CP2 Ayerim

I met with my conversation partner on tuesday and we had a really interesting conversation about his religion and reasons why he came to study in American. He pretty much gave up his life in Saudi Arabia to come here with his sister so she can work on her masters. Women are not allowed to travel alone and her dad refused to come to American so he ask/told him to come with her.
Sometimes during our talks, I can sense frustration because he doesn't know enough vocabulary and I don't always understand what he says. I too get frustrated because I feel like I can't fully comprehend his ideas and thoughts and I am missing out on what he has to say. I think in our next session I am going to talk to him about different ways he would like me to help him better his speaking. I also haven't asked his permission to correct his speaking errors. So stay tuned, and we'll see how our talk goes!

Nikolas-CP2

On Tuesday during the Tea-Time, I met with my conversation partner Majed again, because it is easier for him after his classes to meet with me. Because weather was good, we sat outside and talked. First some introduction and talk about Spring-Break (I have not seen him since before it). Both of us stayed home and did nothing, although he played tennis again. After that I wanted to know more about his English level and classes at CIES. He is Level 2 reading and Level 1 conversation, although his English is better than beginner level, so I am not sure why. It is hard for him to read English sometime, so we might work on that. He says he plans to study for 1 year with CIES until he applies to the master programme in Kentucky, so he has much time to become better. His brother studies also in same programme, but is very advanced and in Level 8 (the highest, he tells me). We talked also about our academic plans a little. He is interested some in my German cultural backround, as it less familiar to him as America. He surprised me that he knew a little about some things there now, but it was his uncle who had worked there briefly told him. He told me he also wants me to correct him. For example he said "all your parents" when he meant "both parents" and I had to tell him, that use is not correct. He is also in my Tutor group, but not with us the first time, so informed him about that. Unfortunately no one appeared on Wednesday for it (probably the weather).

Nikolas-CO1

On Monday I observed the intermediate reading class of Marilyn Sohan. The class was before the lunch-break, so 11:00-11:50. The teacher let me introduce myself, but otherwise, I sat in back of room and wrote notes, so I was not involved in activities. First the teacher started and asked what the students did on weekend. They were not very enthusiastic, so she explained that she went to Renaissance Fair and then had to explain what that was to students. Next the students were to read for 10 minutes in class. They read all a book that they chose outside of class and record in reading-log every time they read, then hand them in. Although it was not clear first why to do this in class, it is apparently to make sure they actually read! Next started the scaffolding. The teacher reviewed Blooms Taxonomy with the students from the textbook and asked them questions. This gave backround to analyise text. Then she read a Tallahassee Democrat article about Florida Caverns Park. The students underlined new words and then discussed with partner. The most important words for everyday conversation (not specialist terms like "stalacmite"), she wrote on board. Then students had 2 minutes to discuss meaning. The class would then discuss definitions as class, but the time was over and lunch break started, so they planned to do it on Tuesday. I wanted to observe reading class to give me ideas for my reading lessonplan, which it did. I liked the way she structured the article reading and class. First introduction, then backround material from textbook and then apply in class and in groups. The 10-minute reading I did not use in my lessonplan, and I am not sure I would use that often, but it was still interesting idea.

CP-2

I met with my partner Ahmed for the second time yesterday. We discussed how our weeks went, and he told me that he had just taken his GRE. He got a 980, when a score of 1000 was needed, and he was trying to see if they would let him through with his score, or he would have to retake it.

I remember telling him of when I was in Ecuador and my friends family gave me Ginny Pig, and didn't tell me until I was halfway through the meal. I looked up, and clearly saw that they expected me to spit the food out and act disgusted. Unfortunately for them, that doesn't bother me in the least, and just shrugged and finished my food. I tried to explain to Ahmed what a Ginny Pig was the best i could, "kinda like a hamster" and we could not find it in his translator.

I think I was extremely hungry, due to my not having eaten, and the conversation quickly focused to food. My stomach was growling, as Ahmed described some of the food they eat in Baghdad. Shaved lamb on flat pita like bread sometimes mixed with hummus, tomato and lettuce was a common food in Iraq. Actually that sounds really good right now...gotta cut this short I just remembered I have some Naan bread and hummus in the fridge.

TP-1

Last week I met with my tutoring group for the 1st time. My group consists of my conversation partner Ahmed, Matar (who was sick and had to go rest shortly after our introduction), and Kaled. We introduced ourselves, and I asked them what their greatest difficulty was in their English learning. Pronunciation and vocabulary were the unanimous answers, so for our next lesson I am planning to make a small vocabulary list for them to go over. The rest of the session consisted of the three of us discussing differences in culture, and how many people are stuck within their limited view of the world, constricted by perspectives. It was actually quite an interesting conversation, and I found myself impressed with their ability to express themselves in a language they had no fully mastered. Often times I regret that I wasn't exposed to the learning of a foreign language at a younger age.

Marina - CO1

Yesterday I observed Olga Gamash's Intermediate-Advanced listening class. To my pleasant surprise, she also speaks Russian so most of our conversation took place in our native language.

The entire class ran for approximately 50 minutes, in a very relaxed and friendly environment. The students knew each other well and were mostly grouped (naturally I'm assuming) with others of their own culture (Koreans with Koreans and Middle Eastern with Middle Eastern). There was plenty of teacher-student and student-student interaction, especially because the activity that they were going over required everyone's participation.

In the beginning of class, Olga asked everyone to take out their notes from the class before about the video interviews that they watched and asked to share what everyone wrote down. Some students had more information to share than others, most likely due to slightly differing levels of listening skills but sharing information engaged students to participate with each other.

While students give their responses, Olga also added what they had to say to their notes, I'm guessing to later somehow assess them on their responses and see if they're paying attention.

The main materials that were used for the class are the video, notes, and the book given to the students in class in a form of a binder. I think it's helpful that the textbooks come in that format because students can take notes directly in it, thus making it more organized and interactive.

Overall, I think Olga did a successful job at teaching the listening portion of class and interacting with students in a way that put them at ease. I think that in an environment in which the student feels comfortable is the one in which they will be more productive.

Overall, I learned how to teach listening skills, something that will be beneficial to me since one of my tutoring partners lacks in that area so now I have a better idea of how to help him.

Marina - TP1

Yesterday, I met with Dongsoek for a tutoring session for the first time.

Since he doesn't have a cell phone, we arranged to meet at the lounge at CIES at 3pm, on which he successfully followed through. He then introduced me to Jia, another student from South Korea that I will be tutoring starting next week because she could not meet with me this past Monday.

When I met Dongsoek, he told me that his main difficulties in English is pronunciation, speaking, and listening when others speak English. Sometimes he has difficulty understanding what others say to him but what I noticed that he writes everything down on his notepad and asks for clarification on the spelling and pronunciation, which I think is a very good strategy at conquering colloquial speech.

During our tutoring session, I helped him with his essay in terms of organization and the use of articles. He seemed very confused on how to use them, since they are not used in Korean language. Since this was a difficult part for me when I started learning English (in Russian we do not use articles either), I wrote it down for him in a more visual diagram with explanations. As we went through his essay, he began to notice the pattern of when to use either definite or indefinite ones and by the very end, he began to correct them all on his own.

I think for my next lesson with him, I'll come up with a listening activity, such as a news article with a video that would be simple enough for him to understand but he can also start getting used to listening English speech and hear the way some words are pronounced.

Marina - TP1

Marina - CP2

Last Sunday I met with Fatih again at Strozier. When I asked him to meet me at the library he didn't exactly know where it was so I showed him around campus a little bit just so he has some sort of direction around the school.

We spent about an hour at the library talking. He was telling me about his TOEFL exam the day before and said he didn't think he did so well on the listening portion of the exam. I asked him why and he said that sometimes he can't understand Americans when they speak so I told him that with more practice, he'll begin to understand things more.

He also said that if he doesn't get over 80 on his TOEFL, Fulbright will reject his scholarship and he will have to go back to Turkey for graduate school.

After I thought about what he had told me, I began to realize how difficult it must be to learn a language at such an age. I consider myself lucky to have achieved complete fluency by the time I was in middle school and not have to deal with the indirect consequences of learning a language, such as self-esteem/confidence issues, being afraid to speak in fear of being judged, and other such little intricacies that can tremendously impede on one's learning abilities.

So hopefully, with more practice, he'll be able to learn the language better in a short period of time.

Ayerim - CP1

Last week, I met with my conversation partner for some Starbucks coffee. His name is Amer and is from Saudi Arabia. He is 21 and moved to Tallahassee with his sister a couple of months ago. Before that, they were living in Washington State. I thought that was quit the polar opposite move to come to Florida. I asked him many question about how likes Tallahassee which led to a good conversation about more topics regarding current life events. I would say that overall, Amer can communicate effectively and I can understand him very well. There were a few times where he was unsure of the correct pronunciation of words, but he gave it a go and some times it would take me a minute to figure out what he was trying to say. An example of this would be when he was trying to tell me that he lived by Governor's Square and completely butchered the name.

It was a very interesting first meet and I look forward to the rest of our sessions!

Katie- CP 2

My CP has been applying to different MS programs all over America. Different places like Utah or Wyoming are obviously still in America but probably have a different culture within our culture. When my CP started asking me about the way people lived in those states I was not exactly sure how to answer him. We started googling different terms that were related and looked at pictures and we discussed some differences we saw as well as some we thought we could safely assume to exist. I think that he is more focused on the school and the program , but he was just curious about what his life might be like once he moves. After chatting about that for sometime we returned some of his emails, followed up on a few relationships he has been building with different professors. We ended with an eye opening conversation about recreational drugs and prescription medications in America v. those in Turkey. I challenged him with the reality of our justice system using my background in Criminology and found myself learning the harsher laws regarding drug use/ the sale of drugs in Turkey. Shockingly, what I learned as common and normal is far from that in his country.

Betty J. CP 2

Having a conversation partner takes great concentration for me. I am used to hearing children speak and not correcting them constantly. I often hear adults speaking in different languages or with distinctive accents and idioms, but I am not asked to correct what they say. My CP wants me to correct whatever she says that is not correctly pronounced or stated in proper English, so I have to listen carefully and remember to correct her even after she makes the same mistake several times. She thoughtfully and quietly repeats the correction to herself.

My CP is preparing to take parts of the GRE and brought a book from her last English course. She wanted to read it to me and have me help her practice answering the questions in the book as she will on the GRE. She needs help with pronunciation and understanding English terms. So much I take for granted she does not understand as there is not a reference in her language, such as “dating.” Her husband comes to the sessions and he discussed with us. They did not “date” as their marriage was arranged. So much we have to learn.

Betty J. CP1

March 22, 2011

What a joy to have a conversation partner. Her name is Anwar and she is from Saudi Arabia. For several months I have been learning about Middle Eastern culture, since I traveled to Kuwait and am looking for a job there. My husband tells me about learning from a man’s perspective being invited to dewaniyas. A dewaniya is a gathering of men discussing business. The women there generally are not invited, so I am finally learning about a woman’s life.

Anwar has a Master’s degree in financial mathematics. We could not be more mismatched in our professional backgrounds. She wants to learn to speak English more proficiently, so she can converse with international colleagues when she completes her Ph.D.

Anwar and her husband have a nineteen month old son which is my favorite age child. She had questions about his development of language. She says he no longer uses Arabic words and she is concerned that he will forget his native language. I was able to help her understand that he is using his “new” language words and not saying his Arabic words, as he learns to “fit in” at his new school. He will not forget if she keeps saying them to him. I was able to suggest ways she and her husband could promote his Arabic and English language. Children who hear more than one language lag behind American development standards as young children, but are bilingual by Kindergarten if they continue to hear both languages.

I wish people in the United States would learn more than one language as they grow up as people in other countries do. I look forward to helping Anwar and learning from her.

Marina - CP1

Last Tuesday I met my new conversation partner Fatih Aktas during Tea Time at CIES. He's a student at the CIES, looking to study comparative education here in the United States on the Fulbright Scholarship. From our lovely conversation, I found out that he is still trying to improve his English and take the TOEFL exam to get into the three schools of his choice. He has already graduated from a university in Turkey and now looking to go into the academia life here in the United States.

To my surprise, his English langauge skills were much better than what I expected. From the emails, his writing seemed decent for someone who just moved here form Turkey two weeks ago. However, his verbal skills are just as advanced. I could clearly understand what he was telling me, of course with some minor errors.

It also came as a surprise to me that he has been to Russian for a political science seminar through his university, so he was very curious to learn more about my own culture and my acquisition and deep interest in foreign languages and cultures.

I'm looking forward to meeting with him again and introducing him more to the American culture here in Tallahassee.

Jacqi CP 1

So meeting my partner was a very interesting experience. I have never had a conversation partner before so I guess I was expecting someone who was going to be really horrible at English. I just kept remembering what my experiences had been like with Arabic and I know that even now after studying it for two years I probably wouldn't be as good as Alaa is with English in just two short weeks. It was quite a shock to realize that the person I had been communicating with on the phone over the past couple days had only been studying English for such a short time. Talking with him was actually very relaxing and I didn't feel much anxiety about talking to another person from another culture. It was helpful that I am a Middle Eastern Studies major so it gave us something to talk about. His wife is in the program as well and I was able to meet her and she was adorable. I guess my advice for everyone else with there conversation partner is to spend some time on the internet if you don't know much about where they are from. I found that they were quite appreciative that I was somewhat knowledgeable about their culture and history.

Nikolas-CP1

On Tuesday I met with my conversation partner during the Tea Hour. His name is Majed Alharbi and he is from Saudi-Arabia. The first time was time to learn to know each other, so not so much English practice yet. Majed comes from ar-Riyadh (the Saudi capital), when I correctly remember, and studies his master for business and plans to study at University of Western Kentucky. He comes to CIES to improve his English. He has been with CIES 2 weeks, but was in Tallahassee longer. He has studied English since the middle school and can speak good, although he needs time to think about his words. He thinks that his English is bad, but many language learners have this opinion, porbably because own progress harder to notice in head, because he focuses on negative. I try to correct him when it is possible too because he asks me for this help. We discussed our future plans for studies and after. He found that I have family from Germany interesting and mentioned that a relative worked several years in Hamburg. We spoke about hobbies and I found out he likes to play soccer (both here and in his homeland) and has played tennis couple times at FSU. I mention I like to watch World Cup when it comes, but cannot play sport good. We were both confused why soccer is not called "football" in America, but another different sport! He hopes to meet more after his Spring Break.

Tyler-CP1

I met with my conversation partner for the first time today, his name is Ahmed Hussien. I always enjoy meeting people from completely different backgrounds than myself, so I enjoyed speaking with him (despite the noise level in the lounge). Ahmed is from Baghdad, Iraq, and graduated 1st in his university class, and was offered a full scholarship to travel to America to study. Like of heard about many other of the foreign language students here at CIES, Ahmed excels in math, and science, but has trouble with his listening and speaking skills. Hopefully through our conversations we can change that.

We both asked plenty of questions of each other in an attempt to break the ice, and find common ground. Various topics covered included; music, culture, and video games. When deciding where we should meet for our next conversation, Ahmed asked me if I enjoyed smoking sheesha (flavored tobacco smoked from a hookah). I do, and seeing neither of us are terribly familiar with places to go in Tallahassee, we agreed to meet at a local hookah bar. I enjoyed our meeting, and look forward to becoming friends, and learning from my conversation partner.

Katie-CP 1

As you all know, I have been meeting with my conversation partner for some time now, and we have grown to have concern over the important things in each other’s lives.  My conversation partner is from Turkey and is at FSU studying at CIES to improve his English skills. It is necessary for him to raise is TOEFL score to receive an acceptance to a graduate program in the department of Geological Science. He, after excelling in two different internships back in Turkey, was offered a job with a major company there. Instead, he chose to apply for a full ride fellowship to study abroad in the United States and pursue higher education. The application process was an examination similar to the GRE and he was one of six out of thousands to receive this fellowship. During our first meeting until today, we have been studying for the GRE (which he took 2/23) and TOEFL, sending emails to department leaders, setting up meetings with professors and working vigorously on his Statement of Purpose, all part of the process of trying to get him into grad school so he can continue his education and eventually work for his benefactor. We have done skits to practice meeting these professors, recorded speeches to help him learn when to pause and how to formulate his ideas in a conversation, and I am trying to help him understand the basics of communicating for example like to say “It’s a pleasure meeting you”. I am excited and hopeful at this point anticipating an acceptance. Today, we finished his purpose statement and wrote a few follow up emails.  Tomorrow I will practice teaching my grammar lesson, this way I can really understand the accuracy ( or lack thereof) of what I composed.