Improving Chapters and SIGs
The JALT EBM and OGM took place 27th and 28th June 2015 in Osaka. To briefly explain the administration structure, The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) is where all chapter and SIG representatives get together with the JALT board to make things happen, in what needs to be transparently conducted business practice, JALT being an NPO. The Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) is something you probably voted in online - this is where all members have their say.
Among the discussion items were ways to improve Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs). As a SIG, it is pertinent for LiLT to quickly consider SIGs and SIG quality, and how we can try to do our best for members, for you, and more generally perhaps how any SIG can serve its members as best possible. We have been looking at how to evaluate the effectiveness of SIGs - considering the minimum functioning level permitted, and also how to function most optimally. Looking at the various suggested criteria for evaluating SIGs, it seems that the Literature in Language Teaching SIG here does stack up well. Let’s examine in terms of the triumvirate of communications, events and publishing. You can evaluate other SIGs you are members of in such a way too.
Regarding communications, we communicate via newsletter, as here - The Word, roughly bi-monthly, sent via MailChimp. We also have a Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/LiteratureInLanguageTeachingSig?fref=ts> , which seems to have garnered a following outside these shores too. We have a fixed web presence and home at <liltsig.org> .
We offer a route to academic publishing via our twice-yearly quality Journal, which is robustly double-blind peer-reviewed. The reviewers and editorial team spend a good deal of time to help you to publish quality articles in a place worth publishing in, that will count when interview committees check you out online.
In terms of events, there are various aspects to this side of things, and SIGs will differ partly depending on theme. We organised a busy and successful mini-conference in 2014, and are looking for this to be biannual. It is true that this is a real killer in terms of the sheer amount of volunteer time and energy it takes, and with a small cadre of officer volunteers, this is tough, to be absolutely honest! Possible tie-ins are with Kyoto Chapter and ER SIG, and we are discussing such. Our SIG Forums at JALT National and PanSIG are busy affairs, with plenty of presenters. We are co-sponsoring Jane Spiro at JALT national this year, and sponsored plenary speaker Paul Hullah at 2014 PanSIG. The line-up at JALT National is looking great, so see you at the Forum. More on that in a future newsletter.
We are doing what we can, and feedback that we have received has been positive. That said, please tell us what else we can be doing. Feedback is all welcome. What do you want - well, within reason? Is there something you don’t like? Tell us. What works for you? Let us know. Is there something you think would be good for us to do for members? Suggest to us. As an example, one thing we are now looking at to move forward is to provide grants for e.g. JALT National, but it is sensible to have a new Treasurer in place first before this occurs. It would also be nice to hear of anything you do like - the occasional bit of positive feedback does help the volunteers here to keep on truckin’ ;)
Email the LiLT SIG committee with any suggestions and feedback to <liltsig@gmail.com> Subject header: Feedback.
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