Conversation Partners: Breaking Down Barriers
Written by Karl Hennen
Tomāto, tomäto?
Regardless of the word used for a certain red crop, UH Hilo’s Conversation Partner Program invites students to uncover exciting worlds while rediscovering theirs, without the expense of bank-breaking plane tickets. It only requires an open heart and mouth— a sentiment championed by the English Language Institute (ELI), which oversees the program.
Beginning in 2001, the ELI has since assisted international students aspiring to develop their second – or third, even fourth – language reach college-level standards. Among the ELI’s top priorities is making the campus a support network for pupils abroad. At the same time, it hopes to foster academic distinction and provide individual encouragement. Julie Mowrer, Director of the ELI, finds that mission a continuous inspiration to wake up for work.
Mowrers wants international, non-native speakers to feel ready about taking on their day too. Whether pupils spend it studying, listening, or communicating with peers and faculty members, the ELI hopes to offer a guiding hand.
“When students enter the university, they take a placement assessment in reading, writing, grammar and listening and are placed at levels in each skill– intermediate, high-intermediate or advanced,” she tells ALEX through online correspondence. “Students are allowed to also take 100-level courses while finishing their ESL courses, but we make recommendations based on their level of courses that they can succeed in. Some courses are more linguistically challenging than others, so students might be able to work on their math requirements successfully while still improving their writing skills. We collaborate to varying degrees with other campuses within the UH-system.”
For non-native speaking students, the benefits are immediate. The environments created by the ELI are completely immersive, where applied learning opportunities leap from classrooms – in the form of speaking, reading, and writing – and beyond.
“This semester we’re running an experimental course that is Language & Culture through Community Engagement,” Mowrers explains. “The idea is that students can learn about several topics within American culture and then go out into the community to interact with people involved in that topic.” She cites her international pupils’ exposure to the culturally-varied subject of animal welfare as one such case.
“Next weekend the students are going to the Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary and volunteer some time working with the animals and understanding the concept of a ‘no kill’ animal shelter. We’ve always considered ourselves to be informants of American culture, but now we’re giving students a way to really talk about cultural differences in a meaningful way.”
The applied learning gained from experiences like those above could spark dialogues between student-and-student and culture-and-culture across the campus. It’s a big reason why the ELI’s former Director, Pam Collins, started the Conversation Partner Program in 2011 before stepping down last year.
Under the Program, non-native speakers can enjoy meeting local volunteers within a relaxed, comfortable setting. The latter, in turn, broaden their minds to unique languages and ways of life. Both encounter worlds beyond their own. In a process as simple as getting together over food or drink to chat, local and international students can exchange viewpoints and practice intercultural communication. Neither party has to be an expert in their native tongue. The few qualifications for a good time are compassion, a sense of humor, patience, and openness to differences. Mowrers posits the outcomes for students are priceless.
“In today’s society and job market, it is imperative that students have some global awareness,” she writes. “One of my volunteers from last year just told me that she has decided to do a study abroad to Japan as a result of having such great experiences as a conversation partner in our program. Another student said that he and his partner still keep in touch after one went back to his native country. This feedback is incredibly rewarding for me, because this type of learning will stay with them for their entire lives.”
The most surprising aspect of the Conversation Partner Program? Just how much learning is done on either side!
Local volunteers expecting to help international students with English may be shocked how much they mutually discover— about others and themselves. According to Mowrers, the transformational effect of the program – during which assumptions and stereotypes are often challenged – for everyone involved stands as its greatest accomplishment.
“There are loads of stereotypes about Americans and an equal number about other cultures,” she contends. “Human nature is such that we are drawn to those that seem similar to us, so many people will not naturally reach out to those who are different. [The Conversation Partner Program] is a way to throw people together and create a reason for those barriers to be broken.”
With experiences of the Conversation Partner Program under their belts, U.H. Hilo students can become great friends. At the very least they may better appreciate cultural diversity in preparation for the workforce. Whatever the world they end up in, Mowrers believes it will be a little (or a lot) bigger and brighter to boot.
Julie Mowrer is the Director of the English Language Institute at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Please contact jmowrer@hawaii.edu or call (808) 932-7015 for more information.
