Acquisition
A good level of language proficiency corresponds to the ability to successfully communicate in the target language and speak about something in a suitable, precise, and purposeful way. Comprehension and the ability to convey your message is a more critical aspects of good language proficiency than the success of using correct grammatical structures and complex speech patterns. Fluency in a language should involve expressing one’s thoughts simply and accurately, orally and in writing, as well as understanding written and spoken language. That is, a person should not experience difficulties communicating in a foreign language, but this does not mean that his speech must necessarily be perfect.
A person must be able to convey thoughts to interlocutors to be understood accurately. However, this does not mean being aware of everything in the world. Consequently, interpretation and, the ability to express one’s own thoughts and goals, and the ability to discuss meaning to eradicate misunderstanding are the main aspects of communication in a foreign language.
Fluency in a language also implies several mental skills. Feeling and perception – there are no learning systems here; both are natural. The memory on which all teaching programs used until the mid-20th century, such as memorization and reproduction, were based—the logic required to create cognitive connections in the rules of language systems. Imagination allows you to overcome the limitations of the mind and feelings (you can “see” mentally and imagine). Relying on imagination increases learning opportunities tenfold compared to the previous level. It is barely beginning to be used in modern teaching—finally, intuition, which is predicted to become the foundation of future education.
Language knowledge and skills are acquired through exposure to the eyes and ears of a person – reading and listening to speech or communication. The subconscious processes words and phrases coming to the senses, creating a unique mental representation in a person. Previously, languages were treated as a language system with a set of rules, and communicating the structure of this system was the primary function of learning. However, several political, social, and economic reasons determined the shift in emphasis from the language system as the main object of learning to speech and human behavior (Dewaele et al. 2128).
The conceptual apparatus of the language is revealed in new teaching methods focused either on vocabulary, syntax, or grammar. These methods make it possible to show not only the informative function of the language but also the cognitive one. In this regard, much depends on the quality of information entered by students and their abilities. The construction of general mental representations of the language, based on communication processes, allows you to prepare students better to understand a foreign language while still using traditional methods of reading and listening.
Development takes place in different ways depending on the approaches chosen. Vocabulary-based processes give the fastest but most superficial results without a deep understanding of the language. The methods of physical response, audiolingual approach, and reading allow to fill the student’s vocabulary quickly; however, the primary methods are memorization and imitation (Gabryś-Barker and Gałajda 44). The structure of the language system is formed based on many examples and exceptions, and, as a rule, this is sufficient for students with low language proficiency requirements. Negative consequences for the language class can manifest themselves if there is a significant gap in the capabilities and needs of the students themselves.
Grammar and syntactic techniques contribute to a deeper understanding of the language, with the proper competence of the teacher. Results are achieved much more slowly, but they have a solid foundation of understanding the rules, which subsequently forms competent speech. However, communication-oriented approaches, which are vital in the modern understanding of language acquisition, are less common in this methodology. This broader and deeper approach is well suited for a language class in which the motives and abilities of the students are unknown. The order of development with this approach is of two types: either the structural and grammatical phenomena are studied as they appear in the text, or the necessary models for processing are included in the educational material.
World language lessons are aimed at creating an understanding of languages, but at the same time, they must keep the bar, provoking positive changes in students. The educational process and content of the lesson must be 95 percent or more apparent to the student to stay afloat and assimilate new material (Zhang and Xu para. 3). The student must also develop the ability to be understandable, which is essential in any communication process.
The linguistic consciousness of the native language is formed spontaneously. However, this base allows students to build on it the consciousness of a foreign language. The relationship between the two systems of languages is included in the student’s mind not at the level of laws and rules but at the level of meanings and signs. The teacher needs to establish this connection between form and substance. The correct formation of cognitive learning processes will allow consolidation of the successful practices of students. It will make it easier for them to learn any other language systems or knowledge in principle.
The new comprehension input tasks had a definite impact on me, as I felt that they were fantastic in my class. Any changes will take time to create a new habit and you may also face conflicts and setbacks at first. I will gain this experience regardless of the performance indicators since the theory already contains many advantages that make it possible to simplify the teacher’s life and help students learn a new language. In addition, the manner of presentation seems to be more valuable and pleasant for the students. Finally, the need for teaching communication skills is taken into account, which, in my opinion, are key regardless of the chosen method of teaching a foreign language.
The idea that resonated is that all the materials I will use in class with my students need to be understandable to ninety-five percent. I have been teaching for three years, and I thought that giving materials 100% in the target language was enough to give students input. Now that I need to add to these ideas 95% of all these materials that need to be comprehensible for me as a language educator is coming to make sense when I see my students’ faces when sometimes they do not understand what I am saying in the target language.
They and I feel frustrated and make the class environment tenser. As a language student who could not understand all the materials in my language classes, I always felt frustrated with the classes, and sometimes, I wanted to give up. However, discovering new promising techniques that take communication, learning and organization of the educational process to a new level, I am determined to try everything at the earliest opportunity.
Comprehension
Approaches based on grammatical and syntactic study are aimed, in a particular case, at teaching the use of an isolated structural pattern in a limited context, in other words, rules. In linguistic approaches, the thought processes of understanding specific words from which understanding is born play a role. Regardless of the approach taken, however, reading and listening are critical input skills, and speaking and writing are vital outputs. The context causes the memorization of rules, and approaches to vocabulary lead to the memorization of words; however, consolidation occurs precisely in such conditions. In such a situation, the teacher should introduce materials that at least 80% consist of familiar words so that the student feels confident and can guess the meaning of new words from the context.
Assessment
Grading performance is vital because proficiency communicates what students can do with the target language and communicates their final grades. Grades, corresponding to personalization within the educational process, must be accompanied by specific descriptive characteristics and always explained by the teacher if the student wishes. In this case, the emphasis should be on positive results to not destroy the student’s motivation. Ongoing grades help keep the student in good shape, and if the results are positive, they signal success, thereby inciting them to new heights. In addition, the participation of students in the direct creation of lesson materials improves the perception of the educational environment, within which it is comfortable to gain knowledge.
Mastery-based assessment allows more time and, as a result, flexibility for the direct educational process, partly eliminating the competitive aspect within the group of students. A scoring system with a minimum threshold for passing always runs the risk of doing a disservice to the student who does not want to strain. I liked this technique because it, in essence, orients students towards personal growth, excluding laziness and the desire to achieve results with a minimum of effort. It can be achieved by standardizing headings and dividing study objectives into smaller and more accessible ones. Students will have more responsibility, but this will make them less worried about it.
Grades reflect student performance by measuring what students do and know. They should be objective on the scale of the working group and reflect the actual knowledge of the student’s language at this stage of study and in the context of the material covered. The results can be influenced by various factors that allow for the possibility of underestimation due to errors due to inattention, distraction, or failure. However, assessments should be dynamic, as the educational process is not a static phenomenon. Grades reflect the learner’s “story” and highlight their strengths and weaknesses, but at the same time, grades do not force action on their own. The subjective perception of each assessment may differ, which confirms the lack of a call to action function.
For me, the most challenging aspect of implementing a learning-based grading system is student failure to complete class assignments. Inability to complete the work carries with it the need to give the lowest grade. However, there is always the opportunity to consult with the teacher to fill the knowledge gap in the classroom ultimately. In addition, weekly estimates are introduced into the system, which will create a dynamic effect that is easier to track over a distance.
One of the benefits of learning-based assessment is that stakeholders and learners will benefit from accurate information about what learners can do in the target language when performing in the classroom based on language proficiency. Another benefit of learning-based assessment is that it eliminates the need for teachers to give all grades.
I use language proficiency assessment to assess three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational, but my final grade is imprecise as I also measure productive activity, which provides additional information about my students’ personal lives. Such a partially subjective assessment makes it possible to understand each student better to determine the vector of his interests and abilities for the different educational processes but opens up opportunities for personalization.
It is necessary to create a dependent grading model so that 25% of the productivity items subtracted from the overall grade do not affect student performance. According to my school’s grading system, grades are divided into two parts: mastery (75%) and productivity (25%). I scored every action we took in the class as a performance score. Since I want to keep the grading system in school, I am thinking of the following grades for the next academic year: Proficiency: Interpretive / 50 percent listening and reading skills. Speaking and writing make up 25% of the presentation method of communication. Formative Productivity Assessments: A free in-class writing diary allows students to assess themselves and reflect using topical rubrics; however, only the completion grade will be recorded in the grade book: 25%.
Classroom productivity and homework assignments should be graded for additional feedback only and should not affect student grades. It is these descriptive characteristics that are collected to convey additional information to students and stakeholders. Actual knowledge at this study stage is much more important for understanding the possibility of moving on to the next course of study.
Works Cited
Dewaele, Jean-Marc, et al. “The Flowering of Positive Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching and Acquisition Research.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 10, 2019, pp. 1-13.
Gabryś-Barker, Danuta, and Dagmara Gałajda, eds. Positive Psychology Perspectives on Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, 2016.
Zhang, Zhiwu, and Jinfen Xu. “Book Review: Positive Psychology in Second and Foreign Language Education.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021, pp. 1-2.