Yaudel Contino Batista, a Master’s student in Higher Education, English literature and English Teaching as a Foreign Language at the University Jesus Montane Oropesa in Cuba, will spend the next six months as a visiting research student at our Faculty through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Scholar program. 

Mr. Contino Batista decided to come to Canada to conduct research on the teaching of Spanish and English as a second language because that is what he studies and teaches at the University Jesus Montane Oropesa.

He explained that Cuba offers a number of scholarships to students from developing countries to come to Cuban universities to learn Spanish and English, as well as to study education and other disciplines.  Many of his students come from countries such as Angola and Zimbabwe. 

Working with Dr. Liying Cheng, Mr. Contino Batista will conduct research on how to improve the oral communication and reading skills comprehension of higher education students in Cuba.  His aim is to enable his students to read academic articles related to their field of study.  

While studying in Canada, Mr. Contino Batista also plans to improve his English further: “I want my vocabulary and writing style to be current,” he said. Clearly, that is one reason he is enjoying his course on improving the art of teaching with Dr. Jamie Pyper:  

“I’m enjoying the class because the students share ideas related to math and science education.  The teaching methods and technology are very good in Canada.  In Cuba, the university setting is very different.  Access to the Internet is more difficult and there is a different philosophy behind the pedagogy.  It’s very interesting to see the Canadian way.”

So far, it seems Mr. Contino Batista’s greatest challenge has been getting used to the snow. He laughed as he explained: 

“I had never seen snow and it was a really nice experience but sometimes it’s not easy to face it.  When I first arrived, I felt dizzy when walking on the sidewalk.  You just can’t compare the temperature and weather.” 

Having adjusted somewhat to the climate, Mr. Contino Batista “is feeling much better, meeting new people and connecting with Canadian society. He shares a house with some other Queen’s students, who he says have helped him settle in, and he finds it “great to be in constant contact with a lot of students.”  

Mr. Contino Batista also expressed his gratitude to those at the Faculty who have helped him since his arrival:

I felt very good when I arrived here because Sandra McCance [Executive Assistant to the Dean] is a very nice person who welcomed me.  We talked a lot and she offered to help me with anything I needed, introduced me to the Dean and some other people at the Faculty, and showed me the Library and some other places on campus. I want to thank Sandra because she was the person who prepared all of my documents and we were in touch for several months while I applied for my scholarship to come here.  I also would like to thank Liying Cheng for being my supervisor and mentor, and Rebecca Luce-Kapler, Associate Dean Graduate Studies and Research, for welcoming me.

Thanks to Mr. Contino Batista for choosing to come to Queen’s and welcome to our Faculty!
We’re pleased to have you here as a member of our community.