Cypris Chat is a virtual world community aimed at helping English learners practice speaking and improve their language skills through immersive social interactions. The platform, created in Second Life, offers a unique environment where members can engage with diverse cultures and individuals while having fun and reducing the pressures of traditional language learning. Founded in 2008, Cypris Chat promotes active participation and communication, encouraging users to share experiences and learn collaboratively.

1. “Learning should be a way of life instead of a struggle to achieve”
-- Mike McKay / Professor Merryman

2. WHAT IS VIRTUAL WORLD LANGUAGE LEARNING?
“An online multiplayer environment used for engaging students in active realistic learning otherwise
not possible in a traditional classroom.” - Mike McKay
Diner Role Play Second Life + Moodle = SLOODLE
“Cypris Chat helped me pass my teacher’s exam.” – Kazy Dover, Chiba Japan
“I passed my UBELT exam. Thank you Cypris.” – Lio Lombardia, Bulgaria
“I passed pre-intermediate English.” - Lora Tachikawa, Poland

3. HOW CAN I PRACTICE SPEAKING ENGLISH? MEET THE WORLD.
Yuki Yamashita Lisa Marbach
• Anonymous name
• University student
• Mistakes are ok
• Lives in Japan • She can feel relaxed
• She can dress
• Has never been abroad
however she likes
• Has never really spoken to • She can meet friends
a foreigner around the world
• She can visit many
• She wants to learn about places and talk to
world cultures and speak foreigners
to foreigners in English. • She can come and
She knows it will help her go 24 hours a day 7
get a job. days a week
• IT’S FREE!
Virtual worlds give students the chance to explore, create, and experiment.
“Educationalists need to embrace the idea that
environment and interaction are inseparable.”
-- Simon Bignell

4. WHAT IS SECOND LIFE ? TM
Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual community created entirely
by its membership. Members assume an identity and take up residence
in Second Life, creating a customized avatar, or personage, to
represent themselves. The avatar moves about in the virtual world
using mouse control and intuitive keyboard buttons. – Wise Geek
“It's a bit like The Matrix. We provide the land, and the community
builds the actual world, which gives everyone a huge sense of being
pioneers in a great experiment.”
--Philip Rosedale, Second Life Creator

5. WHY DO WE NEED IT?
VIRTUAL WORLD LANGUAGE LEARNING
It relieves some of the pressure to achieve results, and makes acquisition of the language
meaningful and rewarding. Students have freedom to live in the language.
Limited time to practice Pressured to perform A need for accomplishment
One of the greatest disasters of the Japanese English education system is the lack of
speaking and listening practice. But with the ever looming “Entrance Exams,” it’s
always a question of how?
-- Zach Price, Hyogo Times

6. WHAT IS CYPRIS CHAT?
Cypris Chat is a virtual world English learning community. Our purpose is to provide English
learners with the opportunity to practice speaking English with people from around the world.
Park
Community
Center
Cypris Village III
"As a researcher and instructor in Cypris, I have found no better place to try out new lesson
plans and meet interesting, motivated learners from around the world."
-- DukeVan Acker (Jean-Paul Duquette, Kansai Gaidai University)

7. MISSION AND PRINCIPLES
Our Mission
We strive to provide an educational yet fun and interesting environment for English learning and teaching.
Our members have the chance to be part of a living community surrounded by others who are learning,
teaching or simply interested in speaking English with people from around the world. We believe learning
should be a way of life instead of a struggle to achieve.
Our 4 Principles
Share Respect
After joining our family, members should find Second Life is very different from real life, but
ways to share what they have learned or done it is real for many of us. We all come from
in Second Life. Tell us where you have been, different cultures, different backgrounds and
what you have seen. Show us your safe toys, with different reasons for spending time in SL.
clothes, avatars and gadgets. Sharing We might not understand each other but we
promotes communication. both have the same goal, to learn or teach.
Be Active
Respond
Speak. Talk. Ask questions. Say something.
Share your opinions about Cypris. Let us know
We are not passive learners, we are active! In
what you think. Help us make this community
order to improve, we must practice. To
a better place for you. Your feedback is what
practice we must participate. To participate we
makes Cypris so great. Your opinion matters
must SPEAK! Less text chat and more voice
the most. Help each other with learner/teacher
chat. We are here to help our members
feedback. Communicate mistakes and
improve their ability to communicate in
successes.
English.
"Without rules, we all might as well be up in a tree flinging
our crap at each other" - Red Forman, That 70s Show

8. A TASTE OF WHAT WE DO
Chat Ring Hands Across Sims
12 Speaking Participants (orange chairs) 16 countries holding hands
8 Observers (blue seats) Like Hands Across America

9. A TASTE OF WHAT WE DO
Murder Mystery Halloween Party
Who killed Mr. Jameson? 50 avatars…many countries
Based on Let’s Talk 3 (Cambridge Press) Costume contest, maze, haunted house

10. A TASTE OF WHAT WE DO
Fishing and Chat Thanksgiving
Contest…who can catch the most fish? Dress up in Thanksgiving attire.
Learn about Thanksgiving.

11. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?
You must explore, experiment, and above all…PLAY!
Join http://secondlife.com
Meet and talk to people about what it has to offer.
The world is there waiting to speak with you.
Founded in 2008, Cypris Chat is the largest
international English learning community in
the virtual world. Our purpose is to create
more opportunities for learners to practice
speaking English while meeting and learning
about cultures around the globe.
Visit us in Second Life!
http://cyprischat.org
1. Join Second Life http://secondlife.com
2. Download and install FREE viewer application
3. Open viewer. Log in with avatar name and password
4. Search and teleport to Cypris Village III

12. Thank you!