LANGUAGE SKILLS FROM AMERICA TO TOMSK

The meeting of the English Conversation Club was attended by a guest from America, headmaster of Fairfield College Preparatory School in Connecticut Thomas Smiskey.

Meeting with a native speaker was a great opportunity for the students to practice English and learn more about the United States by asking questions, such as about the differences in life in America and Russia, education peculiarities, and more.

"Talking to someone from another country can change the way you think about that country. For example, with Thomas we talked about cities in the United States. For me, America was associated mostly with Los Angeles and New York (celebrities, noise and parties), and today we learned more about Boston and Chicago, which, despite their more peaceful lifestyle, may well be just as full of history and interesting for tourists and residents of the States", — says Pauline Kharkiv, a member of the club and a student of institute of the Foreign languages and international cooperation (FLIC).

According to the club moderator, Vera Valerievna Golubeva, deputy director for educational work at FLIC, Thomas will be a regular guest of the club. The guest himself said kind words about the meeting at the TSPU:

"One of the advantages of such meetings for me is the opportunity to get to know the students, their life in Russia, — Thomas said. — I think it's always better for them to hear native speakers. In many countries, people learn English, but here, in Russia, people usually learn British. I can hear a little British accent in everyone, so maybe hearing the American version is not a bad change."

The TSPU students, members of the conversation club, are happy to have the opportunity to talk to native speakers, which the university provides. Such dialogue allows them to immerse themselves in the culture of another country, adopt foreign language experiences, and expand their vocabulary. Students also work with native speakers as part of the Chinese conversation club. Students also plan to meet with their British colleagues in the next semester.