Akita JALT is pleased to welcome Dr. Irina Kuznetcova (Akita International University) as the guest speaker for the chapter’s June meeting. The details of her talk are below:
Reddit—the ultimate tool for reading, writing and learning informal language in authentic context
If you have ever asked yourself questions such as…
・How do I get my students interested in reading in English?
・How do I cater to different interests in my student group?
・Where do I find spaces which reflect modern cultural, political and language trends of English-speaking cultures?
・How do I teach slang through reading and writing in meaningful contexts?
… then this talk is for you! In fact, the answer to all of these questions can be found in a single online discussion forum. Reddit has become an important part of the (predominantly American) cultural landscape visited by 430 million (!) active monthly users. With over 100 thousand communities (subreddits) dedicated to topics ranging from cooking and gardening to nuclear physics, relationships and politics, Reddit is a source of unending flow of information, often presented in short, digestible chunks and casual language. It offers our students opportunities to become an organic part of a large English speaking community and makes English instrumental to their learning pursuits.
In this talk, together we will explore potential activities and ways of integrating Reddit in classroom teaching and informal students’ learning and ways of navigating potential pitfalls in the process—with a focus on informal language style, reading and writing practices.
Akita JALT 