
Melissa Myers
Senior Lecturer
Join the English Language Support Office’s Speaking Groups Program as a participant or facilitator to make meaningful connections across campus in weekly small group discussions. Scroll down for Fall 2023 key dates and links to participant and facilitator applications!
Questions about the ELSO Speaking Groups Program may be sent to the ELSO email account.
Do you like working with multilingual and international students and learning from others with different life experiences? Have you traveled abroad or are planning to? Are you interested in learning about other cultures? Join the English Language Support Office’s Speaking Groups Program this semester as a Discussion Facilitator! Read on to learn more.
What does a facilitator do? Facilitators commit for 8-weeks of a semester to help lead and organize small weekly 1-hour or 30-minute discussions (you pick!) with international graduate students. This program brings together multilingual international students and scholars and fluent English speaking members of the Cornell community for language support and conversations about culture, academic interests, and campus life.
What are the requirements to be a facilitator? To be a facilitator, you need to be a Cornell undergraduate student, staff member, graduate student, post-doc, alumni, retiree, or faculty, should be fluent in English and have knowledge of US culture. The group participants are multilingual domestic and international graduate students from diverse programs, diverse linguistic backgrounds, and at diverse points in their graduate careers. The goal is to improve English speaking skills while making meaningful connections across campus in weekly small group discussions.
When do groups meet? Facilitators determine a one-hour or 30-minute time slot for their group to meet each week, post it to our sign-up system with their bio after an initial orientation, and then participants select a group slot that fits their schedule once the Group Sign-up Period begins.
How do I sign-up? If you are interested in becoming a facilitator, you will need to:
Are you looking for more opportunities to speak English? Do you want engage in cross-cultural conversations with others and become more confident speaking English?
Join the English Language Support Office’s Speaking Groups Program! All multilingual domestic or international graduate or professional students, on the Ithaca campus or at Cornell Tech, are welcome to apply.
What is the Speaking Groups Program? In this program, you meet with a small group of graduate multilingual students and a fluent English speaking volunteer from the Cornell community for informal conversations about culture, academic interests, and campus life. The goal is to improve English speaking skills while making meaningful connections across campus in weekly small group discussions.
When do groups meet? During the Group Sign-up period, participants select a group to join that fits with their schedule. Groups meet for one-hour or 30-minutes a week over 8-weeks during the semester. Zoom, hybrid, and in-person groups will be available.
How do I sign-up? To join this program as a participant, you will need to:
For any questions or concerns, email the ELSO Speaking Services Coordinator Melissa Myers by clicking here.