Students who register for the English Conversation Program (ECP) also have the opportunity to apply to be part of the Language Improvement Track (LIT). LIT is student-to-student teaching and is for students who are interested in developing their English speaking and listening skills and who are interested in teaching language and interpersonal skills.
Students will be put into groups with a facilitator who leads speaking and pronunciation activities, guided conversations and small speaking assignments. LIT group sessions are more like small language workshops, where students can focus on expressing themselves clearly, compellingly and confidently.
Fill out the interest form to learn more and get updates about the application.
Why should students be part of LIT?
- Meet someone new! Many LIT participants and facilitators really enjoy getting to know a student from a different culture and enjoy the personal connections that are made.
- Intercultural communication. Learn how to communicate across different cultures from a lens of appreciation and fascination.
- Completely free. LIT and ECP are both supported by the Office of International Affairs’ Global Engagement program.
Those who participate in LIT can join as participants or facilitators. If you choose to be a participant, there are many benefits, including:
- Structured language development. Each LIT meeting has a lesson plan, speaking activities and homework.
- Spoken English fluency. We focus on the different elements of fluency to be more comprehensible and effective when communicating in spoken English.
- Autonomous learning strategies. Each lesson includes methods and exercises you can use every day to meet your language goals.
- Self-expression. College is an important time to explore and express your ideas, opinions and life experiences. We wish to create spaces where participants can feel free to explore who they are in a second language.
- Authentic learning materials. Our lesson plans use television sitcoms, famous speeches, movie clips and your own stories and opinions. We believe language is best learned in real moments using real objects, not textbooks.
As facilitators, students also gain myriad benefits and skills:
- Teaching experience. Many LIT facilitators use this experience and lesson plans to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), locally or abroad.
- No experience necessary. All of our lesson plans are easy to follow and facilitate. Our student leadership team and program director will be with you if you have any questions.
- Low time commitment. We ask that you commit to a two-hour meeting every two weeks to meet with your group five times a semester. There is no grading and no lesson planning. You only need to review our lesson plan and be prepared.
- Social learning. We believe that language is a community effort. We learn by the successes and mistakes of our group members.
- Communication skills. Many facilitators comment on how much they have learned about spoken English and how much their communication skills have developed.
- Applied improv. There are many fun speaking activities that are based on improv theatre games and traditional ESL teaching practices. We learn to communicate with our whole presence, not just our words.
- Signed certificate. LIT facilitators will receive a certificate signed by the Office of International Affairs and the ECP program director.
- The joy of teaching. Facilitate the “aha” moments for your students. Experience giving without return, extreme patience, and extremely enthusiastic and grateful students.
What is the process to join?
Once registration closes at the beginning of autumn and spring semester, facilitators will post the times of the week they are available, and participants choose one of those times to commit to. LIT groups include two to three participants and one facilitator. They will meet every two weeks at the same time.
Once the groups are finalized, facilitators will begin to present lesson plans. There are five LIT lesson plans that include videos and/or descriptions of:
- Lecture on fluency and pronunciation
- Speaking assignments
- Homework
- Culture conversation topics
- Speaking and listening games and exercises
The lesson plans are available on Carmen, not graded or for credit and are designed specifically for Ohio State students to better express themselves on and off campus.
Participant expectations
- An ideal LIT participant is an enthusiastic, open-minded English-language learner who is not afraid of taking risks and is committed to improving their spoken English skills
- Be a full-time Ohio State student
- Attend the mandatory orientation at the beginning of each semester to familiarize yourself with the program and with your group
- Communicate effectively with your facilitator and group members, responding to all messages
- Review your lesson plan before meeting with your group and come prepared. You may have to have a speaking exercise ready (e.g. tell a story, recite a famous speech, etc.).
- Give everyone a chance to speak. We have small groups of participants for a reason. Encourage and support others in your group to improve their language as well.
- Attend as many ECP events as possible
- Come prepared to share. Be curious. Ask questions!
- Actively participate in group meetings. Some of the exercises will push your comfort zone. Please take advantage of this opportunity to express yourself in a new way.
Facilitator expectations
- An ideal LIT Facilitator is a friendly, patient and dedicated person who is interested in teaching language
- Be a full-time Ohio State student
- Be a fluent speaker of English. You do not need to be an American student.
- Be committed. We ask you to commit to the speaking exercises designed to challenge everyone’s comfort zones, which will allow you to experiment with your communication methods. The more you reveal and drop your guard, the more your participants can too.
- Communicate effectively with your group members, responding to all messages
- Review your lesson plan before meeting with your group and try to accomplish all lectures, speaking activities and assignments during your meeting. (Usually takes 1.5 – 1.75 hours. Feel free to go longer if you want)
- Log group activity on Carmen. We need to know if your group met and would love feedback on the lessons.
- Create one lesson plan with another facilitator by the end of the semester
- Attend as many ECP events as possible