2018-2020
Newsletter Archives

     This fall 2020 issue of our GILE Newsletter features: (1) a description by Keith Hoy of a class survey of Japanese and international students on gender roles and sexual equality, (2) a report by Crystal Rose-Wainstock on academic writing courses she designed that engage students in text annotation and critical thinking, and (3) an article by Alan Gillespie on the value of using spam e-mails as teaching materials in class. Our special feature is Teaching about Online Email Scams. This includes ideas, activities and resources to help students understand – and avoid – the online scams that target them and their money. Also included is a preview of this fall’s JALT 2020 virtual conference, a report on the Pan-SIG 2020 online conference, teaching tips for the US presidential election and the United Nations 75th anniversary plus key books for teaching about email scams and Internet fraud.

Our spring 2020 newsletter coincides with the global corona virus crisis. It features (1) a teaching unit by Michael Ellis designed around the movie “12 Years a Slave” that promotes awareness of historical racism and an understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement; (2) a report by Elisabeth Fernandes on how using virtual reality helped to engage her students with hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and to counter Muslim stereotypes in Japan, and (3) a description by Oana Cusen of how student attitudes to foreigners in Japan changed as a result of a project-based course she designed on the topic of immigration. Our special feature focuses on ideas, activities and resources for teaching about the corona virus and other global pandemics. Also included is a report on a 2019 global citizenship EFL conference in Germany, a list of books about global epidemics, and a round-up of all the latest news in the fields of global education and language teaching.

​ Our back-to-school newsletter for fall 2019 includes: (1) a description by Douglas Forster of a dynamic set of Media Studies courses he designed at his university that encourage students to think critically about media, ethics and society, and (2) a report by Victoria Muehleisen on how she engages her college EFL students with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our special feature this issue is Critical Thinking about Advertising Tactics. This notes the estimated 5,000 ads that our students are exposed to each day, includes a variety of classroom ideas, lists teaching resources for promoting media literacy, and provides a 2-page teaching unit to help students think critically about 10 psychological tactics used by commercial advertisers. We wrap up this issue with highlights from the spring Pan-SIG 2019 conference (Nishinomiya) and summer JACET 2019 conference (Nagoya) and a round-up of recent news in the field of global education and language teaching.

Our 2019 spring newsletter comes out just in time for the long 10-day Golden Week Holidays here in Japan. Articles in this issue include: (1) a description by Louise Haynes about the work that she’s done teaching about social issue songs in her university classes and (2) an appeal from the Middle East by TESOL expert Shelley Wong, currently on an overseas Fulbright Fellowship, about the plight of Palestinian language teachers and learners under Israeli occupation in the West Bank. The big news in Japan now is the abdication of Emperor Akihito, the succession to the throne of Crown Prince Naruhito and the start of the new Reiwa imperial era. To mark this historic event, we’ve included a 4-page special feature on Teaching about the Emperor and Royal Families Around the World. This issue also includes highlights of this spring’s TESOL 2019 conference in Atlanta plus a round-up of recent news in the area of global education and language teaching. 

Our fall newsletter for 2018 features articles on the following themes: (1) an essay by ELT expert Scott Thornbury on taboo topics in English textbooks, (2) an article by British writer Paul Kaye on the pros and cons of teaching controversial issues in EFL, and (3) a report by Eric Gondree on his research trip to the Middle East to investigate the state of EFL in the West Bank and to interview Palestinian English teachers. Our special feature for this edition is Teaching about Taboo Topics. This describes banned themes in various countries (Saudi Arabia, China, Japan), explains the famous taboo topic acronym PARSNIP, summarizes key research in this area and provides suggestions on innovative ways to approach controversial topics in the classroom. We wrap up with a report on this summer’s JACET 2018 conference in Sendai, with profiles of useful books and with a round-up of all the latest global education news. 

​Our spring newsletter for 2018 features: (1) a description by Yoshimi Ochiai of a high school English lesson she taught on social justice that was designed around a classroom simulations of unfair trade and (2) an explanation by Jason Pratt of an EFL unit he designed that had students learn to use Twitter in order to publicize foreign countries and cultures. With so much going on in the world, we include three “special features” in this issue: the first on teaching about North Korea, the second on gender issues (sumo, #metoo, Saudi Arabia) and the third on American gun culture and the recent March for Our Lives protest in the US. This issue also includes reports on this spring’s TESOL 2018 conference in Chicago and last fall’s Peace as a Global Language (PGL) conference in Kobe. We wrap up with an update on all the latest global education news.

This Summer 2020 GILE Newsletter features a rich set of articles: (1) a call by Phil Ball to put more emphasis on content in CLIL teaching, (2) a report by Sharon Sakuda on steps that she’s taken to care for her EFL students’ concerns during the corona virus crisis, (3) an article by Lee Hughes on the topic of Black Lives Matter and racism in Japan, and (4) a description by Kate de Veas of a values framework she implemented in her Global Studies class to engage students in social issues such as COVID-19 and BLM. Our special feature provides ideas, activities and resources for teaching about racism, police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. Also included is a report on TESOL 2020, global ed publications from IATEFL and a list of key books for teaching about global citizenship.

Akemashite omedeto! Best wishes for the New Year to our GILE members, supporters and friends! This is our 30th year of publication. Our first newsletter of 2020 kicks off with: (1) an article by Stella Millikan on the forced disappearance of Uyghur students with a list of actions teachers can take, and (2) a report by Brent Jones and Ritsuko Tatsumi on an English summer camp that engaged Japanese high school students with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our special feature is a list of key events for the coming year. These include anniversaries linked to World War II, Earth Day and votes for women as well as info on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Also included are conference reports for JALT 2019 (Nagoya) and NDSU 2019 (Okayama), a list of global issue calendars for 2020 plus a round-up of news from the fields of global education and language teaching.

Our summer newsletter for 2019 includes: (1) a classroom-ready lesson on climate change and youth activism designed by Breaking News English founder Sean Banville and (2) a report by Erin Frazier and Jennifer Roloff-Rothman on how they engaged college EFL students with global issues using virtual reality headsets and 360 degree video. Our two “special features” this issue are: (1) an introduction to teen activist Greta Thunberg, her Fridays for Future organization and the global “school strike for climate” movement and (2) a three-page section of ideas and resources to help teachers and students think critically about the historical accuracy of Hollywood movies. We wrap up this edition with highlights from this spring’s IATEFL conference in Liverpool, a set of classroom ideas and teaching resources for this fall’s Rugby World Cup in Japan and a round-up of recent news in the field of global education and language teaching. Have a great summer holiday!

Our first newsletter of 2019 features: (1) an article by Hisayo Kikuchi and Dennis Harmon describing an innovative teaching approach they developed that fosters language skills and global awareness through a modified Model United Nations and (2) a true story by a US Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea that can demonstrate to your students the power that a photo has to open minds, illustrate cultural differences and promote critical thinking about issues such as poverty and homelessness. Our special feature this edition, Teaching Global Issues with Photos, emphasizes the value of visuals plus provides resources and ideas on how to use photos in class. Also included are highlights from JALT 2018, a report on this fall’s 21st Asian Youth Forum plus a list of upcoming events in 2019. This issue also includes a special tribute to Craig Smith, a dynamic English teacher and global educator who passed away earlier this month in Kyoto. 

​Our summer newsletter for 2018 features: (1) a key article by Andy Curtis that examines the field of Peace Linguistics and its relation to our work as language educators, and (2) a description by Eucharia Donnery of an EFL drama workshop that engaged Japanese college students in using cell phones to investigate issues of homelessness and refugees. Our special theme for this issue is Teaching about Indigenous Peoples. This includes an article by Matthew Cotter about a college course that he devised on the theme of Māori Studies as well as teaching resources and information about the world’s indigenous peoples and the issues that they face. We wrap up with reports on this spring’s IATEFL 2018 conference in Brighton, England and the JALT PanSIG 2018 conference in Tokyo as well as a quick round-up of all the latest global education news. Have a good summer!

Our first newsletter of 2018 kicks off with: (1) a description by Andrew Garfield of a university outreach and writing course which engages in critical and creative thinking about global issues, and (2) a review by Michael Brown of an online eco-linguistics course entitled “Stories We Live By”. Our special feature this issue is Sports Diplomacy and the Winter Olympics. This provides post-Olympic teaching ideas along with historical case studies of sports diplomacy for your students to study, research and discuss. Also included is a summary of global issue presentations at JALT 2017 conference in Tsukuba and a report on last fall’s 16th Asian Youth Forum in Seoul, South Korea. We finish up with a list of upcoming events and anniversaries for the year 2018, information on the Graduation Pledge for Social Responsibility plus a round-up of all the lateset global education news.