Profile
Alexandra Burke has taught at all levels of the Japanese public education system from kindergarten to university since 2005. She has spent thousands of hours team teaching. In that time, she has closely observed classroom interactions, and talked with students about which activities and methods increase their autonomy and confidence and noticing which created barriers for neurodiverse students. Based on wide reading of international best practice on inclusive teaching, in collaboration with Japanese colleagues, she has trialed a number of culturally appropriate changes to methods and classroom management that promote inclusion. Her professional background is public policy and equitable access to services. She has presented within Japan, overseas and currently teaches at three universities.
At the 2021 International Conference of the Japan Association for Language Teaching she won her third Michele Steele Best of JALT Chapter Award (shared with 4 wonderful female educators), adding to the two she won at JALT 2020 for inclusive teaching presentations at Niigata and Nagoya Chapters. She also won Best Poster awards at the 2019 and 2020 JALT International Conferences, sharing the 2019 award with co-presenter Kirika Kushiyama.
Past Presentations 2021
- November 19, Guest Lecturer for Education Students University of Niigata
- November 14 JALT 2021 Conference: 60 minute workshop: Students who learn differently: towards a discrimination-free classroom
- November 14 JALT 2021 Conference Accessibility in Language Learning Special Interest Group Forum panel member.
- October 21, Online Teaching Japan TV
- September 12, Yamagata JALT: Inclusive Classrooms: Strategies to help all typical learners and those with hidden learning barriers.
- August 24, Online Teaching Japan Summer Sessions. Supporting Adults with ADHD (Clark. G, Siew. K, Burke. A)
- August, 23, Online Teaching Japan Summer Sessions: Neurodiversity Update
- September 11, Plenary, JALT College and University Educators SIG Conference.
- July 3, Yokohama and Kobe JALT Chapters: Teaching all of the students – unlocking the potential of the neurodiverse students hidden in your language classroom.
- June 27, JALT School Owners SIG
- May 29, Shizuoka JALT Chapter, Your neurodiverse students: Breaking down the hidden barriers in the classroom
- May 15, PanSIG Conference: Forum ALL-SIG Building an Accessibility Support Network
- May 10, Seinan-Jo University, Guest lecturer for students
- May 9, Matsuyama JALT Chapter, Students in the back and on the edge: neurodiverse students and your teaching methods
- April 24, Kyoto JALT, Living on the Edge: The edge of the mainstream classroom: Your students who learn differently
- 2020 presentations to be added.
Publications
- Neurodiverse Students in Your Classroom Burke Alexandra 2020 The Language Teacher 44.3 May June 2020 pp 31-37 https://jalt-publications.org/sites/default/files/pdf-article/44.3-tlt-yl.pdf
- JALT Journal – Issue 42.2; November 2020 Early Language Learning and Teacher Education: International Research and Practice (Subhan Zein and Sue Garton, Eds.) —Reviewed by Alexandra Burke pp 176-179 https://jalt-publications.org/articles/26141-reviews
Video
Posters
Podcasts
- Lost in Citations: Citation 45 Interviewer Todd Beuckens Interviewee Alexandra Burke February 3, 2021 https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-g3a2r-f94970
Recommended sites
- British Dyslexia Association Style Guide The advice you need for laying out easy to read text
- Designing for Acessibility UK Home Office Excellent, ready to apply design advice for making sure typical readers plus these people can easily access your information. people with autism, those who use screen readers, people with low vision, dyslexia, physical or motor difficulties, the deaf or hard or hearing, people with anxiety.