Speaking Group builds more than English skills
International and American Tar Heels in UNC Writing and Learning Center’s weekly meetup also make friends, share culture and learn about resources.
When Ryusei Kimura learned about the UNC Writing and Learning Center’s Speaking Group, he was eager to attend.
The sophomore exchange student’s data science skills were already strong, and he wanted to work on his English.
“In daily life, it is still difficult to find people to talk with,” said Kimura, a Tokyo native. “I have friends, but I can’t talk with them all the time. But here, I can focus on talking to somebody.”
Kimura was one of 20-plus attendees from throughout the University community — undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scholars, postdocs and spouses — striking up conversations with fellow Tar Heels on a mid-November Friday afternoon in the atrium of the FedEx Global Education Center.
These informal weekly meetups — there’s no attendance policy or commitment requirements — are casual in nature but serve multiple purposes.
International and American Tar Heels get to meet new people, exchange culture, practice and receive feedback on their English speaking and learn about University and community resources.
As UNC-Chapel Hill continues to set records in international-student enrollment, the program’s mission is the same as it was when it began in 2010. “We want to give people a sense of community,” said Gigi Taylor, the senior English language and coach specialist at the Writing and Learning Center.
That sense of community leads to results. Students gain confidence in their ability to speak in class and participate in other parts of campus life. Spouses learn about community resources. Participants form bonds with others, even matrimonial ones at least once.
Undergraduate exchange student Ryusei Kimura talks with Marcos Eduardo Gomes do Carmo, a visiting scholar in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’s chemistry department, at the Speaking Group’s weekly meetup on Nov. 14. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
Participating in the Speaking Group “really does boost their confidence going back into their academic worlds,” Taylor said. “This is just a good thing for their social life in the community and their academic success.”
Taylor and colleague Warren Christian give the group different topics each week to guide conversations. One week was about forming deeper connections. Another focused on the U.S. government shutdown. The group also makes occasional field trips to local landmarks like the Carolina Basketball Museum, Ackland Art Museum and YoPo.
Taylor said some of the best conversations she can recall were about different marriage customs across cultures and the role of religion in different countries.
Naturally, these talks devolve into other areas of interest, like one’s academic and career plans or what sort of food they miss the most from home.
Among the group’s regular attendees are speech-language pathology graduate students from the UNC School of Medicine, there to meet people and prepare for their future careers.
“Being able to listen to different dialects, accents and things like that — it’s very critical to our work as clinicians,” first-year graduate student Stacy Thornton said. “Being able to decipher different things and train our ears a little bit.”
Gigi Taylor, the senior English language and coach specialist at the Writing and Learning Center, discusses the day’s topic at the Speaking Group’s weekly meetup on Nov. 14. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
International students also have the chance to work one-on-one with speech-language pathology graduate student Kelly Yang. She gives feedback and tips on improving their speaking skills after having a conversation and listening to them read a passage.
Some of Yang’s advice is easy to get behind. “Watch TV shows. Listen to podcasts,” she said.
Beyond the language skills, the Speaking Group delivers the universal need for connection.
For Kimura, joining the group has helped turn Chapel Hill from just a place into a home.
“I like meeting new people,” he said. “That’s very useful. Also, there are a lot of people from other countries all over the world. It helps me to understand the difference between Japan, the U.S. and other countries. It’s so interesting.”
