Business is built on relationships. In this class, you will improve your English conversation and writing skills needed to develop those meaningful business relationships, building a work-life based on integrity, community, and authenticity. Class includes interactive activities focusing on workplace communication and review of case studies to sharpen business communication skills.

In this class you will: 

• Collaborate with other students to create group presentations
• Build advanced workplace vocabulary
• Read about companies and their leaders
• Listen to and analyze real interviews, presentations, and phone calls 
• Review case studies of actual workplace issues.

Our online classes consist of a pre-assignment, independent coursework, and final assignment, as well as live online class sessions with your teacher/other au pairs. Credit for J-1 visa students is 36 hours. Students earning J-1 visa credit must attend all sessions and complete all homework.

Students will receive a pre-assignment one week before class begins. Other independent coursework can be completed at your leisure before the deadline one week after online class ends. 

Wendy Trach has been teaching ESL/English for over eleven years.  In addition to teaching Learning Across America courses at BMCC, she teaches in the Language Immersion Program at a CUNY school in Brooklyn during the week.  She holds a bachelor's degree in English and mass communication from the University of Florida, a master's degree in English education from Queens College, and a Cambridge University CELTA certificate.  Wendy loves working with students and exploring language, literature, culture, and life.  

Food has a way of transporting us back to a place or to the company of someone special, reminding us who we are and where we are from. Food triggers memories of family, friends, and moments in our past.

Bring your best - or worst - food memories and even those kitchen mishaps with you to class. We will discuss recipes, books, movies, and of course, cookbooks, and what we can do to savor the food experiences that we have had. Come prepared to share your stories and to laugh.

Each student will create a short cookbook of recipes that have a special place in your memory, which will then go into a class cookbook. The cookbook project will be a showcase of your collective families, friends, countries, cultures and places that influence you.

SCHEDULE
(Times below listed in Eastern Time.
Click here for more details.)

Class meets online
Friday 10am–1pm
Saturday 10am–1pm
Sunday 10am–1pm

 

 

Your course will consist of a pre-assignment, independent coursework and final assignment as well as live online class sessions with your teacher/other au pairs. Credit for J-1 visa students is 36 hours. Students earning J-1 visa credit must attend all sessions and complete all homework.

You will receive details on how to log in to your online class sessions one day before the start of the course. Once the final online class session has concluded, you will have one week to submit your independent coursework and final assignment to your teacher.

Students are required to be present during all live online class sessions. However, your independent coursework can be completed at your leisure before the deadline one week after your online class ends. We wanted to create flexibility in completion as we know many au pairs now have increased work hours due to COVID-19.

If you have any questions at this time, please email us at learningacrossamerica@bmcc.cuny.edu. Please continue to stay safe.
 

Andrea Seiger, author of 111 Places in Washington, DC You Must Not Miss, is an educator and world traveler who has lived in Washington DC for 31 years. She has lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has traveled thousands of miles on the Mayan Route of Mexico. Ms. Seiger loves to road trip around the Mid-Atlantic US and beyond.

Harnessing the Power of Creativity: The Practice of Looking

During the past year, people have spent more time in their homes than ever before. Travel has been severely limited, cultural events are reduced or on pause, and we see fewer people for less time. These circumstances might tempt you to retreat onto your couch and wait for the world to reopen.

What if instead of looking outside of your surroundings for inspiration and new experiences, you had the tools to deeply connect with where you are? What could these skills add to your daily life, to your relationships, to your future education and career? Using fun and creative exercises, this class gives students the tools to feel more connected and see the wonder of the world more deeply wherever they are.

Students do not need to be experienced artists or have special art supplies to enjoy this class. 

Our online classes consist of a pre-assignment, independent coursework, and final assignment, as well as live online class sessions with your teacher/other au pairs. Credit for J-1 visa students is 36 hours. Students earning J-1 visa credit must attend all sessions and complete all homework.

Students will receive a pre-assignment one week before class begins. Other independent coursework can be completed at your leisure before the deadline one week after online class ends. 

Andrea Seiger, author of 111 Places in Washington, DC You Must Not Miss, is an educator and world traveler who has lived in Washington DC for 33 years. As a writer and creator, Andrea is deeply committed to the importance of travel and curiosity. She has lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has traveled thousands of miles on the Mayan Route of Mexico. 

Language, Identity, and the Right to Be Different: Making the Most of Your Cultural Tool-Kit

Our individual “culture” is something that we all have and can draw from. Sometimes it can feel limiting, while other times it can be expansive and exciting.

Keep reading for more information or click here to sign up.

Our multilingualism and the elements of our background that inform character and perspective can be considered part of our “Cultural Tool-Kit,” or the equipment we have to navigate through life.

This course will address the issues of language and identity. Your class will include a translation activity that highlights the remarkable benefits of speaking more than one language, and a brief writing exercise that will ask each student to share their own cultural autobiography.

ONLINE SCHEDULE
(Times below listed in Eastern Time.
Click here for more details about your time zone.)

Class meets online
Thursday: 6:30pm–9:30pm
Friday: 6:30pm–9:30pm
Saturday: 10am–1pm

 

 

 

 

 

Requirements

Please note that your pre-assignment will be emailed to you one week before your first online class session. You will receive details on how to log-in to your online class sessions one day before the start of the course.

Once the final online class session has concluded, you will have one week to submit your independent coursework and final assignment to your teacher.

Students are required to be present during all live online class sessions. However, your independent coursework can be completed at your leisure before the deadline one week after your online class ends. We wanted to create flexibility in completion as we know many au pairs now have increased work hours due to COVID-19.

Students who require their certificate sooner than outlined above should request their final assignment in advance by contacting BMCC at learningacrossamerica@bmcc.cuny.edu. Please note that BMCC needs two days from the date a student submits their final assignment to issue an educational certificate.

If you have any questions at this time, please email us at learningacrossamerica@bmcc.cuny.edu. Please continue to stay safe.
 

About your instructor: Mariusz Galczynski is an education researcher and specialist in multicultural and international education. Although he has traversed the globe to present his scholarly work, he is proud to call Miami home. By day, he works as a secondary English Language Arts teacher at a high school in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. Outside of the classroom, he loves to explore the best of what Miami has to offer: its tropical environment, thriving arts scene, and diverse, vibrant communities. (photo by Danny Santiago)

New York has been the setting for thousands of movies. Take a stroll through American culture as you learn more about films you love and are introduced to iconic classic films, too. This course will cover the city’s “melting-pot” reputation, delve into stories of crime, and explore themes of love and friendship. You’ll see clips from diverse films such as Do The Right Thing, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Gangs of New York, Ghostbusters, Sex and The City, When Harry Met Sally, and more.

• Credit for 36 educational hours or 3.6 CEUs (Continuing Education Units).

• There is a pre-assignment for this course. Students will receive their pre-assignment via email one week before the first class.

When you have successfully completed the course and final project, you will obtain a certificate showing you have earned credit for 36 hours.

In order to receive any credit, you MUST attend all classes, complete all assignments. Please make sure, before you sign up, that you are available on all three class dates.

Once the final online class session has concluded, you will have one week to submit your independent coursework and final assignment to your teacher.

Students are required to be present during all live online class sessions. However, your independent coursework can be completed at your leisure before the deadline one week after your online class ends. We wanted to create flexibility in completion as we know many au pairs now have increased work hours due to COVID-19.

If you have any questions at this time, please email us at aupair@bmcc.cuny.edu. Please continue to stay safe.

 

For English as second language learners.

This course covers three major areas that help you achieve confidence and success: Presentation Skills, Speaking Techniques, and Pronunciation. Classes focus on a combination of skills needed to enhance your business and your personal lives.  

Interview Strategies

• Do you freeze when you are asked: “Tell me about yourself” during an interview?
• What is Really Listening? Are you too nervous to Really Listen?
• How do you answer awkward questions?
• What questions can, and should, you ask?
• Telephone interviews; ZOOM interviews. How are they different from face-to-face interviews?

Speaking Techniques

• Pronunciation: Are certain sounds, words, or combinations of words difficult to say? Does the last word of your sentence get lost?
• Projection: Are you asked to repeat yourself when you order something? Can people hear you easily?

Presentation Skills

• Most people fear giving Public Presentations. Do you?
• Learn various techniques to overcome your specific fear of speaking.
• Learn types of breathing to relax; breathing to energize.

Past Pronunciation Students with Elizabeth have said:

"Improving my pronunciation in English will always be exciting for me, because in this way I will be able to make myself understood better in this country. I corrected many words that I always said wrong and that fills me with satisfaction."

"The teacher was really nice and helpful."

"I really liked that everyone was so kind and open minded. Elizabeth is so patient and if we didn’t understand something she repeated it multiple times."

Your course will consist of a pre-assignment, independent coursework and final assignment as well as live online class sessions with your teacher/other au pairs. Credit for J-1 visa students is 36 hours. Students earning J-1 visa credit must attend all sessions and complete all homework.