Today's topic is Language proficiency. It means that learners' ability to speak or perform with certain kind of language. One of the important things is that "age" is the element that could influence learners' Language proficiency. Take the Intermediate level learners for example:
Ten factors:
1. Cognitive learning processes
-- In this stage, Intermediate level learners start to think automatically. They have the ability to deal with messages they got and the information will stored in their “hard drive”, that means, the brain.
2. The role of the teacher
--Teacher is no longer the only initiator. Students are encouraged to ask questions, make comments and give their opinions. Also, learner-centered work can last longer.
3. Teacher talk
--Most of the teacher's oral production can be sustained at a natural pace, using less of the first language of students (but depends on the situation in class)
--Give ample of opportunities for students to speak
4. Authenticity of language
-- Students become more caught up in grammatical correctness; however, too much emphasis on grammar and accuracy get students away from the track of “real language”.
5. Fluency & accuracy
--For the students in this level, teacher should give students enough exercises like saying or writing a steady flow of language for a short period of time without any self- or other- correction at all. But teacher need to maintain students’ flow with just enough attention to error to keep them growing. Teacher can do some activities like impromptu speech.
6. Student creativity: reception & production
-- For the students in this level, they are more capable of applying their classroom language to unrehearsed situation. They don’t need to repeat after teacher all the time. But sometimes students may have some error such as:
Does John can song?
What means that?
I must to make a lot of money.
Teacher should take this form of creativity as a positive sign of language development and of the internalization of a coherent system. Therefore, students should be encouraged to do some unrehearsed activities in the classroom. Teacher can do some activities like story relay.
7. Techniques
--For intermediate level, the techniques teacher can use are various because students already have increased language capacity. Teacher can use more interactive techniques especially; for example, chain stories, surveys, paired interviews, group problem solving, role plays, storytelling etc.
8. Listening & Speaking goals
--For intermediate level, teachers can set more communicative listening-speaking goals. Students along with the creation of novel utterances can participate in short conversations, ask and answer questions, find alternative ways to convey meaning, solicit information from others.
9. Reading & Writing goals
Reading
-- Teacher can choose articles which are more complex in terms of lengths, grammar, and discourse for students to read.
-- Teacher can train their students to catch the main ideas in a text by using skimming and scanning skills.
Writing
-- Teacher now can help students to develop a longer writing piece with more details.
10. Grammar: Inductive approach
-- Grammar topics now focus on tenses and clauses.
-- When introducing grammar to students, a teacher can use simple and short explanations.
-- At this stage, students may experience a great difficulty in applying grammar rules inappropriately, until teachers share their tips to them.
Activities for Intermediate level learners:
1. Informal debate
--Separate students into two groups of affirmative and negative. Teachers give a topic and the two groups take turns to gives their opinions to defend themselves.
2. “What did you see?” activity
--Teachers have a big picture in the hands, and ask students the question “What did you see?” to make them give their opinions.
3. Story relay
----Teachers give students a topic and the beginning sentence of the story, such as “Once upon a time, there is a beautiful princess living in the woods”. Each student has to continue the story and tries to complete it.
