Elevate Intermediate Learners – Part 2: Purposeful and Supported Output & Realistic Curriculum

Episode 121 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast is the second part of our series on intermediate learners. In part two, I focus on two major challenges: output and curriculum. You can hear part 1 here, and read the blog here. In this post, I’ll highlight part two, but to hear all of the details in episode 121, listen here. 

Many of us struggle teaching intermediate classes and find the gap between expectations and resources challenging. In part 1, I talked about providing comprehensible input to our intermediate learners. I also stressed the need to align curriculum expectations with students’ actual proficiency levels. This week, we’re discussing output for these learners. 

Role of Output

In episode 56, I had a great conversation with Dr. Florencia Henshaw about input. You can find the link to this episode below. One of the things that Dr. Florencia mentioned several times is that the role of output is not building the linguistic system. The role of output is accessing that system. If we don’t have the system in place, there is nothing to access.

So, when we ask our students to produce and output the language, we need to make sure that there’s enough system there so they can output. Another thing that Dr. Florencia mentioned was that their production is going to be one or two levels below their comprehension. This was so interesting and true! I witnessed this when I tested my Spanish 3 students. 

Output Needs To Have Purpose

The next thing to remember when it comes to output is that output needs to have a purpose. For example, when we ask our students to write, we don’t want them just copying things without knowing the meaning. So, for example, choral repetitions and memorizing are not really output.  Another thing to remember is that when we are asking our students to write or say something in a target language, they need a lot of modeling, and that modeling comes from the input. 

Process Over Product

It’s important to provide scaffolding for intermediate learners to support output. I like to use the “write and discuss” method for modeling texts. Basically, this is where my students and I co write a text after an oral discussion about a topic. This is where I’m able to provide sentence starters, frames, and connectors for students. I’m creating a text that is going to be highly comprehensible for my students because we are co writing it together.

In episode 121, I discuss the use of brainstorming and anchor charts for vocabulary and questions. Listen here. I used to do vocabulary lists for my students, but I found that they really were not useful to them. Now, before we start writing about a topic, I brainstorm with my students. We sit down and think about what words would be useful for describing and writing about this topic. Then, we use these words to create anchor charts. We also create questions that can be used for class discussions. Having these supports for the students when they start producing output is super useful.

Output Flexibility

Many of you might have the challenge of following rigid curriculums and not have any flexibility from administrators. In episode 121, I address this challenge and provide you with a few things that you can incorporate into the curriculum. Sometimes, though, you will only be able to do so much. 

Luckily, I have flexibility in my classes. I have also learned that we don’t have to cover it all. Units can overlap and cover multiple topics rather than focusing on just one theme. We also need to make space for just regular chatting. In this organic conversation, we can cover a lot of topics.

For example, in Calendar Talk, we talk about curriculum activities, school, my students’ jobs, and what is happening in the world every week. That’s a lot of topics! This also maintains student engagement.

Motivation for Intermediate Learners

Intermediate learners face challenges with motivation and perceived progress. They feel like they should be producing, and they see other students doing great at this level. However, I have found something that works well for these learners. I have incorporated having conversations about where they are and what they can do to move up a level. I think that when our students see that they’re making progress, or when the students know that they can do something to make progress, they feel more motivated.

I created a goal tracker a few years ago that my students use to track their progress. We use it at about the second week of school. Students gauge where they think they are and where they want to be. I provide input on whether I agree with their current level. 

Then, we discuss ways for them to reach their goal. Some suggestions are: listening to podcasts, reading books. It’s important to provide students with resources for input and encouraging voluntary reading and listening. We need to help students see how they can move up levels and feel competent. I talk more about this in episode 121. Listen here. If you haven’t listened to part one of this conversation, listen here.