Penpals
Internationalization Initiative Pen Pal Project (variation on Speed Culturing)
Speed Culturing contact: Cameron Bynum, cameron.bynum@pcc.edu
to help other classes connect with yours!
What is the Pen Pal Project?
Like Speed Culturing, the Pen Pal Project enables students from ESOL and non-ESOL courses to engage in intercultural communication giving students a global perspective to course content. The instructors of the paired courses require and facilitate a regular exchange of letters between their students during the term.
Why get involved?
Through the regular exchange of pen pal letters PCC students in both the ESOL and non-ESOL courses will be able to identify similarities and differences between their two cultures and communities of origin and develop a deeper sense of our global interconnectedness.
Students in the ESOL course will apply informal letter writing conventions to effectively communicate personal information using standard written English grammar and level-appropriate vocabulary. At the same time, they will gain a sense of belonging to PCC culture and students beyond the ESOL Program.
Students in the non-ESOL course will get to know another country and culture through the letters of a pen pal from that country and culture. Additional objectives for students in non-ESOL courses will vary by discipline and course but could include understanding another culture’s ideas of success, standards of beauty or religious practices.