How to Choose the Best Foreign Language Teaching Methodology

Now that you know a number of methodologies and how to use them in the classroom, how do you choose the best?

While there are always those programs that insist upon a mandatory methodology, doing great disservice to students and teachers alike, you should always try to choose those methodologies and approaches that are most effective for your students. After all, our job as teachers is to help our students to learn in the best way for them—not for us, not for any researcher and not for any administrator.

Did I say methodologies and approaches? Plural? Yes! The best teachers choose the best methodology and the best approach for each lesson or activity. They aren’t wedded to any particular methodology. Rather they use principled eclecticism, freely moving between lessons, tasks, methodologies and approaches, almost seamlessly.

Have you ever had to teach a grammatical construction that only appears in written form? And then had your students practice it by writing? Then you’ve used the grammar-translation method. Have you ever talked to your students in question/answer form, hoping that they will pick up the grammar point that you are trying to teach? Then you’ve used the direct method.

Have you ever repeatedly drilled grammatical endings, or numbers, or months, perhaps before showing them to your students? Then you’ve used the audio-lingual method. Have you ever played Simon Says? Or given your students commands to open their textbook to a certain page? Then you’ve used the total physical response method. Have you ever written a thematic unit on a topic not covered by the textbook, incorporating all four skills and culminating in a final assignment? Then you’ve used task-based learning. If you’ve already done all of these, then you’re already practicing principled eclecticism.

The point is: The best teachers make use of all possible methodologies and approaches at the appropriate time, for the appropriate activities, and for those students whose learning styles require that approach.

The ultimate goal is to choose the methods that best fit your students, not to force your students to adhere to any particular or limiting methodology. Remember: First and foremost, it’s always about our students!

Tomy Widiyanto has more 8 years of foreign language teaching experience. He has successfully directed language programs, taught and mentored current and future professionals and his students, and is always looking for new and exciting ways to engage and educate his students from basic level to advance level.

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Effective Ways to Build Your Vocabulary

Learning how to build a better vocabulary can be a pleasurable and profitable investment of both your time and effort. At least fifteen minutes a day of concentrated study on a regular basis can bring about a rapid improvement in your vocabulary skills, which in turn can increase your ability to communicate by writing, conversing, or making speeches. Acquiring a large vocabulary can benefit you in school, at work, and socially. It will enable you to understand others' ideas better and to have the satisfaction of getting your thoughts and ideas across more effectively.

Of course, you already know thousands of words, and you will continue to learn more whether you work at it or not. The fact is that many of the words you know were probably learned simply by coming across them often enough in your reading, in conversation, and even while watching television. But increasing the pace of your learning requires a consistent, dedicated approach. If you learned only one new word a day for the next three years, you would have over a thousand new words in your vocabulary. However, if you decided right now to learn ten new words a day, in one year you would have added over three thousand to what you already know, and probably have established a lifetime habit of learning and self-improvement.

Basic steps to a better vocabulary

While there are not any magic shortcuts to learning words, the larger your vocabulary becomes, the easier it will be to connect a new word with words you already know, and thus remember its meaning. So your learning speed, or pace, should increase as your vocabulary grows. There are four basic steps to building your vocabulary:

1. Be Aware of Words

Many people are surprised when they are told they have small vocabularies. “But I read all the time!” they protest. This shows that reading alone may not be enough to make you learn new words. When we read a novel, for instance, there is usually a strong urge to get on with the story and skip over unfamiliar or perhaps vaguely known words. But while it is obvious when a word is totally unknown to you, you have to be especially aware of words that seem familiar to you but whose precise meanings you may not really know.

Instead of avoiding these words, you will need to take a closer look at them. First, try to guess at a word's meaning from its context—that is, the sense of the passage in which it appears; second, if you have a dictionary on hand, look up the word's meaning immediately. This may slow down your reading somewhat, but your improved understanding of each new word will eventually speed your learning of other words, making reading easier. Make a daily practice of noting words of interest to you for further study whenever you are reading, listening to the radio, talking to friends, or watching television.

2. Read

When you have become more aware of words, reading is the next important step to increasing your knowledge of words, because that is how you will find most of the words you should be learning. It is also the best way to check on words you have already learned. When you come across a word you have recently studied, and you understand it, that proves you have learned its meaning.

What should you read? Whatever interests you—whatever makes you want to read. If you like sports, read the sports page of the newspapers; read magazines like Sports Illustrated; read books about your favorite athletes. If you are interested in interior decorating, read a magazine like House Beautiful—read it, don't just look at the photographs.

Often people with very low vocabularies don't enjoy reading at all. It's more of a chore for them than a pleasure because they don't understand many of the words. If this is the way you feel about reading, try reading easier things. Newspapers are usually easier than magazines; a magazine like Reader's Digest is easier to read than The Atlantic Monthly. There is no point in trying to read something you simply are not able to understand or are not interested in. The important idea is to find things to read you can enjoy, and to read as often and as much as possible with the idea of learning new words always in mind.

3. Use a Dictionary

Most people know how to use a dictionary to look up a word's meaning. Here are some pointers on how to do this as a part of a vocabulary-building program:

• Have your own dictionary: Keep it where you usually do your reading at home. You are more likely to use it if you do not have to get it from another room. At work, there may be a good dictionary available for your use. At home, most people do not have a big, unabridged dictionary; however, one of the smaller collegiate dictionaries would be fine to start with.
• Circle the words you look up: After you have done this for a while, your eye will naturally move to the words you have circled whenever you flip through the dictionary. This will give you a quick form of review.
• Read the entire entry for the word you look up: Remember, words can have more than one meaning, and the meaning you need for the word you are looking up may not be the first one given in your dictionary. Even if it is, the other meanings of the word will help you understand the different ways the word is used. Also, the word's history, usually given near the beginning of the entry, can often give a fascinating picture of the way the word has developed its current meaning. This will add to the pleasure of learning the word as well as help you remember it.

4. Study and Review Regularly

Once you have begun looking up words and you know which ones to study, vocabulary building is simply a matter of reviewing the words regularly until you fix them in your memory. This is best done by setting aside a specific amount of time each day for vocabulary study. During that time you can look up new words you have noted during the day and review old words you are in the process of learning. Set a goal for the number of words you would like to learn and by what date, and arrange your schedule accordingly. Fifteen minutes a day will bring better results than half an hour once a week or so. However, if half an hour a week is all the time you have to spare, start with that. You may find more time later on, and you will be moving in the right direction.

In order to review words effectively, all the information on a word should be kept in one place—in a notebook, for example, or on an index card. Index cards are convenient because the words can be placed in alphabetical order, which makes them easy to find when reviewing; and the cards can be carried around with you, so you can study them anywhere. You should try to be systematic about studying, so that you are sure to review each word at least once every couple of weeks.

Do not throw cards away, though; you can get a great feeling of accomplishment by looking at the growing stack of words you have learned and by occasionally glancing at an old card and thinking, “Once I actually didn't know the meaning of this word!”

5. Other vocabulary building materials

The steps we have just discussed do not involve the use of vocabulary-building aids such as books, tapes, or CDs; all that is required is a dictionary. But what about such materials? Are they worth using? We say yes.

The first advantage of vocabulary-building books is that they present you with words generally considered important to know, thus saving you time. Another advantage of many of these books is that they will use the words in several sentences, so that you can see the words in different contexts. A third advantage is that they usually have exercises that test what you have learned, which gives you a clear sense of progress.

The major disadvantage of many of these books is that the words in them may sometimes be too difficult for the person who does not have a large vocabulary. Such a person would have a hard time learning these words and could quickly become discouraged. We suggest, therefore, that you scan the materials you are interested in before buying. If most of the words are totally unfamiliar to you, you will probably not get very much out of it. If, however, you recognize many of the words but do not quite know them, then the material is probably at the right level for you.

Many books approach vocabulary building by teaching you word parts—prefixes, suffixes and roots—and showing you how these parts can go together to form many different words. You might find this approach useful, because it will make you sensitive to how words are formed, and this can often be a help in figuring out a word's meaning from its context.

The important thing to keep in mind is that these materials are not a complete substitute for the process we have been talking about. One book will not give you all the words you need to know. Besides, you are establishing a lifetime interest in building your vocabulary, and just selecting one way to approach it may not be enough. However, the use of vocabulary-study materials as a supplement to the “Four Basic Steps” will reinforce your learning and speed your progress immediately.

6. Motivation

Perhaps the most important factor in a successful vocabulary-building program is motivation. It will be very difficult for you to study words month after month without a strong feeling that it is worth doing, that a larger vocabulary will help you in school and on the job, and that it can well lead to a more exciting and fulfilling life. We certainly feel that this is true, for nothing we measure at the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation contributes more to success in life more than vocabulary. Your time could not be better spent.

We know you can expand your vocabulary almost as fast as you wish. There are countless examples of people who have done so. Remember, you started out in life knowing no words, and now you know thousands. You can learn many more. Why not start today?

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Daftar UIN di Indonesia

Pusing menentukan mau kuliah dimana? takut pergaulannya tidak terjaga ketika sudah menjadi mahasiswa? mau kuliah dibidang umum namun tetap ingin mendapatkan ilmu agama? yaapp.... kuliah di UIN adalah jawaban yang tepat. Berikut referensi daftar UIN atau Universitas Islam Negeri di seluruh Indonesia saat ini berjumlah 11 universitas. Rata-rata, UIN tersebut merupakan peningkatan status dari IAIN (Institut Agama Islam Negeri). Universitas Islam Negeri pertama adalah UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta yang terletak di Tangerang, Banten yang mengalami perubahanan dari IAIN menjadi UIN pada tahun 2002 silam.

UIN sendiri adalah salah satu bentuk Perguruan Tinggi Islam Negeri (PTKIN) di Indonesia. Sebagaimana diketahui, di Indonesia terdapat tiga jenis PTKIN yaitu Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN), Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN), dan Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri (STAIN).

UIN, sebagaimana PTKIN lainnya, dikelola secara fungsional oleh Kementerian Agama. Sedangkan secara teknis akademik, pembinaannya dilakukan oleh Kementerian Riset Teknologi dan Pendidikan Tinggi (Kemenristek Dikti) layaknya universitas lainnya.

Daftar Lengkap UIN di Indonesia

Daftar lengkap UIN di Indonesia ini disusun sebagai referensi bagi siswa-siswi Madrasah Aliyah (dan SMA lainnya), khususnya kelas XI dan XII dalam memilih jenjang perguruan tinggi.

Berikut ini adalah daftar ke-11 Universitas Islam Negeri yang ada di Indonesia, lengkap dengan lokasi kampus, logo UIN, fakultas yang dimiliki, dan situs webnya.

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Tips Menjadi Duta Bahasa Jawa Tengah

Ajang pemilihan duta yang satu ini cukup banyak digandrungi oleh kalangan mahasiswa karena dari berbagai ajang pemilihan duta, pemilihan duta Bahasa miliki kriteria tinggi badan yang berbeda dari pemilihan ajang lainnya.

Kali ini saya akan berbagi pengalaman ketika tahun 2017 saya mengikuti audisi Finalis Pemilihan Duta Bahasa Jawa Tengah yang diselenggarakan oleh Balai Bahasa Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Pagelaran tahunan ini biasanya dimulai kegiatan audisinya pada bulan Mei. Persyaratan untuk mengikuti ajang ini pun relatif cukup mudah sehingga banyak kalangan mahasiswa se-Jawa Tengah ingin mendaftarkannya. Persyaratan tersebut antara lain:

1.    Berpenampilan menarik dengan tinggi badan laki-laki minimal 165cm dan perempuan 155cm

2.    Menyerahkan makalah sebanyak tiga eksemplar dengan ketentuan penulisan maksimal lima halaman menggunakan huruf  Times New Roman 12 spasi 1,5. Dalam pembuatan makalah itu, temen-temen dapat memilih tema Peran Pemuda dalam Permartaban Bahasa Indonesia atau Peran Pemuda dalam Pembangunan Kesatuan Bangsa melalui Bahasa.

Cukup mudah bukan? Pada bulan Oktober atau biasa disebut bulan Bahasa Nasional pemenang ajang pemilihan ini akan mewakili provinsi Jawa Tengah ke tingkat Nasional.

Pendaftaran peserta dimulai dari pendaftaran online di website balai Bahasa Provinsi Jawa Tengah (http://www.balaibahasajateng.web.id/) dan mengirimkan berkas melalui e-mail. Pada tahap seleksi administrasi ini temen-temen diminta mengirimkan biodata lengkap beserta keterlibatan temen-temen dalam kegiatan sosial dibidang pendidikan, sosial, agama atau lainnya yang berkaitan dengan pendidikan dan pengembangan bahasa. Selain itu alangkah lebih baik, temen-temen juga menyertakan sertifikat-sertifikat yang relavan dengan kompetisi ini dan pas foto seluruh badan ukuran 4R menggunakan pakaian batik yang menarik.

Untuk memperoleh informasi terkait pengumuman keberhasilan seleksi administrasi, temen-temen akan mendapatkan email balasan berupa pernyataan lolos seleksi administrasi atau temen-temen dapat melihat pengumuman tersebut melalui website balai Bahasa Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Saat temen-temen sudah dinyatakan lolos berkas, maka dengan demikian temen-temen berhak mengikuti serangkaian audisi di balai Bahasa Jawa Tengah untuk melakukan tes wawancara dan tes Uji Kemahiran Berbahasa Indonesia (UKBI). Kedua tes ini dilakukan secara bergilir dibagi kedalam beberapa kelompok berdasarkan nomor urut ketika temen-temen tiba di lokasi seleksi. Oleh sebab itu, saya sarankan temen-temen untuk dapat sampai di Balai Bahasa Provinsi Jawa Tengah maksimal 1 jam sebelum acara tes dimulai. Pengalaman saya waktu tahun kemarin seleksi hari pertama untuk kelompok 1-3 berakhir sampai sekitar jam 8 malam. Tak perlu khawatir kenapa bisa sampai selama itu tes seleksinya. Hal itu dikarenakan saat tes wawancara temen-temen akan diwawancarai oleh tiga juri yang berbeda-beda yaitu masing-masing menguji untuk seleksi tes bahasa Jawa, bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris. Ketika temen-temen sudah berniat untuk mengikuti audisi ajang ini saya sarankan temen-temen sudah menyiapkan segala jawab dari semua jenis pertanyaan yang kemungkinan akan ditanyakan oleh dewan juri. Termasuk wawasan mengenai isu-isu terkini tentang bahasa dan penggunaannya. Berdasarkan apa yang telah saya alami waktu mengikuti audisi tahun kemarin, ketika tes wawancara bahasa Jawa, temen-temen sebaiknya juga menjawab dengan bahasa Jawa. Dalam hal ini berarti temen-temen perlu menjawab dengan bahasa Jawa krama alus. Selain itu, temen-temen diminta untuk menyampaikan moto dan motivasi hidup dalam bahasa Jawa, nembang Macapat, menulis aksara Jawa, dan nembang campursari. Setelah tahap tersebut lancar, berikutnya temen-temen beralih ke tes bahasa Indonesia. Pada tes kali ini temen-temen lebih cenderung akan ditanya mengenai isu-isu, permasalahan, dan upaya mempertahankan budaya dan bahasa Indonesia bahkan untuk dikenal dikancah Internasional. Jadi, persiapkan hal tersebut dengan matang ya, guys! Tes wawancara terakhir yang kebanyakan bikin tegang adalah tes wawancara bahasa Inggris. Pada tahap ini dari pengalaman saya sebelumnya, saya hanya diwawancarai tidak lebih selama 5 (lima) menit, saya hanya ditanya tentang background pendidikan dan aktivitas sehari-hari. Pastikan pada tahap tes ini, bagi temen-temen yang masih kurang penguasaan dalam bahasa Inggris, saya anjurkan untuk menghafalkan dulu apa yang sekiranya ingin diutarakan sewaktu diwawancarai. Bisa jadi hal itu akan berkaitan dengan profil temen-temen, tentang kelemahan dan kelebihan diri, aktivitas sehari-sehari, latar belakang pendidikan, kondisi keluarga, motivasi mengikuti audisi, dan isu-isu terkini tentang penggunaan bahasa.

Tes terakhir adalah tes UKBI,  mungkin aneh kali ya bagi temen-temen yang belum pernah mendengar istilah UKBI. Bagi temen-temen yang sudah tidak asing lagi dengan tes TOEFL atau tes bahasa Inggris bisa samakan model dan teknis pengerjaan tesnya. Tes UKBI kalau dalam bahasa Inggris memang hampir sama dengan tes TOEFL. Keduanya sama-sama terdiri dari tiga bagian. Bagian yang pertama adalah mendengarkan. Kalau dalam tes TOEFL Listening section. Bagian kedua adalah merespon kaidah, jika temen-temen menghadapi tes TOEFL, pada bagian ini hampir sama dengan Error Recognitio Section atau Structure and Written Expression. Bagian terakhir yaitu membaca seperti Reading dalam tes TOEFL. Temen-temen akan disuguhkan berbagai jenis bacaan baik fiksi maupun non-fiksi untuk mengusi kemahiran membaca peserta tes UKBI.

Serangkaian tes semua tahap sudah dilalui, maka temen-temen diperkenankan pulang dan menunggu hasil akhir untuk penetapan Finalis Duta Bahasa Jawa Tengah sekitar 2 (dua) minggu setelah audisi dilaksanakan. Pada saat karantina ketika temen-temen dinyatakan sebagai Finalis, temen-temen diminta presentasi dihadapan 5 (lima) dewan juri tentang proyek pembuatan makalah secara individu. Setelah itu, akan ada malam pertunjukan bakat dan seni oleh masing-masing Finalis. Pada sesi ini pertunjukan seni tari akan menjadi nilai tambah yang sangat tinggi apabila ada Finalis yang mempertunjukkannya. Pemenang dari Pemilihan ini secara otomatis akan mewakili Provinsi Jawa Tengah dalam ajang Pemilihan Duta Bahasa Nasional pada bulan Oktober. Dengan temen-temen membaca artikel ini, saya berharap akan ada banyak manfaat bagi temen-temen yang ingin mengikuti seleksi Pemilihan Duta Bahasa Jawa Tengah tahun 2018. Semangaaattt...... semoga beruntung ya J  

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Sample of Conversation Exam

Examiner: Hello ........., hello ......... My name is ......

Phase 1a (4–5 minutes)

The Examiner will select questions from those provided in the test pack, in a variety of areas such as name, nationality, work/study, where candidates live, and free time activities.

Name:

• What is your (full) name?
• Can I have your name please?
• Could you tell me your full name please?
• Can you spell it for me?

Nationality/where candidates live:

• Where do you come from?
• Which country are you from?
• Where is your hometown located?
• How long have you lived here?

Work/study:

• What do you do?
• Do you work or are you a student?
• What are you studying now?
• What do you like about your job? / What do you like about studying?
• Do you enjoy your work? Why? Why not?

Free time activities:

• Do you have any hobbies?
• What are some of your hobbies?
• What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Weekend plans – prompt questions

• Who do you like to go out with at the weekend? (What do you do?)
• Do you like going to new places? (Why?/Why not?)
• Which places are good for children to go to?
• What do people in your country like to do in their free time?

Examiner: Thank you. That is the end of the test.

1. Do you think it’s important to be on time?

Yeah, I think it definitely is, because it’s basic manners to be on the dot for things. You know, I think you’d agree it’s pretty rude to keep people waiting, and so it kind of makes a bad impression on people.

2. How do you feel when others are late?

Well I guess it kind of depends, because I mean, if there’s a good reason for being late, you know, like getting stuck in traffic, then I will not really mind that much. But you know, if the person does not really have any excuse and it’s simply because they could not be bothered to arrive on time, then I suppose I might  feel a bit annoyed.

3. Are you, yourself, late very often?

If yes: Yeah, I am. And I know it’s a bad habit, but for some reason, no matter how hard I try, I always seem to end up being late for things !

If no: No, I would say I’m dead on time. You know, most of the time I’m pretty good with being on time for things, because I always make a quite big effort not to be late to avoid being pushed for time.

      4.  How do you feel  when you are  late?

I feel pretty bad, especially if I’ve kept the other person waiting for a long time. So if I know I’m gonna be late, I will always try to let the person know in advance, you know, like send them a text message or something, so at least they know when to expect me.
     5.  Do you Wear a Watch?

If yes: Yeah I do – you can see it right here !

If no: No I do not, because I do not think it’s really necessary to wear a watch anymore. You know, if I wanna know the time, I’ll just look on my mobile !

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