Discussions corner

Topic : Approaches and Experiences of English Teaching in Indonesia

            Language is one of the means of connecting communication to interact with people around us. Language is also a link when we want to do various kinds of activities that involve other people. Therefore language is an important element in human relations. An example is English, English is an International language that connects International relations between countries. Therefore, almost all countries are competing to make English their second language. This statement also supported by jaya and mortini (2020), people of Indonesia are involved in the countries of English as Foreign Language (EFL) tend to apply English more with their  friends rather than with native speaker of English. The purpose of people in this universe who apply English intensively with international speakers is steadily rising comparatively to other language users. This is a fact that approximately 380 million people  speak in English as an international language, such fact has proven that English is now globally utilized. Moreover, English as tool of communication is also used on the different culture and linguistic inhibition. In short that the house of international using of English as communication tool is now being separated from  English speaking  countries communicators to the widen global society and the native people has changed to be the minimum among  English  language  users as common.

            To improve the quality of education in Indonesia, the government has made curriculum improvements many times through a long process. According to jaya and martini (2020) the story of curriculum started from Curriculum 1947 or called Study Plan 1947 This is the first curriculum since Indonesia's independence.  To refine previous curriculum, government create the new curriculum called Unraveled Study Plan 1952. This curriculum has been directed towards an Indonesian education system. ect.. The government revised the curriculum system in 1964, named Education Plan 1964. 1994 curriculum and 1999 curriculum supplement in 1994 the government updated the curriculum in an effort to integrate the previous curriculum, especially the 1975 and 1984 curriculum. In 2004 the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) was launched as a substitute for the 1994 Curriculum. 2006 Curriculum, KTSP (Education Unit Level Curriculum) This curriculum is almost similar to the 2004 curriculum. The last of all is the 2013 curriculum. It has three aspects of assessment, namely aspects of knowledge, aspects of skills, and aspects of attitude and behavior.

            From all the changes of curriculum. It gave some impacts. According to jaya and mortini (2020) Among great numbers of changes, which have occurred since the reform era, which began in 1988 are these four major impactful changes: decentralization of educational management and shifting locus of control; policy on the teaching of EFL in Indonesia’s schooling system; curricular changes and recommended approaches to the teaching of English and modalities for quality improvement.
1. Educational management in Indonesia

2. EFL Policies on Indonesia school

3. Recommended approaches to the teaching of EFL

4. Considerations for quality improvement

And also, there are 2 Strategies To Survive In The System :

1. Teachers as decision makers

Based on Meilani (2017), presented data sets which clearly indicated that confronted with pressing    sets of decision-making  demands  during  the  actual teaching and learning. [cited Jaya and Mortini (2020)]

2. The Good Teaching

Cited Jaya and Mortini (2020) in Meilani (2017) mentioned that repeated experiences with curricular changes and based on repeated confirmation about the fact that the changes in curriculum and its mandated teaching approaches, teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia’s schools seem to have been conclusive in their understanding of what makes a good teaching. That is, a teaching activity is good when it leads to good scores on the part of students’ learning results in the national English exam and in the current Indonesia’s context English exam focuses only on reading, grammar and written expressions presented in the format of multiple choice questions.

            Therefore, there are problems and ways forward that have been prepared in overcoming English education for teachers in learning circles.

1. Problems in reforming education in Indonesia

2. Content of curricular changes

3. Failed socialization

References : 

Jaya, Aswadi. Asti, Mortini. (2020). Approaches and Experiences of  English Teaching in Indonesia. Jurnal Elsa, Volume 18 Nomor 1.