Kevin Mark
Meiji University
Kevin Mark has been trying to be helpful in Japanese universities since 1985. Since becoming in 1991 a tenured faculty member responsible for English at Meiji University's School of Political Science and Economics, he has been exploring and experimenting across multiple fields to find practical ways for a curriculum to embody a sense of community and a culture of "more learning and less teaching." He is currently interested in rapid materials development (CALL and paper-based) that addresses the need for systematicity and consistency on the one hand with spontaneity, creativity and variety on the other.
Sessions
Challenges in Multilingual Learner Development
Connecting with the theme of “Local and Global Perspectives: Plurilingualism and Multilingualism,” this forum will feature presentations that explore the development of linguistic diversity in learners’ lives and environments, whether within formal education or in the wider world. What affordances and constraints do learners face in developing their linguistic repertoires beyond a simple binary of first and second language? What challenges do they face as multilingual learners and users in participating in different communities and in becoming more autonomous? What peculiar trajectories do learners’ language biographies take, and what dilemmas, questions, or puzzles do they have? Why? In this Learner Development SIG Forum at PanSIG 2021, we would like to explore the challenges and benefits of learning and using multiple languages from diverse perspectives. The forum will feature timed rounds of interactive presentations followed by reflective writing and discussion. Presenters and participants will also be invited to contribute writing and related multimedia resources to the LD SIG’s newsletter, Learning Learning.