ANDREW THOMPSON (FUKUOKA WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY)
ANDREW GALLACHER (Fukuoka Women's University)

ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT : MATERIALS DESIGN

This workshop will share the challenges and rewards of developing academic reading and writing materials specific to the needs of university students. The presenters have been the lead developers of an academic reading and writing course that has seen increased learner engagement and achievement across the initial year of implementation. The receptive skill of reading plays a vital role in enhancing students' language proficiency. By reading targeted texts, students are exposed to a range of specialized vocabulary and grammar structures, which helps them develop their understanding of the language. Moreover, reading can help students to improve their critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills. The productive skill of writing helps students develop their communication and organizational skills, which are essential for their academic and future professional success. The reading and writing materials discussed in this workshop explicitly focus on increasing student understanding and confidence in discussing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that have gained significant media attention in the past decade across Asia. Throughout this workshop, the presenters will explore the difficulties of designing and implementing educational materials to meet students' specific academic needs and institutional requirements in Japan. The academic program highlighted in this workshop is structured in line with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), which currently requires university students to complete two years of compulsory English. This workshop will provide valuable insights into the planning, design, publication, and, most importantly, the positive educational outcomes of learners of English.

THOMPSON Andrew is a university lecturer based in Kyushu, Japan. He is currently a lecturer at Fukuoka Women’s University. He has an MA in Applied Linguistics from Monash University and a BA in Communications and Sociology from Griffith University. His research interests include education policy, student interest, and curriculum design.

Andrew Gallacher is a full-time lecturer and researcher at Fukuoka Women’s University (FWU), Japan. He holds a B.Sc. in psychology and computer science and an M.A. in applied linguistics and English language teaching. His research interests include computer-assisted language learning, curriculum design, vocabulary acquisition, and educational psychology.