Moving beyond the plateau: from lower-intermediate to upper-intermediate.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Interchange, now in its fourth edition, we’re delighted to announce a new series of blog posts by Interchange author and world-renowned linguist Jack C. Richards. Over the next twelve months, Jack will be exploring a range of topics here at Cambridge Conversations, all of them elucidated by of one of the most successful, innovative minds in the history of English language teaching.

Today’s post, the first in the series, outlines the five most difficult challenges faced by teachers as they help students transition from intermediate to advanced language learning. In the coming weeks we will consider how teachers can address each of these challenges, before moving on to topics such as effective lesson creation, and competence and performance in language teaching.

As they move from basic to intermediate to advanced levels in language proficiency, many second-language learners will confirm that language learning does not always follow a smooth progression. There are times when progress seems to be marked and noticeable, as for example with many basic-level language learners. After their first 200 or so hours of instruction, they begin to break through the threshold of learning to become real users of the language, even if at a fairly simple level. Those who have experienced the transition to this level of learning recall the feelings of satisfaction and achievement that came as they found themselves actually capable of real communication in English.

However, once learners have arrived at an intermediate level of language learning, progress does not always appear to be so marked, and making the transition from intermediate to the upper-intermediate/advanced level sometimes proves frustrating. Some may feel they have arrived at a plateau and making further progress seems elusive, despite the amount of time and effort they devote to it.

Inevitably, learners who have reached the upper-intermediate level will have somewhat different language use profiles and learning needs, but the following problems are often encountered:

1. There is a gap between receptive and productive competence. Learners may have made considerable progress in listening comprehension and reading, but still feel inadequate when it comes to speaking skills.

2. Fluency may have progressed at the expense of complexity. Learners may make primary use of lower-level grammar, as well as vocabulary and communication strategies to express their meaning and may not have acquired more sophisticated language patterns and usage characteristics of more advanced second-language users.

3. Learners have a limited vocabulary range. Vocabulary development has not progressed sufficiently. Learners tend to overuse lower-level vocabulary and fail to acquire more advanced vocabulary and usage.

4. Language production may be adequate but often lacks the characteristics of natural speech. Learners’ English may be fluent and grammatical but sounds too formal or too bookish.

5. There are persistent, fossilized language errors. Errors that are typical of lower-level learners reappear in certain circumstances despite the amount of time and effort devoted to correcting them.

So, how we do resolve these five problems? Jack will be back tomorrow, offering advice on tackling the first of these issues: the gap between receptive and productive competence.

Excerpted and edited from Moving Beyond the Plateau: From Intermediate to Advanced Levels in Language Learning by Jack C. Richards

 http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2015/08/moving-beyond-plateau-lower-upper-intermediate/

  

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DR. GIEDRE VASILIAUSKAITE DISCUSSES THE RELEVANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING FOR BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

Meet Dr. Giedre Vasiliauskaite, a lecturer, trainer, researcher specialised in soft skills development for academia and business, and specifically: analytical (critical thinking), argument analysis and cross-cultural management. Currently Dr. Vasiliauskaite is teaching courses in critical thinking at a number of in-company programmes by The Hague Executive Campus. Below she shares her thoughts on critical thinking:

WHAT IS CRITICAL THINKING?

Very often, when I tell people that I teach Critical Thinking, they come up with scores of ideas and assumptions. For example, they assume that critical thinking deals solely with being judgmental or winning an argument. Well, none of these is completely correct. To put it broadly, critical thinking is a theory that aims to make thinking process more efficient. It developed at the intersection of philosophy (logic), linguistics and psychology.

There are two major dimensions/parts of this theory:

1) analyzing the process of thinking into separate yet interrelated elements; and

2) evaluating those elements and deciding which ones are worth keeping and which ones need to be improved. The word ‘critical’, as Gerald Nosich points out, refers to the word ‘criteria’, and not to the word ‘criticism’.

Critical thinking study provides information about biases and mistakes in reasoning and offers knowledge about the process of thinking and its challenges. It also outlines guidelines on how to think, speak and write in a positive and respectful manner and influence a particular audience not by force and manipulation, but by presenting strong arguments.

WHERE CRITICAL THINKING CAN BE USEFUL?

Although at first glance, it may seem a bit theoretical, critical thinking may help in many ways. Thinking process is behind all our actions and decisions. In business people are exposed to huge amounts of  verbal information. Their messages should be short, informative and persuasive. However, sometimes even though people come up with brilliant ideas, these get lost  behind verbal clutter and others simply fail to notice them. Studying critical thinking helps to address that. When we highlight the skeleton structure of an argument, it is easier to see how ideas connect together and whether they form a coherent big picture. That way we can get rid of redundant information that clutters communication and wastes valuable time.

Furthermore, critical thinking helps to recognize biases, faulty assumptions and weak spots in thinking. Let me give an example. Current economic recession has shown that the beliefs people had about the market don’t seem to work. So in order to improve the situation, first we have to make sense of what went wrong, challenge the hidden assumptions that drew economy off the rails. Knowing how to look for them and how to challenge them is also a part of the critical thinking course. Imagine, you are driving mindlessly in an unknown environment and suddenly you hit a hole in the road. Next time you drive through the same street, you will be more careful and drive around the hole. Similarly when you are aware of the challenges and biases of reasoning, you know what to expect and can be more prepared to handle the situation better.

Finally, critical thinking helps individuals to develop more resilience. That means to be knowledgeable, to recognize biases and not get easily influenced by bad arguments. Going back to the example of current economic situation, with less money on the market, less stability and unpredictability of the future is challenging individuals to become more entrepreneurial and look for new opportunities to generate income. The required change comes in (at least) two dimensions: it is needed not only to revise the policies in organizations, but also to strengthen the entrepreneurial mindset of people. That means that people gain more autonomy, are more able to think for themselves, identify and learn from mistakes, and come up with innovative solutions in situations of ambiguity.

Interested in sharpening your critical thinking skills? Contact us at info@thehague-executive-campus.com for details

You can read the original publication here if you want it.

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[JOKE ] Stranded on an island.

Stranded on an island (listening)

There were three people stranded on an island, a brunette, a redhead, and a blonde. The brunette looked over the water to the mainland and estimated about 20 miles to shore. So she announced, "I'm going to try to swim to shore." So she swam out five miles, and got really tired. She swam out ten miles from the island, and she was too tired to go on, so she drowned.

The second one, the redhead, said to herself, "I wonder if she made it. I guess it's better to try to get to the mainland than stay here and starve." So she attempts to swim out. The redhead had a lot more endurance than the brunette, as she swam out 10 miles before she even got tired. After 15 miles, she was too tired to go on, so she drowned.

So the blonde thought to herself, "I wonder if they made it! I think I'd better try to make it, too." So she swam out 5 miles, ten miles, 15 miles, NINETEEN miles from the island. The shore was just in sight, but she said, "I'm too tired to go on!" So she swam back.

Vocabulary Help

• stranded - perdidas
• island - ilha
• brunette - morena
• redhead - ruiva
• blonde - loira
• mainland - continente
• shore - praia
• swim (swim, swam, swum) - nadar
• tired - cansada
• drown - afogar
• made it - conseguir
• starve - morrer de fome
• endurance - resistência
• in sight - a vista
• swim back - voltar

Enviado por: Rubens Queiroz de Almeida

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[JOKE] Vulgar jokes

Vulgar jokes (listening) 

There was an old professor who started every class with a vulgar joke. After one particularly nasty example, the women in the class decided to walk out the next time he started.

The professor got wind of this plot, so the next morning he walked in and said:

"Good morning, class. Did you hear the one about the shortage of prostitutes in London?"

With that, all the women stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait, ladies," cried the professor. "The boat doesn't leave until tomorrow."

Vocabulary Help

• joke - piada
• nasty - nojento
• walk out - sair
• got wind - ouvir falar
• plot - complô
• shortage - escassez
• stand up - levantar
• head for - ir em direção a

 Enviado por: Rubens Queiroz de Almeida

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Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography

He is one of the most successful managers in the history of international football (soccer if you like it). Sir Alex Ferguson, known as the former Manchester United manager spent more than two decades as a successful leader of the Red Devils.

Taking my respect for and interest in this successful man, I would like to share with you guys his book - Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography (((the book is available here))).

Who is Alex Ferguson?

Sir Alex Ferguson was born in 1941 in Govan, Scotland. A goal-scoring centre-forward, he was later transferred to Rangers, the club he supported from boyhood, for a Scottish record fee of £65,000.

Entering management in 1974, he served East Stirlingshire and St Mirren before guiding Aberdeen to victory in the 1982–83 Cup Winners’ Cup. Arriving at Manchester United in 1986, he brought them 38 trophies, including the Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups. His overall haul of 49 trophies made him the most successful British manager of all time.

Knighted in 1999, Sir Alex announced his retirement in 2013, when United were again crowned Premier League champions. At the age of 71, he continues to serve United as a director.

I hope you guys enjoy this book! Glory, glory, Man United!

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Je suis italienne. Et vous, d’où venez-vous ?

How can you have a very basic conversation in French?

Bonsoir ! Je m’appelle Bruno. Je suis Brésilien. J’ai 32 ans. J’étudie les langues et la littérature. Je viens du Brésil. J’habite à Florianopolis. Je parle anglais et espagnol. Je ne parle pas très bien français.

I have been trying to image some situations in which I could be able to start and, say, maintain a very basic conversation using some French. Since I am still struggling to say some words correctly, I hope you folks don’t expect me to present a high level of proficiency in this language right now, ok?

Here it is. A very short example of how one may have a simple conversation in French:

Imagine two people – two famous women (femmes célèbres) and two famous man (hommes célèbres) – meeting each other for the very first time:

Let’s use Sofia Loren and Hebe Camargo (In memorian).

First, let’s try to remember things about both of them, shall we?

Who is Sofia Loren?

Sophia Loren (born 20 September 1934) is an Italian actress, one of the best known and most popular of Italian actresses. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Now, I believe that most Brazilians have heard of Hebe Camargo, right?

She is no longer among us, but she was really famous in Brazil.

Hebe Maria Monteiro de Camargo Ravagnani (March 8, 1929 – September 29, 2012) was a Brazilian television host, singer and actress. She is considered the "Queen of Brazilian Television". She died at her home on September 29, 2012. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

So let’s start the conversation?

Sofia Loren: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Sofia. Comment vous appelez-vous ?

Hebe Camargo: Je m’appelle Hebe. Enchanté.

Sofia Loren: Je suis italienne. Et vous, d’où venez-vous ?

Hebe Camargo: je suis brésillienne. 

Sofia Loren: enchantée, Hebe.

Hebe Camargo: Également. Au revoir. 

Okay, now that we have an example of how to start a conversation in French, let’s practice.

Take a break. Go somewhere else and then come back. Read the conversation again and try to memorize only the questions. (5 minutes later).

Comment vous appelez-vous ?

Et vous, d’où venez-vous ?

DONE?

Okay, now try to understand what each question means.

Can you answer them using your own information?

Sofia Loren: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Sofia. Comment vous appelez-vous ?

You (Vous): Je m’appelle ________. Enchantée.

Sofia Loren: Je suis italienne. Et vous, d’où venez-vous ?

You (Vous): je suis ______________. 

Sofia Loren: Enchantée, __________.

You (Vous): Également. Au revoir. 

Dead simple, right ?

Okay. Congratulations. You have learned how to start a conversation in French. However, have you realized that our first example used female only? Let’s try the same, but now with Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Bolaños.

Let’s do the same procedure we did with Sofia and Hebe, ok?

What do we know about both Zidane and Bolaños?

Zinedine Yazid Zidane, nicknamed "Zizou", is a French former footballer and current coach of Real Madrid Castilla. He played as an attacking midfielder for the France national team, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Roberto Gómez Bolaños (21 February 1929 – 28 November 2014), more commonly known by his pseudonym Chespirito, was a Mexican screenwriter, actor, comedian, film director, television director, playwright, songwriter, and author. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Spanish-language humorists of the 20th century. He was internationally known for writing, directing, and starring in the Chespirito (1968), El Chavo del Ocho (1971), and El Chapulín Colorado (1972) television series. The character of El Chavo is one of the most iconic in the history of Latin American television, and El Chavo del Ocho continues to be immensely popular, with daily worldwide viewership averaging 91 million viewers per episode.

From Wikipedia

Zidane: Bonjour. Je m’appelle Zidane. Comment vous appelez-vous ?

Roberto Bolaños: Je m’appelle Roberto Bolaños. Enchanté.

Zidane: Je suis français. Et vous, d’où venez-vous ?

Roberto Bolaños: Je suis mexicain. 

Zidane: Enchanté, Roberto.

Roberto Bolaños: Également. Au revoir. 

So have you noticed the differences in use when it comes to enchanté and enchantée? If you haven’t read my previous post, you should ((((read it here)))

While I was studying French last night, I found this short video in which a nice French girl helps us learn some French.

How to introduce yourself in French

EXTRA (FROM WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA):

Sophia Loren, une des actrices les plus importantes du cinéma italien et mondial a tourné dans de nombreux films depuis la fin des années 1950. Elle obtient ses plus grands rôles dans les années 1960 avec notamment le personnage dramatique de La Ciociara, son interprétation est couronnée par les deux plus hautes récompenses du cinéma, le prix d'interprétation féminine au festival de Cannes et l'Oscar de la meilleure actrice. Dans Hier, aujourd'hui et demain, son striptease devant Marcello Mastroianni est une des plus célèbres scènes de l'histoire du cinéma. Une étoile à son nom consacrant sa renommée a été posée sur le Hollywood Walk of Fame à Los Angeles, face au 7050 Hollywood Boulevard.

Hebe Camargo Ravagnani, née le 8 mars 1929 à Taubaté et morte le 29 septembre 2012 à São Paulo, est une personnalité de télévision, actrice et chanteuse brésilienne. Elle a animé à partir de 1986 l'émission Hebe, diffusée sur le réseau SBT jusqu'en 2010 puis sur RedeTV! à partir de 2011.

Surnommée la rainha da televisão brasileira, soit la « reine de la télévision brésilienne », Hebe Camargo est une pionnière de la télévision; elle participe aux débuts de la télévision au Brésil et à la naissance du premier réseau de télévision brésilien, Rede Tupi, animant à partir de 1950 l'émission Rancho Alegre sur TV Tupi São Paulo, l'unique station du réseau à São Paulo. Elle est également l'animatrice, à partir de 1955, de ce qui est considéré comme le premier programme féminin de la télévision brésilienne, O Mundo é das Mulheres.

Souffrant d'un cancer depuis 2010, elle décède d'un arrêt cardiaque le 29 septembre 2012, à l'âge de 83 ans.

Roberto Gómez Bolaños (né le 21 février 1929 à Mexico - 28 novembre 2014 à Cancún), il est plus connu sous son nom de scène Chespirito (qui signifie plus ou moins « le petit Shakespeare », pseudonyme qui lui fut donné par le réalisateur Agustín P. Delgado, en raison de sa petite taille) est un scénariste, acteur, réalisateur et humoriste mexicain.

Zinédine Yazid Zidane Prononciation du titre dans sa version originale Écouter, né le 23 juin 1972 à Marseille, est un footballeur international et entraîneur français. Durant sa carrière de joueur, entre 1988 et 2006, il évolue au poste de milieu offensif. Depuis 2013, il occupe des fonctions d'entraîneur adjoint au sein du Real Madrid.

« Statue dédiée à El Chavo del Ocho, le personnage de télévisivon interprété par Gómez Bolaños, exposée près d'un centre commercial de Cali (Colombie). »

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LE TEMPS DE L'AMOUR

LE TEMPS DE L'AMOUR

C'est le temps de l'amour, 
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient, 
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
C'est long et c'est court, 
Ca dure toujours, on s'en souvient

On se dit qu' a vingt ans on est le roi du monde, 
Et qu' éternellement il y aura dans nos yeux
Tout le ciel bleu

C'est le temps de l'amour, 
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient, 
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
Ca vous met au coeur
Beaucoup de chaleur et de bonheur

Un beau jour c'est l'amour et le coeur bat plus vite, 
Car la vie suit son cours
Et l'on est tout heureux d'etre amoureux

C'est le temps de l'amour, 
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient, 
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
C'est long et c'est court, 
Ca dure toujours, on s'en souvient.

English:
TIME TO LOVE

It's time to love,
Time for friends and adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
Can not think of anything despite his injuries.
For the love of time
It is a long and short
It lasts forever, it will be remembered.

It is said that twenty years it is the king of the world
And there will be eternally in our eyes
All the blue sky.

It's time to love,
Time for friends and adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
Can not think of anything despite his injuries.
For the love of time
It puts you in the heart
Much warmth and happiness.

One day it's love and the heart beats faster,
Because life goes on
And we are quite happy to be in love.

It's time to love,
Time for friends and adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
Can not think of anything despite his injuries.
For the love of time
It is a long and short
It lasts forever, it will be remembered.

1962
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom", trailer 2012

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