Enhancing English Language Proficiency

1.Maximize Comprehensible Input ( Stephen Krashen):? Focus is on listening to ?and reading anything in English that the student can find : newspapers, magazines, books , radio & TV broadcasts, films, songs poems (including slam poetry), speeches etc. This is great way to gradually internalize the grammar and vocabulary and spirit of a language

2.Adopt a Multi-Skills Approach to Learning: Fully utilize the receptive skills (Reading &Listening) & productive skills (Speaking & Writing) at every opportunity following the dynamic of real- life interactions. ?When ?we listens to a lecture, we need to take notes. And so, too, when we engage in a telephone conversation. Before we write a film or book review, we will need to watch the film & read the book.? To write a synopsis for a research /professional project, we may have to do a great deal of reading or interview experts in the area etc. If language learning activities follow this pattern, students may begin to appreciate the natural integration of skills in real life and be motivated to undertake them more readily.

3.Focus on Communication : Language learning ought not to occur in a vacuum, in decontextualized settings.In every language task, the student needs to have a clear sense of audience and purpose. Who is he writing or speaking to and what is it for? What kind of outcome is he seeking with his act of communication? Has the instructor provided a clear sense of the context ?& specified the nature of the relationship between the writer/ speaker and their audience ? Is the relationship a formal, informal or casual one? ?Is the student applying for a job or a scholarship? Is he seeking funds for a project from a sponsor?? Such details will help the student strike the right tone in terms of register and make appropriate choices in vocabulary, grammatical structures , rhetorical strategies & ?style?

4. Utilize opportunities for Peer Learning; The best learning is always multidirectional: involving ?teachers, ?students,?? members of the community ?& authority figures among others. Students ?can engage with peers not only in face-to-face interactions but also? through the electronic? and social media at home, at school and college, at the workplace and in the mass media.

5. Learn Grammar & Vocabulary in Context. ??Some grounding in basic grammar and vocabulary has its place in ESL & EFL instruction. But the student’s ?command over grammar and vocabulary is likely to ?improve by leaps and bounds if he uses ?every opportunity to utilize all four skills in a variety of formal and informal contexts. It also seems unwise to use different texts for the inculcation of the four language skills. In preparation for a writing task, for instance, students could read a few texts on a topic , “interrogate” the texts as they read ?and ?use their aural -oral skills to ?discuss issues with a course -mate. It is only at the end that they would ?work? on ?the writing task .By that time, it is expected that they would have been exposed to some of the basic lexis ?& grammatical structures needed for the task. These are often repeated in all the texts & used in all the four skills .So we might do well to fully utilize such redundancy.

6. Activate Critical Thinking Skills. The successful language learner must be trained to think on his feet and to express his thoughts in speech and writing. That is why we must expect them to interrogate what they read and hear both in face -to-face interactions and on the media. In this era of fake news, media literacy is vital. They need to be able to indicate to what extent they agree or disagree with what is said and to give reasons for their views. They also need to learn to formulate effective rebuttals for such views. As they move from basic knowledge and understanding of issues to application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation (following Benjamin Bloom's taxonomy) they are likely to ??take ownership of the language and become confident& proficient speakers and writers. This is a work in progress and gets better every day to the extent to which they use the language. This approach worked for me not only with high achievers but, interestingly enough, also with students who seem to be repeatedly failing at fairly low-level English language examinations. It seemed to me that when the bar was raised and the approach changed to expect them to do more and activate ?higher level cognitive skills, they were able to do so

7. Provide Feedback Wherever Possible. ?Most people learn a language to use it to communicate with others. An essential part of communication is the provision of feedback. When you listen to a speaker, you need to indicate to what extent you agree with what is being said. In most cases, you hear him out, let him finish what he has to say, before expressing your views. ?Such feedback greatly facilitates the process of? communication and, in all likelihood, ensures that their respective objectives are met. Many students tend to be passive listeners and often? fail to use the common feedback tokens and therefore remain ineffective participants in that communication. In formal genres of oral communication such as meetings, forums, panel discussions, there is a chairperson or moderator in charge who will try to be fair to all parties involved to ensure that?? all parties get their turn to speak and air their views and that the norms of polite discourse are observed and ?that a balanced and fair debate occurs. In ordinary conversation, each person will have to self-select to speak. This requires strength of character and some measure of confidence. Unfortunately, many students lack these attributes and so stay silent for the most part or just make brief responses. This allows the other party to dominate the conversation and may result in the student not achieving his goals. This is what frequently happens at job interviews and many business leaders have noted that students are often ?unable to use English? effectively? at the workplace.

8. Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Communication. Many researchers have noted that about 70 % of all communication is non-verbal. That while strong verbal skills are important, what is left unsaid or expressed without words may be equally? if not more important. Here we are talking about the body language of the participants, their use of space (proxemics), their posture, their expressions and facial expressions. Also worth paying attention to are the non-verbal vocalizations. the grunts, the “ hmms” the smiles and? laughter. All of these signs can tell us a great deal about the true nature of the communication and the dynamics of power in play and the overall success of the communication for the individual participants and overall.

9. Don’t Let Errors Get in the Way of Your Learning:We need to distinguish between Errors, Mistakes & Lapses. Errors have to do with your competence in the language and are systemic in nature They need to be investigated and resolved through understanding, exposure to the language and actual use through all four skills. Mistakes occur at the performance level and are often due to carelessness.? Most student can learn to self- correct and eliminate them over time through careful editing and revision. Lapses are due to stress and often occur in speech as when you say “ chicken” when you mean “ kitchen”. These can be reduced with ?adequate preparation and ?by taking your time to speak? more carefully, slowly and thoughtfully without any kind of rush.

?10. What You Say Is More Important than How you say It?Four criteria are often used in evaluating a student’s performance in language:

1.Effectiveness; 2. Appropriateness; 3. Fluency; 4. Range.

Priority is given to effectiveness, the extent to which the student is able to get his message across. Then we consider how appropriate his language is for his purpose. In assessing oral communication, we look to see whether the student is fluent enough to generate enough language to keep up his side of the conversation. And range has to do with the variety of structures, vocabulary and other rhetorical resources the student is able to employ to achieve his communicative intent. The proficient user usually has an extensive repertoire? and knows how to use what he has for optimal communicative effect. Many students worry about their accents but there is no reason at all to do so. What is important is international intelligibility in using English as an international language. Both parties must be able to understand what is being said including all the nuances involved. People all over the world are now moving away from elitist notions of language and are proud of their cultural heritage and seek to express it in their use of English.