By
Suuci Analismy
Since the globalization crossed the limit between countries, it brought a big demand on using English in order to fulfill the most important prerequisite to be involved in global community. Not only adult, but children are also responsible to be capable in using English. The demand creates the mushrooming of the emergency of hundred institutions which are offering a high quality service for teaching English. It is also supported by the government’s policy on English Bilingual Education (EBE), which aims to see at least one international-standard school in every province, in which many classes are taught in English.
Unfortunately, in fact, the bilingual education brings a new problem. The problem has been highlighted by several articles in The Jakarta Post. The first by Evaries Rosita (Bilingual Education: Problems and Solutions, September 27), she found that not all parents who sent their kids to international-standard schools are happy to see their kids struggle to acquire two or more languages simultaneously. They felt anxious about their kids’ language development. She stated that the parents’ anxiety is understandable as recent studies on bilingualism shown not only the positive effect but also the opposite. Studies proving the harmful effects are often stated that bilingualism results are academic retardation, inferior intelligence and lower IQ.
But in her view that I also give the bold line on it, the bilingual program is not the essential cause of damaging cognitive effect to students as shown by the mentioned study. In her view, she argues that the teaching method used by the teachers to assist students in becoming bilingual speakers is the essential reason. From her own observation, Evaries Rosita seen that teachers are ambitious in their expectation. They require students to read heavy reading materials in English, they also forbid the use of the student’s native language and instructs them to memorize grammar rules and vocabulary items. Teacher often sets too high a standard that they lose sight of the fact that student’s cognitive growth is still developing.
The second article is written by Rachel Davies (in Rising to the Challenge of bilingual Education, September 10), she wrote “Students that are literally “”thrown into the deep end”” of a schooling system that demands that they use a second language without sufficient support for such usage are left in a predicament in which they will struggle to learn anything. They may be left feeling inadequate and even foolish simply because they do not have the linguistic wherewithal to rise to the challenge of bilingual education”. Those articles showed that the students are likely forced to perfectly use English. It caused the damaging not only for the children’s cognitive development but also to their psychological development.
Considering that the essential cause of the problem is the wrong method used by teachers, then the solution is teachers must apply the most appropriate English teaching method for their students and they also must understand it’s principals.
Diane Larsen-Freeman in his book Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (2000) introduced one of language teaching methods that I consider will be appropriate to use it in teaching English for children. The method is so called Desuggestopedia, a language teaching method which is apply the study of suggestion to pedagogy, aimed to help students eliminate their negative feeling or negative association they may have during learning process, to help them overcome the barriers in learning. The method uses an affective-humanistic approach, an approach which is respect to the student’s feeling.
Teacher let the students learn happily by designing the learning environment and learning situation to be more acceptable and pleasure for the students. We can set a bright and colorful classroom in order to create a cheerful environment for children (students). Or teacher processes the learning instructions outside of the classroom, such as on a green yard, under trees will create joyful and fresh learning situations. Never let them feel such a burden when they should work with a heavy task, direct students by an easy way, for example, when teacher instructs the students to read an English reading text, she also should provide them the native language translation. By coloring the class with music will make the students feel relax and enjoy. Remember, the fundamental principle of Dessuggestopedia method is that if students are relax and confident, they will not need to try to learn the language, it will just come naturally and easily.
In conclusion, to create a successful English teaching for children, teachers should give a big attention to their psychological side which can support the process in acquiring language. Just let children learn English in their own world.
Sources:
The Jakarta Post. September 27, 2010. Bilingual Education: Problems and Solutions. Available at http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/09/27/bilingual-education-problems-and-solutions.html
The Jakarta Post. September 10, 2010. In Rising to the Challenge of bilingual Educatio. Available at http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2005/10/09/rising-challenge-bilingual-education.html
Diane Larsen-Freeman. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.Second Edition. New York, Oxford University Press.
Unfortunately, in fact, the bilingual education brings a new problem. The problem has been highlighted by several articles in The Jakarta Post. The first by Evaries Rosita (Bilingual Education: Problems and Solutions, September 27), she found that not all parents who sent their kids to international-standard schools are happy to see their kids struggle to acquire two or more languages simultaneously. They felt anxious about their kids’ language development. She stated that the parents’ anxiety is understandable as recent studies on bilingualism shown not only the positive effect but also the opposite. Studies proving the harmful effects are often stated that bilingualism results are academic retardation, inferior intelligence and lower IQ.
But in her view that I also give the bold line on it, the bilingual program is not the essential cause of damaging cognitive effect to students as shown by the mentioned study. In her view, she argues that the teaching method used by the teachers to assist students in becoming bilingual speakers is the essential reason. From her own observation, Evaries Rosita seen that teachers are ambitious in their expectation. They require students to read heavy reading materials in English, they also forbid the use of the student’s native language and instructs them to memorize grammar rules and vocabulary items. Teacher often sets too high a standard that they lose sight of the fact that student’s cognitive growth is still developing.
The second article is written by Rachel Davies (in Rising to the Challenge of bilingual Education, September 10), she wrote “Students that are literally “”thrown into the deep end”” of a schooling system that demands that they use a second language without sufficient support for such usage are left in a predicament in which they will struggle to learn anything. They may be left feeling inadequate and even foolish simply because they do not have the linguistic wherewithal to rise to the challenge of bilingual education”. Those articles showed that the students are likely forced to perfectly use English. It caused the damaging not only for the children’s cognitive development but also to their psychological development.
Considering that the essential cause of the problem is the wrong method used by teachers, then the solution is teachers must apply the most appropriate English teaching method for their students and they also must understand it’s principals.
Diane Larsen-Freeman in his book Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (2000) introduced one of language teaching methods that I consider will be appropriate to use it in teaching English for children. The method is so called Desuggestopedia, a language teaching method which is apply the study of suggestion to pedagogy, aimed to help students eliminate their negative feeling or negative association they may have during learning process, to help them overcome the barriers in learning. The method uses an affective-humanistic approach, an approach which is respect to the student’s feeling.
Teacher let the students learn happily by designing the learning environment and learning situation to be more acceptable and pleasure for the students. We can set a bright and colorful classroom in order to create a cheerful environment for children (students). Or teacher processes the learning instructions outside of the classroom, such as on a green yard, under trees will create joyful and fresh learning situations. Never let them feel such a burden when they should work with a heavy task, direct students by an easy way, for example, when teacher instructs the students to read an English reading text, she also should provide them the native language translation. By coloring the class with music will make the students feel relax and enjoy. Remember, the fundamental principle of Dessuggestopedia method is that if students are relax and confident, they will not need to try to learn the language, it will just come naturally and easily.
In conclusion, to create a successful English teaching for children, teachers should give a big attention to their psychological side which can support the process in acquiring language. Just let children learn English in their own world.
Sources:
The Jakarta Post. September 27, 2010. Bilingual Education: Problems and Solutions. Available at http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/09/27/bilingual-education-problems-and-solutions.html
The Jakarta Post. September 10, 2010. In Rising to the Challenge of bilingual Educatio. Available at http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2005/10/09/rising-challenge-bilingual-education.html
Diane Larsen-Freeman. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.Second Edition. New York, Oxford University Press.
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