English Articles

Here, there are three topics related to English Education Department that might be used for your references. Thankyou

Four Competencies Of Professional Teachers

The success of educational plans in each country depends on the educators armed with scientific competencies and professional skills. Researchers in education have done many researches to find out the competencies of a good teachers. Teacher need to organize effective teaching-learning process so that student understand how to learn and ulitize their knowlegde appropriately in their daily life and society. Therefore, teachers need to develop and master some competencies in accordance with the educational transfromation in practice as well as professional activities (Surasak, 2013). There are four cmpetencies of a professional teacher which shoul be mastered: proffesional competencies, pedagogic competencies, social competencies, and personal competencies.

The first competence is professional competence.  Teacher have an important role in improving the quality of education which are required to have the expertise, competence and high professionalism for their duty (Mc Cully in Raka Joni, 2008).professionalism here means a conditions, directions, values, goals, and quality of expertise and authority relating to a person’s livelihood. Kalbers and Forgarty (1995) theorized five individual element of professionalism: believe their work has an interest, comitted to the public good services, the need for autonomy on the job requirements, support self-regulation for their work, affiliation withe the profession members.

The second competence is pedagogical competence. Pedagogical competence is competence related to the ability to manage student’s learning, including: a) understanding of the learners, b) the design and implementation of learning, c) evaluation of learning outcomes, and d) development potential of learners (Directorate General of Higher Education 2006). Pedagogical competence can be grouped into two important parts: first, how the teacher have the ability to manage learners. Second, how the teacher have the ability to manage learning well. Both of these theoritically obtained when the teacher study at school / college teacher in a few years (Nor, M. 2008). Especially in classroom teaching-learning management which is the bigger part that need teacher’s  roles in establishing a good teaching-learning climate. If the teacher obtained higher level of curriculum and knowledge management, students’ learning achievement seamed to be improved. It might be caused by the educational policy to enhance school quality whereby school has to determine its focus to improve students’ learning through excellent instructional management. This result was supported by Mana (2007) who found that classroom management had positive effect of students’ quality. Because teacher are considered as the most responsible side in educational field, the improvement of pedagogical quality need to go through the process of academic education (Abraham, 2008).

The next is social competencies. As social human being, a teacher must be able to communicate with other parties including the learners. The communication includes teacher relationship with the head master of the school, fellow teachers, students’ parent and the society. As a person who lives in the mid of community, teacher need to have the ability to blend with the community. The blending ability must be owned by teacher, because if it is not, the interaction will be stiff and the corresponding result is less acceptable to the public. Chan, at al. (2005) assert that social competence, which includes ethics, dedication, social skills, and experience is the crystallization of a teacher professionalism, which was form within the family, community and school. Because teacher is a role model for the learners, when the teacher have the sufficient, emotional and spiritual aspect, learners need to be introduced to the social intelligence, so they have a conscience, a sense of caring, empathy and sympathy for others (Ministry of Education, 2007).

The last is personal competencies. As mentioned before, teacher not only regarded as professionals, but also as individuals with civic responsibilities and as the role models with a public educational function which make it necessary that they be qualified in these area. Personal competence or individual competence according to Joni (2008) needs special attentions , because most of the personality is not formed through direct learning in the context of formal education, but most are formed as a result of accumulated escort learning experience gained on preposition and previous education are formed even in family environment. It is necessary therefore personal competence observed with in-dept interview with mixed approach, while others competence is approached quantitatively. In the study of Bhargava & Pathy (2011) found that preferred teachers’ personal competencies of the students are confidence, intelligence, friendliness, politeness and patience while the preferred teachers’ personal competencies include knowledge of subject matter, effective communication skills, punctuality, being a disciplinarian and understanding the nature of child psychology. So, et al (1996) recognized the strong influence of personal factors of student teacher in developing professional competence. Before the students reach their student-teaching phase, their personal qualities and professional should have been polished. In this line of reasoning, teachers’ competencies are essential to improve the quality of the students.

In conclusion, the overall competency of the respondents is good and totally needed to be a professional teacher. It can be interfered that there is still a lot of room for improvement for teacher and that while in the college, there is need to harness these competencies to be better prepared in student teaching. The teacher should have a balance of the four competencies above. In addition, teacher also need to conduct seminar or workshop in order to improve teacher self-development. And the school administration should assist teacher to develop their competencies in managing curriculum and knowledge management, provide sufficient budget to support teacher to access learning source, provide efficient staff development program and from networking with other school teacher for sharing knowledge and self-development purposes.

The Positive Effect of Direct and Indirect Corrective Feedback In ELT Students

Writing in the English language become the most difficult skill, especially for EFL students to master because rarely has chance to write in English. Sentences structure and grammar became the common error found in the students’ written works. In order to produce an error-free piece of English writing, giving feedback is one of the fundamental approach that the teacher should give to the students. In general feedback is a specific information given to their learners related to the assignment or learning process. Hattie and Timperly (2007) assert feedbeck aims to fill in the gap between what the student understands at the time and what is aimed to be finally understood. In writing classes, corrective feedback is defined as a teacher’s indication given to students in order to let them know that their written work contains errors (Lightbown & Spada, 1999). Providing corrective feedback in EFL can be delivered in direct and indirect modes, and both of them can be in wtitten and oral forms. Basically both modes of feedback offer some positive effects.   

                        First of all, direct feedback provided on student’s written work become the better-known corrective feedback in writing class. Likewise, Ellis (2009) states direct feedback is the way to inform students about correct forms and the  the location of the errors. Another group of scholars, Bitchener et al. (2005) indicate that direct feedback is the identification and the correction of errors provided by teachers to students. Direct corrective feedback receives great attention and has been studied extensively in order to determine if it is helpful for students’ writing improvement. Following are some research studies contributing to the effectiveness of direct feedback type. Direct corrective feedback can be A helpful and easily method to improve low proficiency students’ writing skill in a limited time.

Sheen (2007) later concluded that direct corrective feedback was effective in assisting students to correctly use English articles. Moreover, it helped promote the students’ analytic skill in using the language. Especially for begginer students, direct feedback is very useful because it makes use the correct form given by the teacher immediately. According to Srichanyachon’s (2012), direcft feedback helps foster students’ long-term acquisition. Futhermore, it can enhance EFL student especially in learning motivation since they are supported by the teacher who may be the only creditable source for them. Dirrect feedback also improve students’ grammar, article and preposotion knowlegde especially in written form.

The second is indirect corrective feedback. Lightbown and Spada (1999) argue it as the situation in which a teacher indicates the error location, but leave students to self-edit the errors. Likewise, Ferris & Robert (2001) state that indirect corrective feedback is the indication made by a teacher by underlying the errors or giving the codes for the errors. All in all, the purpose of indirect corrective feedback is just to indicate the location of errors without any information of the correct forms. Students have to self-correct the errors they have made.

Researchers believe that this type of feedback can help foster students’ long-term language acquisition. Its advantages can be viewed through the findings from the following studies. Hyland and Hyland (2001) indicate that indirectness of teacher feedback can lead to incomprehension and miscommunication between teachers and students; therefore, they suggest that it is more effective to use this feedback type with high language proficiency students. Ferris and Robert (2001), it was found that indirect feedback assisted students to do self-correction of the treatable grammatical errors, such as verbs, noun endings and articles. In the late 2000s, Noroozizadeh (2009) concluded that through indirect feedback, his advanced level students could self-remove focused grammatical errors from their final draft of writing.  This is in line with the conclusion made by Erlam et al. (2013) which indicates that indirect feedback enables students to self-repair their grammatical errors. Eslami (2014) also lends support to the effectiveness of indirect feedback after proving that it is more useful to help low-intermediate EFL students self-correct simple past tense errors. It also promoted the encouraging environment for writing learning. This type of feedback is more apropriate and effective used in teaching students in high language proviciency.

In short, based on the previous literature, it can be concluded that both teacher direct and indirect feedback, either in the written or oral forms are beneficial to the correction of EFL student writers’ grammatical errors. Which type of feedback is the most effective depends on various factors, so it remains the responsibility of writing teachers to figure out. This review article, to some extent, may help provide the possible guidelines. In addition to teacher feedback, another important factor that cannot be overlooked is a good relationship between teachers and students. The teacher not only give corrective feedback, sriticism, and suggestion, but also praise in order to encourage the students’ motivation. Although the students is made errors, the teacher should establish the studentd motivation by giving them praise, so they can improve. With effective techniques and understanding between teachers and students, it is not far from reach for students to produce a good piece of writing.

Four Common Advantages Of Using ICT In Teaching-Learning Process

“The use of thecnology becomes more important in present times because teachers also have to be able to keep up withe the tecnological knowledge of their student” (Richard, 2014, p.2). Futhermore, the use of technology for teaching, learning, practicing and assessing in foreign language has many advantages. Particularly in the English as a foreign languange (EFL) context where learners have a few opportunities to practice and assess their language skill. In that case, information and communication technology (ICT) has a big role in English Learning Teaching (ELT) in the classroom: enhancing the interacivity between student and teacher, making the teachig learning process easier, having no border but very capable of reaching a broad and global audience, and enhancing the better learning environment.

First of all the use of ICT in the class room enhances the interactivity. It means the use of ICT can increase the level of  interaction between teachers and students. Using computer technology can increase interaction in the classroom and provide more active role in learning. It provides opportunities for a creative and dynamic EFL teacher to tap into this positive aspects to increase challenging activities in his classroom . It can involve and empower students, stimulate thought production, and create more instances of authentic interaction between learners by using the target language.

Secondly, the use of ICT makes the teaching-learning process easier to do since it can be done in everywhere and everytime. For example the use off computer assisted languange learning (CALL), the use of computer also offer other channels of communication between class members and distant learners as well as supplemental practice exercises and tutorial feedback. For example, the use of computer as a listening tool is claimed to be one of the most important learning tools for enhancing EFL students for listening skill. It allows students to learn independently  and receive immediately feedback upon the completion of task (Hoven, 1999)

Chun and Plass (1996) assert that using audio and visual program in teaching-learning process helps the student to understand easier. Most f the CALL programs are filled with picture and voice and when EFL learners visualize the situation so that student can remember the subject better in the long term. Many studies such as Nicola (2002) have also reported that CALL programs for vocabulary development have positive result.

The next is the use of ICT has no border but, it is very capable of reaching a broad and global audience. It enables teacher to upgrade the new methods of ELT from other country. Many ELT resources can be found in internet such as: group discussion, interacive book reading, sound recording, games etc. The use of ICT also can make the teacher easier to give the test or assignment by controlling on a website or aplication such as edmodo. They can prepare their own online tests, for their students, for the courses being taught by them. It allows the student to have global thinking since they can communicate with another student from different country.  Such as in a blog that allows the student to ask questions and give comments. The variety of the materials are available to access both teachers and students.  The use of computer technology and internet encourage EFL learners and open the opportunities to read widely in foreign languange like English. It  can be highly effective for developing vocabulary through wide reading and mastering structures in the target language.

The last is the use of ICT helps EFL learners to promote a constructive class environment. The use also shifts the learning environment from the traditional “teacher-centered” which was tedious towards the “learners-centered”. In addition, EFL learners as passive entity in the pas can move to a student  who is active in the search for the fulfillment of their own needs and to use the language in an autentic situation(Adam & Burns, 1999 ; and Muir-Herzig, 2004). It can motivate the students’ ability in order to complete their assignment by them selves.

In summary, The use of computer technology for teaching, learning, practicing and assessing foreign language has many advantages. Especially in Indonesia which is as one of the countries uses Engish as Foreign Language. The commond advantages by the use of ICT are enhancing the interacivity between student and teacher, making teaching-learning process easier, having no border but very capable of reaching a broad and global audience, and enhancing the better learning environment. To make the use of ICT runs well, the goverment need to support by providing an electronic networks that allow the implementation of ICT its self. 

References 

Richards, J. C. (2014). Foreword. In J. D. D. M. Agudo, (Ed.). English as a foreign language teacher education:Current perspectives and challenges (pp. 1-3). Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Adams, S., & Burns, M. (1999)."Connecting Student, Learning & Technology."  Language Learning and Technology Retrieved 28 September, 2012, from

http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/flash.html

Hoven, D. (1999). "A model for listening and viewing comprehension in multimedia environments." Language Learning & Technology, Vol. 3 (1): 88 - 103.

Cunningham, K. (2000). "Integrating CALL into the writing curriculum." The Internet TESL Journal, 6(5), (Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Cunningham- CALLWriting ).

Chun, D. (1994) Using computer networking to facilitate the acquisition of interactive

competence. System, 22, 17–31.