New Brandeis students help teach English to staff

Students who are learning to teach English are tutoring people trying to learn English. An excellent combination which helps both sides. DP

By Jeff Gilbride/Daily News staff, GateHouse News Service

WALTHAM — Joana Maciel spent her lunch break Monday mapping out how Brandeis University junior Dara Yaffe can help her improve her English.

Maciel is a cafeteria worker and immigrant from Brazil.

``I've been involved with this for three months,'' Maciel said. ``They help me with verbs because I'm so bad at speaking verbs and reading and writing them.''

The Framingham resident said she's been living in the U.S. for 15 years but her English pronunciation has improved greatly in the last few months thanks to the program.

She is one of 25 people enrolled in the Brandeis English Language Learning Initiative. The program pairs Brandeis student with cafeteria and facilities workers at the college.

There are approximately 60 student tutors involved in the program this year. The first session of the semester was held Monday.

The Brandeis employees are tutored between two and five times per week.

``They send me e-mails with exercises for me to do,'' she said. ``I think it's a very nice program.'
Tutors, which are volunteers, attend a 90-minute training session before the sessions start for the year. English as a Second Language teachers are brought onto the campus near the start the semester and students are trained in different techniques to teach English.
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