I hs a n Iba dur r a hma n

Uni v e r s i ty Of Tsukuba

A STUDY COMPARISON OFFOREIGN LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

IN JAPAN AND INDONESIA

ELT in Japan: A brief history

• Foreign language activities here refer to the teaching of English, however in international or missionary schools other languages might be taught

• English is introduced as ‘foreign language activities’ in a primary school, in the fifth and six grade, one hour (45 min) a week or 35 hours a year.

• English as a subject began to be taught in lower secondary school. In upper secondary, it is subdivided into 7 subjects, with “English Communication I” being the compulsory one.

• Since 1999, the teaching of English has moved from the traditional grammar translation method to the more modern communicative language teaching (Hirasawa, n.d.).

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

ELT in Japan: A brief history

• Efforts have been put forth in order to improve English teaching and education in Japan, such as:• Establishing team teaching in cooperation with Assistant

Language Teachers (ALT) and native English speakers.• Increasing the number of English teachers and making the

size of the class smaller.• Creating a Super English language high schools, which use

the medium of English to teach other subjects and hire native speakers of English.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Assistant Language Teachers (ALT)

• ALT, initiated by JET program (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program), is a foreign national who assists Japanese teachers in teaching foreign language subjects.

• Usually those who apply for ALT are college graduates, but are not yet certified teachers, they are not required to have any prior teaching experience or ESL training.

• Their main duty is to help Japanese teachers of English to deliver lessons in the classroom, and may be involved in lesson planning and other language teaching tasks (such as reading aloud the vocabulary cards, or checking written work).

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Methods of Super English Language High Schools

• Teaching English through English-medium only and minimizing the use of the mother tongue in class

• Moving away from grammar-translation and toward task-based activities

• Choosing texts and arranging tasks considering background knowledge and experience

• Making available English information resources (books, publications, Web sites, etc.) as needs arise

• using project based-learning (PBL) method which require research, writing and presentation skills

• Implementing an extensive reading program

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Rationale

• Rationale for the teaching of English in Japan:• English as international language• Global demand for English communication• Global trend of English education at primary schools • To set international perspective

• The aim is to enable students to be able to communicate effectively in English, while developing the language and cultures through various activities.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Objectives of English Teaching

• The objectives of English teaching is to enable students to communicate effectively, deepening students’ understanding of language, its culture, and fostering a positive attitude toward English communication.

• Two views are emphasized in English Teaching: culturalism and pragmatism.• Culturalism will enable students to cultivate themselves in

the language learned. • Pragmatism will make it possible for students to use the

learned languages in real situations.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

The initial period of ELT

• Beginning in 2002, English conversation was introduced in primary schools so that students may get used to the foreign languages, and their cultures. However, since these language activities were up to the schools to create, contents and frequency of activities vary.

• With the new course of study implemented in 2011, it remedied the problem and these “English activities” were executed in all public primary schools in Japan for the fifth and sixth grade, an hour a week.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Characteristics of English Activities

• In these English activities, textbooks are not used, supplementary materials are used instead.

• Teachers are not to evaluate students’ progress. • Home room teachers are in charge, with Japanese

teachers of English and native English teachers sometimes joining the class.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Class hours

• Primary: 1 hour a week / 35 hours a year• Lower secondary : 4 hours a week /140 hours a year• Upper secondary: Credit based, 1 credit is 35 hours (one unit

hours is 50 minutes):• Basic English Communication: 2 credits• English Communication I : 3 credits• English Communication II : 4 credits• English Communication III : 4 credits• English Expression I: 2 credits• English Expression II: 4 credits• English Conversation: 2 credits

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Textbook

• Textbooks are first compiled by private publishers and later endorsed by MEXT.

• Textbooks for lower secondary schools cover the four skill, including language functions and grammar that are systematically arranged.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Language functions

• Fixed expressions: Greetings, Self-introduction, talking on the phone, traveling, etc.

• Real life situations: Home life, School, local events.• Facilitating communication: Addressing, Nodding, Asking for

repetition, Repeating, etc.• Expressing emotions: Gratitude, Complaining, Praising, Apologizing,

etc.• Transmitting information: Explaining, Reporting, Presenting,

Describing, etc.• Expressing opinions and intention: Offering, Promising, Giving

Opinions, Agreeing, Disagreeing.• Encouraging: Asking questions, Requesting, Inviting, etc.

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Grammatical Items

• Sentences• Structures• Pronouns• Verb Tenses• Comparative forms• To-Infinitives• Gerunds• Adjectival use of present and past participles • Passive Voice

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Issues

• Homeroom teachers’ lack of English; stemmed from the lack of initial teacher preparation and in-service teacher training.

• Transition between English taught at primary and secondary school; there should be a syllabus connecting the two.

• No evaluation conducted in primary schools.• Japanese university exam still relies on grammar translation

approach rather than the communicative one (Hirasawa, n.d.).• Students’ poor attitude towards English learning in general

(Reesor, 2003).

Foreign Language Activities in Japan

Kernan (2004) as cited in Hirasawa (n.d.)

ELT in Indonesia: A brief history

• Initially Dutch was taught as a foreign language in primary and secondary education in private schools, English replaced Dutch in 1955.

• 1945: grammar translation-based curriculum• 1958: audiolingual based-curriculum, language laboratory introduced.• 1975: revised audio lingual-based curriculum, more systematic as it includes teaching

objectives, materials, approaches and evaluation.• 1984: structure-based communicative curriculum, oral-based instruction.• 1994: meaning-based communicative curriculum, the ability to communicate in the four

skills, integrated assessment• 2004: competency-based curriculum, learner-centered learning, emphasis on learning

outcomes akin to TBL.• 2006: local authority to design a curriculum, teachers are given more control over the

learning materials that best suits their learners’ needs.• 2013: competence-based, scientific, thematic, character building.• English teaching has long been aimed towards a mastery in Academic English

(Sahiruddin, 2013) reflected by the heavily weighed reading passages in its national exams (Please see Sudjono, 2011).

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Aims of The New 2013 Curriculum

• To instill character and morality into the subject so that students will become a good Indonesian citizen who are “mentally tough, physically healthy, tolerant and willing to live in harmony with others of different religion, race, and tribe”. (Wikispaces, 2014)

• To improve and balance soft skills and hard skills which include these three aspects: attitude, skills, and knowledge.

• to be able to enable students to become a language explorer, exploring text resources available within their surroundings, finding hidden meanings in the text, tackling unknown words, and being able to communicate their thoughts.

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Rationale

• Reasons for such policy:• English as international language• The era of mass of communication and globalization• To be able to grasp knowledge from outside and

communicate worldwide

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Characteristics of ELT

• Students take a more active role in discovering the language and the learning resources for themselves

• teachers take on a facilitator role, directing resources (rather than giving answers)

• A typical lesson plan should make students:• Observe, Question, Associate, Do Experiment,

Communicate.• See the extract classroom video here.

• Authentic assessment through portfolio assessment.

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Class Hours

• English is no more taught in primary schools.• Lower secondary schools – 4 hours• Upper secondary schools – 2 hours, and 3 extra hours for

language students of X grade, and another 4 extra hours for language students of XI and XII grade.

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Textbooks

• Government decides the curricula, publishers use the syllabus from the curricula to make the textbook, and publishes it nationwide.

• Schools are free to choose which textbook to use, but the new curriculum enforces teachers to be creative in providing additional resources for the students to explore.

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Materials for Compulsory English program

• Functional Text: Notice, Greetings cards, Short messages, Invitation letters, announcements, labels, advertisements, letters.

• Genre text: Descriptive, narrative, procedure, recount, report, explanation, discussion, analytical exposition, review.

• Functions: Self introduction, Introducing others, Greetings, Invitation, Appointment, Expressing happiness, Sympathy, Giving instructions, Thanking Appreciating, Congratulating, Surprising, Unbelieving, and so on.

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Materials for Language program

• Public Speaking: Master of Ceremony • Show Presenter (Host) • News Reader• Public Speaking: Speech • Debate • Presentation• English song• Contemporary Poetry• Film• Contemporary Drama• English song • Novel • Figurative Languages

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Issues

• Immeasurable assessment (Hapsari, 2013)• Evaluation: non-communicative exam (Musthafa, 2001; Sahiruddin,

2013)• Marcellino (2008) mentions:• Teacher’s lack of English competence• Students’ cultural values make them passive learners• Classroom size• Time allocation• Lack of Resources

• Sahiruddin (2013) also adds:• Students’ lack of motivation• Poor attitude towards language learning

Foreign Language Activities in Indonesia

Recommendations

• Such overhauled system of education might take some getting used to, teachers might do well to keep themselves updated with the new system through workshop, training, research, and reading related literature.

• TEFLIN (2013) recommends:• Revising the assessment indicators that are easily measurable

(honesty -> plagiarism)• Socializing the new curriculum that is more conceptual • Competency should be systematically graded.

• Hapsari (2013) suggests two aspects by which language can easily be measured: Culture as local wisdom, Culture as product of interaction.

References• Addressing the 2013 curriculum in Indonesia. (2014, April 24). In Wikispaces: InternationalEducation2012. Retrieved

21:31, May 7, from http://

internationaleducation2012.wikispaces.com/Addressing+the+2013+curriculum+in+Indonesia

• Assistant Language Teacher. (2014, April 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:53, May 4, 2014,

from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assistant_Language_Teacher&oldid=606090261

• Elemen Perubahan Kurikulum. (n.d.) Retrieved 20:20, May 9, 2014 from:

http://sertifikasi.fkip.uns.ac.id/modul/1%20Materi%20KPPG%20&%

20Kurikulum%202013/1.2%20Elemen%20Perubahan%20Kurikulum%20Rev.pdf

• Fadel, F. (2013). Peta materi-bahasa-inggris-sma-sesuai-standar-isi. In Slideshare. Retrieved 16:44, May 10, 2014,

from http://www.slideshare.net/FadliFadel/peta-materibahasainggrissmasesuaistandarisi

• Hapsari, A. (2013). Making sense the character building in the curriculum framework: Conceptualizing culture as a

local wisdom and culture as the product of interaction. Proceedings 60th TEFLIN International Conference 2013, pp.

360-364.

• Hedina, R. (2013). Materi Bahasa Inggris SMP. Retrieved 16:46, May 10, 2014 from http://

www.materi-bahasa-inggris-smp.com/

• Hirasawa. H. (n.d.)

• Marcellino, M. (2008). English Language Teaching in Indonesia: A Continuous challenge in Education and Cultural

Diversity. TEFLIN Journal, Vol. 19-1.

• Musthafa, B. (2001). Communicative Language Teaching in Indonesia: Issues of Theoretical Assumptions and

Challenges in the Classroom Practice. TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English, Vol. 12-

2.

• Murata, Y., and Mitsuru Yamaguchi. (2010). A Bilingual Text: Education in Contemporary Japan – System and Content

-. Tokyo: Toushindo Publishing.

• Pujo, T. (2013). Contoh RPP Bahasa Inggris kurikulum 2013 versi PLPG, In Slideshare. Retrieved 21:59, May 9, 2014 from: http://www.slideshare.net/tape/contoh-rpp-bahasa-inggris-kurikulum-2013-versi-plpg

• Pembelajaran Kurikulum 2013 Saintifik - Bahasa Inggris Wajib. (2013). In YouTube. Retrieved 20:05, May 8, 2014 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmISI6f4aQw

• Pokok Pikiran dan Rekomendasi Kurikulum 2013. (2013, February 18). Teflin Focus-Group Discussion. Retrieved 21:11, May 9, 2014 from http://file.upi.edu/Direktori/FPBS/JUR._PEND._BAHASA_INGGRIS/196706091994031DIDI_SUKYADI/POKOK%20PIKIRAN%20DAN%20REKOMENDASI%20Kurikulum%202013%20final.pdf

• Reesor, M. (2003). Japanese attitude to English: Towards an Explanation of poor performance. NUCB Journal of Language Culture and Communication, Vol V-2, 2003, pp. 57-65.

• Sahiruddin. (2013). The Implementation of the 2013 Curriculum and the Issues of English Language Teaching and Learning in Indonesia. The Asian Conference on Language Learning 2013 Official Conference Proceedings, Osaka Japan.

• Sudjono, E. (2011). A comparative study of English test papers for high school students: National Examination in Indonesia, National Center Test for Universtity Admissions in Japan and National Selections for State University Admissions in Indonesia. Final Program Report of the 30th In-Service Training Program for Overseas Teachers (October 2009 - March 2011). Pp. 7-42.

• Struktur Kurikulum 2013. (2013, August 28). In Slideshare. Retrieved 20:36, May 9, 2014 from: http://www.slideshare.net/muriokryan/2-struktur-kurikulum-2013

• What are SELHIs? (n.d.). In Education in Japan Community Blog. Retrieved 20:58, May 4, 2014, from http://educationinjapan.wordpress.com/the-scoop-on-schools/what-are-selhis/

References