Reflection 2

Teaching Remote Students

 

Aziza Restu Febrianto

This is a story I’ve got from my teaching experiences in a village located in Ende – Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. There, I taught seven and eight grade students of Junior High School. As a professional teacher, I always prepared myself a lot some days before teaching. At the first time in class, I was so happy to see my new students. I thought I was very lucky to have a chance of teaching like this at the time.  They also seemed very happy for getting to know that I would be their English teacher for a semester left. 

Firstly, I introduced myself and shared my life and experiences to them. I was also trying to get their attention by telling them about my family, my hobbies, my dreams, etc. And well, it was successful. Then, most of them got interested in me and began to ask some questions. I was so glad that I could give a first impression like this to them. I did it over and over again in all classes on that day. And it was the first day of my teaching activities in the village. Self introducing was considered to be enough. There was no need to deal with the main lesson.

The following day, as I entered the class, I was quite surprised knowing that all my students were screaming aloud calling me and welcoming me back to their class. I knew that that was their expression of happiness to have a new English teacher like me in their class. As best as they can, they were trying to get my attention.

It was actually my second day of teaching in the village. It was of course impossible to have a lesson at the beginning. I had to try to motivate them and make them interested in the subject at first. I thought that telling a story would be an effective start. What I was trying to do was telling them about why I like English and why we should learn English. This was to show how important English language is. I was also telling them about the history of English and how it is finally used by many different people on the globe till today. It was actually not easy anyway. I had got to try too hard to make my explanation much convincing and impressive in order that they wouldn’t fall asleep. Joke must also have been included here. Sometimes, I acted like an actor of the story I told hoping that they would pay more attention to me. Thanks God, it was eventually successful again. 

I was so happy that all my students finally followed my instruction after listening to my story. But it unfortunately happened for a minute. When they got bored of the lesson, they always asked me to tell a story again. Some even screamed and said, “Please, story again, sir! Story again!.” It honestly made me feel confused enough. I didn’t know how to do then. If I just told them a story again, when would I explain the materials? There were so many materials that they had to learn in the week. But if I just focused on the lesson seriously, the students would not even listen. And it wouldn’t be effective at all. I was thinking so hard and eventually decided to use a game. Well, game did it successfully.

This is actually hard to find a method or approach to use in a chaotic class. As a teacher, we are responsible to get our students encouraged by using certain methods like game and inspiring stories. However, the lessons to learn must be completed as well according to the time schedule. A teacher should be very skillful in this case. He/ she has to understand when to use encouraging and inspiring approaches and when the lessons should be given. 

For me, probably, it is concluded that all teachers must be creative enough in using approaches which are integrated with the lesson at the same time. So, teaching is definitely not easy, isn’t it?

        

The Standard Competencies of Teachers

Seven (7) Standard Competencies Teachers Should Meet

 

Written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

The source is taken from the materials used in the Professional Teacher Training Program (PPG) held by State University of Malang (UM)

For the sake of human resource development, teachers are playing a very important role. In a country, teachers are actually placed in a strategic position for determining the future successful young generation. Their job is not in fact only transferring knowledge, but personal guidance of children is also included. Hence, teaching is not just about explaining and discussing the lesson, but it is also a skill on how to deal with children. Teachers have to know deeply about children in persons, understand their world and ways on how to get close to them and finally guide them according to the various competences and inclinations they have. Therefore, teachers should always completely enhance their skill and competence incessantly. Based on their field on education, all professional teachers should at least have some qualifications as follows:

1. Willing to constantly upgrade the skill and knowledge

To be a good teacher, having wide knowledge is very important. Most students like the teachers who know everything not just about their fields.  Hence, teachers need to read a lot and to follow updated world news and information. Not to mention, they have to be good at communication skill as well to conveying information.

Reflection 1

Getting Stuck in Teaching

 Aziza Restu Febrianto

Honestly, there are some problems I occasionally find while teaching English in class.  But I always try to get myself ready to find the solutions as well.  

The first problem is being consistent in making innovative teachings. I think that every English teacher also feels the same. It is actually something usual for us as committed teachers to have awareness on our tasks and responsibilities. But becoming an innovative teacher is not absolutely easy. Due to the fact that we have to teach in class everyday, sometimes it is hard to create the class teaching to be different and more interesting because we are too tired and bored of the activities. 

However, as a professional teacher, it is also my responsibility to make my class teaching activities always attractive so that my students keep on following my instruction and paying much more attention to me.

When I get stuck to create some innovations in my teaching activities, I was always preparing some certain approaches to anticipate as follows;

1. Telling an interesting story.

This is an easy way to attract the students. Just tell what we ever heard and watched to the students. I am sure our students would listen to it enthusiastically. We do not need serious preparation for this, right?

Language Learning

Three (3) Elements in Language Learning

Written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

After reading some books of teachings and teaching many different students, I’ve made a conclusion that there are actually three elements could be possibly present in teaching a language especially English.

Considering that learning a language is a skill, students need to be motivated and encouraged to be exposed to language, and given chances to use it. We can therefore say what elements need to be present in a language classroom to help students learn effectively. The elements are called ESA, three elements which will be present in all or almost all classes. ESA includes Engage, Study, and Activate.

Engage

This is the point in a teaching sequence where teachers try to arouse the students’ interest, thus involving their emotions.

Activities and materials which usually engage students include games (depending on age and type), music, tape recorder, discussions (when handled challengingly), stimulating pictures, dramatic stories, amusing anecdotes, etc.

Example: using a picture and a tape recorder

Students look at a picture of a person and be asked to guess what his/ her occupation is before they listen to that person on tape. Then, they are stimulated by the teacher’s certain movements.

When students are engaged, they learn better than when they are partly or wholly disengaged.

Keys to Texts

Keys to Teaching Descriptive and Report Texts

written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

Teachers of High schools are required to teach some certain kinds of text using various approaches they have to choose. The followings are the keys on how to teach texts especially Descriptive and Report texts creatively.

1. Know your students and choose texts/ materials that reflect their interest.

Choose your texts carefully. You’d better choose the texts about interesting topic. It will be much more successful.

At the beginning of the terms, talk to your students and have them write about their interests and hobbies.

2. Incorporate integrated skills into pre- reading activities.

Personalize the texts you have chosen by asking the students what they know and what their opinions are.

You can have your students answer the following questions in pairs/ small groups.

-          Have you ever heard about Lombok Island?

-          Where is Lombok Island?

-          Where is West Nusa Tenggara?

The Amazing Triangle Islands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IndonesiaEastNusaTenggara.png

http://www.savu-raijua.com/location.htm

 East Nusa Tenggara

(Timor - Flores - Sumba)

 

Written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

As we observe the map, we get that Indonesia geographically has superb archipelagoes spread throughout the country. To me, visiting some of them is such a full of joy and wonderful experience which is of course compulsorily to be recorded on an essay. As we know, this tropical country has awe-inspiring landscapes where lots of various trees and grass grow green charmingly. Therefore, many foreign tourists are willing to visit it every year. To traveling around the country, I think we should consider East Nusa Tenggara for our main object. This is the place where I used to live. Here, I believe you all will get some great awesome adventures you never find in other places. Now, let me show you how it really impressed me. 

There are exactly four biggest islands in East Nusa Tenggara. They are Timor, Alor, Flores, and Sumba.  Due to a year duty to complete, I made up my mind that Flores, Timor, and Sumba are the targeted places included on my traveling list during the holidays I had. I finally name these them “The Amazing Triangle Islands.” It is eventually concluded that all places in East Nusa Tenggara are really awesome and indeed recommended for travelers to visit. 

Flight to Flores

Flores, “Dragon Island”

Flores is the second biggest island in East Nusa Tenggara. This is where I spent a year to stay and this is the place I visited first of all. I firstly dropped in Ende town and lived for several days there. Ende is one of the regencies located in Flores Island (south part of Flores to be exact). When I was on the plane, I saw some green islands with lots of standing mountains and hills from above. As I got off and walked on the airport street, a small mountain seemed to welcome me very friendly. Its shape is quite unique. It has a flat top like a table. People call it “Gunung Meja” or Table Mountain. Walking around the town, I felt quite surprised and I was thinking that I was in a different world for the time being. Pride and happiness were the first feeling I had at the time because I’d never seen a landscape like this before. Mountains, hills, valleys, beach, and ocean joint together. Very impressive!

A couple days later, a guide took me to leave the town visiting the village where I would be living during a year duty. We went there by bus. Here, the bus used is not like a common bus. This is exactly a truck which is modified into a bus called “Bis Kayu” or Woody Bus. To reach the village, I had to spend around three hours on the trip. During the path, again I saw some different views that made me feel amazed. The bus was passing through the hills, mountain slopes, rivers, and valleys. Wonderful!

English Learning

 Learning English for non - English Speaking Learners

written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

People who live in non- English Speaking Countries mostly find that learning English is quite difficult. Many of them usually take a course or need an English teacher to help them learn this language effectively. Taking an English course or a private course actually wasting money. Besides, without constant practice, they do not even work. Therefore, considering that language is a skill, being good at English requires a hard work of practice.

Because learning a new language like English needs a constant practice, learners from non - English countries face some problems, for example:

• Having no English speaking surroundings.
• No partners.
• Having daily busy activities. 
• Having no activities which have something to do with English.

The following activities may help you solve the problems:

1. Have fun with English. 

Everything can be achieved easily when we like it. That’s the first thing you have to do to start learning

Outdoor Teaching

Teaching Sample:

The video was taken while the author was teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) in Ende, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia using Bahasa Indonesia as the transformational language.

Two (2) Crucial Mistakes Teachers usually make

written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

Professional teachers from any level ideally have to meet the standard qualifications set by the institution as well as the country. And of course, besides giving them trainings, the institution is really responsible for the monitoring and evaluating. Trainings inspire the teachers to improve their skill and competence of teaching. Monitoring and evaluation work on the maintenance.

Without trainings, monitoring, and evaluating, teachers with their routine teaching activities might make some crucial mistakes that affect the quality of education in school. The following is an example of two crucial mistakes usually made by teachers in common.

1. Job - Oriented

Many teachers consider that teaching is their professional job. Talking about job, the employers work and get the salary. All teachers must be professional, of course. But it does not mean that for the sake of professionalism, they tend to pay much more attention to how much money they can earn from teaching. Instead, they are indeed concerned with their competence and skill development. Obviously, teaching and lecturing are two different things. As a lecturer teaches college students in class, what he/ she has to do is just transferring information. Meanwhile, a teacher is not only responsible for giving information, but also he/ she has to get close to their students for personal guidance and understanding their characters.  

   

2. Lack of Innovation and Creativity

As explained before, it is clear that innovation and creativity are the main points to create for a successful teaching. Innovation and creativity play a very important role here. They determine whether the instruction is interesting to follow or not. When a teacher just transfers knowledge and explains the lesson without including various strategic approaches like game, singing, peer discussing, etc, a couple minutes later, he/ she will be very boring. In this case, there is no difference between teaching and singing to let the students fall asleep in class then.

As teaching is only considered to be a professional job without concerning about the teacher’s role, responsibility, and dedication, it will finally affect on the way he/ she teaches in class. And of course, as a result, the class teaching and learning will be lack of innovation and creativity and they won’t be interesting anymore for the students.  

Therefore, it is obvious that teaching is not only transferring knowledge and information, but it also includes personal guidance, understanding the students’ characters, creating attractive methods and so on.         

Teacher as an Attractive Model

 Written by Aziza Restu Febrianto

The basic responsibilities of teachers is giving instructions and making innovative and creative teaching activities in class. It is compulsory for them to work hard finding any models, approaches, and strategies appropriate according to the lessons. They have to ensure that the students are always interested to follow their instructions. Hence, all teachers are definitely responsible for making the lesson as attractive as possible. However, teachers are also demanded to have wide knowledge and good communication skill. Students would pay great attention to the teachers who know everything. But having wide knowledge, views, and insight is not enough. Everything in their mind won’t be interesting at all for the students without convincing delivery, unless it can even be boring. They have to be good at communicating and sharing ideas to other people especially to their students. Therefore, good communication skill is also absolutely urgent in the class teaching activities.

Good communication skill is actually supported by the mental of the teachers themselves. What they do reflects on what they say. Obviously, they not only have wide knowledge and insight, but they also experience them. In other words, as teachers experience like what they have known, they share to the students using very strong good communication skill and also creating innovative and creative methods to make the instruction much more interesting.

For example:

An English teacher who has experienced in joining an English speech contest is much more attractive to teach English speaking rather than those who never at all.

In conclusion, based on their professions, all teachers very need these four aspects in all teaching activities they have in class; knowledge, experiences, good communication skill, and creativity.

Knowledge – Experiences – Good Communication Skill – Creativity

 

Attractive Teaching

Today's Joke

 by Aziza Restu Febrianto

1. Teacher: Bob, give me a sentence containing the word “gruesome!”

Bob: Uh…… er…. I didn’t shave for a week and grew some whiskers.

2. Teacher: Barbara, what is “can’t” short for?

Barbara: Cannot

Teacher: And what is “don’t” short for?

Barbara: Doughnut, sir.

Teacher: Lina, I told you to draw a cow eating grass, but you have drawn only a cow.

Lina: yes, sir. The cow is very hungry. Everytime I finished drawing the grass, the cow ate it!