July 18, 2013 - 7:52am
Vancouver Island University English Language Centre instructor Liz Astill is using a fun and tasty exercise to help students learn to speak English.
Astill’s Advanced Communications 3 class is holding a cookie sale on July 22 and 23 at the Nanaimo campus to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders, a charitable organization that works in nearly 70 countries providing medical aid to those who most in need.
“I wanted to give students in my Communications class a real project to work on while they are practicing their listening and speaking skills,” said Astill. “It’s a pilot project based on a similar activity I saw at another university. Getting students involved in a fun activity like a cookie sale is proving to be an effective way to teach them English.”
Astill gave her class the choice of eight charities and as a group they selected Doctors without Borders as the beneficiary of their fundraiser. Now, as a team, they are approaching students, faculty and home-stay families and asking for volunteers to bake cookies for the event.
Student Stefan Peng said planning the cookie sale is a fun and educational way to practise his English skills. “This is my first time abroad,” said Peng, who is from China. “I am glad we are learning English this way. It’s more fun than sitting in a classroom with a text book.”
Stefano Agnesi from Italy is pleased proceeds from the cookie sale will be going to Doctors Without Borders because he aspires to become a medical doctor himself.
Once the 14-week Advanced Communications class is over, Agnesi will return to Italy to finish studying while Peng hopes to enrol in VIU’s Culinary Arts program in September.
VIU currently has 380 students registered in English as a second language classes at the Nanaimo campus in lower to advanced levels. Astill said approximately 80 per cent of those students will remain in Nanaimo and enrol in first-year university classes. The remainder typically return to their home countries after short-term English classes.
The cookie sale (by donation) takes place July 22 and 23 on the Nanaimo campus, downstairs in Building 255 (International Education) and outside the upper cafeteria from 11 am to 2 pm. The students hope fellow students, staff and faculty and anyone else on campus will support their efforts.
-30-
ABOUT VIU: Vancouver Island University is Canada’s west coast university. Known as a centre of excellence for teaching, learning and applied research, VIU offers a diverse range of certificate, diploma and undergraduate and master degree programs to more than 18,000 students on campuses in Nanaimo, Powell River and Cowichan, and at the Parksville-Qualicum Centre. For more information visit www.viu.ca
Media Contact
Janina Stajic, Manager, Communications and Public Engagement, Vancouver Island University P: 250.740.6288 E: Communications@viu.ca Twitter: @VIUNews
Tags: In the Community
