The Constitution of the Teaching Children Special Interest Group of NPO Japan Association for Language Teaching
(ratified November 23, 2007)
Name
Article 1
The name of the organization is Jido Gogaku Kyoiku Kenkyu Bukai（児童語学教育研究部会）in Japanese and the Teaching Children Special Interest Group in English and its abbreviation is TC SIG.
Affiliation
Article 2
The Teaching Children SIG is a semi-autonomous group within JALT (The Japan Association for Language Teaching) and abides by its Constitution and bylaws.
Raison D'etre
Article 3
With the possibility of English being introduced into elementary schools as a core subject, in response to the growing interest of parents in having their children learn to speak English and other languages, and in keeping with Japan's increasing internationalization, there is a growing need for resources and information to help teachers of children. Our philosophy is reflected in the name of our publication, Teachers Learning with Children: We see learning as two-way and recognize the importance of teachers teaching to the whole child, taking into account child development levels and best practices to create a cooperative classroom atmosphere. JALT, as a national organization of teachers, provides the umbrella under which the Teaching Children SIG may grow and flourish.
Purpose
Article 4
The TC SIG is a professional, nonprofit organization whose purposes are to foster research, hold conferences, publish a newsletter, cooperate with related professional organizations, including other JALT SIGS and Chapters, carry on other activities for those interested in the improvement of children's language teaching and learning, and contribute to the development of activities in language teaching and learning, social education, and international cooperation.
Membership
Article 5
Individual voting membership shall be open to any JALT National member upon payment of the annual SIG membership fee currently set by JALT. Subscription to SIG publications and entry to events shall also be possible, with the fees to be set by the Teaching Children SIG.
Annual General Meeting
Article 6
The TC SIG shall hold an Annual General Meeting during the JALT International Conference at a time and place announced to all TC SIG members in a timely fashion prior to the meeting. Members present at the meeting shall constitute a quorum. Each TC SIG member shall have an equal voting right at the Annual General Meeting. The items to be resolved at the AGM shall be determined by the SIG Executive Board in consultation with the SIG Governing Body.
SIG Government
Article 7
1. Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of all SIG officers, as set out in the Bylaws. All policies are made and executed by the Executive Board. In the event that voting cannot resolve the issue because the Executive Board members are equally divided on the issue, the Coordinator or Chair of the vote shall cast the deciding vote.
2. The SIG Governing Body
The SIG Governing Body consists of the Executive Board and any TC SIG members or subscribers wishing to be active in the decision making of the SIG. Discussions shall be conducted via an email list and shall be ongoing throughout the year. The Governing Body shall make recommendations to the Executive Board.
Officers
Article 8
TC SIG has the following officers: Coordinator, Treasurer, Membership Chair, Program Chair, Publicity Chair, and Publications Chair
Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Voting by absentee ballot will be possible.
If officer positions become vacant between AGMs, acting officers shall be elected by the Executive Board.
The term of office shall be 1 year. Officers shall begin their terms of office immediately following the AGM and shall perform their duties until the following year's AGM.
Remuneration
Article 9
Officer's expenses needed to perform his or her duties shall be reimbursed. Any special expenditure over \5,000 should be approved in advance by the Executive Board.
Publication
Article 10
The TC SIG shall produce at least three publications, including online versions, per year.
Financial year
Article 11
The TC SIG's financial year shall begin on April 1st and end on March 31st.
Amendments
Article 12
Amendments to this Constitution must be proposed by at least three members of the Teaching Children Executive Board or at least 5% of the Teaching Children SIG members.
The proposed amendment(s) shall be ratified in a procedure clearly explained to all Teaching Children SIG members in writing and delivered online. The proposed amendment(s) must be ratified by a simple majority of the members voting at the Annual General Meeting. Voting by absentee ballot will be possible.
Bylaws of the Teaching Children SIG
of the Japan Association for Language Teaching
I. Officer Duties and Committees
1. Coordinator: The Coordinator shall have general responsibility for coordinating the activities of the TC SIG Executive Board, directing and publicizing the affairs of the SIG (including submitting monthly announcements about the TC SIG to The Language Teacher), and representing its interests to the JALT National Executive Board by attending JALT Executive Board Meetings and monitoring JALT email discussion lists (e.g., EBM-Net, SIGNIF). He/she shall submit annual reports to JALT National and update the online administrative database. He/She shall prepare the agenda for and preside at the Annual General Meeting. With the approval of the TC SIG Executive Board, he/she may appoint individuals or committees as deemed necessary to assist in carrying out the work of the TC SIG.
2. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain all financial records, maintain the TC SIG postal savings and furikae accounts, be responsible for collecting and disbursing all funds of the TC SIG, reimburse individuals for TC SIG-related expenses, and submit financial reports as directed by JALT policy, including the annual SIG budget..
3. Program Chair: The Program Chair shall be responsible for recruiting presenters from the TC SIG membership, making contact with JALT chapters to offer presentations on children's programs, and working with other regional groups who may want presentations, workshops, or mini-conferences on teaching children. He/She must also provide timely information to the Publicity Chair and fulfill all reporting requirements about presenters for the JALT Program Database..
4. Publicity Chair: The Publicity Chair shall maintain records of TC SIG advertisers and sponsors, encourage and actively seek out new advertisers and sponsors, maintain contact with all advertisers and sponsors, and promote TC SIG public relations in both JALT and non-JALT forums..
5. Membership Chair: The Membership Chair shall be responsible for the maintenance of current and past member records, sending membership applications to the JALT Central Office, receiving and correcting computer/paper lists of TC SIG members, directing membership and subscription campaigns, preparing labels for mailings of the TC SIG publications, and encouraging renewals by mail, email, or phone.
6. Publications Editor: The Publications Chair shall decide the themes for each issue of the TC SIG publication(s), find feature and column writers for each issue, edit each issue, arrange for the layout and printing of the publication(s), and arrange for the publications to be sent to the Publications Distributor. Further duties include the design and maintenance of the TC SIG website, and the initiation of discussions about and solicitation of content for the website.
In addition to the six required positions, supporting positions may be instituted to identify other important responsibilities such as:
- Recording Secretary: to record and file minutes from the annual AGM;
- Publications Distributor: to liaise with the Membership Chair and Publications Editor to send out each issue of the TC SIG publication(s);
- Website Editor: to design and maintain the TC SIG website, and to initiate discussions about and solicit content for the website;
- Member-at-Large: to represent the interests of the general membership, conduct projects, and accept duties as assigned by the Coordinator;
- JALT Junior Site Chair: to prepare the JALT Junior site at the annual JALT conference; to take responsibility for the presentation rooms, signs, and equipment; and to liaise with the National Conference Site Chair;
- JALT Junior Program Chair: to prepare the JALT Junior program, to take responsibility for any schedule changes, and to liaise with the National Conference Program Chair and the JALT Junior Site Chair;
- JALT Junior Facilities Chair: to handle the reception desk and any volunteer staff at JALT Junior, to collect presenters' handouts for the post conference edition of the TC SIG publication(s) or to put on the website, and to arrange the bookings and take reservations for any TC SIG party, lunch, etc.
Any number of volunteer officers may work together as a team using titles to reflect this sharing of responsibilities such as Co-Publicity, etc.
8. Membership on committees is open to ordinary SIG members. The chair of each committee, however, must be a member of the TC SIG Executive Board.
II. Nominations, Elections, Vacancies, and Removals
1. Nominations for officers by members in good standing shall be solicited and accepted by the TC SIG Executive Board, either in writing prior to the Annual General Meeting or in person at the meeting.
2. Candidates must acknowledge acceptance of nomination, and provide relevant biographical information at the Annual General Meeting.
3. The Executive Board members shall be empowered to poll the voting members in the form of a primary SIG election in order to determine a slate of officers to be presented as a motion for approval by the Annual General Meeting. There is no limit to the number of officer positions that can be created or shared. Voting members shall be TC SIG Members.
4. If no officer positions are being contested among two or more candidates, the TC SIG Executive Board may present the full slate of officers to the membership at the Annual General Meeting for approval by the members present. If there are contested positions, elections will take place at the Annual General Meeting or prior to the AGM via the Internet, with the results subject to approval by the TC SIG Annual General Meeting.
5. If for any reason an office becomes vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Coordinator, subject to approval by the TC SIG Executive Board.
6. An officer who fails to perform his/her duties under the TC SIG Constitution and Bylaws or the JALT National Executive Board policies may be removed from office by a three-fourths vote of the TC SIG Executive Board.
III. Language
For administrative purposes, the working languages of the TC SIG shall be English and Japanese. All documents, including publications, shall be produced bilingually whenever possible.
IV. Amendments
Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed and carried out in the same manner as constitutional amendments. In addition, these Bylaws may be amended by a three-quarters vote of the TC SIG Executive Board.
V. Management of Meetings
The Coordinator shall recommend procedures for the management of the TC SIG Executive Board and the Annual General Meeting. In case of objections to such recommendations, the Executive Board members present shall discuss and agree upon rules and procedures to manage the meeting, consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws.
Ratified at the TC SIG AGM November 23rd, 2007