Building Diverse Communities with Conversation Partner Groups Bringing together English speakers and English language learners

Introduction Pamela Jensen – Teacher ◦ Trainer ◦ Tutor MA in Linguistics and MA in French Contact Information Brookhaven College, DCCCD ESOL Listening/Speaking and French International Conversation Partners Coordinator pjensen@dcccd.edu Vireo Accent Reduction Accent Reduction Language Trainer

International Conversation Partners What can we do to help our ESOL students feel more like part of our community? International Conversation Partners What is it? How does it work? Who are the volunteers? How do I get started? How do I manage/coordinate all the components? What are some of the challenges and benefits? Group Activity Questions

What is Conversation Partners? Program for ESOL students Provides practice outside of class Safe environment Helps them integrate Learn about American Culture Share their culture Volunteers Rewarding Service Learning credit 1st encounter – UNT – teaching methods for ESL Richland College – - Language Exchange

How does it work? 3 to 5 ESOL students 1 to 2 volunteers Same day/time every week Designated meeting place Similar to meeting friends for coffee

Who are the volunteers? Mainstream students Campus staff ESOL teachers Service Learning may be required Want to meet people from other countries Interested in specific language or culture Campus staff Staff Enrichment ESOL teachers Enjoy interacting outside of class Community members Like meeting people from other countries

How do I get started? Students and volunteers choose a time/day Match up the groups Orientation for the volunteers Provide volunteers with student info Provide students with group member names Be present when groups first meet Keep track of group attendance

How do I manage and coordinate all the components? Sign up and registration form/site Building the tracking spread sheet Building the schedule by day (eCalendar) Check-in report Sign-out sheets Tracking attendance Attendance reports to teachers

What are some of the challenges? Volunteers – may not be reliable Student volunteers Community member volunteers ESOL students Some don’t really want to participate Some don’t always show up Groups Some groups may have personality conflicts

What are some of the benefits? Some groups continue to meet remain friends have their own Facebook page Volunteers rewarding sense of accomplishment ESOL students feel more a part of the community

Group Activity You each have an identity of an ESOL student name, nationality, language Age, marital status, how long Additional information Can add or change any of the identity if you prefer In small groups simulate an initial Conversation Partner meeting Volunteer begins by asking get-to-know-you questions Encourages each of the students to participate Usually conversation naturally emerges

Questions? Comments?

Links https://padlet.com/pjensen4/alak13bl6ert http://www.signupgenius.com/ http://tinyurl.com/ICP-ESOL http://tinyurl.com/ICP-VOLUNTEER https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/ http://tinyurl.com/ICP-Check-in