Conversation Socials improve English skills

Twenty people crowded in the room to discuss the topic written on the whiteboard: Family Vacations.

The people were divided into groups consisting of half native English speakers and half non-native English speakers and the halting conversation began.

This hour-long weekly meeting, known as a conversation social, is meant to help international visitors learn English, said Emily Gilliland, director of the meetings.

Jin Ping Ni, a visiting researcher from China in engineering, said, “This is very cool for the foreigner to learn English.”

Gilliland said she started these weekly meetings because of the need for international visitors to learn better English.

“I lived in Japan for a little while and taught free English classes and loved it. Then, when I taught English 2010, I had international students who said it was hard to practice English outside of class,” she said. “I’d heard of other schools doing it, so I decided to try.”

The people that attend range in nationality from German to Saudi Arabian to Korean.

The room got louder as conversations started up. Camping trips were discussed, as was the adjustment Ni faced when he moved from a city of 8 million people, heavy traffic and back-to-back buildings to the smaller, more spread out Logan.

Visiting professor in the College of Business, Wei Jin Du, said, “It’s very helpful for me. Emily is very kind and works very hard. It’s good for international students to practice English.”

Cami Knight, and English teaching major, said, “It’s fun to meet different people and get to know about different cultures and backgrounds. I’m an English as a second language (ESL) teacher, and when these people have the opportunity to communicate in casual conversation, it really helps language skills.”

The conversation socials, which are sponsored by the Writing Center, are open to anyone and take place every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Ray B. West Room 214.

-dilewis@cc.usu.edu