Dr. Osterman has been teaching in Japan since 1993. Originally from a small Midwestern town in the United States, he earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland. After a short hiatus, he completed his doctorate degree from Northcentral University in educational leadership. Over his career, he has taught at elementary schools, junior high schools, universities, and is an administrator at a private school in Okinawa. He joined JALT in 1995 and has served in many roles for the Okinawa chapter. Currently, he is the Okinawa Chapter membership chair, the Teaching Younger Learners Special Interest Group coordinator, and the SIG Representative Liaison for JALT. He is active in JALT functions and enjoys monthly professional development trips to Tokyo.

I've taught EFL in Europe, the US, and Japan for over 30 years. I teach full-time at university and also am in an elementary school and a junior high school classroom every month for research. My main areas of research are cross-cultural and intercultural communication, and teaching phonics to young learners. When I'm not working I love spending time in my 11/2 acre garden or relaxing with my pet cats.

Marybeth is the Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator and English language acquisition teacher at Hiroshima International School. Her professional interests include raising bilingual children, teaching reading, and college counseling. She has been in JALT for a long time and is active in the Teaching Younger Learners SIG and is currently the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) chair.