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WHO IS YOUR CONVERSATION PARTNER?
Many of our students are planning to
enter a U.S. university when their English is sufficient. Others are
here for business or personal reasons.The majority of our students are
from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Venezuela and other South American countries.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THIS PROGRAM?
This program gives students a chance
to practice English outside of class in an informal setting. The emphasis
is on increasing their fluency, not on correcting errors. It allows
them to meet Americans and learn about American culture and customs.
The volunteer can also learn about another culture. It's also possible
to participate in a language exchange where you will spend half the
time speaking English and the other half speaking the student's language.
WHEN WILL I BE MATCHED WITH MY
CONVERSATION PARTNER?
WESLI has six two month sessions a
year. If you are looking for a conversation partner from Japan, Korea,
or Taiwan, you will almost never wait. However, we have very few students
from Europe. Also, there are always more Americans who want to be matched
with Spanish speaking students, so you may have to wait a session or
two to receive a partner. Matches are made for the first four weeks
of each session. You may have to wait a couple of weeks for a partner
because sometimes it takes students a while to sign up.
HOW WILL I BE MATCHED WITH MY PARTNER?
All students complete a short application
in which they give their name, age, level, length of stay, hobbies,
and preference for a female or male conversation partner. Matches are
based on information from the students and the partners. First, consideration
is given to satisfy the requests women have to be matched with women.
Then students of roughly similar maturity levels are matched. If you're
interested in meeting with a student of a certain ability, I can try
to fill that request. If you have any special needs and requests I will
try to meet them. Please let me know!
WHAT DOES BEING A CONVERSATION
PARTNER MEAN?
You should meet with your student for
at least one hour a week for the length of a session (two months). If
you are participating in a language exchange, you will speak English
for one hour and the student's language for one hour. You need to clarify
these terms during your first appointment. Some people meet once per
week and others meet twice per week; it's up to the two of you to decide
what fits your schedules. However, it's very important to separate the
two languages! You must initiate contact with your conversation partner
and set up a meeting time. Usually, it works best if you plan on meeting
at the same time and place every week. This step eliminates confusion
for both you and the WESLI student.
It is important to remember that the
first few times you meet with your conversation partner, it might be
difficult because you are meeting with a stranger. Find common experiences
by talking about your families, hometowns, exchanging pictures, or travel
stories about when you studied abroad. If you have any questions or
problems once you have started meeting please contact Macari Orozco,
Student Services Coordinator, at activities@wesli.com.
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