Piedmont’s English Conversation Circle

Marlie Soderquist, staff writer

Non-native English speakers at Piedmont Virginia Community College should consider dropping by the Writing Center Lab (M627) on Tuesday or Wednesday nights.

Professor Jennifer Koster and tutors from the Writing Center meet for the English Conversation Circle from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and 5-6 p.m. on Wednesdays to help non-native English speakers feel more comfortable when discussing the English language with their peers.

“We started ECC (English Conversation Circle) in summer 2016 to provide our non-native English speakers an opportunity to practice conversing. Many non-native speakers have studied English in their home countries and are able to understand it when they read. However, it is difficult to understand native English speakers because of the rate of their speech, their accents, and their idiom usage [such as, “Oh, that’s a piece of cake!”]. ECC is designed to help them learn some vocabulary and practice speaking so that they can keep up in their classes, but also has the effect of making students feel more comfortable on campus, like they’re a part of the community,” Professor Koster explains.

Piedmont’s student population has many non-native English speakers, and there are many resources for them on campus. The ECC is another way to make them feel accepted, learn about American culture, and meet other non-native English speakers.
The ECC allows English speaking students to attend as well. Professor Koster emphasizes that native English speakers benefit just as much as non-native speakers from the circles. “Learning about other cultures has been fascinating for us. We’ve learned about how other cultures organize or view time, perspectives on our education system, and aspects of our lives that are unusual to outsiders,” she said. The turnout for the circle has not been large and students are encouraged to come out.

There are different themes each week such as “Enjoying Money,” “What do you think?” and “Getting around.” The themes act as a starting point to each session and are the basis of a long list of questions that can be discussed that night.
For those that have attended the circles, the impact has been great and just what Professor Koster was hoping for.