AKITA – December 2015 – Teaching Haiku and Haiku Composition to English Language Learners – Ben Grafström, Akita University. The presenter teaches an English immersion-style course titled “Journey to the Interior” at Akita University. This presentation introduced the two-pronged approach that he took to the planning and preparation of the course. The first approach he took was to make the English language-course content-based: the course is an in-depth study of the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō’s Oku no hosomichi. The second approach he took was to design class activities that fostered active-learning vis-à-vis a writer’s workshop.
During the presentation the presenter introduced the course materials that he uses as well as guided participants through some of the writing exercises that he did with his students. This included writing haiku and English to Japanese and Japanese to English translating. An enjoyable time was had by all.
Reported by Stephen Shucart
Akita JALT 
Thanks for getting this up so quickly!
And, have a good trip~!
Hi Ben, glad you liked it. Since I’m leaving Thursday, if I hadn’t gotten it up today I wouldn’t have been able to get to it until I got back in January.
Thanks – Happy Holidays
Reblogged this on Tōhoku Bentō and commented:
The Akita-JALT post about my presentation the other day…