ARTIKEL II

TEACHING USING SONG
BLANKS
There are many ways blanks can be used. I give students lyrics with some blanks (specially the parts that have to do wtih the subject we're covering in class). They listen to song once, at the second time they fill in the blanks - as much as possible. Finally, they listen to it another time to check if they got the balnks filled in correctly. This activity takes up to 20 mins.
Blanks can be very helpful when teaching subjects like Simple Past. Pick up a song that has may verbs in the past tense, blank them out and give in parenthesis the verbs in their base form. Have the students complete the song rewriting the past tense of each verb. This will help them memorize the past form of regular and irregular verbs. (can be used with any verb tense)
Teaching ESL in a non-English speaking country is a challenge. Even advanced students sometimes tend to go their mother-tongue in the classroom. So I found a way to keep them in touch with English even outside the classroom: I asked them to bring in a song they liked, a song of the moment. I put some blanks in the lyrics and they didn't get everything after the first time they listened to it. So I had them take the copies home and try to listen to that song anywhere possible (in the car, CDs, anywhere) and bring it in to me the in the following week with the blanks filled in. I also told them to try not to look for the lyrics anywhere else but try to listen to the song itself. It worked out pretty well
STRIPS OF PAPER
Depending on the lenght of the song, you can cut the lyrics in strips of paper and have a contest. I always divide my classes in two groups. So the group that gets the lyrics with less mistakes after the second time (even after the first time, depending on the level of the class), gets a treat, or whatever you feel like rewarding them with.
RELAXATION
I usually bring in some celtic, classic or just instrumental music on test days and put it on very low. I noticed that when this procedure was done, students relax more and feel more comfortable during the test.
GUIDED FANTASY
I usually do this procedure on a frist-day class, to "break the ice". Nothing personnal, but for this procedure I use ENYA (who sings a little bit of folk and celtic music). I prepare a text, very imaginative, something that can take many different points of view, and read it out loud while the song's being played. Students have their eyes closed and I ask them to imagine exactly what I'm reading and let their imagination flows along with the song. This is very relaxin

ARTIKEL

Better English teaching needed

Tuswadi , Aichi, Japan | Sat, 08/23/2008 9:58 AM | Opinion

In Indonesia, foreign language teaching in primary school is not something new. Nowadays many elementary schools both in big cities and even in small cities have bravely introduced English, especially in grades four through six.

The problem is in the capability of the teachers. Because in Indonesia, English is only a second or third language after Indonesian and local ethnic languages, it is understandable that many teachers are not proficient in English.

Apart from this, teachers who do not receive sufficient methods and training to teach English well will create more problems, because students will find the English-learning process boring.

Although it is very late for a country whose economy is the second largest after the United States, Japan, starting this year, has decided to make English a compulsory subject for elementary school students. It is still a controversial issue because many Japanese believe English should be taught at a later stage. But teachers are very enthusiastic to be able to teach English.

To improve the quality of primary English teaching in Indonesia, based on what I've learned from some elementary schools in Japan, there are at least five points of advice that Indonesian teachers may find useful.

First, the teachers must learn and master the methods and techniques of teaching English. The skills that are taught to students are mainly listening and speaking. The introduction of English vocabulary and simple sentences is also important.

Second, teachers should also continually learn to master the teaching materials.

Next, to successfully accomplish the first and the second goals, the school must help teachers obtain sufficient training. Without enough training, it is difficult for them to master the basic technique of English teaching.

In Indonesia, the National Education Ministry can cooperate with private institutions like companies that care about education to provide financial aid in holding regular English teaching training for elementary school teachers.

In Japan, teachers take part in lesson study sessions both individually and in groups. Teachers from various primary schools often go to other schools to observe the English teaching process. There they watch directly the teaching from the beginning until the end of class while matching each activity with a lesson plan they receive.

Then they get further information about teaching from the teacher in a discussion forum. It is often that the number of teachers joining the lesson study is overloaded so that many of them observe from the windows of the classroom.

Lesson study is now being highly developed in Japanese schools. It is a very good system to make lessons more open and attractive, make the teachers more open-minded and supportive of colleagues and thus make the schools themselves and their children more open and creative.

Lesson study also can be done by visiting private English schools. The experience wrought from the lesson study will enrich the imagination and creativity of the English teachers in preparing and delivering the materials to the students more interestingly.

Teachers must be smart and creative in making or preparing the teaching aids materials. In some schools of Japan, teachers are busy making the teaching aids after school hours. They must be varied and interesting; also many unique and challenging games and English children songs are used. Among the students of grades one through four there is no writing activity. There is no test, either. Thus, the students do not feel burdened and their motivation is always high.

Hopefully, with adequate and accurate basic English in primary school, students will find it easier and be more confident to learn English in higher grades.

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ARTIKEL

Better English teaching needed

Tuswadi , Aichi, Japan | Sat, 08/23/2008 9:58 AM | Opinion

In Indonesia, foreign language teaching in primary school is not something new. Nowadays many elementary schools both in big cities and even in small cities have bravely introduced English, especially in grades four through six.

The problem is in the capability of the teachers. Because in Indonesia, English is only a second or third language after Indonesian and local ethnic languages, it is understandable that many teachers are not proficient in English.

Apart from this, teachers who do not receive sufficient methods and training to teach English well will create more problems, because students will find the English-learning process boring.

Although it is very late for a country whose economy is the second largest after the United States, Japan, starting this year, has decided to make English a compulsory subject for elementary school students. It is still a controversial issue because many Japanese believe English should be taught at a later stage. But teachers are very enthusiastic to be able to teach English.

To improve the quality of primary English teaching in Indonesia, based on what I've learned from some elementary schools in Japan, there are at least five points of advice that Indonesian teachers may find useful.

First, the teachers must learn and master the methods and techniques of teaching English. The skills that are taught to students are mainly listening and speaking. The introduction of English vocabulary and simple sentences is also important.

Second, teachers should also continually learn to master the teaching materials.

Next, to successfully accomplish the first and the second goals, the school must help teachers obtain sufficient training. Without enough training, it is difficult for them to master the basic technique of English teaching.

In Indonesia, the National Education Ministry can cooperate with private institutions like companies that care about education to provide financial aid in holding regular English teaching training for elementary school teachers.

In Japan, teachers take part in lesson study sessions both individually and in groups. Teachers from various primary schools often go to other schools to observe the English teaching process. There they watch directly the teaching from the beginning until the end of class while matching each activity with a lesson plan they receive.

Then they get further information about teaching from the teacher in a discussion forum. It is often that the number of teachers joining the lesson study is overloaded so that many of them observe from the windows of the classroom.

Lesson study is now being highly developed in Japanese schools. It is a very good system to make lessons more open and attractive, make the teachers more open-minded and supportive of colleagues and thus make the schools themselves and their children more open and creative.

Lesson study also can be done by visiting private English schools. The experience wrought from the lesson study will enrich the imagination and creativity of the English teachers in preparing and delivering the materials to the students more interestingly.

Teachers must be smart and creative in making or preparing the teaching aids materials. In some schools of Japan, teachers are busy making the teaching aids after school hours. They must be varied and interesting; also many unique and challenging games and English children songs are used. Among the students of grades one through four there is no writing activity. There is no test, either. Thus, the students do not feel burdened and their motivation is always high.

Hopefully, with adequate and accurate basic English in primary school, students will find it easier and be more confident to learn English in higher grades.

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Prima Santhi Dalam Gambar

PRIMA SANTHI ENGLISH COURSE

Prima Santhi English Course berdiri pada tahun 2000 dan berlokasi di Jalan Raya Tojan, Pering Blahbatuh Gianyar. Moto kami adalah bagaimana belajar bahasa Inggris dengan menyenangkan....English is Fun. Lembaga kami memang bukan sebuah kursus yang besar dalam pengertian jumlah murid maupun jumlah ruangan. Meskipun begitu....dari segi kualitas kami tidak kalah...terbukti beberapa anak didik kami berhasil juara dalam beberapa kesempatan lomba pidato bahasa Inggris tingkat SD.

Bagi anda (di wilayah Blahbatuh dan sekitarnya) yang berminat meningkatkan pengetahuan/kemampuan Bahasa Inggris dengan sungguh-sungguh tetapi menyenangkan, maka Prima Santhi adalah tempat yang tepat. Dengan suasana belajar yang tenang dan dilengkapi perangkat audio visual menjadikan suasana belajar anda tidak membosankan.

Kami menerima kursus bahasa inggris untuk tingkat SD, SMP, SMA/Umum, Privat. Kami juga menerima terjemahan (Inggris - Indonesia, Indonesia - Inggris).

Untuk keterangan lebih lanjut, silahkan menulis email ke : putu_semiada@yahoo.co.id atau menghubungi nomer 950529/081338740200. Atau datang langsung ke alamat kami di alan Raya Tojan, Pering Blahbatuh Gianyar.