CHAPTER I
Current Issues of English Language Learning
Current Issues of English Language Learning
Nowadays, It is no doubt that English language learning (ELL) has spread in almost all the coutries in this planet and dominating a number of fields including education, business and politic. Investigating ELL as an issue is a topic that has been gaining significance in educational system throughout the world where essentially many countries put English as an urgent subject of almost daily routine classroom. Although the innovative methods of ELL have spread over the last one decade, ELL in this twentieth-first century still undergo numerous problems and issues in process.
In a large scale of research, Choi and Lee (2008) has surveyed across 18 Asian nations/regions. The result showed that most of the primary teachers in Asian regions teach all subjects including English language learning. Interestingly these teachers have lacks training in English Language Teaching (ELT). On the other hand the use of English as medium of instruction in many asian countries is still far from the expectation. As shown in the table 1 below, there are only Malaysia, Singapore, Srilangka, and India who actively use English as medium of instruction in school. Another result, the research also found several issues in process such as sociocultural, educational policies, class size, curriculum, teaching methods and qualitites both of students and teachers.
School
level
|
Countries
|
Primary classes
|
Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and India (only in English medium
schools), Korea (only in immersion programs), the
Philippines
|
Junior Secondary classes
|
Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong (in English-medium schools), Indonesia (in bilingual programs), Thailand (in English programs)
|
Senior Secondary
classes
|
Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Korea (only in specialized schools, e.g., international high schools) the
Philippines,
Hong Kong (in English-medium schools), Indonesia (in
bilingual
programs), Thailand (in English programs), Pakistan
|
Tertiary classes
|
Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Korea (in several universities, especially top universities), the Philippines, Hong
Kong,
Indonesia (in international programs), Thailand, Pakistan,
Taiwan,
Bangladesh, Israel, the UAE, China (very few courses
in top
universities)
|
Table 1
|
Furthermore, the data is taken from 2008 and only depicted general issues in several country. Aspect like methods and teachers qualitites have been tried to be enhanced along this period and still nothing of significance change happens, then there must be some specific error in the educational process. The writer argues that many issues and aspects should be investigated in accordance to ELL.
Other way of looking into general perspective, it is better to sort some specific issues of ELL which the researchers and many experts concern about and also give specific explanation to overcome these issues at the next chapter of this paper. Below there will be a brief descriptions of each issue which the writer have recognized. Essentially there are nine issues in English Language Learning process;
A. Teachers’ creativity
As this framework suggests, one of the features belong to teacher qualities is the teachers’ creativity. The way of teachers manage the material and convey their instruction have determined the way of students’ achievements from the material. Currently, many researchers in an EFL country, for instance Al-Qahtani (2016) and Filimban (2010) argued that teachers who practice approaches and methods that do not promote creativity will cause the students’ low level of achievement in English class. The writer considers that the teachers who have less creativity as a prominent issue toward ELL since most the students input is based on the teacher. However most of the teachers use whatever methods and techniques they have under their subjects whereas every subject especially English should be taught with an appropriate technique which covers both enjoyable and educative. And all of those at least need a creativity to realize it.
B. Teachers’ Feedback
Feedback from teacher is also considered as an urgent issue in this account. English language contains complexity of the material and with this in mind, the teacher are expected to give more inputs in form of giving contributions to their students. We cannot also judge that all of the roles depend on the teacher, but a good teachers’ traits is to manage and to support the students. If we look at the current trend in this era of English learning, the teachers seem less of taking role in every part of students’ acitivites, as the time passed they mostly show inconsistent attitudes. Accordingly, a research (Koç, 2012) found that the higher the grade level is, the less important the characteristics such as teachers’ being experienced, assigning homework, praising students, communicating with parents, designing song and game activities, and also taking students’ views into consideration.
C. Teachers Explanation
Students in EFL country often hypnotize themselves that English is the most difficult subject. In related case the students do not even realize that actually the platitude explanation of teachers influence the students to have such thus thinking. Still fresh in writer’s memory, in the end of the course the teacher sometimes say is there any question?. Perhaps some of the students would say no sir, indicated they already understand but some others not. The logical reason of the latter students condition is they feel confused about the teachers’ explanation so what should they ask for? Moreover the material is unclear and students often face dilemma of what to do, or do the wrong thing. Recently, some researches have proven that in this decade the teachers had poor organization skills to their instructional (Naeem, 2014). Into more specific case, we may find in daily classroom teachers delivered the material in low voice, in which it triggers the students' boredom and classroom noise (Bahanshal, 2013).
D. Students Lack of motivation
In learning English, the students are required to engage actively at every single activity including listening, writing, reading and performing speaking in a small classroom. The problem is, not all students want to compete to each other in which represent they clearly have different motivation or purpose for learning English. Some of them considered at English just as a course that should be passed and do not understand its importance as a means of communication. For most students, learning English is a duty, something that they have to, but do not want to do. They do not see pleasure in learning English. These students have low motivation to participate in class, and they simply try to get a passing mark to get rid of the course.
E. Mother Tounge Use
ELL students come from very different backgrounds and often face multiple challenges in the classroom, especially in Indonesia which has many tribes spread along the islands. By the variety of dialects, the students who want to learn English usually influence by inherent structure of their first language or mother tongue that they are exposed to since the first day. Learners find that it is easier to express themselves in their native language. Basically, the students cannot deny when been asked a question in English, they first translate it into their mother tongue and after they understand the question, their brain make an aswers in their mother tongue, then translates it again into English and they reply thereafter. It is the weaknesses of living in non-native area where the students are not used to thinking in English.
F. Lack on Vocabularies and Poor on Reading Books at Library
Today’s English formal classes is different from what on the mid to late twentieth century where the focus is no longer on memorizing forms of verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns and grammatical. Accordingly, there are signs that this is going to be disappeared someday because of the new trends in language learning nowadays which enable us to learn and read innovative material on internet. School library seems to become remote because of fact that young adults and older teens are prefer to use technologies to read (Rainie, 2016). As a matter of fact, reading books in library is essential and can be so powerfull tool to many aspects of learner necessity. In old time our ancestor always suggest us to keep reading a book in library, and the writer also agree with that since not everything on the internet is true.
G. Minimum Authentic Material
Currently, the problem in ELL is that too much is focused on the form of interaction while the nature of it is ignored in this case a material a central of learning. A big problem in English language teaching which the students encounter is that the material is still unusual, and the worse, the teachers alienate the material instead of looking into the context. English language learning should be authentic in order to assimilate the students understanding between the course and their culture.
H. Learning English can harm local language
Across the globe, minority languages are facing extinction in the face of globalisation. According to Unesco, half the world’s 6,000 languages face being wiped out by the end of the century, including 150 from Europe. The endangered languages include Quechua, which is spoken, primarily in the Andes in Colombia to Chile. Prof Rosaleen Howard, of Newcastle University explained: “When people move from rural areas to the cities they need Spanish in order to get jobs and education; there is no alternative. The people who push for language revitalisation tend to be the more educated people who are bilingual.”
I. Isolated Learning English
The main obstacle for learning English is that there is no environment that makes the students familiar with the original language. Despite all the money, efforts taken and time spent, EFL students are still not as successful in learning English as they are expected. In most of EFL classroom treat English as a school subject, which is the worst way to learn a language. In fact the government policies seems inferior to compete with the private.
CHAPTER II
Solutions of the Issues in English Language Learning
In this section the writer provides solutions for several issues in the previous chapter which can be solved with the presence of literary works. A key point may underlined several solutions and elaborated in a way that can cover some issues as stated in chapter one.
A. Using Authentic material in Classroom Teaching (Local-based literature)
Due to the growing interest in and uptake of English learning applied in classroom, many teachers are blinded with international trends of teaching method instead of looking further into the material. Generally speaking, a language is most effectively learned in the context of motivating themes and authenthic materials where the students live with. We need to think about the content where every country in a city or rural area provide abundance materials to be used as relevant authentic material. The teachers used them to improve four essential skill (e.g speaking, listening, writing and reading) in English learning.
In addition to responding the latter statement, unmotivated students would say:
“What is actually the point of learning English. Reading skill may be used for reading restricted content, writing skill only looks cool when used as graffiti or drawing on a wall street and honestly what is the point of slang?”
And another one would probably say;
“It is cystal-clear that many valuable things we can do than learning English, practically all we need to do is concerning about Global Issues: AIDS, war in Palestine, Irak, or some contries which have conflict with another countries, Global warming, natural and human-made disasters are the real issues. So what has this to do with the teaching of English?”
The answer of both statements have been clearly voiced by the British educator Maley (1992);
English language teaching (ELT) has been bedeviled with three perennial problems: the gulf between classroom activities and real life; the separation of ELT from the main stream of educational ideas; the lack of content as its subject matter. By making Global Issues a central core of EFL, these problems would be to some extent resolved.
Generally speaking, the teachers also be responsible for this respect. They do not have to look at the global perspective, yet to build their creative thinking and action they are required to raise at least their local issue as their main material to teach English. We may find in several textbook that many chapters provide activities based on the of western style. Why don’t teacher create their own English textbook which include their local issues and develop innovative activites which integrated with local games. It can be in form of fiction story, poem, puns or even adapted from local literature. It is paradoxically poor to see how the literary works are more famous in another country other than where it is born. The teachers do not preserve their own culture by teaching literature toward their students. La Lagaligo for instance, which claimed as the longest literary works in the world by the Dutch, which originally do not come from Netherland but Buginese craft.
The writer does not blame people who do not know their local literary works. We need to think positively and plan it for least five years from now after all. Researching our culture endlessly, asking our parent that his parent ever told them from their ancestors including habits, stories, or other literary works that are relevant for the students need, again and again untill we finally find it and apply it. We do not need to worry wasting our time in a searching for appropriate material for the students. Rather than stuck in this era and English is still the most difficult subject for students.
The students are really interested on two things, new experiences and their experiences. They enjoy their lesson and create a positive atmosphere in a classroom. In an ideal classrom situation sometimes we may hear the students say in words that promoting literary works appreciation. “wow I feel ever experience that before, but I don’t know where.” or something like “this is amazing, I probably never think with the same way again”. It is something that many teacher, instructor or tutor want hear from that students. Students are motivated in a case when they think that they ever experience that issues, it will absolutely evoke their appreciation toward the literary works. For the teacher, positive respond from the students will psychologically give contribution such as enthusiasm, self efficacy or even it triggers them to make new approach initiatively.
Talking about suitable approach in literature in accordance with authenthic material, students are more apt here to be trained on a new approach because most of the classroom problems are more abstract. The teacher may choose an interesting literary work such as urban stories and translate them into English, yet they have to select them carefully, because authentic material is no longer authentic for the students if the students showed passive responds. At last, the material can be categorized as authentic apparently is based on the teachers’ explanation and manage the material.
In addition to what best idea to present literary works, it is recommended to create an original way which is fit with teacher’ personality, rather than searching on the internet with a keyword innovative learning of 2017 and does not fit with the students’ interest and need. This is why the writer never suggests specific approaches in this paper because he claims that there is no actually bombastic technique in relation to English language learning in this twentieth-first century published on the internet or other sources. The reason is simple, we are as human have weaknesses and strengths, some teachers have an excellent teaching style that may promote aesthetic creativity, but some others step behind in technology or vice versa. We may assume that a teacher may convey their excellent teaching style that we never imagine to see it in other places, because that is his own technique and each individual is unique with abilities of maximizing the potential of his own.
Being a good teacher is to make the students engage in the course, and by presence of the literary text itself, it has functions in raising moral and ethical concerns in the classrooms (Lazar, 2009). Integrating students engagement and moral it the most powerful learning which impact to their cognitive such as cricital thinking and noble characteristic. The teachers are also suggested to have a well-prepared lesson and holding balance between humor and seriousness in class since they convey literary works in which it presents many aspects, including; joy, sorrow, proud, angry, mad and encourages students to talk about their opinions and feelings.
B. Formed reading habit
In general, students can only remember and recall 10% of their reading, 20% what they hear, 30% from what they look, 50% from what they hear and 70% from what they say and write. Based on that data, we can imagine how the students will get information they need from the book if it only presents a tiny percentage of informations. Concerning about the other skill in learning English based on the students perspective, reading is the easiest way than speaking or writing, but in another way it is difficult to create reading habit especially if the text contains of foreign language. Educational policy makers should think of extra simultaneous programs to develop the students reading habit.
In spite of that, there are more possibilities to evoke the students willingness of reading book especially English book. First, the writer suggests that every textbook that recommended for students is should be interesting, like the novel or comic competition where the participants of literary contest submit their draft and only interesting issue will be accepted and finally published. Basically the writer got that idea from reading severals literature form Japanese culture. Although English is considered as Foreign Language in that country and most of the people in Japan are still poor in speaking English, their system policies are really appreciate on what their people made. In that sakura country the literary works is highly valued. They usually called a people who create novels or light novels, comics (manga) and games are such creator or sensei to shows us that they really admire and admit a person who can make brilliant literary work.
The writer really believes that every single literary work has their own quality and masterpiece is a masterpiece, even a person who does not really have motivation to read, their heart will be touched when they find something interesting and said this is it..!!”. It is not a matter of someone with a short or tall antenna for what is interesting, it is a matter of the aesthetic contained literary work itself. And to understand them all, it is a matter of experience. People who do not like reading because they have not find their favorite (masterpiece) literary works yet. And when they find it, they even do not realize that a literary work can force them to read more and more as well as deeply. As teachers, we may recommend the students reading materials that are really interesting, if we put ourselves into serious to do this (like choosing and sorting carefully reading material) then nothing is difficult. As a metaphor, a lecturer ever asked the writer to finish a report and the deadline would be next two week. The topic was really interesting and the writer felt motivated to accomplish that assignment, he found interesting reading matter and unbelievably it just took him five days to accomplish that fairly long assignment. So that was how a person looks when he concentrate so intensively and his brain is like exploding.
Second, this will be difficult to create because it is related to government policies, but in the future at least the writer expects in a classroom there will be a subject to add which is aimed to discuss more about literature intensively. In that course, the students will learn how to create literary works for instance, composing play manuscript, poetry, and folk literature such as epic, fantasy, myths, fables, legends by using their imagination. All of their ideas are put into the text and make their own literary text. In accordance with ELL, here teachers will show their role by assist them including introducing the pattern of famous literary works in form of English text (for example, Harry potter, Lovely Wicked, The lord of the rings, Twilight, ect.) Of course the teacher need to carefully select them.
All of the activities will lead the students to read more, in this case they may read their friends’ work. Each students will argue about their best literary works, but in the end this process is aimed to evoke the the students’ interest in reading. While they compose ther own story, the students will put their effort in searching material they need in order they are able to make a masterpiece which can compete in international level. Again reading habit should be maintained in order to fulfil particular gap. The process of that activities could be difficult to managed by teacher itself. The teacher then ask the students to provide a smart book for ensuring that they do what is effective for them by write and update any literature they have read in accomplishing their literary works. The smart book will be evaluated each meeting by recommending other sources that relevant for students reading. If this can be done consistently in years, then teachers may have many references or even small library of literary works in that way it can be share to the next generation in their class.
CHAPTER III
Evaluation and Concluding Remarks
Using literature to English Language Learning should be covered with effective strategies in which it includes the teacher creativity to select and manage the material. One of the the strengths by using literature, it is authentic. In chapter two, firstly the writer suggests to use of authentic material and emphasizes at local-based literature (including local story, local poem, and local play). The writer argues that, if teachers are able to maximize the potentials of literary text and applied it in English language teaching, in this case raising the local issue as their main concern, then there will be one step closer to the goal of learning a language. For instance, a group of students conduct an integrated game which is based on the local culture, called ma´danda, the procedure is consisted of simple steps. Basically one student will represent their group to throw a rock in columns which already draw on the floor tile, and then the students wll have to jump over the rock and follow the rest of the coloumn and go back. While they are jumping, they will have to pronounce and translated English words (this can be change into be more creative question in English) prepared on every column so they will permit to jump. After each of the students accomplish that game, another students from another group will take turn, so there will be a competition between students. The writer’s point is, as long there is a fun and enjoyable when learning is conducted and inserting some language features, the problems such as teacher’s creativity, students’ lack of motivation, mother tounge use, authentic material or afraid of learning foreign language can harm local language will no longer become a serious problems.
Secondly, the writer is really interested on the policy of literature which learned as one of subjects instead of being a part of a certain language subject. The main purpose is to form the student reading habit. The activities will include composing play manuscript, poem, and any kinds of story, interestingly all of them are originally made by students. The impact for English learning is also significance since they will be given a reference based on the international literary works in English text, the skill like reading are prefer to choose here. By familiarizing the students with reading English text the other essential skills will follow as they develop. Another additional activity is the students will be prepared with a smart book. Each week they will be monitored through looking at their smart book by teacher. Therefore the teacher will give contribution by suggesting any relevant reading material in process. After all, these activities have to be designed in well-prepared involving English language learning as the other main concern.
Unfortunately, it is easier to said than done to change students habit in reading since it includes their heart. However it needs more time, more effort and more patient. Sometimes we hear from the students that they have ton reasons why they have no time to read. Reasons like “I have tight academic schedule and in my house as well, my class is already full day therefore no time for reading, or it is boring, looking at the million words will make me sleepy.” As teachers, we have to put in students’ mind that it is not about having more time, but making more time. We are all very busy every time, but many of us still achieve great things to read in time. It is our time.
REFERENCES
Rainie, L. (2016). 10 facts about
Americans and public libraries.
Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/09/libraries-2016/
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