and supportive organization for people with an interest in self-access centers (SACs) / social language learning spaces. The JASAL Forum at JALT2021 is called "Serendipities in Self-Access Learning: Positives From the Pandemic" and it will be held on Sat, Nov 13, 18:00-19:30. If you have a SAC or social language learning space at your institution (or you are trying to get one started) then please come along, meet some JASAL members, and get to know our community.
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Katherine Thornton is a learning advisor and director of the self-access centre at Otemon Gakuin University. Her research interests include multilingualism and language policy in non-classroom language learning spaces, social learning spaces and L2 social identities.
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I am a volunteer advisor and professor at Saitama University. For 21 years, I have loved researching learner and teacher autonomy before the language education buzzword status.