Activities & Events – Language Partner Program, Spring 2010
The purpose of the Language Partner Program (LPP) is to pair up native Japanese speakers who wish to improve their English language skills with native English speakers who wish to improve their Japanese language skills, though we have a number of participants with neither Japanese or English as their native language. It is also a great way to know people outside of your classroom.
The first meeting for this semesters’s LPP took place on Friday, January 22 in Azabu Hall. Close to 70 students, both Japanese and international (including some friends from Musashi University), registered and showed up to meet their new language partners. We had snacks prepared for our likely hungry students, and it wasn’t long before we started to get things rolling…
When students were checking in, they were given a colored card and specifically asked not to trade with anyone. 16 groups of combinations of colored cards (for example, two red, one green, 1 blue, etc.) were taped to the whiteboard. Students were instructed to roam the room and find people with corresponding colored cards and try to create groups to match one on the white board, report their group number to the Activities Coordinator, then sit down with their newly formed group.
The idea was to get people interacting with a large number of students in English or Japanese while trying to form their groups. When planning this activity we anticipated it would take a long time for everyone to form their groups, but within ten minutes everyone was already sitting down and happily chatting away with their newfound friends.
After exchanging contact information, students are asked to meet with their new Language Partners at least once a week for language exchange. This can be on campus, in a cafe or restaurant – any place of common interest. Not only can students get practical practice learning their target language, but they can also make some international friends along the way.
If you’re interested in LPP, please come by OSS to find out how to sign up for the next semester!
- David Jones, Student Services Coordinator in OSS
