Giant Steps: The Project to Internationalize EIKEN
講師：Michael Todd Fouts
　　　（Chief Editor, Test Development and Research）
　　　　The Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP), Inc.
日時：5月15日（土）2:00-4:00PM
会場：ジョイＡ館
参加費：無料
（※ 講演はやさしい英語で行われます）
申し込み：電話 0155-33-0198（当日まで受付）
　　　　　メール（14日9:45PMまで受付）
Abstract: I used to tell people, when I spoke to educators outside Japan, that EIKEN was the biggest test they’d never heard of. I can’t use that line anymore. Over the past six years, acceptance of EIKEN scores by U.S. and Australian colleges and universities, and general interest in the test among international educators, has grown far beyond what any of us imagined possible when, in 2003, we launched a long-term project to introduce Japan’s national English test to the international community. I’ll tell you how we did it, why it’s working, what it means for Japan, and how it involves the JALT community. I’ll also debunk a few myths, expose a trade secret or two, and subject participants to a hands-on experience of the pain (and, perhaps, fun) experienced daily by the editors who prepare EIKEN test items.
Bio: Todd spent his first 20 years in rural Ohio and the next 20 in Tokyo. Arriving in Japan in 1990 with a background in broadcast journalism (radio announcer/producer) and international relations (girlfriend from Kyushu), he studied Japanese at Keio University, taught for six years at a private high school, wrote and edited textbooks for NTT and other publishers, and developed test-prep materials for ALC Press. The latter led to a part-time position at STEP, working with a team of professors who reviewed potential EIKEN test items. Part-time became full-time, and over the past 11 years he has managed production of EIKEN Grades 1 and Pre-1, headed an international publicity team, and now oversees editorial production for TEAP, a collaborative test-development project between STEP and Sophia University.