Language learners in Japanese secondary and tertiary educational contexts are often cycled through course and classroom regimes emphasizing accuracy and precision, but often with constraints that prevent fluency to develop, and no contexts for fluency to expand as is. This presentation explores the capability of latent learner creativity in areas such as art, music, and L1 written capacity as sources that learners could draw from to reappraise, individualize, and explore assignments in two key L2 output tasks - presentation and written composition - that could enable greater heartfelt engagement with such assignments and expand output beyond where learners may previously have achieved. When creativity in such assignments can be channeled though contextualization such as web-based presentation display upload and compositional publication, learners may be capable of some extraordinary breakthroughs in language capacity as well as greater motivation and orientation to language learning.

1. The value of learner
creativity for
presentation
preparation and written
expository reach
Lee Arnold
Seigakuin University
JALT Matsuyama
February 2017

2. Why creativity?

3. For most learners an L2 feels…
• only sometimes coherently structured
• more often than not ambiguous
• like a map that cannot be initially read
• like meaning-making out of mud

4. To most teachers…
this is language learning.

5. this is language learning.
To most learners…

6. Criticisms of mainstream L2 instruction
Kramsch (2006, 2009) states that both TESL and TEFL have “lost sight of the
flesh-and-blood learners doing the learning” and regard “the cognitive and the
the social […] as distinct entities.”
Hanauer (2011) sees “the experiences, emotions and symbolic transformations
inherent in the process of learning a language […] erased and superseded…by
the overriding emphasis placed on the communicative and cognitive aims of
language use” where language becomes “a decontextualized code.”
Smith (2013) criticizes teacher orientation to reading classes where the bulk of
material is generally creative in nature yet calls for written work dominated by
“well-organized facts and explicit opinions: descriptions, essays, reports.”

7. Research question #1
Can learner creativity act as a source of motivation and
mediation of content and material for output?

8. Output tasks & assignments
Conventionally given within narrow strictures
• grammar
• voice
• style
• structure
Are prescriptive in mandate and evaluation
Are decontextualized

9. Example of prescriptive presentation
assignment
iResearch and prepare a presentation about some notable
iJapanese-Brazilians
• have a clear introduction with a body and and
and conclusion
• prepare to speak for around 15 minutes with
with a brief Q&A
• be sure to proofread notes for errors errors and
and practice intonation and rhythm
• have option for some visual aids to support
support the topic

10. Prescriptive presentation delivery
learner
presenter
class
(teacher lurks
somewhere in
the room)

11. Example of prescriptive writing assignment
(adapted from Matsuda, 2013)
iWrite about a person you admire – it can be anyone you
ilook up to and see as a model for your life
• have a clear introduction with a body and and
and conclusion
• be sure to show examples of what the person
person has done that you feel makes them them
them special to you
• be sure to proofread for errors with grammar
grammar
• use a variety of vocabulary such as adjectives to to
adjectives to describe the person

12. Prescriptive written composition
learner
writer
teacher

13. As a result…
• learners too self-conscious of points of vocal clarity or
compositional strictures to deliver in heartfelt terms
• learners too intimidated in front of their peers or too
constrained to write to greater expository reach
• learner output measured on accuracy but without
contexts to direct it to that could promote fluency
• learner creativity that could personalize or manage
assignments and tasks is not tapped into

14. How can we
do better?

15. Research question #2
Can contextualization of assignments be a key to opening and
channeling learner creativity?

16. Example of learner-centered presentation
assignment
iLet’s research about some famous Japanese-Brazilians that you know of
(for example – athletes or tarento)
• design a colorful and interesting poster about the person
person(s) that I will upload the best of on a blog
• prepare to speak for 7-9 minutes in a small group group
including a Q&A (can go a little longer with good Q&A
Q&A) – then we change groups to present again
• but - do not worry about “perfect English” – only spare and
speak about the person(s) to your best effort
• ask your group members questions on what they ey they
might know about your topic (it’s okay if they oudont don’t
don’t know anything)

17. Learner-centered presentation delivery
(teacher moves
around the room
with learners)
presenter #1
presenter #1
Group A
Group B
(e.g., #2)
presenter #1
(e.g., #2)
Group C
(e.g., #2)
(learners then
reshuffle groups
to present again)
(e.g., Groups
D, E, etc.)

18. Example of contextualized writing assignment
(adapted from Matsuda, 2013)
Let’s write about some people you admire for a collection of
short writing I’m gathering up on a blog page about your
personal heroes called The Small Book of Big People
• write about someone you respect – it could could
be a parent or brother or sister – or even a famous
famous person
• show something about what the person has has
has done as an example of what you admire
respect about him or her
• write from your heart - not from a textbook
textbook or a dictionary but from but with with

19. Contextualized writing composition
learner
writer
teacher
context
readership

20. Examples of
presentation displays

21. Examples of
presentation displays

22. I respect my friend of my high school days.
He was greatly honored by the many
people. He always was serious for
everything. He belonged to soccer club
and practiced very hard. For instance he
got up at 5:00, arrived at our school and
ran around our school every morning in
spite of he have practice after school. He
had never missed his morning training. If
I am he, probably I’m tired of morning
training because I have to practice after
school. Then he usually prepared for class
after finish his training. So I think his
schedule was very busy. I couldn’t imitate
his daily routine.
Then he has a lot of friends because he
was very friendly and gentle. So I respect
him and want to model my life after him.
My exceptional person is an office worker in cram
school of my working place. The place name is
Rinkai seminar. Everyone called her “Chansan,”
but she is Japanese. She looks madam and brown.
She was used to secretary. So she is very steady and
everyone relies her on. Of course me too. Many
students and teachers love her. Though she does
not get money, she still works overtime because
she always thinks about students. If I am same her
situation, I never do it. And she supports me for
my dream. For example, she negotiated to get to
know to work part-time in my place where I
wanted to work in the future. After all, I can’t work
there, but I deeply appreciated to her.
She has four people in her family with her
husband, daughter, and son. She is housewife. Her
daughter was good basketball manager. She guided
an interscholastic athletic meet for basketball
player. Therefore many offers came to her from the
company. Chansan’s son is good basketball player.
He participated in an international athletic meet. I
think that after all it is her power that was brought
up by such children. I want to become a wonderful
person being like her sometime.
Samples of writing from The Small Book of Big People
(from Sekaijin’s Learning Pages blog, 2015)

23. Samples of writing from The Small Book of Big People
(Sekaijin’s Learning Pages, 2015)
I esteem Haruki Murakami for his writing ability.
For example, he writes the books that are composed
of a unique statement and metaphor. They attract
readers. When I read his books for the first time, I
was also attracted to them. Norwegian Wood was
especially attracted me in the book written by him.
This book made me a little sad and caused a strange
feeling. I want to be a novelist. I want to imitate his
writing ability and be a novelist like him.
I do not have a person now that I respect,
but in the future I want to be be a person
that many people respect.
I have a dream that nobody has. My
dream is to be someone that can change
something in this world, this world with
many problems and many dirty things,
and many selfish people, but with many
more things that are very beautiful.
I don’t know how to be a great person
that is capable of changing the world, but
I came to this university to search that, to
search how to evolve.
So now, I am not a person that can be in
this book, but in ten or twenty years I
hope to be one of the “big people.”
I respect Taylor Swift who is singer in America. She has blond
hair, blue eyes, red rouge lip, and cute. Her songs are pop, ballad,
and they cheer up me when I felt down. She writes songs herself
and based on her experience. For example, “We Are Never
Getting Back Together” is one of her big songs. It has a bright
and poppy melody! The song is popular with young people. When
I listen to this song, it gives me energy. Another one is “I Knew
You Were Trouble.” The song is gloomy and with painful lyrics.
There is a meaning that unexpected things happened and
heartbreaking. When I feel down and listen to these songs, I am
encouraged. Especially, these songs are my favorite songs! I want
her to be known by a lot of people, because she isn’t well known
by older. So I hope that every generation loves her.

24. Conclusion
• allowing room for learner
creativity may free learners
to grasp and individualize
parameters of assignments
• contextualization of
assignments for learners
could potentially create
audiences to deliver to and
and write for

25. Thank you for listening!

26. References
Hanauer, D.I. (2011). Meaningful literacy: Writing poetry in the language classroom. Language
Teaching: Surveys and Studies, 45(1), 105-115.
Kramsch, C. (2006). Preview article: The multilingual subject. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 16(1),
97-110.
Kramsch, C. (2009). The multilingual subject. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Matsuda, P.K. (2013). Teaching writing in context. Paper presented at Tokyo JALT, Tokyo, Japan.
Sekaijin’s Learning Pages (2015, November 11). The Small Book of Big People (Part 1). [Web log page].
Retrieved 13 February 2017 from http://thelearningpages.blogspot.jp/
p/student-writing-small-book-of-big.html
Sekaijin’s Learning Pages (2015, November 11). The Small Book of Big People (Part 2). [Web log page].
Retrieved 13 February 2017 from http://thelearningpages.blogspot.jp/
p/student-writing-small-book-of-big_12.html
Smith, C. (2013). Creative writing as an important tool in second language acquisition and practice. The
Journal of Literature and Language Teaching, 2(1), 12-18.