Picture this: you’ve left your home country, possibly for the first time, and landed in small town Nova Scotia. You don’t natively speak the English language, and you may have never seen the Acadia University campus aside from photographs. It’s an experience that many of Acadia’s EAP (English for Academic Purposes) students would find familiar.
In the EAP program, international students improve their English skills prior to beginning their undergraduate- or graduate-level studies at Acadia. Most EAP students will spend between 2-3 terms (6-9 months) in the program. However, academic success for any student goes beyond learning the language. In order to succeed in their academic careers, students need to feel welcome and comfortable in their new environment.
To this end, we provide Culture Class. During Orientation Week and weekly throughout the term, students join together to participate in enjoyable and authentic activities that foster a sense of community and help them appreciate what Canada has to offer. In this edition of the Open Acadia blog, EAP instructor and Culture Class coordinator Chad Warren shares his insights on the student experience, easing students in their transition, and what we’ve learned from student participation.
Orientation Week
Initially arriving at a university is a disorienting experience for any student, but having some degree of language barrier further complicates matters. Orientation Week in EAP focuses on helping students get situated at Acadia.
Activities lean towards getting students accustomed to the lay of the land, both geographically and culturally. “A big focus is our understanding that students will encounter culture shock. It’s an inevitability,” Chad explains. Establishing a foundation and getting students rooted in a sense of place is an important starting point. “We want to give them awareness about experiencing culture shock, and equip them with the tools to address it when it occurs.” Students are guided through routine university enrolment matters like getting their ID’s and computer accounts, and they tour the Acadia campus and the surrounding town of Wolfville with their EAP instructors.
“Recently, we’ve stopped going to Halifax in the first week, in order to focus more on the local environment,” Chad says. Campus, the gym, banks, grocery stores, restaurants – it’s important to share the basics. Orientation Week activities now extend to the first day of classes, and include accessible discussion on local laws and everyday norms: everything from recycling and composting to acceptable places to smoke.
Culture Class
Chad (second from left) and several EAP students pose in front of the famous Peggy's Cove lighthouse. Photos courtesy of Chris Van den Broeck.
After the activities of Orientation Week, Culture Class switches to its regular weekly schedule. Throughout the term, the tenets of the class remain the same: providing an engaging, enjoyable experience that gives students a chance to mingle and practice their language skills in a real-world context. Culture Class also brings together students from all different levels of EAP, such as those just beginning their study of academic English (EAP 250, 500) and those on the cusp of beginning full-time study (EAP 3000).
“One of the best things about it is that people mix culture and language levels,” Chad explains. The class is just as much about students exchanging their own cultures with each other as it is about diving into Canadian culture. “As time wears on, Culture Class becomes less about culture shock, and more about providing students a venue to mix. Students who may have trouble making friends in a new environment like university find Culture Class to be extremely helpful.”
But what actually happens in Culture Class? Anything from pot luck dinners to trips to Peggy’s Cove to paintball to a local shopping trip capped off with a movie. A hike to Cape Split has become a Culture Class favourite. The walk is a long, challenging, and rewarding nature trail that leads to a picturesque view of the rocky shores of the Bay of Fundy. Afterwards, students and teachers start a driftwood bonfire on the nearby beach and enjoy a barbecued meal. “For me, the Cape Split trips embody the best of Culture Class. Students are exploring the local area, enjoying the outdoors and exercising, they’re socializing, and of course we end with good food.”
It may not sound much like a ‘class’ in the traditional sense – there are no tests, after all. But, as Chad points out, it would be wrong to assert there’s no academic value. “Culture Class feeds back into the academic world. The relationships that students build are important, and students often find themselves using the language strategies they’ve learned in our academic English classes in the real world of Culture Class.” It’s also a matter of practice makes perfect. “Practicality breeds remembrance. Learning English has to go beyond the classroom and textbook.”
Expect the Unexpected
Over the course of the EAP terms, the students and instructors get to know one another, and there are always surprises. “There’s often the perception of Canada being a very cold, barren place. However, even in a province like Nova Scotia, which has relatively mild temperatures, students tend to underestimate winter. A lot of students don’t know what to expect, and we sometimes need to suggest weather-appropriate clothes like toques and mittens.”
There’s more to it than the seasons, though. Many EAP students come from very urban backgrounds, and some of their most memorable experiences come from interacting with nature, in the occasionally rustic setting the Annapolis Valley provides. “The Cape Split trip is another great example. Having a bonfire on the beach wouldn’t be something new for a lot of Maritimers. We may take it for granted as an experience. But for many of our students, especially those that come from large cities, putting together a fire with driftwood on the beach is this really different experience. When we’re doing something that’s just completely unknown to someone, even if it’s a simple pleasure, Culture Class can be a magic act.”
Mixing it Up
Chad prepares lobster during an EAP potluck.
Although not everyone is fond of Canadian winter, our very pronounced seasons make for fantastic opportunities. The fall is an impressive time in the Annapolis Valley, with multi-coloured leaves on full display, and students enjoy harvest activities like apple picking and corn mazes. As autumn gives way to winter, students take part in skiing and snowshoeing on the local hills. Throughout the year, flexibility is the key.
“Culture Class used to be on a more rigid Friday schedule,” Chad explains. Over time, this has changed to better meet student needs, and to open up additional opportunities. “We’ve tried to be flexible in both days, times, and the breadth of activities we offer.” Culture Class increasingly encompasses the exchange of the students’ own cultures, from participation in the local Korean cultural festival to parties to celebrate the breaking of the fast.
“Food is universal, like language or culture. It’s become a common thread through many of our activities.” Each term now starts with a potluck dinner where students will express their own culture and be introduced to others’, including local culture. In true Nova Scotia fashion, the kitchen proves to be a great place to bond, and provides a surprisingly good opportunity to practice English in a casual, everyday setting.
Looking Forward
Chad and his fellow EAP instructors are driven to keep improving the experience. “Students will always surprise you with new ideas,” he says. “We want to keep up the rhythm, and encourage student participation. We’ve ended up doing a few things I wouldn’t have considered on my own.” Recent events have mixed ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, such as a trip to the Grand-Pre historic site which ended in another barbeque, this time on the shores of Evangeline Beach. Events of cultural significance to students are explored and shared, and food continues to be a great starting point. In recent months, Culture Class members made dumplings to celebrate Chinese New Year, and they’ll soon experiment with kimchi for the first time.
Overall, Culture Class has been a continual learning experience, for both the students and the teachers. “I’ve learned so much from my students, not just about their cultures, but about my own. When you have to look at Acadia and your own culture to try to share it with someone else, sometimes what you find can be a bit surprising.”
