Conversation Partners is a program that pairs students in the Intensive English as a Second Language (IESL) program with more proficient English speaking members of the Michigan Tech community. The program is open to students, faculty and staff. Participants commit to one hour a week of one-on-one informal conversation by signing a contract with the IESL program for one semester. Volunteers are required to meet their partners in public places on campus for a minimum of one hour a week.
IESL is offering this opportunity again for the fall semester—by volunteering, you can make an enormous difference.
How the program works:
- Interested students, faculty and staff members may download and complete a form here.
- IESL matches students with participants. The program makes every effort to match people of the same gender though sometimes this may be difficult. IESL will always check with volunteers before matching them with someone of the opposite gender.
As a partner, your main responsibility is to offer your IESL student conversation practice. At times you may have to explain English language points, but we are not asking you to be an English as a Second Language teacher. The goal is for your conversation partner to have plenty of speaking and listening practice. There are many reasons why you should consider and commit to being a conversation partner, such as the chance to experience a contemporary global landscape, participate in promoting cross-language relations, and the chance to create a potentially rewarding friendship.
The IESL program can provide ideas for your weekly meetings at the program’s preliminary meeting. For questions, contact IESL (iesl@mtu.edu).
Published in Tech Today.