PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGES TO EMPOWER STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION:

Lamber (1991) is of the view that most countries spend a large amount of their
national resources on language learning and then watch those skills decay and
disappear through lack of use or reinforcement. Even students with advanced
language proficiency seldom develop bilingual skills enough for professional
advancement. This problem is even more pronounced in institutions of higher
education. the following content provides the source and references to discuss and
illustrate how proficiency in languages (including foreign languages) leads to
student empowerment.

DISCUSSION:

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY:
Language proficiency is the ability of an individual to use language with a level
of accuracy that transfers meaning in production and comprehension. There is no
singular definition of language proficiency: while certain groups limit its scope
to speaking ability,[1] others extend it to cover both productive and receptive
language skills and their effective application in varying practical contexts.[2]
However, this diversity has implications for its application in other language
domains such as literacy, testing, endangered languages, language impairment, etc.
There is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it. Native-
level fluency is estimated to require a lexicon between 20,000 and 40,000 words,
but basic conversational fluency might require as few as 3,000 words.[3]

SOURCES TO EMPOWER STUDENTS:

1.American English skills development centres:The class was made up of working
people, all aiming to learn English for use in their respective jobs. The list of
courses include Business Writing, Assertive Business Communication, Presentation
Skills and Public Speaking, Collaborative Communication, Communication Skills Team
Building, Cross Cultural Communication, Effective Meeting Management, Accent
Neutralization, and Leadership and Management Training.
2.Diploma in international English language proficiency: This course Diploma in
International English Proficiency will empower students with basic
English language skills and strengthen the four essential skills of Listening,
Reading, Writing
and Speaking. The course will enable them to use appropriate and relevant language
with
accuracy and help them deliver confidently.
Furthermore, the learners will feel enabled to meet the situational demands of the
communication. The course will empower students to develop persuasive and
analytical
language skills to communicate effectively.
3.English-Winglish training program: it includes Applying the activity-based
teaching methods,Divide the class into various groups and conduct activities to
help the students learn in a fun way. We acknowledges that this new teaching
methodology could help to keep the students engaged and show interest in learning.
The English-Winglish program aims to improve the English communication skills of
teachers and to increase their confidence in teaching in English in the classroom.
4.Through the use of Self assessment : Through classroom observations and focus
groups, Through the use of self-assessment, we aimed to help students set clear
expectations for themselves and to help teachers use those self-assessments to
inform curriculum. Results for various publications have been gleaned from:

*Detailed student information on language use and experience,

*Classroom observations,
*Focus groups, and
*Actual assessments

CONCLUSION:

The sources mentioned above can provide students with proficiency in languages.