Verbal Classroom Resources

Verbal Classroom Demonstration

In 2015, I recorded a demonstration class I held to showcase the most basic aspects of teaching in Verbal Classrooms.

The videos are about 20-22 minutes and should give teachers a good idea of how they can incorporate VC into their work.

Akita JALT 2024

On May 18, 2024, I gave a presentation for Akita JALT where I spoke about taking advantage of the unique VC environment to provide students with opportunities to practice “LIaisons” (Linking) to enhance their fluency.

The template materials for teachers are available for download below. To jump to the section where I specifically talked about Liaisons use the second button below.

Shizuoka JALT 2023

March 4, 2023. I spent a little bit of time clarifying concepts on “The Switch”, and “Word Throw”.

KOTESOL Busan 2022

My first ever international presentation on Verbal Classrooms. I spent a good amount of time on “Word Throw”, and on some of the important elements of assessment.

Matsuyama JALT 2022

My most recent presentation on Verbal Classrooms. I spent a little bit of time clarifying concepts on “The Switch”, and “Word Throw”.

Fukui SDC Keynote 2022

This is the Keynote Presentation I did for the Fukui Skills Development Conference for the prefecture’s Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English. I screwed up and started the recording after I was already about 15 minutes into the presentation, but I think the whole thing was well-received and there were some really good questions at the end.

Nagasaki SDC Keynote 2021

This is the Keynote Presentation I did for the Nagasaki Skills Development Conference for the prefecture’s Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English. There were about 130 or so instructors in attendance and it seems to have been well received.

Advanced VC OTJ Summer Sessions ’21

Online Teaching Japan Held it’s Second Summer Sessions M.O.O.Se.in August 2021. It was a rare opportunity for me to try and concentrate on advanced techniques in VC. While I did show some important techniques in VC the go beyond the basic AQp and OIOB, there is still so much more that I’d someday like to show about what VC can do.

ALT AEgora: Fluency in the Classroom

A presentation I did on June 17, 2021 for ALT AEgora. This talk was to show Assistant Language Teachers from across Japan that attended the event that there is a new way to get their kids speaking using Verbal Classrooms. Many Thanks to Jennie Crittenden for helping me with the demonstrations.

Verbal Classrooms: Faster, Smoother, More

The presentation I gave at Simon Moran’s SessionELL 2021.I tried to do this presentation with the assumption that most in the audience had already seen one of my prior basic presentations, so I could talk about more advanced methods.

It was a little confused at moments as I discovered that I had inadvertently forgotten to remove certain slides that I no longer needed.

Fukuoka SDC Keynote 2020

On December 10, 2020 I was privileged to give the Keynote presentation for the Fukuoka Skills Development Conference. The Conference is held every year to help the Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and their partner Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) hone their classroom methods.

JALT 2020 Conference Presentation

At the JALT 2020 National Conference, I presented SCVC alongside Kent Jones (Ritsumeikan APU) and Steve Payton (Fukuoka University). Kent provided some broad theroretical foundations that support SCVC, and Steve reported on his success in the classroom and the overwhelmingly positive response he got from his students.

OTJ 2020 Discussion Seminar

Following the OTJ Summer Sessions that were held a the end of August 2020, a number of OTJ members joined me as I offered to tutor a couple of other teachers who wanted more information on how I implement SCVC in my classrooms.

IPE 2021 Sponsored Presentation

I was invited to speak at the International Publishers Exhibit in 2021, where I gave this talk, as well as moderating a roundtable for Educational Professional groups in South and East Asia and Oceania, and participated in a roundtable with the Presidents of IATEFL and TESOL, on the state of professional development in 2020.

Niigata JALT 2020 ERT Presentation

“On May 3 2020 José Domingo Cruz presented his timely talk ‘ZOOM and Synchronous Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT): Best Practices’ for JALT Niigata.

Here’s his abstract:

We’ll be talking not only about “ZOOM” but also we’ll try to cover a range of practices that can be applied to whatever tools and methods you wish to employ in your virtual classrooms. Your teleconferencing software of choice matters less than how you intend to adapt to the new challenge before you. So I’ll be trying to talk about best practices for
​
・Adjusting to the digital stage
・Empathy and compassion for your students as a primary goal
・“Making Lemonade” – Ideas on how to make the best of the situation at hand”

Verbal Classrooms: Fluency Activities through Structure Control Practice

The proceedings paper from the 2021 JALT CUE Conference. This paper lays out the background theories relevant to VC, especially DeKeyser’s work on Skills Acquisition Theory, then moves on to lay out the basic outline of what Verbal Classrooms is.

Cruz, J. D., Paton, S., & Jones, K. (2023, April 6). Verbal Classrooms: Fluency Activities Through Structure Control Practice. OnCUE Journal Special Issue, 4, 4-20.

Teaching with Zoom 2: An Advanced Users Guide

Teachers and trainers: you’re familiar with Zoom and its basic functions. But have you wondered if there weren’t more you could do? Special tips and tricks to take your classes to the next level? Shortcuts to …

Liaisons in Verbal Classrooms

On May 18, 2024, I gave a presentation for Akita JALT where I spoke about taking advantage of the unique VC environment to provide students with opportunities to practice “LIaisons” (Linking) to enhance their fluency.

The presentation itself was recorded and available as a video above.

Miyazaki SDC 2023

My slides from the Miyazaki Skills Development Conference 2023. I was asked to do the Keynote Live for their 2023 Conference, and unfotunately it wasn’t recorded. I had a great time talking in front of a large group of enthusiastic teachers.

These slides are essentially what I used for the Fukui ALT SDC Conference. They differ a little in how much I talked about “Word Throw / Phrase Throw” this time around as opposed to “The Switch”.

Verbal Classrooms PDF

My slides from Fukui SDC Keynote 2022, in PDF form.

Fluency in the Classroom

My slides from ALT AEgora, June 2021. I hope to get more opportunities to speak to Assistant Language Teachers as VC really would be best at the Junior and High School levels, or even elementary school.

Faster, Smoother, More

My slides from SessionsELL 2021. There were other topics I spoke about, such as “No Questions” or “2-minute Speeches” that aren’t that well covered in these slides. As always feel free to contact me if there is anything you want to discuss.

Basic VC Blackboards

During the ERT / RATT* conditions that instructors found themselves in during the pandemic, I found myself needing to switch from my normal chalkboard method to using presentation software such as Keynote. While I fully intend to return to using my chalkboard once we are firmly back in the classroom, These chalkboards are useful for showing other instructors the examples and progressions of the Structure Control exercises that I use.

*Reduced/Altered Toolset Teaching

Fukuoka SDC 2020

My slides from the Fukuoka Skills Development Conference 2020; a yearly event by the Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education for the Assistant language Teachers (ALTs) and their partner Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs). I was asked to do the Keynote Presentation for the 2020 Conference.

This slideset is basically the same one I used for the JALT 2020 Conference. If I can get Steve and Kent’s permission I will share their slides as well.

Image courtesy of José Domingo Cruz