The future of teaching in 2025? A (possible) resolution.

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My teaching resolution in 2025? Let me get this straight.

My teaching resolution in 2025 is (probably) to deeply integrate technology into the learning process to create a relevant, engaging, and effective learning experience. In this digital era, technology is not only a tool, but also a bridge to reach various potential students. Therefore, technology-based teaching methods are a top priority to maximize this potential.

First, I will utilize a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Moodle, or Canvas to support more structured learning. LMS will be used to provide easy access to learning materials, assignments, and exams, as well as a means of communication between lecturers and students. That way, students can learn independently anytime and anywhere.

Second, I will integrate interactive learning videos using platforms such as Edpuzzle or Loom. Through these videos, students can get a more visual explanation of concepts, while interactive features allow them to answer questions or provide direct feedback while watching. This will improve their understanding of the material and reduce dependence on face-to-face sessions.

Third, gamification will be one of the innovative methods that I apply. I will use applications such as Kahoot, Quizizz, or Mentimeter etc. to create fun quizzes or learning simulations. With this approach, the learning atmosphere becomes more lively, increases student engagement, and strengthens the retention of the material taught.

Fourth, I will encourage collaboration by utilizing digital tools such as Miro or Jamboard for group discussions and problem solving. These platforms allow students to work together virtually to develop ideas or projects, strengthening their collaboration and communication skills.

Fifth, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology will also be a focus. I will utilize AI to provide automatic feedback on certain tasks, such as essays or multiple-choice quizzes. In addition, AI can help me analyze student progress and provide personalized learning recommendations based on their needs.

Sixth, I will invite students to explore the use of technology in completing case studies or problem-based learning projects. Technologies such as data analytics or specialized software will broaden their horizons on how to use technology in the real world of work.

Finally, reflection and evaluation will be an important part of this resolution. I will ask for regular feedback from students regarding the effectiveness of the use of technology in learning. Based on this feedback, I will continue to adjust and improve teaching methods in order to provide the best learning experience in 2025. Thus, technology is not only a tool, but also a means to produce a generation that is ready to face future challenges.

But still..

It's a (possible) resolution.

I'll try my best.

Longman Preparation Course for The TOEFL Test - The Paper Test (With CD-ROM and Audios)

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Almost all universities require graduating students to undergo English proficiency examinations to assess their ability to master the language. Hughes (2003) noted that proficiency exams are used to assess people's abilities in a language even if they have been trained in it. Furthermore, several overseas universities require students who wish to enroll to complete English proficiency tests such as IELTS and TOEFL. Furthermore, students seeking scholarships may be required to submit an IELTS or TOEFL score with a specific passing grade.

Deborah Phillips' Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL test is a popular TOEFL course book. This book is meant to help students prepare for the TOEFL test in paper format. The TOEFL paper-based test includes listening comprehension, structure, written expression, and reading comprehension. This book includes diagnostic pre-tests, TOEFL post-tests, and exercises in both non-TOEFL and TOEFL formats. This book also includes skills and methods, as well as clearly defined actions to help pupils enhance their test performance. The entire examinations, which are offered in paper format, allow students to simulate the experience of taking actual TOEFL tests, with all sections combined into one whole test.

This book/CD-ROM package gives students all the tools they need to succeed on the TOEFL® paper-based test. Providing both a comprehensive language skills course and a wealth of practice for all sections of the paper test, the Longman Preparation Course is appropriate for courses in TOEFL® test preparation or as a supplement to more general ESL courses.

In the Student Book:

• Complete language skills instruction for skills tested on both the TOEFL® paper test and the Test of Written English.

• Longer reading passages that reflect the latest testing format. Diagnostic pre-tests and evaluation post-tests for each section that allow students to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

• Practice exercises for each of the language skills that maximize understanding and retention.

• Five complete Practice Tests that familiarize students with the actual test format and timing.

In the CD-ROM:

• An additional 1,450 test questions in both practice sections and three more simulated tests.

• Pop-up explanations to enhance understanding.

• Easy-to-use scoring and record keeping to monitor progress.

A separate audio program -- available on your choice of cassettes or CDs -- includes the complete materials from the Listening Comprehension section and Complete Tests in the text.

Longman Student CD ROM For the TOEFL Test can be an effective and fun TOEFL learning medium as well as helping to understand the types of problems that are usually tested on the TOEFL Test.

Software in this CD-ROM (Longman Student CD-ROM for The TOEFL Test: The Paper Test) includes:

1. Skill Practices:

Listening Comprehension Practices.

Structure and Written Expression practices.

Reading Comprehension Practices, and

Test Of Written English Practices.

2. Tests

Listening Comprehension Tests.

Structure and Written Expression Tests.

Using Songs to Promote Fun English Learning for Young English Learners: How it works?

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INTRODUCTION

Nowadays English has become an international language, more and more people learn English. The importance of English as a world language has made people to learn English as early as possible. In Indonesia for example, English is taught even before the children enter the playgroup, there is a special class for children who are still around two or three years old. This is supported by the fact that the optimum age for children to learn a foreign language is when they are still in a very young age. This phenomenon has made Teaching English to Young Learners “TEYL” become increasingly famous. There are many English courses and the publication of the course books. Before we go on, it is better to look at the definition of young learners in order for us to have the same perspective and knowledge. “The definition of Young Learners is children between the ages of about 5 years old to 12 years old” as Rixon (1999) cited in Shin (2006), while  the  primary  or  elementary  stages  of  formal  education  before  the  transition  to secondary school. This is why the ages of the young learners could be varied from one country to the others.

Songs have become an important part of human culture and civilization. They are used in many social and cultural occasions and have traditionally used as an educational tool.  Therefore, it is widely believed that songs can be used to promote learning amongst people, including children. 

One type of songs which children like most is action song. This type of songs usually requires body movements of the whole parts of the body or only some parts of it. In relation to English language learning for children, action songs are considered as powerful resources which help their language development. By nature, children enjoy playing and singing songs and they will get a lot of benefits when they were exposed to particular English songs in the English classroom. This paper intends to explain the use of action songs in English classes at elementary schools. At first, it outlines some theoretical reasons of using action songs in the English classroom. Then, it identifies and explains some possible action songs that can be used in the classroom and how to use them in the English classroom.

The reason why the writer chooses this topic is mainly because song is really suitable for young learners. Through songs and the fun activity make the children learn the language unconsciously, and in a fun way. Through songs, the children can enhance their language skills such as listening, speaking and writing. These  three skills are put in order, since the first skills that the children learn is listening the songs, and after that the children learn to speak or sing the song, the last thing, the children learn to write the lyrics of the songs. The activity is not only lead to the fun activity of the children but also the skills’ development of the students when they are listening to the particular kind of song.

DISCUSSION

A. Song as Useful Learning Resources for Young Learners

Songs and languages might have some similar features. By using songs, people can express themselves. Similar to songs, language is also a means used by people to express their thought, feeling or concern about particular things. As Goodger (2010) cited in Nurhayati (2012) mentions that music and language share some common elements. First “physically, both of them made up of sound waves which our ears capture and our brains process into a meaningful, recognizable code.” Language, except the sign language, and songs are firstly captured by ears and then they proceeded by the brains. Second, both of them “communicate emotions and meanings.” In everyday life, they often function as canal for human to express idea, opinion, feeling, emotion, and dream. Third, they both have an “intrinsic phonology namely rhythm and accentuation, key and intonation”. Song is defined as a short piece of music with words to be sung. In language, particularly English certain features like tune, intonation, stress also exist and give impact to meanings. Goodger also mentioned that “the notes in a melody correspond to the phonemes in words; change the order of the notes in a tune and it loses its sense. It is exactly the same for phonemes in words, phrases and sentences.”

Using Educational Social Network in Teaching English for EFL Students

The Current Issues towards the Use of ICT in English Language Teaching:

Using Educational Social Network in Teaching English for EFL Students

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INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, the use of Information and Computer Technology (ICT) is not a new thing anymore to people. People are already getting accustomed to use ICT in their daily life through their gadget and activities. The use of ICT could not be separated from people’s activities especially for students. Almost all students have their own gadgets. They use it for getting new information and knowing what happened outside their environment. They can access the information throughout the internet wherever they are, as long as their gadgets are connected to the internet signal.

Considering those facts above, the writer can say that there are some things appear in students’ daily life related to the use of ICT. The application of ICT in students’ daily activity can show their motivation and their attitude in sing it. Thus, this paper assignment will further talk and explain about the issues appear to students. Additionally, this paper assignment will also proposed some conclusion remarks based on the facts appeared in the field.

As we know that students differ in their motivation towards learning English and they display many different attitudes towards learning a language. A student that has negative attitudes towards learning English could be changed and turn those negative attitudes into positive ones and get a positive result. This will be further discussed below.

The fact that we can find at school is that the teacher sometimes cannot create a good media to overcome the situation above. As we know that computer-assisted language learning (CALL) allows the combination of different online resources through multiple hyperlinks, a feature common to most online searches and many offline utility. With the expansion of CALL, more questions have been raised. Issues of learning style, motivation, attitude, personality and some other factors have come to the fore with the use of computers. Students who see CALL as an important part of the course also have a high level of motivation and attitude in learning English.

In the learning process, students will show different attitudes and it will be different between one and each other. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can affect the students’ attitude in learning process. All the students agree that they are proficient in computers and they are integrated with them. This can be seen through the use of students’ gadget in their daily life. This statement is supported by the study conducted by Önsoy (2004) who also confirmed that there were differences between the learning process that using computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and the one that do not. In his thesis, he stated that students and teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the use of computers in daily tasks and in language instruction. However, the findings showed that there were statistically significant differences among the perceptions of students in terms of their levels. The findings also indicated that students and teachers believed that training was required and they believed that they needed training to learn and teach with computers.

ICT In Language Teaching (Some Questions and Answers)

 

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1. Explain the benefits of information and communication technology (ICT) in education? 

Answer: 

(1) developing technology provides a tremendous opportunity to develop education management and learning processes in schools, (2) specific student learning outcomes can be identified by the use of new technologies, and (3) ICT has tremendous potential to transform entire aspects of education in schools and use them to achieve learning goals.

2.  Describe the main obstacles faced in implementing ICT in schools? 

Answer: 

(1) The budget for early care of facilities are not available, (2) Training is usually too specific and not related to the needs in the field or a change of attitude, (3) unavailability of employees for routine maintenance and development, (4) the unavailability of qualified tecknisians and too expensive, (5) The material that is suitable for teaching is not available, and (6) poor working conditions of teachers in the field dictates that they can not devote time to develop teaching materials creatively.

3. Definition of ICT? 

Answer: 

Tinio defines ICT as a set of tools that are used to communicate and create, disseminate, store, and manage information.  including computers, Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephone. UNESCO (2004) defines that ICT is the technology used to communicate and create, manage and distribute information. General definition of ICT is a computer, internet, telephone, television, radio, and audiovisual equipment. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) includes two aspects, namely Information and Communications Technology. Information technology encompasses all matters relating to process, use as a tool, manipulation, and management information. Communication technology covers all matters relating to the use of tools to process and transfer data from one device to another.

4.  Explain the stages of ICT development program by the Plan of National Education Strategic fin the year 2005-2009?

 Answer: 

1) The first stage consists of (a) designing a network system that includes the Internet network, which connects schools with data centers and applications, besides that networks and the Internet as a means of communication and information media in schools, (b) to design and create the application of database, ( c) to design and create applications of education management in central, regional, and school (d) to design and create learning applications based Web, multimedia, and interactive.

2) The second phase includes (a) to implement the system at schools in Indonesia that covers the procurement of ICT facilities, infrastructure and training for technicians and teachers (b) to design and create learning applications.

3) The third and fourth stage is the stage of expanding the system implementation in schools.

5. Explain the role of ICT in School Management System?

Answer: 

application of ICT are very necessary in implementating of school management to be  more effective and efficient. Ruud (2005) pointed out that investment in ICT in schools which is then followed by the development of teacher and student competence in the field of ICT to improve the effectiveness of school management and improve performance of academic staff and students. This is understandable because the application of ICT in schools will directly contribute to improve management and administration processes, the opportunity to develop teaching materials and independent learning, a motivator for students to develop their capabilities, and as a tool to develop profession and innovation mechanisms in monitoring and evaluating the processes and learning outcomes.

6. Explain the benefits of ICT in School Management? 

Answer: 

Benefits of ICT in School Management include: 

- Benefits for Government: (a) help to prepare accurate databases and efficient information about the profiles and maps of education in Indonesia, (b) accelerate equitable distribution of national standards of educational attainment, (c) help to control educational process.

- Benefits for Schools: (a) help to improve school management and operational systems, (b) assist the school in terms of distributing information about the school profile and student learning outcomes to parents and other stakeholders, (c) assist the school to provide a source of currency and relevance information for teachers and students.

- Benefits for Teachers: (a) open the opportunity for teachers to develop ICT-based teaching materials, interesting, innovative and stimulating the curiosity of students, (b) help teachers to prepare lesson plans including the provision of a comprehensive multimedia learning resources and cutting-edge, (c) allow teachers to monitor students' progress, (d) facilitating teachers to prepare reports and communicate with parents, (e) help teachers to assess learning outcomes based on authentic assessment.

- Benefits for parents: (a) monitor the activities and their children in school, (b) view of school assignments given to children so parents can participate in children's learning activities, (c) look at various school programs which can be followed by students, (d) interactive media among schools, teachers and parents, and (e) help to control educational process directly. 

- The benefits for students: (a) help students to use ICT skillfully in their lives, (b) helping students to see and examine learning materials per meeting, (c) help students to work on assignments and exams given online by the teacher , (d) help students to develop collaborative work, (e) motivate students to develop knowledge and skills related to the developing of science and technology. 

- The benefits for theschool committee: (a) facilitate the committee to monitor and evaluate educational programs in schools, (b) facilitate the committee to communicate with educators about education in schools, (c), facilitate the committee to be involved in drafting and designing school management program and improve the quality of learning.

7. Explain Matters to be considered by teachers in using compiuter / laptop in teaching? 

Answer: 

a. If you had never used computers in teaching, talk with students about it. Try to find out who among them has ever used it and who has not, how their feelings and attitudes. You also have to try to share experiences with them.

b. To familiarize and give students experience with computers, have students to work at computers in pairs. Through this pair work, try to make the less experienced students work with a more experienced.

c. For each new activity at computer, ask them to work in pairs so that they can help each other. 

d. Consider how to obtain materials for your students.

e. Consider how you use these materials for computer activities. In accordance with the level of students' computer skills, you can assign a particular treat with different learning levels in different groups of students.

The Use of Digital Stories for Listening Comprehension (Article Review)

 

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The Use of Digital Stories for Listening Comprehension among Primary Chinese Medium School Pupils: Some Preliminary Findings

Authors:

Shanti C. Sandaran

Language Academy, University Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Lim Chia Kia

Faculty of Education, University Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Original paper can be accessed here: https://sainshumanika.utm.my/index.php/sainshumanika/article/view/107

Background and Objectives of Research

The emergence of digital storytelling has inspired many teachers and instructors in both schools and courses to develop the teaching materials. Digital storytelling has emerged over the last few years as a powerful teaching and learning tool that engages both teachers and their students. However, until recently, little attention has been paid to a theoretical framework that could be employed to increase the effectiveness of technology as a tool in a classroom environment. A discussion of the history of digital storytelling and how it is being used educationally is presented in this article. The theoretical framework, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK), is described, along with a discussion of how this model might be used with digital storytelling.

Digital storytelling is a technology application that is well-positioned to take advantage of user-contributed content and to help teachers overcome some of the obstacles to productively using technology in their classrooms. At its core, digital storytelling allows computer users to become creative storytellers through the traditional processes of selecting a topic, conducting some research, writing a script, and developing an interesting story. This material is then combined with various types of multimedia, including computer-based graphics, recorded audio, computer-generated text, video clips, and music so that it can be played on a computer, uploaded on a web site, or burned on a DVD.

Procedure and Analysis of Research

This article reports on preliminary findings based on observations and comprehension exercises during an on-going study on the use of digital stories for listening comprehension among Primary Year 3 students in a Chinese medium school. The preliminary findings would inform the main study that looks at them effectiveness of digital stories for listening comprehension. 30 primary Year 3 students (aged 9) were involved in the listening/viewing of 8 animations of fairy tales over a period of 8 weeks. The findings based on the observations revealed that the students displayed high levels of interest, attention and motivation. The students also showed interest in fairy tales. The results from the comprehension exercises showed some level of improvement in their comprehension of the stories. Finally, it was also noted that pre-teaching vocabulary is essential to ensure the success of digital stories in improving students’ listening comprehension. The findings indicate the potential of digital stories in increasing the level of motivation, interest, and attention in ESL/EFL learning. 

Result and Findings

The findings in this section are based on initial observations by the researcher/teacher on the students’ attitude, behaviour and motivation towards the use of the digital stories, i.e. the animated fairy tales. The results from the listening comprehension exercise (MCQ’s) are also discussed. It was found that students displayed high levels of interest, attention and motivation. There were some differences in focus between female and male students. The students also showed interest in fairy tales and to the type of animations used as main characters in the stories. It was also noted that pre-teaching vocabulary is essential for the effective use of digital stories. Finally, the results from the MCQ’s (worksheet) showed a slight improvement in their comprehension of the stories.

Additionally, if teacher in the classroom can start to apply digital storytelling as their media in teaching English, it will be a good variety in teaching English and can be a good media to engage students with the teaching material that teacher give to them. Besides, students nowadays are used to use technology, in this case computer, as media to learn something. This will help them to apply digital storytelling media of English teaching and learning.

Foreign Language Teaching using ICT

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Introduction

There has been much debate over the use of computers and the Internet in Foreign Language Teaching over the past few years. The techniques offered, the activities and the degree of application in the language teaching syllabus have undergone a number of serious changes alongside the evolution of technology. The computer itself has evolved from the status of “tutor” to the one of “tool”.

The computer as a tool stage refers to the usage of computers as vehicles for delivering instructional materials to learners (through drill and practice). The development of computer based activities developed learner computer and learner interaction, engaging the learners in a wide range of communicative tasks. This was the moment computers assumed the role of stimuli in language learning. “The computer as a tool stage” refers to using computers as instruments for understanding and using language through spelling and grammar checkers, desktop editing programs. All these steps belong to CALL (Computer assisted language learning).

The methodology of language learning has developed a new way of using ICT in teaching, the Hypermedia. Hypermedia provides the language teacher and the language learner with multimedia resources, such as texts, graphics, sound, animation, video linked together. It also has a number of advantages omitted by CALL. It offers an authentic learning environment, it combines listening with seeing. Skills can easily be integrated in the teaching/learning process; reading, writing, speaking, listening can be combined in task- based learning.

ICT in Foreign Language Teaching 

The application of ICT gives more opportunities for communication between peer learners: they can exchange information in real time, they can participate in blog discussions, work in teams on different projects, exchange emails, search for information, etc. By using the authentic material provided by the Internet, we will have a better insight into the culture of the country and people whose language we study.

The Internet also offers a wide variety of reference materials like online dictionaries, encyclopedias and search mechanisms very helpful for developing students` individual work. They can find, alone, the missing information, the meaning of new words, synonyms, antonyms or can communicate with the rest of the group online, via e-mail or in any other ICT environment.

In a language classroom the computer may have the following roles:

•  Teacher – it teaches students new language;

•  Tester - it tests students on the already learned structures;

•  Tool – it assists students to do certain tasks;

•  Data source – it provides students with the information they need to solve different tasks;

•  Communication facilitator – it allows students to communicate with 

   others.

1) Computer as a Teacher

In the early years of CALL in schools some reluctant teachers made assumptions that in a few years teachers would no longer be needed in schools, their role being taken over by computers. It is not the case, as we can very well see. Computerized teaching (computer as a teacher) uses multimedia CD ROMS. In such programs, students can listen to recordings, watch videos, speak into the microphone, record their progress or learn words by clicking on pictures and hearing their pronunciation. An alternative to CD ROMS is the World Wide Web. Students can practice all their skills there and it is more useful for the teacher than the CD ROM because teachers can intervene with their own ideas or materials.

2) Computer as a Tester

Students can practice their knowledge of a specific language using different Internet websites. A problem these sites have is the fact that the practice programs are very limited in terms of practice materials. Basically, the practice material refers to multiple choice exercises, dual choice exercises, true or false. The only answer the computer can give is Right or Wrong.

Despite these limitations computer grammar or vocabulary practice is enjoyed by students because the latter feel like playing and get the feedback without fearing the teacher’s criticism. They can also work in groups, sitting at the same computer and discussing the answers.

MODUL TOEFL UNTUK PELATIHAN DAN TRY-OUT TOEFL BERBASIS TMS (TOEFL MODUL STRATEGY) BAGI DOSEN TMT 2019 POLITEKNIK NEGERI AMBON UNTUK MENEMBUS SERTIFIKASI DOSEN

Dewasa ini, penggunaan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa global sangat dibutuhkan sebagai sebuah kewajiban baik didunia pendidikan maupun didunia kerja. Di dalam jenjang pendidikan dasar dan menengah, bahasa Inggris dimasukan kedalam kurikulum pembelajaran, sedangkan pada jenjang perguruan tinggi, bahasa Inggris harus diambil pada semester tertentu sebagai matakuliah umum. Tidak sampai disitu setiap perguruan tinggi berlomba-lomba mendirikan Pusat Balai Bahasa sebagai wadah untuk memberikan pelatihan bahasa Inggris baik kepada mahasiswa, kepegawaian, dosen bahkan masyarakat luar yang ingin memperdalam kemampuan bahasa Inggrisnya.. Di dunia kerja, bahasa Inggris menjadi sebuah syarat yang harus dimiliki applicants ketika ingin melamar sebuah pekerjaan disebuah perusahaan. Hal ini harus dibuktikan dengan sertifikat TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) terbaru dari lembaga yang sudah divalidasi dan diakui. Di universitas tertentu, sertifikat kemampuan bahasa Inggris seperti TOIEC, TOEFL, IELTS yang dikeluarkan balai bahasa dijadikan syarat kepada mahasiswa yang akan melaksanakan wisuda.

TOEFL adalah singkatan dari Test of English as Foreign Language. Menurut Zuhrayana, D (2018) TOEFL adalah tes yang digunakan untuk mengukur kemempuan bahasa Inggris di negara yang bahasa Inggris berstatus bahasa asing. Ada tiga hal yang perlu diketahui tentang TOEFL yaitu apa itu pengertian dari TOEFL, untuk siapa TOEFL diadakan, apa tujuan dari tes TOEFL. Pertama, TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign language) adalah tes yang didisain untuk mengukur kemampuan bahasa Inggris bagi penutur non-bahasa Inggris. Berdasarkan Pyle (2001) TOEFL adalah sebuah tes yang didesain untuk mengukur apakah siswa non-bahasa Inggris memiliki kemampuan yang cukup bagus dalam berbahasa Inggris agar mampu mengikuti proses pembelajaran dinegara yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai media komunikasi. Didalam TOEFL tentunya test-takers atau lebih dikenal dengan orang yang mengikuti test TOEFL akan dihadapkan dengan ragam soal yang akan mengetes kemampuan mendengar (listening comprehension), memahami kalimat (written and structure expression) dan kemampuan memahami sebuah teks (reading comprehension), Mahmud, M. (2014) Deskripsi diatas menjadi dasar mengapa TOEFL dianggap sebagai sebuah test yang berlaku secara internasional, menurut (Educational Testing Service, 2009) lebih dari 180 negara dan 22 juta orang telah melewati tes TOEFL untuk mengukur kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka.

Kedua, TOEFL dipasarkan atau diperuntukkan bagi mereka yang dimana bahasa Inggris bukanlah mother tongue mereka. Ini diartikan sebagai bahasa Inggris bukanlah bahasa asal atau asli penutur tersebut. Hal ini juga menjadi dasar mengapa TOEFL menjadi sebuah alat yang sudah valid dan tersertifikasi untuk mengukur kemampuan bahasa Inggris penutur tersebut. Di Indonesia sendiri test TOEFL secara resmi dikelola oleh English Language System (ELS). Disamping itu, banyak kampus atau perguruan tinggi yang mendirikan balai bahasa yang menjalin kerjasama dengan ELS agar mahasiswa lebih mudah untuk mengikuti tes TOEFL. Biasanya tes TOEFL menjadi sebuah agenda kerja utama yang harus dilakukan oleh balai bahasa bagi para mahasiswa. Saukah (2000) mengatakan banyak dari lulusan perguruan tinggi tidak bisa melanjutkan pendidikan kejenjang lebih tinggi dikarenakan memiliki skor TOEFL yang rendah. 

The Use of Speech Act in “ The Blind Side” Movie

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Making statements are the way we communicate to each others and many kinds of statements that we can make to build a comunication with some people. We can make apologize, offerings, asking, permission and so on. All of them is included as a speech act. We use the speech act to get one’s respond

According  to  Levinson  (1983)  pragmatics  is  study  of  just  those  aspects  of  the relationship between language and context that are relevant to the writing and the grammars. In study of pragmatics, speech act is the most interisting study and seems relevant in language learning and teaching. Speech act is the action or intent that a speaker accomplishes when using language in context. Yule (1996) states that Pragmatic concerned with the study of meaning communicated by  the  speaker  and  interpreted  by  the  listener.  It  has  consequently,  more  to  do  with  the analysis  what  people  mean  by  their  utterances  than  what  the  words  or  phrases  in  those utterance might mean by themselves.

Speech acts generally  are  acts of communication. To communicate is to express a certain attitude, and the type of speech act being performed corresponds to the type of attitude being  expressed.  For  example, a statement expresses belief,  a request  expresses a desire, and  an  apology  expresses  a  regret.  Some  speech  act, however,  are  not  primarily  acts  of communication  and  have  the  function  not  of  communication  but  of  affecting  institutional states of affairs. They can do so in either of two ways. Some officially judge something to be the case, and others actually make something the case.

Austin (1975) divides the linguistic act into three components. First, there is the locutionary act, "the act of 'saying' something." Second, there is the illocutionary act, "the performance of an act in saying something as opposed to the performance of an act of saying something." Third, there is the perlocutionary act, for "saying something will often, or even normally, produce certain consequential effects upon the feelings, thoughts, or actions of the audience, of the speaker, or of other persons." In other words, a locutionary act has meaning; it produces an understandable utterance. An illocutionary act has force; it is informed with a certain tone, attitude, feeling, motive, or intention. A perlocutionary act has consequence; it has an effect upon the addressee. By describing an imminently dangerous situation (locutionary component) in a tone that is designed to have the force of a warning (illocutionary component), the addresser may actually frighten the addressee into moving (perlocutionary component). These three components, then, are not altogether separable, for as Austin points out, "we must consider the total situation in which the utterance is issued -- the total speech act -- if we are to see the parallel between statements and performative utterances, and how each can go wrong. Perhaps indeed there is no great distinction between statements and performative utterances." In contradistinction to structuralism, then, speech act theory privileges parole over langue, arguing that external context -- the context of situation -- is more important in the order of explanation than internal context -- the interrelationships among terms within the system of signs.

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PENDIDIKAN

 

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A. Implikasi dan Tahapan Implementasi

Implikasi kebijakan pendidikan telah banyak mengalami perubahan dari waktu ke waktu. Banyak implikasi dari berbagai kebijakan pendidikan yang telah dirasakan baik oleh pendidik secara umum, maupun oleh peserta didik pada khususnya. Ini bisa diartikan bahwa setiap kali pendidikan harus menjadi perhatian bagi Indonesia, dalam hal ini dari pihak pemerintah, termasuk dalam pengambilan keputusan dan kebijakan untuk ruang lingkup pendidikan. Menurut Rusdiana (2015), implikasi kebijakan pendidikan mengacu pada segala dampak dan akhibat yang muncul dari segala kebijakan yang dibuat, khususnya pada sistem pendidikan yang dirasakan oleh public yang menjadi pengguna kebijakan itu sendiri. 

Implikasi kebijakan pendidikan juga dirasakan saat pemerintah melalui Kementerian Pendidikan merevisi beberapa kebijakan kurikulum; Kurikulum 2013 adalah contohnya. Perubahan kurikulum memang memainkan peran utama dalam meningkatkan kualitas dan relevansi pendidikan di negara manapun. Secara internasional, kurikulum dikembangkan dan direvisi untuk memenuhi prioritas nasional, serta pasar tenaga kerja lokal dan internasional. Indonesia sendiri merevisi kurikulum secara nasional pada tahun 1994, 2004 dan 2013; hal ini dilakukan dalam jangka waktu kira-kira setiap 10 tahun. Mengingat laju perubahan secara nasional dan internasional, ini adalah kerangka waktu yang tepat untuk revisi. 

Pada tahun 2004, para penguna kebijakan pendidikan merasakan implikasi dari kebjakan pendidikan itu, yaitu dua perubahan signifikan pada kurikulum Indonesia yang sejalan dengan praktik terbaik di kalangan internasional. Pertama adalah perubahan dari kurikulum berbasis konten ke kurikulum berbasis kompetensi, yang menandakan perubahan besar juga bagi guru. Dalam penelitian yang terkait, Suharto (2012) menyatakan bahwa siswa tidak lagi cukup baik untuk membuat dan menghafal konten pembelajaran, melainkan siswa sekarang diharapkan untuk menunjukkan kompetensi mereka untuk membuat sesuatu dengan pengetahuan konten (content knowledge) dan mereka diharapkan untuk menunjukkan pengetahuan, keterampilan dan sikap mereka dalam pelaksanaan tugas disekolah. Hal ini pada akhirnya berimplikasi langsung kepada guru untuk lebih meningkatkan konten pembelajaran mereka. Mereka diminta untuk mengubah metode pengajaran mereka dari instruksi langsung yang mendukung pembelajaran hafalan menjadi guru yang mendukung dan memfasilitasi pemecahan masalah dan pembelajaran aktif siswa.

Contoh implikasi dari kebijakan pendidikan diatas hanyalah salah satu contoh dari banyaknya implikasi kebijakan pendidikan yang secara langsung berpengaruh pada implementasi kebijakan pendidikan itu sendiri. Musfah (2016) dalam bukunya “Analisis Kebijakan Pendidikan” mengungkapkan bahwa keberhasilan pelaksanaan kebijakan pendidikan membutuhkan sumber daya yang memadai di semua tingkat administrasi, dan dalam konteks karakter desentralisasi administrasi publik Indonesia, terutama di tingkat dasar. Untuk tujuan pemerataan dan efisiensi, ada kebutuhan nyata untuk transparansi yang lebih besar dalam pengambilan keputusan di tingkat dasar berdasarkan prinsip yang dinyatakan dengan jelas dan bukti yang terdokumentasi. Ada juga kebutuhan khusus untuk manajemen data yang lebih kuat, analisis dan pelaporan, dan anggaran profesional manajemen, termasuk alokasi sumber daya.

Dalam bukunya, Rusdiana (2015) menuliskan bahwa menurut Undang-Undang Nomor 25 Tahun 2000 tentang Program Pembangunan Nasional (PROPENAS), disebutkan bahwa ada tiga tantangan besar dalam bidang pendidikan di Indonesia, yaitu (1) mempertahankan hasil pembangunan pendidikan yang telah dicapai; (2) menyiapkan sumber daya manusia yang kompeten yang mampu bersaing di pasar tenaga kerja global; dan (3) sejalan dengan berlakunya otonomi daerah, sistem pendidikan nasional dituntut untuk melakukan perubahan dan penyesuaian sehingga dapat mewujudkan proses pendidikan yang lebih demokratis, memperhatikan keberagaman, memperhatikan kebutuhan daerah dan peserta didik, dan mendorong peningkatan partisipasi masyarakat.

Makalah Syntactic Structure

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I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Language learner must acquire some formidable skills. Including the ability to produce and comprehend content of the sentences of the language, a sensitivity to the often very different cultural and pragmatic assumptions of speaker of the language, and the ability to recognize the ways in which propositional content of the target language is packaged grammatically to indicate the information functions of the various constituents.

English uses grammatical form to package information in such a way as to make clear information status as past or present information. Learners of English therefore need to be aware of the signal given by the grammatical form.

Makalah Filsafat Bahasa

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BAB I

PENDAHULUAN

Hubungan antara bahasa dengan masalah-masalah filsafat telah lama menjadi perhatian, bahkan hal ini telah berlangsung sejak zaman yunani. Ketika para filsuf mengetahui bahwa berbagai macam persoalan filsafat dapat dijelaskan dengan suatu analisis bahasa, akhirnya suatu perubahan penting terjadi.

Para ahli filsafat sependapat bahwa hubungan antara filsafat dan bahasa sangatlah erat bahkan tidak dapat dipisahkan terutama dalam pengertian pokok bahwa tugas utama filsafat adalah menganalisis konsep-konsep melalui bahasa.

A.Pengertian Filsafat Bahasa

Menurut Devitt (1987), bahwa filsafat bahasa termasuk bidang yang kompleks dan sulit ditentukan lingkup pengertiannya. Namun demikian berdasarkan pengamatan terhadap perkembangan sejarah filsafat bahasa dapat dikelompokkan menjadi dua macam pengertian yaitu; Pertama, perhatian filsuf terhadap bahasa dalam memecahkan dan menjelaskan problema-problema dan konsep-konsep dalam filsafat. Kedua; filsafat bahasa sebagaimana bidang-bidang filsafat yang lain seperti filsafat hukum, filsafat manusia, filsafat alam,filsafat social dan bidang-bidang filsafat lainnya yang membahas, menganalisis, dan mancari hakikat dari objek material filsafat tersebut.

Makalah Bimbingan Belajar

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BAB I

PENDAHULUAN

A. Latar Belakang

Lembaga pendidikan pada umumnya dan sekolah-sekolah pada khususnya merupakan tumpuan harapan para orang tua, siswa, dan warga masyarakat guna memperoleh pengetahuan, keterampilan, sikap dan sifat-sifat kepribadian utama sebagai sarana pengembangan karier, peningkatan status sosial dan bekal hidup lainnya di dunia kini dan di akhirat nanti.

Sesungguhnya di sekolah telah mencoba mengkombinasikan aspirasi dan pandangan-pandangan masyarakat tersebut kedalam tujuan-tujuan instruksionalnya. Selanjutnya secara operasional, diterjemahkan ke dalam tujuan-tujuan kurikuler dan instruksional. Pada akhirnya, semua aspirasi itu terletak di bahu dan tangan guru karna merekalah yang diberi tugas, wewnang, dan tanggung jawab pelaksanaan operasional pendidikan dan pengajaran tersebut.

Meskipun para guru melancarkan segala kompetensinya (antara lain menguasai bahan, memahami sasaran didik mengelola program, menggunakan strategi dan metode, mengelola kelas serta kegitan belajar mengajar dengan menggunakan alat bantunya), namun dari bebrapa sumber informasi dapat diketahui bahwa jumlah atau presentase siswa yang tergolong harus mengulang atau putus sekolah (terutama untuk tingkat sekolah dan pendidikan tinggi) ternyata cukup tinggi. Meskipun tidak seluruhnya putusan bersumber pada kelemahan segi akademis (Bruner dalam Abin: 1974) karna faktor sosial ekonomis dan antropologis. 

Using News Video in Developing Language Skills

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INTRODUCTION

One influencing factor in developing the various teaching technique is the use of ICT. Information and communication technology or ICT allow users to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed by access to varied and developing technologies. By this definition, you could almost say ICT is technology's version of economic growth, to satisfy the needs and wants of the community over time. ICT tools can be used to find, explore, analyze, exchange and present information responsibly and without discrimination. ICT can be employed to give users quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures.

Information and communication technologies in education deal with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within educational technology. Educational technology (also called learning technology) is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources." The term educational technology is often associated with, and encompasses, instructional theory and learning theory. While instructional technology covers the processes and systems of learning and instruction, educational technology includes other systems used in the process of developing human capability. Educational Technology includes, but is not limited to, software, hardware, as well as Internet applications and activities.

In this paper, teaching language skills using video is introduced. The language skills discussed in this paper are Listening, Speaking and Writing. Video as audio visual aids is beneficial for the teacher and students in English Language Teaching. Video can be used as an aid to teach the four skills namely reading, listening, speaking and writing.

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BOOK REVIEW: Language Curriculum Design

Title                 : Language Curriculum Design

Author             : I.S.P. Nation & John Macalister

Publisher         : New York: Routledge. 2010

Page                : 241 pages

Introduction 

Curriculum, or course, design is largely a “how-to-do-it” activity and so a large part of this book involves description of the steps involved in the curriculum design process and the elaboration and justification of these steps. The book also provides opportunities for practising and applying the steps.

Although curriculum design is a “how-to-do-it” activity, the description of the steps needs to be done at a general level in order that they can be applied in a wide range of particular circumstances. Such a description will only come to life if there are plenty of examples of actual applications of the steps. In this book this is done in the following ways in each chapter.

1.      Examples from the writers’ experience and from published research are described.

2.      Tasks are provided which encourage the users of the book to relate the steps to their own experience.

3.      Case studies are described and further reading is suggested that will put the users of this book in touch with others’ experience.

Discussion

This book consists of 14 chapters. Generally, Chapter 1 provides an overview of Chapters 2 to 8 which are the major steps in the curriculum design process. Chapter 9 describes several ways in which these steps can be covered. Chapters 10 to 14 take up important issues in curriculum design, namely involving learners in curriculum design, choosing and modifying course books, innovation theory, retraining teachers and helping teachers and learners make use of a course. In this first chapter of this book (Language Curriculum Design: An Overview), the authors briefly present an overview of the major parts of the curriculum design process that will be looked at in more detail in the following chapters of the book, with each of the early chapters focusing on a different part of the model in the curriculum design process. As I have stated in the early writing that this book provides examples, tasks, and case studies in each chapter, and I must say that it is very useful for engaging the readers’ understanding and interest of this book. Explanations from the authors in each subchapter, which is the steps in curriculum design, are very clear since it followed by related theory, strong argument, and valuable experience. The authors also sharpen what they have explained into a brief clear conclusion. As we can see in page 11, there is a summary of the steps: examine the environment, assess needs, decide on principles, set goals, and choose and sequence content, design the lesson format, include assessment procedures, and evaluate the course. The purpose of this chapter has been to briefly describe the major parts of the curriculum design model. In the following chapters, each of the parts will be looked at in more detail. In addition, topics including evaluating course books, innovation, and designing in-service courses will be covered. Curriculum design is in essence a practical activity. Because of this the tasks which follow each chapter provide an important part of learning about curriculum design.

Chapters 2 (Environment Analysis) of this book examine one of the parts of the curriculum design process that is environment analysis in detail, drawing on relevant theory and research. It is possible to design courses without drawing on relevant research, theory and experience. In all but a few fortunate cases this results in common faults in curriculum design being made yet again. Nation and Macalister here present enlightenment about environment analysis through definitions from experts, examples, the constraints and dealing with the constraints itself, and the steps. What I can notice in this chapter is the authors deals the problems (constraints) by making the reader understand it. In page 16, it is clearly presented in table, where the reader can grab the point. 

The focus of chapter 3 (Need Analysis) is to discover what needs to be learned and the learners want to learn. Needs analysis is directed mainly at the goals and content of a course. It examines what the learners know already and what they need to know. Needs analysis makes sure that the course will contain relevant and useful things to learn. The authors emphasize the urgency of need analysis in curriculum design by explain some aspects, they are the various focuses of needs analysis, discovering needs, needs analysis tools, evaluating needs analysis, and issues in needs analysis. Needs analysis makes sure the course will be relevant and satisfying to the learners, thereby it meets the learners’ needs. Environment analysis looks at the way the course needs to fit the situation in which it occurs. Looking at principles makes sure that the course fits with what we know about teaching and learning. That is the subject of the next chapter.

Chapter 4 of this book describes a list of 20 principles that can be used to guide curriculum design. It is not an exhaustive list and is based to some degree on the personal prejudices of the writers. The purpose of this chapter is to show that a sensible basis to guide teaching and to help in the design of courses rests on following principles. These principles must be based on research and theory, and must be general enough to allow variety and flexibility in their application to suit the wide range of conditions in which language is taught. The previous discussion of the twenty principles has attempted to explain the principles and to indicate their application in curriculum design. The list of principles however has a much wider range of uses. This chapter has suggested twenty principles of teaching and learning that can provide a basis for curriculum design and evaluation, and teacher development. The selection and ranking of these principles reflect a personal view of language teaching.The authors have tried to balance this by seeking suggestions from colleagues and by comparing the list with points made in articles in professional journals and with overviews of curriculum design and language teaching and learning. One of the values in using a principle-based approach to language teaching is that developments in theory and research can be easily accommodated by altering, expanding, removing or adding a principle without having to discard all the other principles. In this way our knowledge of language teaching can grow without being subject to the blanket acceptance or rejection that is typical of methods. The information gathered by considering principles, by doing needs analysis, and by doing environment analysis provides essential input for setting course goals and deciding what goes into a course, which is the subject of the following chapter.

Chapter 5 deals with Goals, Content, and Sequencing. The authors give long clarification about them clearly and of course they complete it with examples. The unit of progression in a course is usually what the curriculum designer sees as being important for learning. This means that it has an effect on the kinds of activities used which is a part of the format and presentation part of curriculum design. We look at format and presentation in the following chapter.

In this chapter 6 (Format and Presentation) we can see the format and presentation part of the curriculum design process. For those unfamiliar with the curriculum design process, the format and presentation part is what they think of as curriculum design – designing lessons in sets of lessons. Some “methods” of language teaching like Total Physical Response (TPR) or the oral-aural approach were largely innovations solely or largely in the format and presentation area, with little or no contribution to content and sequencing or monitoring and assessment. So far, we can look the outer circles of the curriculum design model which provide valuable information to guide the application of the processes in the large inner circle. The readers can also look the goals, content and sequencing, and in this chapter, format and presentation. In the next chapter we will complete our coverage of the large inner circle by looking at how teachers can see where learners are in their learning and whether they are making progress – monitoring and assessment.

Chapter 7 is about Monitoring and Assessment. Assessment is a major source of information for the evaluation of a course and thus its gradual improvement. Assessment also contributes significantly to the teacher’s and learners’ sense of achievement in a course and thus is important for motivation. It is often neglected in curriculum design and courses are less effective as a result. Curriculum design should include the planning of a well-thought-out programme of assessment of various kinds. We now go on to look at evaluation in the next chapter.

Chapter 8 talks about Evaluation. The authors conclude that the steps in evaluation process are: Evaluation is an essential part of good curriculum design. It ensures that weaknesses in curriculum design are found and repaired. It allows for the adjustment of a course to a changing environment and changing needs. If evaluation is well planned, it can help teachers develop professionally and come to feel that the course is truly their own. We have now covered all the eight parts of the curriculum design model. In the next chapter we look at the various ways in which the whole process of curriculum design might be carried out.

In chapter 9 Approaches to Curriculum Design, the authors want the readers be able to decide on a starting point for curriculum design, and a way of covering the steps.  This chapter has looked at the meeting of the theory of curriculum design and the practical issues of putting curriculum design into practice. The approaches described here represent different ways of taking account of constraints upon curriculum design, particularly those of time, skill and the need for flexibility in using courses. With all of the compromises necessary, it is important to make sure that the various parts of the curriculum design process are given proper consideration at some point in the curriculum design activity. The main purpose of this book is to describe those parts and the steps involved in considering and applying them. An awareness of what they are should lie behind every piece of curriculum design no matter how small. In the following chapters we will look at how curriculum design applies to activities like choosing a course book, involving learners in curriculum design and teacher education.

Chapter 10 deals with Negotiated Syllabuses.  This chapter explain to us that how learners can be involved in curriculum design. The authors explain about an example of negotiated syllabuses, requirements for negotiated syllabuses, syllabuses with some elements negotiated, and advantages and disadvantages of negotiated syllabuses. In the next chapter we look at a particular kind of evaluation, evaluating a course book.

For many teachers the evaluation of course books is more important than designing courses because their teaching situation determines that they should work from a course book. It should be clear from this chapter 11 (Adopting and Adapting an Existing Course Book) that evaluating and adapting a course book draw on the same knowledge and procedures that are used when designing a course. Evaluating a course book is a small but important exercise in curriculum design. In the next chapter, we look at something which is related to choosing a new course book – getting others to accept change.

Let us conclude this chapter 12 (Introducing Change) by looking at ways of resisting change. We may recognise many of these subversive strategies from your own observation of working in teachers’ groups and of political debates.

•         Agree to everything but do nothing.

•         Accuse the change proposer of seeking personal gains. Argue that although the ideas may be good, they will not work in the local conditions.

•         Question the credentials of the change proposers. Find examples of unsuccessful change in other places or at other times.

More positively, each of these ways of resisting change can be countered by taking account of the particular steps in the change process outlined at the beginning of this chapter. In the next chapter we will look at one way in which change can occur, through in-service courses.

In this chapter 13 (Planning an In-Service Course) we look at short-term courses, and the planning that is needed for their success. The planning of short-term in-service courses is included in this book for two main reasons. First, short in-service courses represent a small-scale exercise in curriculum design. That is, planning a short in-service course involves very similar decisions to planning a language course, and the model of curriculum design used in this book is relevant. Second, in-service courses are a major way of bringing about innovative curriculum change. In the next and final chapter we will survey what has been covered in this book by underlining how the parts of the curriculum design process apply to the daily work of teachers.

Chapter 14 (Teaching and Curriculum Design) as the last chapter of this book concludes that curriculum design as a process with a variety of starting points and with continual opportunity to return to parts of the curriculum design model to revise, reconsider and re-evaluate. It has also been shown that curriculum design does not need to be a large-scale operation. The whole curriculum design process can be applied to something as small as an activity in a lesson. Alternatively, attention can be focused on just one part of the curriculum design process.

Comment

            Curriculum design involves the integration of knowledge from many of the areas in the field of Applied Linguistics, such as language acquisition research, teaching methodology, assessment, language description and materials production. In many ways, the study of curriculum design is central to the study of Applied Linguistics. Combining sound research/theory with state-of-the art practice, Language Curriculum Design is widely applicable for ESL/EFL language education courses around the world. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I.S.P. Nation and John Macalister. 2010. Language Curriculum Design. New York: Routledge.