Six students from around the world meet. What do they have in common? They are all exchange students studying at a U.S. university for a semester. Throughout the semester, they learn more English, learn about U.S. culture, and learn more about their fields of study. This series of Everyday Conversations is about these six students and their experiences during a semester at a university in the U.S. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.
Students (Peter, Ajay and Lucía) discuss the importance of global education.
Lucía: Great news! I just got offered a summer internship with a U.S. research company.
Ajay: That’s awesome. So you’ll stay in the U.S. this summer?
Lucía: No, I’ll be working from my home country.
Ajay: It’s amazing how connected the world is.
Lucía: Yeah, I’m one of 10 summer interns to work for this U.S.-based company. The 10 of us are from 10 different countries, and none of us will be working in the U.S.
Peter: One of my education classes here is focused on global education. It’s important for teachers to prepare students for an interconnected world.
Ajay: I agree. The number of multinational companies continues to rise, and there are global issues that affect everyone in the world.
Lucía: That’s why it’s so important to learn about different cultures.
Peter: We all know firsthand how important that is!
Ajay: It really is. Being immersed in a different culture has expanded my worldview. I feel like I’m now ready to help solve the problems of the world with people from different cultures and countries.
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
Some college students apply for and receive summer internships. A summer internship is a short-term work experience during the summer. It can be paid or unpaid. During the internship, the intern (the person doing the internship) gets an idea of what it is like to work in a particular field.
Global education: education that studies different cultures and countries and the issues that affect them. Through global education, students become more aware of the ways the world is interconnected and how actions impact others.
Interconnected: when two or more things are connected or related to each other.
A multinational company is a company that owns or controls the production of products or services in one or more countries than its home country.
A global issue is an issue or problem that affects people all over the world. Global warming is an example of a global issue.
To know something firsthand is to know it because you have experienced it yourself.
To be immersed in something is to be completely and fully involved in it.
Worldview: the way someone thinks about the world.
Ready to learn more English? Our materials can help.
The American English website offers a variety of free resources for learners and teachers of English. The American English Facebook page posts learning materials for English-language learners daily.
Everyday Conversations are developed by the State Department’s Heidi Howland, a senior program officer in the Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
