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Increasingly Diverse Student Body Brings New Energy to ESL Program
Spring quarter’s ESL program at Riverside campus commences this week welcoming new international students from Venezuela, Moldova, Spain, India, Vietnam, and some other East Asian countries. The diverse culture represented has brought new energy to the program.
Currently, Olivet’s ESL program offers five different levels of class from beginner to level 1 thru 4. New students are required to take a language placement exam upon arrival in order to determine their English proficiency level and then enroll in the appropriate ESL class. As students continue to improve their English skills and advance to the next level, they will eventually be ready for college degree and masters programs.
Though cultures in the East and the West are fundamentally different, English is the common language that brings people together. Olivet’s ESL program continues to maintain a strong emphasis on cultural immersion and interactive learning. In this quarter, students will be asked to write field trip proposals. Teachers and peers will then vote to determine the location of visit together.
“It is this type of creative and interactive learning that all ESL students enjoy the most,” said one student from ESL beginner class.
Extracurricular activities and field trips are designed for students to familiarize themselves with American culture, history, geography and local customs. All language level classes are encouraged to participate. San Deigo Mission Beach, bible-based Creation Museum, historical Carlsbad, Temecula Old Town, Leo Carrillo Historical Ranch Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Whitewater Preserve and Santa Rosa Plateau are some of the places ESL students have visited in the past.
Experiential activities such as fresh garden food taste test, communication game, hot topic debate, role play and team-building game have also been taking place in ESL classrooms.
Besides, Olivet’s ESL program is seeking to hire more teachers to serve the increasingly diverse international body. Mr. Daniel Cross is the newest faculty member at the program. Mr. Cross has a master degree in Education from California State Fullerton and recently returned from South Korea after teaching for 8 years there. He adds his expertise to the collective decade of experience that the other ESL teachers hold.
For Olivet’s ESL program, the Spring quarter opens with much excitement. It looks forward to serving the brand new students from around the world.
