Most language learners or teachers would agree that the path towards fluency is not always straightforward. There are ups, downs, curves, and even plateaus. But Language learning plateaus don’t have to be the end of the path. Let’s explore what can be done to help students who are experiencing language learning plateaus and how we can use exams as a tool to help them.
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What is a language learning plateau?
There will, inevitably, come a point when learning a language where the learner notices their progress is slowing down or coming to a complete stop. Beginner learners can learn hundreds of everyday words relatively quickly and reach an acceptable standard of communication within little time. However, once they’ve reached that level, the dreaded intermediate plateau approaches.
Plateaus happen when learners are no longer stimulated by the learning process. It becomes harder for them to see their progress and their ability to communicate doesn’t seem to improve.
Typically occurring at intermediate levels, these plateaus can be devastating for a learners motivation. They may become anxious or depressed about their ability in English. They may feel that it is all a waste of time and that they will never get to the next step.
However, plateaus aren’t exclusive to intermediate learners. They can occur at any point along the path towards fluency and may pop up in different shapes or forms and for different reasons.
Some of the things that cause them include:
- You’ve met all your learning goals and don’t know what to aim for next.
- Your learning style is becoming repetitive and stagnant.
- Your motivation and confidence has dropped because you realise how much there is that you don’t yet know.
What can be done to help push through a language learning plateau?
The key to pushing past a plateau is to have something to work towards. Setting clear objectives gives learners a sense of satisfaction when they achieve them, increasing their motivation.
Whether it’s at the start of a course or somewhere in between, create a checklist of objectives which will be achieved during your course. Students can check them off as you go along and they have a physical document to show how much they have achieved. You can also get them to add a few of their own objectives to personalize the experience.
Can do statements are popular these days. They are used by publishers, writers, schools and test makers to ensure they are targeting the correct level of language. Students can take advantage of these too. You can find lists of can-dos online. Add them to your objectives list, or spend a session once in a while analysing can-dos and see where progress has been made and what still needs to be worked on.
Working towards an official exam can be a huge motivator. These exams are carefully designed to test English at the corresponding CEFR level. My classroom experience has shown that groups working towards the clear goal of passing an exam will work harder and better to reach that goal. Plus the satisfaction when they pass can’t be beat.
Using exams as a tool for language learning
Exams don’t need to serve only as a form of assessment. There is a wealth of content in exams that can be taken advantage of for the benefit of your students.
The best thing about using exams as learning content is that you know the level is right. Smart people have spent hours shut away in rooms on their computers analysing, comparing, editing and debating the level of the texts, audios and questions in official exams.
It’s for exactly this reason that they help students push through their language learning plateaus. If a B2 learner feels they aren’t advancing, then a B2 level exam will show them where their weak spots are and where they need to improve. The vocabulary, grammar, text types and topics will show them where they need to target their efforts. Once they do this, they will know what is expected of them at this level and how to succeed.
It’s then a matter of using the exams as a learning tool, not just a practice tool. Pick those exam tasks apart for grammar and vocabulary. Take the audio and split up the chunks to practise pronunciation and discuss connected speech. Analyse the reading texts and questions to see what type of content is tested and what type of reading is necessary to get the right answers. Then create your own exam questions with the same or a different text and test your partner.
Spending a whole lesson on one short exam task is not a waste of time, it’s a learning method. Just make sure you know what you’re aiming for before you start and make your students aware of it too.
Building learner awareness
Plateaus are often the result of increased learner awareness. Unfortunately, it’s the awareness of the incredible depth and complexity of the target language, which often leaves learners petrified of the endless universe of learning that is ahead of them.
The type of awareness that you want to build is awareness of what needs to be done to reach the next stage of language development. Almost everybody has heard of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) these days, but do they actually know what each level means. In what situations can a B1 learner hope to communicate? What types of texts should a B2 student be able to write? How many hours of study does it take to reach a C1 level?
Looking forward is not the only way to build learner awareness. Sometimes it can be interesting to go backwards and give students a task which they found difficult a few months ago and see how they find it now. You can give B2 exam tasks to a C1 group to prove to them that their level is better and that they are in fact improving.
Building learner autonomy
The other challenge at higher levels is creating learner autonomy. At low levels a teacher can provide all the input necessary for a learner to shoot up in level. However, from B1 onwards, learners need to start taking responsibility for their own learning. The higher the level gets, the more disparate the needs are of each individual learner.
Reading logs and listening logs are great ways to encourage learner autonomy. Students should keep records of what they do outside of class, what they found difficult and what they have learned. Key to this process is spending time checking, analysing and comparing these records together until they are sufficiently autonomous to take care of it themselves.
Another method to encourage autonomy in your students is to make them the teacher. This can be done through tasks like presentations or reading clubs where they choose the articles to read. They then take control of the class while you sit back and listen. Finish the process with a structured self-evaluation and they will realise how much it has helped.
Conclusion
No matter what level your students are, expect language learning plateaus to happen. Remember, that encouragement and motivation are possibly the most vital factors in a learner’s ability to improve. And whether it’s working towards and official exam or giving a presentation about their home town, students need goals and a bit of a nudge in the right direction to break through that barrier and become a stronger language learner.
