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KEYNOTES, PLENARIES & FEATURED TALKS

I've delivered more than 100 keynote, plenary, and featured speaker addresses at international ELT, EdTech, Applied Linguistics, and Vocabulary conferences on five continents. A selected list appears below.

TEDx TALKS

"Zipf's Law: Core Words for English Language Learning Success." TEDx, Tokyo, Japan. June 2024.

"Not All Words Are Created Equal." Invited TEDxTeachers talk, Tokyo International School. October 2015.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS (2023–2026)

May 2026 — PanSIG Nagoya. Workshop: "Practical Classroom Activities for Developing Critical Thinking in EFL."

April 2026 — Riphah International Conference on Language, Literature, and Culture. Virtual Keynote: "Words for Success, Words for Life: Introducing the NGSL Project."

March 2026 — Singapore International School. Professional development event following corpus analysis of the school curriculum: "Using the New General Service List to Enhance Reading Materials and Vocabulary Learning."

March 2026 — University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science. Invited lecture and corpus analysis consultation: "Vocabulary Learning Strategies for English-Medium Instruction: How Far Can Core Vocabulary and Technical Terms Take Us?"

February 2026 — EdyouFest Webinar: "Smarter Vocabulary Teaching with NGSL Tools, AI, and Extensive Reading."

February 2026 — Opening Keynote, EdyouFest Derry, Ireland: "The Vocabulary Revolution: How Corpus Tools, Extensive Reading, and AI Can Transform Learning."

January 2026 — Kanda Gaigo Gakuin University. Three-week graduate course on second-language vocabulary acquisition.

November 2025 — Chiba Prefecture Educational Training Conference. Keynote: "The NGSL Project: Words and Tools for Language Learning Success."

November 2025 — Kobe University Faculty Development Workshop: "Building Core Vocabulary for Global Readiness: Practical Strategies Using the New General Service List and New Academic Word List."

October 2025 — Academy of Distinction, Italy. Online workshop on second-language vocabulary acquisition for five groups of elite high school students from throughout Italy.

August 2025 — EuroCALL Conference, Milan. Workshop: "NGSL Profiler: AI-Enhanced Tools to Simplify EFL Materials the Easy Way!"

August 2025 — EdyouFest Japan, Meiji Gakuin University. Conference/Site Chair and Keynote: "Artificial Intelligence, Human Wisdom: Navigating the Brave New World of EFL."

August 2025 — Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. Intensive graduate program on second-language vocabulary acquisition.

June 2025 — 2025 Authentic English Reading Conference, Nanjing. Keynote: "Words for Success, Words for Life: Introducing the NGSL Project in the Age of AI."

May 2025 — PanSIG Chiba. Workshop: "Practical Classroom Activities for Developing Critical Thinking in EFL."

March 2025 — Featured Speaker, ThaiTESOL, Chiang Mai: "Gamified Learning of the New General Service List: Wordle, Flashcards and More."

March 2025 — Invited Speaker, RELC International Conference, Singapore: "Words for Success, Words for Life: Introducing the NGSL Project for the AI Era."

January 2025 — Academy of Distinction, Italy. Online workshop on second-language vocabulary acquisition.

November 2024 — ETA-ROC Conference, Taipei. Invited Featured Speaker: "The NGSL Project: 10 Years of Helping EFL Learners to Succeed."

November 2024 — JALT International Conference, Shizuoka. Featured Speaker: "The NGSL Project: Words and Tools for Success," and Workshop: "NGSL Profiler: Simplifying EFL Materials the Easy Way!"

August 2024 — EdyouFest, Bucharest, Romania. Keynote: "The NGSL Project: Words and Tools for Language Learning Success."

April 2024 — Rabat International ELT Conference, Morocco. Virtual Plenary: "The NGSL Project: 10 Years of Helping EFL Learners to Succeed."

January 2024 — ThaiTESOL, Chiang Mai. Featured Speaker: "Gamified Learning of the New General Service List: Flashcards, Wordle and More."

September 2023 — ElliiCon 2023. Virtual Plenary: "Gamification of Word Learning with the New General Service List Project."

SELECTED EARLIER TALKS (2013–2022)

December 2022 — Keynote, Eisenkyo Conference, Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo.

November 2022 — Keynote, SDC Conference, Fukuoka Prefectural Education Center: "A Modular, Corpus-based Approach for the Systematic Development of 2nd Language Vocabulary: The NGSL Project."

May 2022 — Virtual Plenary, Amasya University, Turkey: "The NGSL Project: A Modular Approach for the Systematic Development of 2nd Language Vocabulary."

July 2021 — Keynote, Summer English Teachers Association in Israel (ETAI): "Free Online Tools for Vocabulary Acquisition."

June 2021 — Keynote, Amit School Network, Israel: "Words, Words, Words."

January 2021 — Keynote, Okinawa JALT Conference: "Recent Developments in the NGSL Project."

June 2020 — Keynote, JALT-CALL Conference: "Utilizing Corpus-based Wordlists with Free Online Resources."

May 2020 — Virtual Keynote, 10th International Research Conference on Education, Language and Literature, Tbilisi, Georgia: "A Modular Approach for the Systematic Development of 2nd Language Vocabulary."

September 2019 — Two Keynote Addresses, Gunma JALT Conference.

June 2019 — Plenary, ICCTAR Conference, Melaka, Malaysia: "ESP Vocabulary for Language Learners: Introducing the NGSL, BSL, TSL and NAWL."

November 2018 — Keynote, ELT-Tech Conference, Bandung, Indonesia: "Utilizing Free Online Tools to Teach, Learn, Test and Research Vocabulary."

September 2018 — Plenary, BizCom Conference, Toyo University, Tokyo: "Introducing the NGSL & BSL: Tools for Business English Success."

March 2017 — Keynote, NYU Teacher Education Program, Tokyo: "Teaching English for Communication in Japan: Observations of a 30-year Veteran."

May 2016 — Featured Speaker, Pan-SIG Conference, Okinawa: "The NGSL, NAWL and TSL: Building a Path to EFL Success."

May 2016 — Keynote, International Conference for Effective Teaching and Learning, Hsing Wu University, Taipei, Taiwan: "Introduction to the NGSL/NAWL and TSL."

September 2015 — Plenary, TEFLIN Conference, Bali, Indonesia: "Taking the Fast Track to EFL Proficiency: Why the NGSL and NAWL Are Good for Your Learners."

June 2015 — Two Plenary Addresses, Professional Development Conference, Qatar University.

May 2015 — Plenary, Extensive Reading Conference, Feng Chia University, Taiwan: "Covering Your Bets: The Reading/High-Frequency Vocabulary Connection."

April 2015 — Keynote, ICEE Conference, Shin Chien University, Taiwan: "A New General Service List and New Academic Word List: Building a Path to EFL Success."

August 2014 — Organizer and Presenter, Featured Vocabulary Symposium, AILA World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Brisbane, Australia: "A New General Service List for 2nd Language Learners of English."

August 2014 — Featured Speaker, JACET National Conference, Hiroshima: "A New General Service List: Core Vocabulary Words for EFL Success."

June 2014 — Plenary, Tri-ELE Conference, Bangkok, Thailand: "A New General Service List: Getting Ready for Another 60 Years of Vocabulary Learning."

June 2014 — Two Featured Speaker Addresses, KOTESOL National Conference, Seoul, Korea.

April 2014 — Plenary Addresses, Cambridge Day Conferences, Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan: "The New General Service List: Foundational Vocabulary for 2nd Language Learners."

December 2013 — Plenary, KACL Corpus Linguistics Conference, Seoul, Korea: "The New General Service List: Taking 60 Years of Vocabulary Learning to the Next Level."

October 2013 — Featured Speaker, KOTESOL National Conference, Seoul, Korea: "The New General Service List: Celebrating 60 Years of Vocabulary Learning."

SELECTED EARLIER ADDRESSES (1998–2012)

Numerous keynote, plenary, and featured speaker presentations on vocabulary acquisition, reading, educational technology, the JET Program, communicative language teaching, and teacher education, delivered in Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Turkey, Israel, Finland, Indonesia, Qatar, Taiwan, Thailand, and North America. Topics included authentic video comprehension, high-frequency vocabulary, CALL, IRT-based vocabulary assessment, online teacher development, team teaching, and communicative competence.

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