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College and University I give permission to record or livestream Presentation (45 minutes)
Enhancing English as a Foreign Language Learning with Cultural Narratives
This presentation explores the integration of cultural narratives, such as myths, folktales, and traditional stories, into an extensive reading (ER) component for EFL learners. It focuses on the use of worldoftales.com, a free online resource, where students select stories based on their English proficiency and personal interests. The presentation will demonstrate how a student-centered approach using culturally meaningful texts can support learner autonomy and increase engagement in ER contexts. Attendees will gain practical insights into how such narratives can enrich ER programs and promote deeper cultural understanding. The session will showcase examples of classroom activities, student-selected stories, and feedback that highlight the motivational impact of using diverse cultural texts. The presentation will also share reflections on implementation and challenges, along with practical suggestions for EFL educators on how to incorporate cultural narratives into ER programs to help students expand their reading selections and explore texts from diverse cultural perspectives.
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Ana Maria Flores is a Language Instructor at Nanzan University, where she teaches English through project-based learning, multimedia, and globally relevant topics. Her work focuses on helping students improve communication skills through extensive reading and listening, cultural narratives, and creative tasks like short film production. Her research interests include vocabulary development through extensive input, the role of cultural storytelling in language learning, and the use of video-based tasks to promote active language use. She is a joint author of Teaching and Learning in Japanese Classrooms: Teachers’ Perspectives (Cambridge Scholars, 2023) and received the Best of JALT Award for her presentation at the 2016 Extensive Reading Seminar. She is also involved in curriculum development and faculty collaboration.