I combine three approaches in taching english

There are five approaches in teaching English (Brown, 1995 p. 5):
1. Classical approach
2. Grammar-translation approach
3. Direct approach
4. Audio lingual approach
5. Communicative approach
When I teach my english subject I use many techniques but I use mostly discussion in small group. According to Brown (1995), there are eight techniques that we can apply to our teaching activities, such as: bridging activities, discussion, idea frame, object-centered lesson, directed dialogue, grammar demonstration dialogue, and lecture on rules of language. When you teach in remote area you have to consider many things like students' ability, technological support, limited books and other tools. It is very important because students only have teachers and books as their sources.
Before I write my teaching experience in combining the three approaches (grammar-translation approach, direct approach, and audiolingual approach), I will give short explanation about the approaches according to Brown (1995): 
1. Classical approach: Humanism: students need to read the classics
2. Grammar-translation approach: students need to learn with economy of time and effort
3. Direct approach: students need to learn community so they should use only second language in class
4. Audiolingual approach: students need operant conditioning and behavioral modification to learn language
5. Communicative approach: students must be able to express their intentions; they must learn the meanings that are important to them.

I teach my students in grade seven at remote area school, I use three approaches that I mentioned before and use  discussion technique. I will emphasize reading comprehension skill and the genre of the text is procedural text and the specific theme is "How to make fried rice". Here are my activities:

I entered my classroom and said good morning to students and so did the students. I began to call the roll and it did not take a long time to check because in grade seven only have seven students (four boys and three girls). I asked about our lesson last day and reminded them to study at home. Now my students were ready to learn new material and based on my lesson plan it was time to teach them procedural text.
  • Firstly I taught my students based on grammar translation approach, so to make the material clear I used our mother tongue, I gave them list of vocabulary about making friend rice and explained the grammar that would be used in the lesson specially for simple present tense and the words like first, second, third, fourth, and so forth. 
  • Secondly I used direct approach, in this approach I used oral interaction and spontaneous use of language (without translation), I also used my students prior knowledge about their experience in making friend rice and made them engaged in the lesson with making simple questions like:
          #Do you like friend rice?
          #Have you ever made fried rice
          #Do you usually have your breakfast with fried rice?
          #Can you tell me the steps of making friend rice?
           I expected their response from them; in this approach we must be patient to wait their response.
  • Thirdly I used audiolingual approach, to make students more engaged in the lesson I prepared a conversation that still related to the topic. The conversation would be practiced by the students in pairs, but before they acted it, I would be the model to show the way through drilling, and the students followed the pronunciation. After the activities the students must practice it in front of the class. Here are the conversation: 
         Student A  : Hello, do you know how to make a friend rice?
         Student B  : Hi ... yes I do, I usually make it with my mother.
         Student A  : Could you please tell me the steps?
         Student B  : Certainly, ... here are the steps:
         First heat oil and saute garlic until the smell of garlic comes out
         After that add chicken, stir briefly until slightly cooked
         Next add the eggs, stir until cooked eggs cracked
         And then enter the white rice, tomato sauce, and salt, stirring until blended with herbs
         Finally serve with decorated accordingly.

The conversation will be acted by all students in pairs and the as the teacher I always notice all their acting, if they make mistake in pronunciation, I will drill it again until they can act it well.
This approach is simple and we can modify it become more interesting ... Hopefully my experience will be useful for all of us ... thanks a lot.
First Heat oil and saute garlic until the smell of the garlic comes out. - See more at: http://bassombear.blogspot.com/2013/05/contoh-procedure-text-how-to-make-fried.html#sthash.Ji3OtlUB.dpuf
READ MORE - I combine three approaches in taching english

Road to Bagan Asam

Penyeberangan Tayan

Jalan menuju Dusun Bagan Asam

Kepada Desa Bagan Asam (Liliapati)
Siswa kelas 9 (hanya 2 orang)

Siswa Berangkat ke Sekolah

Warga Dusun Bagan Asam
Siswa kelas 8 (4 orang)

Siswa kelas 7 (7 orang)
Jumlah siswa keseluruhan (13 orang)

Ber
Kegiatan luar sekolah
Menuju kampung lain

Berburu

READ MORE - Road to Bagan Asam

Are they Gen Y??

Seeing pictures on a small boat (find signal)
In one of our lecturing last week, we discussed one article that was interesting title "understanding and teaching generation Y" written by Peter Reilly (2012). My lecturer gave us a homework to investigate our students whether they are Gen Y or not and jot down what they do in the information technology.
Before I write my investigation in this blog, shortly I will explain what are the characteristics according to Peter Reilly (2012).
There are 10 characteristics of Gen Y:
1. Gen Y is tech-savvy
2. Gen Y balances personal and work lives
Download some pictures
(next to rubber tree)
3. Gen Y individuals are kinesthetic and visual learners
4. Gen Y is feedback-dependent 
5. Gen Y and academic dishonesty
6. Gen Y's predilection for entertainment and games
7. Gen Y customizes tasks
8. Gen Y redefines respect
9. Gen Y seeks a purpose and a passion
10.Gen Y reads less and less well


In this investigation I specially investigate my students in the remote area school, SMP Negeri 3 Satap Toba (Junior high school) that related to information technology. The school is located very far from the urban and district area (Sanggau and Toba district), one remote village (Bagan Asam). To reach this village, it needs more than 8 hours by riding motorcycle and continue with small boat transportation. The numbers of students are very limited, it is only 13 students (From grade one, two and three) because all students only from that village. 
Actually we are difficult to find the signal for communication, we must walk about 1 kilometer to find it or get on the boat and search it, and sometimes the signal has gone when we arrive at the place, we call this signal place as BAGAN, the forest near the back of the school. In Bagan we can use our smartphone for communication.

Because this article is about generation Y, so I will focus this article to the students' activities with their communication devices and not computer or laptop because they do not have it and mostly the can not operate the computer and another cause is because there is no electricity at there, so that laptop or computer is not available in the village and school. Some questions that will be addressed in this article are: what are the devices for?, when do they use the devices?, how many times do they use the devices? do they use it for subject matter? and the last are they really gen Y in remote area as Peter Reilly (2012) wrote?

I think it is better if I say that my students are not as smart as students in the city like Pontianak, They are provided by many means of communication like sophicticated smartphone, modern laptop where has many programs that can support their educational program, television that can update their information, and etc. In contrast, in our school there is no means of communication like I mentioned before, they only have a simple smartphone but luckly it can access internet.

Based on my investigation, my students use the smartphone for two purposes, first is for communication (calling and sending or receiving messages) with others and the second is for downloading pictures or photos. I looked at their files in smartphone and I found many pictures and photos and most of them were their idol like Ronaldo, Messi, group band, and etc, but I did not find videos, it makes sense that the students do not have videos in their smartphone because it needs good or strenght signal to download such as youtube.

My students are very unique in using their smartphone, why I say like that because they do not bring the smartphone every times and rarely to use them as a communication devices but they mostly use the smartphone for taking picture and only bring them at the school time (only for showing it to their friends), but they are not allowed to use smartphone in the class. In the break time they sometimes show the smartphone to me and tell about what is the pictures they dowbloaded yesterday. It was a happy time when seeing them smiled at the downloading pictures.

As a teacher in remote area that has no many teachers I also teach not only english but also bahasa Indonesia and local content. Once I entered the classroom and I began to teach, my teaching was about Cerpen (short story) in Bahasa Indonesia. In the last minutes I gave them homework to look for a short story that related to beautiful nature. I gave them to search in internet because they can use their smartphone to download, it means that they also can use it for searching articles. The next day, the students collected the task and the smartphone to prove that they really use it. When I checked their task, infact most of them can search it and their task were completed. I take a conclusion on this situation that my students really understand to use informational technology like smartphone to support their educational program.

Based on my investigation, in conclusion my students really have Gen Y characteristics, it proved from the activities they have with their smartphone, they can download pictures and photos, do their task with searching article in the internet, and etc. Remote area become the limit for their technological development and hopefully the government will provide us with many tools that can support the sudents' learning.
READ MORE - Are they Gen Y??