Gladys Garcia –
Before writing this post, I was watching the new ad from an English language school which challenges people to speak English over the phone, after seeing “Intermediate English” in their résumés. Many of them could not understand the interviewer or even speak a word of English. That got me thinking about our intermediate level students, the real intermediate ones, especially when they reach the intermediate plateau. The intermediate plateau is a level in which our students can understand and be understood in most situations in English. It is a challenge to get past this plateau and many language learners just do not do so. Let’s think about possible reasons why they get stuck at this level.
First of all, it is important to understand what can be holding their progress. Maybe they do not know how to study. Analyze their studying strategies and check which ones can be improved or changed. Do they cover the four skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing)? How could each skill be improved? Let’s take the listening skill, for example. Listening is considered a passive skill; however, this is not entirely true. In order to develop this skill it is necessary to take an active role. Therefore, how they listen to podcasts, interviews, videos, movies, etc is important. Ask them some questions, such as: Do you write down words, expressions you do not know? Do you repeat sentences in order to practice pronunciation, rhythm, intonation? Do you watch videos with subtitles? All this material can be used not only for listening comprehension but also for speaking and writing. It is possible to make a summary of what they have seen or heard, either talking or writing about it.
Another important thing to be done is to set clear goals. Students usually fail to reach a higher level because they do not know exactly where they should get to. Help your students set achievable goals. Start by writing them down. Setting goals can also help students track their own progress.
Something I have experienced at the university is that many students do not reach a higher level simply because they get into a comfort zone. The level of English they have acquired is enough for them to do what they need (or so they think). If that is the case, show them that it is possible to improve their skills. Motivate them as to show that “good enough” is not good enough. They can fly higher.
In summary, if you want to encourage your students to reach a higher level, help them find the best learning strategies, and motivate them so they can get out of the comfort zone. What I am trying to point out here is the importance of going beyond what is being done now, as your students might be stuck in a plateau. It depends mostly on their efforts, but you can guide them through this journey.
