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A girl writes her injury in the sand and her rescue in stone. That is how Professor Amanda Gillis-Furutaka, President of the JALT Brain SIG, opens Part 1. It is the kind of story you can take into class tomorrow.
What follows is the path that led her to a PhD and a life in language teaching: school in England, drama and music, a visit to the Austrian Alps, the move from student to teacher, and years of work in Japan.
She talks about music among early humans, what it does to the brain, and how music videos can raise student motivation. Then she turns to how the brain actually works, and which teaching approaches line up with that science.
She closes with ways to get students writing stories they actually want to finish and read.
If you teach language, stories, or music, this one earns the time.
Guest
Gillis-Furutaka, A. Amanda Gillis-Furutaka [LinkedIn profile]. LinkedIn. https://jp.linkedin.com/in/amanda-gillis-furutaka-58615a36
Gillis-Furutaka, A. Amanda Gillis-Furutaka [Author profile]. Academia.edu. https://kyoto-su.academia.edu/AmandaGillisFurutaka
Affiliations and organizations
Kyoto Sangyo University. (n.d.). Kyoto Sangyo University. https://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/index-e.html
JALT Mind, Brain, and Education SIG. (n.d.). The Brain SIG. https://www.mindbrained.org/the-brain-sig/
Counterpoint Japan. (n.d.). Our team. https://counterpointjapan.wixsite.com/my-site-6/our-team
Selected publications by Amanda Gillis-Furutaka
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2014). The role of YouTube in accessing popular music in Japan. Acta Humanistica et Scientifica Universitatis Sangio Kyotiensis: Humanities Series, 47, 51–71. https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/en/books/R000000004-I025360497
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2017). The consumption of English-language music videos on YouTube in Japan [Doctoral dissertation, Goldsmiths, University of London]. Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/67581035/The_Consumption_of_English_language_Music_Videos_on_YouTube_in_Japan
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (n.d.). The roles of the L1 and working memory in L2 extensive reading: Insights from a qualitative investigation [Unpublished manuscript]. Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5wSCrwbbeZfQ3M5Rno2QXo1ems/view?resourcekey=0-JdlCaNmydKjxpXQnXP1U7g
Think Tank Team, & Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2021, April). Some stories you can try in class. MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/april-2021-storytelling/
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2022, February). Why is TBLT an effective approach to teaching languages? Some explanations from brain science. MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/february-2022-tblt/
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2024, March). The benefits of exploring plot structure with university students taking an ER course. MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/march-2024-reading-structures/
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2024, May). Profanity and emotion are inextricably entwined – let me show you how. MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/may-2024-emotions/
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2025, February). Be bold, be realistic, and teach about profane language and racial stereotyping using pop music! MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/february-2025-music/
Gillis-Furutaka, A. (2026, March). Our aging brains and bodies: The good, the bad, and the inevitable (What to expect and what we can do about it). MindBrainEd Think Tank. https://www.mindbrained.org/march-2026-lifelong-learners/
Other works mentioned
Brecht, B. (1944). The Caucasian chalk circle. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Caucasian-Chalk-Circle
Brown, E. C., & Brüne, M. (2012). The role of prediction in social neuroscience. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, Article 147. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3359591/
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. https://search.worldcat.org/title/834531418
Levitin, D. (n.d.). This is your brain on music [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyt8EmsJIBA
Levitin, D. (2007). This is your brain on music. Daniel Levitin. https://www.daniellevitin.com/brain-on-music
Menton Riviera Merveilles. (n.d.). Menton, France tourism. https://www.menton-riviera-merveilles.co.uk
University of California Television. (n.d.). The causes of autism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8bmCgNM_t4
Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please like and leave a review. To learn more about the Performance in Education SIG, check out our website.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uLVARUdviigboSQXkJXfgNm0zNkMsal6brBvwpmTKWM/edit?usp=sharing
Intro & Outro song: Unlock Me (Royalty free)
Music by Kontraa Studio | UKA Music Publishing LLC