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Abstract: We all engage in ‘reflection’ to clarify the meaning of learning experiences as we want to keep growing as language learners and/or language educators. Reflection is the key to promoting learner autonomy and reflecting with other people offers more possibilities to restructure one’s established assumptions and beliefs, which can lead one to transformational learning (Brockbank & McGill, 2006). Reflection is not simply thinking back and describing what happened and how you feel about it. It is a process of restructuring your established assumptions and beliefs, which leads you to develop further.
In this webinar, I will outline the approaches of Intentional Reflective Dialogue (IRD) in Advising in Language Learning (ALL), where learning advisors promote learners’ reflective process through conducting one-on-one dialogue (Kato & Mynard, 2016; Mynard & Kato, 2022). All the approaches, models, and tools introduced in the talk can be easily applied to empower your reflection and promote learners’ reflective processes in their learning in and outside the classroom.
Bio: Satoko Kato is an Associate Professor at the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education (RILAE), Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) in Japan. She is also a lecturer at the Graduate School of Language Sciences, KUIS, teaching ‘learner autonomy’ and ‘teacher autonomy’ in the MA TESOL program. She is the chair of the JALT Mentoring and Orientation Committee. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Education from Hiroshima University, and a Master’s degree in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has conducted over 4,000 sessions as a learning advisor in the past 15 years working on promoting learner autonomy. She is also developing and implementing advisor education programs for teachers/advisors, domestically and internationally. She co-authored “Reflective Dialogue: Advising in language learning” with Jo Mynard (Routledge NY, 2016; Japanese version issued in 2022 from Osaka University Press), and "Handbook for English Teachers to promote autonomous learning".(KUIS Press) with Hisako Yamashita.