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STUDENTS’ RESPONSE TOWARDS THE TEACHERS’ APPROACH AND

METHOD OF TEACHING

Rusydi Hanifi
An Alumni of English Department at Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training, IAIN
Antasari Banjarmasin

Puji Sri Rahayu

A lecturer of English Department at Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training, IAIN
Antasari Banjarmasin

ABSTRACT

This research is aimed (1) to know how the teachers differentiate teaching method for the
students based on their language learning abilities (2) it is intended to investigate the specific
approaches that the teachers use to motivate the students to learn English and (3) to know the
students’ response towards the teachers’ method of teaching. To collect the data, the
researchers applies triangulation techniques. This means that he makes a collaboration of
several techniques of collecting data. They are classroom observation, interview with the
classroom teachers, and questionnaire for the students. The result showed that teachers apply
different teaching method and have specific approaches to their students such as: letting their
students have questions during or after class, helping their students individually, engaging
their students in active participation during classroom activities either individually or in
groups, etc. The students gave different response to different approach the teachers applied.

Key words: approach, method, response

To increase the English learning and teaching quality, teachers are encouraged to develop
more innovative teaching methodologies and understand the learner’s characteristic and
learning strategy. Therefore, the knowledge of three important components (approach,
method, and technique) is very important for teachers. The uniformity of the three elements
takes an effective part on the results of the teaching and learning process.

APPROACH
The term approach refers to ‘theories about the nature of language and language learning
that serve as the source of practices and principles in language teaching’ (Richard and
Rogers, 1986 p. 16). An approach describes how language is used and how its constituent
parts interlock – in other words it offers a model of language competence. An approach
describes how people acquire their knowledge of the language and makes statements about
the conditions which will promote successful language learning (Jeremy Harmer, 2001). The
approaches in language learning are explained as follows:

Behavioral Approach (Behaviorism)

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Behaviorism in language learning is viewed as conditioning. Behaviorists perceived that we

can train animals to anything. To do so, we have to follow the procedures which consist of
three steps: stimulus, response, and reinforcement. A behavior will emerge if it is preceded
by a stimulus. The behavior can be strengthened and formed by reinforcement.

Behaviorism, which is actual a theory of psychology, has been adapted by methodologists of

language teaching for a quite long time. It is particularly adapted in the United States of
America, which created the so-called audio-lingual method. This method is signaled by
giving a continual training to students and being followed by consolidation, either positive or
negative, as a focus on classroom activities (Ahmad Izzan,2008).

Cognitive Approach (Cognitivism)

Another name of cognitivism is mentalism, which is developed by a linguist, Noam

Chomsky. He argues the behaviorist by stating that if language is a behavior learned, so what
about children who are able to say something they have never said before? How come could
a new sentence be spoken by a four-years-old child as a conditioning? According to
Chomsky, language is not a system based on the rules. Basically, language acquisition is
learning about the system. In this case, he introduces the concepts of competence and
performance. Competence refers to student’s mastery of grammatical rules, whereas
performance refers to student’s ability of applying the rules.

Noam Chomsky also stated that language learning never uses methodology. His argument,
which says that language is not a conditioning, but the most important thing, is that the
learners can internalize the grammatical rules so that it enables them to show a creative
performance. This matter encloses arguments from many techniques and methods of
teaching. To be short, this perception can be concluded as “show them the rules underlying
and let them to apply them themselves”. Therefore, an effort of creating new sentences is an
objective of language teaching (Ahmad Izzan, 2008)

Humanistic Approach

Humanistic approach considers students as a whole person, a unity. In other words, language
teaching is not merely teaching language, but it is also helping students to develop
themselves as a human.

This view inspires the emergence of a number of teaching techniques and teaching methods,
which develops the humanistic aspects of teaching. In this kind of methodology, student’s
experience is the most important. The development of their personality and the growth of
their positive thinking are considered crucial in language learning. The components included
in this approach are community language learning, in which the students sit circuming a
knower who will help them to say the language they want. After they decide the sentence
they want to say, they express it in their own way and then it is translated by the knower.
Thus, the students know how to utter their opinion in the target language (Ahmad Izzan,
2008).
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METHOD

A method is the practical realization of an approach. The originators of a method have

arrived at decisions about types of activities, roles of teachers and learners, the kinds of
materials which will be helpful, and some model of syllabus organization. Methods include
various procedures and techniques as part of their standard fare (Jeremy Harmer, 1998) .
Here are several common methods used in teaching English as a second or foreign language
over the century:

Grammar Translation Method (1890s-1930s)

Around the turn-of-the-century, language students often translated cumbersome volumes
from Classical Greek or Latin into English vía this approach. It consisted mainly of
exhaustive use of dictionaries, explanations of grammatical rules (in English), some sample
sentences, and exercise drills to practice the new structures. Little opportunity for real
second-language acquisition existed then.

Audio-lingual Method (1950s-1960s)

With the advent and popularity of audio tapes, this approach ushered in the first recordings
wherein the language learner could actually hear and mimic native speakers on reel-to-reel
audio tapes, often used with earphones in a language lab setting. Lessons often began with a
sample dialogue to be recited and memorized. This was followed up with substitution pattern
and saturation drills in which the grammatical structure previously introduced was
reinforced, with emphasis given to rapid fire student response. Repetition, substitution,
transformation, and translation became the order of the day. This method was strongly
influenced by B.F. Skinner's behaviorist view toward learning which favored habit-forming
drill techniques. Unfortunately, most students couldn’t transfer these dialogues into their own
real-life experiences.

Direct Method (1970s)

This method presented discussion in the target language as the major priority. Reference to
English equivalents became discouraged. Grammar learning became inductive in nature
without overt explanations given the pupil. Teacher/student interaction became fuller,
guessing of context or content, completing fill-ins, and doing “cloze” exercises were the
order of the day. Accuracy in pronunciation and oral expression became vital. Examples to
be followed became the main intention.

The Natural/Communicative Approach (1960s-2000s)

Originally developed by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, this acquisition-focused
approach sees communicative competence progressing through three stages: (a) aural
comprehension, (b) early speech production, and (c) speech activities, all fostering "natural"
language acquisition, much as a child would learn his/her native tongue. Following an initial
"silent period", comprehension should precede production in speech, as the latter should be
allowed to emerge in natural stages or progressions. Lowering of the Affective Filter is of
paramount importance. Only the target language is used in class now, introducing the "total
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immersion" concept for the very first time, with auditory input for the student becoming
paramount. Errors in speech are not corrected aloud. Now enters the era of glossy textbooks,
replete with cultural vignettes, glossaries, vocabulary lists, and glazed photographs. A
deliberate, conscious approach to the study of grammar is considered to have only modest
value in the language learning process. Pairing off of students into small groups to practice
newly acquired structures becomes the major focus. Visualization activities that often times
make use of a picture file, slide presentations, word games, dialogues, contests, recreational
activities, empirical utterances, and realia provide situations with problem-solving tasks
which might include the use of charts, maps, graphs, and advertisements, all to be performed
on the spot in class. Now the classroom becomes more student-centered with the teacher
allowing for students to output the language more often on their own. Formal sequencing of
grammatical concepts is kept to a minimum.

Total Physical Response (1960s-2000s)

This approach, also known as TPR, was founded by James Asher. In this method, both
language and body movement are synchronized through action responses and use of the
imperative (direct commands). TPR may be used in conjunction with some other methods
involving psychoneuro kinetic techniques wherein the teacher gives a host of commands with
the students then responding by “acting out” the command: “Stand up”, “Go to the door”,
"Sit down", etc. Kinetic movement of the hands and arms is incorporated in lieu of rote
memorization. Student speech is delayed until they feel comfortable enough to give other
students commands too. TPR is very effective in teaching temporal states, personal
pronouns, and other deep grammatical structures.

Silent Way (1960s-2000s)

Dr.Caleb Gattegno, originally out of Alexandria, Egypt, introduced this classroom technique
wherein the teacher remains silent while pupils output the language on cue through perpetual
prompting. This is the production before meaning school of thought and practice. A color-
coded phonics (sound) chart called a fidel, with both vowel and consonant clusters on it, is
projected onto a screen to be used simultaneously with a pointer, thus permitting the pupil to
produce orally on a continuous basis in the target language, vía a sequence of phonemes or
sound units. Brightly colored Cuisenaire rods, which are also used in Mathematics, are
integrated into this method (used as manipulatives) for pupils to learn spatial relationships,
prepositions, colors, gender and number concepts, and to create multiple artificial settings
through their physical placement. Lines or blank spaces on a chalkboard represent syllables,
devoid of letters in them, for a subliminal, collective memory experience in recall for the
students. Students are encouraged to self-correct their pronunciation errors through manual
gesticulation on the part of the instructor. Modeling of correct pronunciation for students is
discouraged. The greatest strength of this method lies in its ability to draw students out
orally, while the teacher "takes a back seat". This method works most effectively with round
tables being used to promote small group discussion and for ample student rotation. In
general, reliance on and the use of a structured textbook or an outlined syllabus is much
discouraged during the initial phases of learning. The Silent Way truly gives students a
spoken facility.

Suggestopedia (1960s-2000s)
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This extremely esoteric, avant-garde method is subconsciously subliminal in texture. It is

based on the pioneering efforts in 1967 of Bulgarian medical doctor, hypnotist, and
psychology professor Georgi Lozanov and on his techniques into superlearning. Classes are
small and intensive, with a low-stress focus. Material is presented in an especially melodic
and artistic way. By activating the right "creative side" of the brain, a much larger portion of
the intellectual potential can be tapped, thus drawing out long-term memory. This innovative
approach to language pedagogy maximizes the learners' natural holistic talents. Background
classical or baroque chamber music, oftentimes accompanied with soft lights, pillows or
cushions on the floor for relaxation, accentuate active and passive meditations, séances,
yoga, breathing exercises leading into the "alpha state", songs for memorization purposes,
therapy sessions and stream-of-consciousness catharsis in the target language with little
reliance on English. Little emphasis on grammar is given. Such non-verbal communication
as kinesics, paralanguage, environmental proxemics, and oculesics can be incorporated into
the method, along with Robert Rosenthal's Pygmalia used in the classroom. Soviet
Hypnopedia (sleep-learning) which was developed by such researchers as A.M. Syvadoshch
in Leningrad and by L.A. Bliznitchenko in Kiev, Sophrology (a memory training system),
the Tomatis Approach, Schultz-Luthe's autogenic therapy, Suggestology, and the Suzuki
Method of learning music are considered to be closely related to this Bulgarian approach.
This method has sprung two offshoots or derivatives which include Donald Schuster's
Suggestive-Accelerative Learning and Teaching (or SALT) and Lynn Dhority's Acquisition
through Creative Teaching (or ACT). Like other "modern" approaches, language is
perceived globally (in chunks or blocks), while attention to fine tuning or to detail comes
later.

Community Language Learning (1960s-2000s)

This creative, dynamic, and non-directive approach to language learning was first elaborated
by Charles Curran. It is designed to ease the learner into gradual independence and self-
confidence in the target language. This is also known as the Counseling-Learning method.
Curran's approach is beyond simply a methodical pedagogy, but is rather a veritable
philosophy of learning which provides profound, even quasi-theological reflections on
humankind! It encourages holistic learning, personal growth, and self-development. Learning
a language is not viewed necessarily as an individual accomplishment, but rather as a
collective experience, something to be disseminated out into the community at large at a later
stage in the second-language acquisition process. Its basic premise can be found in the
acronym SARD: S stands for security (to foster the student's self-confidence), A represents
attention or aggression (the former an indication of the learner's involvement, the latter their
frustration level), R equals retention and reflection (what is retained is internalized and
ultimately reflected upon), and D denotes discrimination (the learner can now discriminate
through classifying a body of material, seeing how one concept interrelates to another
previously presented structure). Student "participants" are thus allowed to register abstracted
grammar both peripherally and semi-consciously (William E. Bull, 1999).

STUDENT’S RESPONSE TOWARDS TEACHING & LEARNING

Response is usually defined as an imagination or an estimation that remains after we do an
observation (Bigot and friends, 1950 p. 72 as cited in sumadi Suryabrata, 2004). The
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impression becomes a consciousness that can be developed in the context of the current
experience as well as in that of the future time. According to John Frederich Herbart (1776-
1841), response is a basic element of human. It is viewed as a psychological power that can
help or create a balance, a hindrance, or a vandal of balance. Response is acquired through
sensation and observation (Wasty Soemanto, 1998).

Response Styles
Mann, in his research at University of Chicago, promoted several response styles of
university student that is divided into the categories below.

Obedient Student
This kind of student is a good student because they obey and follow whatever they are
ordered to do – they obey rules, authorities, regulations, and perceive that a teacher is the one
who gives praises and awards. They center themselves to the tasks given. They never oppose
their teachers’ orders. These students are neither really innovative nor creative. They also do
not have high intelligences, but they can show a satisfying result in learning.

Dependent Student
These students are very dependent to their teachers to help them in learning process. They
are always in fear: fear of examination or grade, fear of getting turn in class activities. They
are easily offended tend to make people like them with obeying rules. They just have little
faith about their own intelligences. They are easily ruled by warn, critic, or punishment.
They also have difficulties involving themselves in lesson.

Independent Student
These students are very intelligent. They have strong faith in themselves so that they can feel
comfortable. They are able to see the activities and materials in the class objectively. They
do not tend to have a strong personal bond with their teachers, because they can think
critically themselves – they have their own perception.

Pretentious Student
These students are social students. They often make fun, make people laugh, speak a lot,
have boast, and so on. They like to socialize as well as to gather with people. They really
appreciate other people’s opinion and underlie their opinion with others’ view. Therefore,
such attitudes hinder their intellectual progress.

Stolid Student
Most of students may be included in this category. Such students feel that themselves not
having capability. They are easily shocked, sensitive, and defensive – they tend to view their
teacher as a menacing to their personal identity. At the meantime, they also need their
teacher’s attention and award. They are afraid of failures so that their self esteem is very
much depends on achievements in the class. Due to the big fear of failures, they tend to
always keep stolid (S. Nasution, 2005).
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Acknowledging the importance of approach, method as well as the students’ response, the
researchers formulate these research questions:
1. How do the teachers differentiate their teaching method for the students based on
their language learning abilities?
2. What specific approaches do the teachers use to motivate the students to learn
English?
3. How do the students respond to the teachers’ method of teaching?

METHOD OF RESEARCH
Participants
This research took place at Language Service Center , IAIN Antasari Banjarmasin. There are
40 classes and the reserachers took three classes to be investigated. The participants of this
research are teachers from class 34, 35, and 36 and students from the same classes. In total
there are three teachers and 66 students. The teachers were chosen to be investigated based
on their background of study which were graduated from overseas universities. It was based
on the curiosity whether or not those teachers offer more various approaches and methods in
teaching English to the students. The students were from the classes that those teachers
taught.

Technique of Data Collection

The researchers use triangulation data collection techniques. The combination of various
techniques of collecting data such as observation, interview and questionairre is used to
examine the credibility of the data. Thus, during the research, the researcher collects the data
through classroom observations, interviews with the classroom teachers, and questionnaire
for the students.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Teacher A (English Class 34)

Teacher’s overall behavior

Based on all the observations and the statements of the classroom teacher in the interview,
the researcher formulates the teacher’s overall behavior such as below:
First of all, the teacher sees that her students’ level of English proficiency is all the same,
more or less, although they come from different majors. However, she believes that the
stronger ones and the weaker ones are always there. Therefore, she typically overcomes such
distance between the students by asking them to work with partner – either in pair or group.
It is one of her techniques on the students to foster their proficiency, especially for the
weaker students as well.
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Next, in her lesson plan, the teacher focuses on speaking skill (communication skill,
pronunciation practice; drilling) but she also puts in some grammar lesson because, in this
case, she supposes that grammar is still important. She wants her students to know first about
basic grammar before they use it in a simple conversation because she thinks her students are
still very weak in English. In other words, she wants her students not to only learn the
theories, but also apply them in real practice. So, she still includes grammar lesson in her
explanation in the class. However, she does not focus on the grammar too much.

After that, in beginning a lesson, the teacher sometimes stimulates the students’ background
knowledge when introducing the lesson, reviews the previous lesson for the students, and
conducts a warming up activity on the students before going on to focus the lesson.

Then, during the lesson classroom activity, the teacher equally uses English and Indonesian
in her explanation, direction, and instruction. She uses Indonesian because she sees that her
students do not understand if she speaks in English. Then, she sometimes uses English
because, however, she thinks that her students still need to get exposed to know English.
Furthermore, she invites the students to speak up individually by pointing in random any of
the students she wants by asking them several questions related to the lesson – her own
questions, not only from the book – so that the students are interested and stay alert to the
lesson. That is her effort of encouraging the students to learn English.

For the rest, in managing the class, she involves the students. For example, she sometimes
lets the more talkative students to ask her as well as answer her questions, or lets the more
proficient students to answer their classmates’ questions. Then, the teacher just takes
advantages of whiteboard and applies several kinds of activity such as role-play activity in
pair work or group work, pronunciation practice, and classroom discussion. Those kinds of
activity are applied by the teacher as her techniques to increase student’s active participation
in the class. Furthermore, those all are also based on the teacher’s consideration that she
thinks her students may be unconfident if they work alone. After that, she usually changes
the order of student’s seats based on the need of the activity like in rows or big circle
formation for usual activities, and small circle for group work. Next, the teacher always gets
around the classroom and sometimes comes to the students to control and help them solving
their problem about the lesson, like giving directions and more explanations for a task, an
exercise, and a group work. This is the teacher’s particular treatment on the students – that
she helps the students individually if they have a trouble understanding the lesson during the
class activity.

In pair work (role-play), the teacher has the students to make a short dialogue and then
practice it with their partners. For example, it is about ‘introducing self’.

In group work (role-play), the teacher usually applies a group of three people. She assigns
the students to make a conversation and lets them freely make it with their own idea – based
on their creativity – and then practice it in front of the class, surely that the students have a
chance to do a small practice with their group mates before going to front of the class. Next,
she usually offers a chance to any group which wants to go first for the practice.
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Furthermore, the teacher sometimes guides the students’ pronunciation when practicing the
conversation. However, she does not strictly emphasize a correct pronunciation but rather let
the students speak up. Additionally, at another chance of group work, the teacher suggests
the students to open their English dictionary and share each other the vocabularies they find.

In classroom discussion – a discussion about a task or exercise – the teacher applies a small
discussion among the students with their classmates and then followed by a big discussion
lead by the teacher herself. Then, she sometimes lets the more proficient students correct any
mistake on the task or exercise and then show it to the class.

Above all, during those all classroom activities, if the students make mistakes, the teacher
applies two ways in correcting the students’ mistakes – direct correction and peer correction.
She corrects the students’ mistakes directly in the case of individual treatment; she
approaches them and then gives some explanation. Then, she applies peer correction in the
case of whole class because she thinks it is more effective than that if she does it by herself –
which may make the students feel inconvenient.

The students respond to the teacher’s behaviors

Based on all the observations and the students’ statements about the teacher’s behaviors, the
researcher formulates the students’ overall response such as below:

Firstly, most of the students fairly like English but they are generally passive students – they
mostly tend to be silent during the lesson and the whole classroom activity. They do not
speak up unless their teacher asks them to do so. Mostly they are not confident enough to
speak English individually like answering the teacher’s questions and so forth. Anyway,
there are still few students who fairly like to have a chance to speak English individually and
occasionally ask their teacher for more understanding – they have their teacher explain them
more about the lesson or ask about ‘how to say it in English?’ of an Indonesian word.

However, the students are stimulated to speak up – they are motivated to gain active
participation – if they work in pairs, groups, classroom discussions, and the kinds of, which
involves togetherness. They verily like and enjoy these kinds of activities because they can
move to another formation of their seats so that they do not get bored. For instance, in
drilling activity, the students enthusiastically repeat the teacher’s pronunciation and all of
them speak up loud. That is when they have pronunciation practice of several English
vocabularies. Next, in group work, most of the students are active practicing conversation
with their group mates. Furthermore, there are several groups which volunteer to go
practicing the dialogue in front of the class. In the meantime, the other groups pay attention
to them. Anyway for some reason, some of the groups appear to have a little shame once
they get to practice the conversation in front of the class. This is natural though and the
atmosphere of speaking in front of their fellow students possibly has a typical effect to their
level of confidence. Moreover, it may also be linked with the fact that they indeed have a
trouble with pronunciation.

Then, mostly the students just keep silent or few sometimes talk with their classmates while
the teacher was explaining the lesson in English. Few of them may fairly understand what
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the teacher says but most of them probably do not so that they are not wholly attracted to
listen to the teacher. For instance, in a chance in grouping activity, most groups tend to be
silent because the teacher gives them directions in English. Besides, they also get confused
when the teacher gives them English directions before doing a task. However, at the next
meetings, they start to be in order and pay attention to the teacher’s explanation because the
teacher equally uses English and Indonesian in her explanation. For an evidence, they do the
exercise given quietly and sometimes give response to the teacher’s simple English questions
by a little answer in several opportunities; one of them is in the warming up activity (lesson
about ‘to be’) applied by the teacher. They are probably still shy to be asked individually but
they have effort to answer the teacher’s questions related to the lesson. Anyway, the
Indonesian explanation is definitely more effective and interactive to the students. This is
proved by that the students are stimulated to have more questions for the teacher once the
teacher explains the lesson in Indonesian. They also can confidently answer questions if they
are followed by Indonesian translation. They find this way very interesting to them.

Teacher B (English Class 35)

The teacher’s overall behavior

Based on all the observations and the statements of the classroom teacher in the interview,
the researcher formulates the teacher’s overall behavior such as below:

Initially, the teacher sees that her students’ English ability is about the same although they
come from different faculties. However, she does believe that their level of understanding is
indeed different. So, she gives more treatment to the weaker students.

Next, in her lesson plan, the teacher focuses on speaking skill (communication skill,
pronunciation practice; drilling). In the case of pronunciation practice, the teacher strictly
emphasizes correct pronunciation to the students – it is known when the teacher has the
students practice pronunciation repeatedly. Then, the teacher typically treats the student once
the students have trouble or difficulties understanding the lesson. It is that she lets the
students ask her a question during the class, if there is still enough time. But, if there is no
time for that, the students are let come talk to the teacher after the class.

After that, in beginning a lesson, the teacher sometimes applies a warming up activity before
going on to focus the lesson. It is like when she has the students read a conversation in
silence and try to figure it out first.

Next, during the lesson and classroom activity, the teacher almost uses English all the time in
her explanation, direction, and instruction about the lesson. Her reason is that English is her
priority in this case. However, at the first meeting, she negotiates with the students about
how much she may use English and the students just agree with it at the time. Therefore,
from the time on, the teacher keeps speaking in English. Then, if the students cannot figure
out what she says, she tries to simplify her language – that she still uses English. Again, if
the students still get confused, she uses Indonesian but it is very rare to happen – that the
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teacher prefer to use English followed by her body language or gesture, and anything that
may work as the clues for the students.

Furthermore, in managing the class, the teacher makes the best use of whiteboard and applies
role-play activity in group work and classroom discussion. In the role-play activity, the
teacher divides the students in two big groups – boys and girls. They practice a conversation.
In the meantime, the teacher firstly becomes their guidance in pronouncing it before they
practice it by themselves. After that, the teacher has some volunteers from the students
practice the conversation in front of the class. In classroom discussion, for example; a
discussion on an exercise, she lets the more proficient students give an example to the less
proficient students sometimes – that she involves the students in managing the class. Then,
she always sets the student’s seats in U form – that she can always keep an eye on the
students; she gets around helping the students on their problem like answering their questions
and so forth, and also sometimes she can easily comes to the students to invite them speaking
up individually – she asks several questions related to the lesson, asks for a pronunciation
practice to the students, etc. In addition, the teacher makes sure that her explanation,
direction, and instruction are clear to the students by always giving them examples and
confirming them repeatedly by the more simple language if it is necessary – It is like when
the students do a task, exercise, etc. Therefore, the teacher believes that the students can
always be engaged in active participation in the class if they understand what they have to
do. After all, she applies many activities as her effort of motivating the students to learn
English and also so that they are interested and help each other by working with partners.

Above all, during those all classroom activities, if the students make mistakes, the teacher
does not correct them directly but she applies peer correction. She invites the students to a
classroom discussion and tries to find out the most acceptable correction from them and then
show it to the class. It is because she thinks that this way is more effective than that if she
does it by herself – she does not want to make the students feel hurt because she believes her
students’ feeling is very sensitive.

The students respond to the teacher’s behaviors

Based on all the observations and the students’ statements about the teacher’s behaviors, the
researcher formulates the students’ overall response such as below:

First of all, the students fairly like English language but mostly they are naturally passive as
most of them just tend to be silent. For instance, when the teacher gives or asks them
instructions or questions in English, they are just silent and verily rare to answer.
Furthermore, few of the students sometimes talk with their fellows while the teacher is
explaining the lesson. They are possibly hard to be engaged by the situation because they
cannot really figure it out.

Anyway for the whole classroom activity, mostly the students fairly pay attention to and like
their teacher’s explanation as there are several students who respond to the teacher’s English
questions because the questions are just simple though – that they will answer if they do get
the point of what the teacher tells. Additionally once in a while, they ask for a confirmation
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and clarification about the lesson if they do not truly get it. Those few students are supposed
to fairly like if the teacher gives them an opportunity to speak English individually. But, that
does not seem to also work on most of them – that mostly they are not confident enough to
speak English individually. This can be caused by the fact that the teacher mostly uses
English during the class as the students probably do not have sufficient vocabulary to this
status of the class – the teacher very rarely uses Indonesian. Therefore, they cannot figure out
well what their teacher says. They take much time to understand once they do as well. This
way, actually they fairly like Indonesian instructions from their teacher and are more
attracted and better understand once the teacher’s instructions are followed by sign language
rather than only her spoken English – they are stimulated by the clues given. Above all in
general, they appear to be obedient as they do a task from their teacher quietly and most of
them listen to the teacher’s explanation.

Then, the students are very interested in working in pairs, groups, classroom discussions, or
the kinds of, which involves cooperation. They also verily like with the formation of their
seats during the whole class activities – they may exchange their position with their
classmates so that they do not get bored to stay at the same place during those activities. For
example, they are enthusiasm with drilling activities; they like speaking practice in role-play
activity which makes them all speak up loud. After that, most of them take active
participation in a classroom discussion on an exercise. They fairly like to go to front of the
class to practice a conversation as there are some of them who volunteer to be active in such
activity. However, they appear to be a little bit shy. This thing may deliver them to a
particular atmosphere, they may be afraid of making mistakes so that their classmates may
make fun of their faults. Above all and for general, they become fairly active in the
classroom activities as well as fairly motivated to learn English.

Teacher C (English Class 36)

The teacher’s overall behavior

Based on all the observations and the statements of the classroom teacher in the interview,
the researcher formulates the teacher’s overall behavior such as below:

First of all, the teacher considers that in such general and very basic English course, he just
gives the students a lot the topics contained in student’s guidance book. Anyway, he
definitely makes some improvement like encouraging the students to modify a certain
circumstance in the topics to be the things the students experience in their everyday life.

Then, in his lesson plan, the teacher puts an emphasizing on speaking skill (a lot of
pronunciation; drilling and communicative skill; a lot of conversation) and a little bit of
grammar. The emphasizing is to construct the students’ skill on how to ask questions and
know how to answer them. In the meantime, the he also gives an attention to the quality of
the students’ grammar sometimes. Then, the teacher typically lets the students make
mistakes to simply awake the students’ self-confidence to speak English. Next, if his students
have difficulties understanding the lesson, he gives them particular treatments; giving more
explanation, showing more examples, and having the students have a direct practice with
him, he thinks that works.
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After that, during lesson and classroom activity, the teacher just uses Indonesian and a little
bit Banjarese. He decides to use Indonesian and Banjarese because he knows that his
students do not understand if he speaks in English. Therefore, he believes that the best
strategy to overcome this matter is to use the language the students know best – Indonesian
and Banjarese; their mother tongue. However, he sometimes uses English in a very simple
question for the students. After that, he always makes sure about the students’ understanding
by letting them ask him before moving from one activity to another activity. This way, he
can always identify which students get his point and which students do not. Next, the teacher
is a little bit humorists – that he sometimes makes a joke with the students. Additionally, he
always appreciates his students’ effort to speak English.

Furthermore, in managing the class, he gradually gives tasks to the students from the easy
ones to the harder ones. Then, he also involves the students – like letting the more proficient
students help the less proficient, or inviting some volunteers of the students to practice
pronunciation and the others repeated after them – leading their classmates in drilling
activity. Besides, at another time, he translates an English conversation into Indonesian for
the students and sometimes invites them to translate it together. Next, the teacher always gets
around while explaining the lesson as well as for controlling and helping the students on their
problem with the lesson, and occasionally invites the students to speak up individually – like
asking the students some questions in Indonesian but they should answer them in English.
Another example; like when the students tell a history of their names. In the meantime, the
other students are asked by the teacher about what the teller has told (they may retell it in
Indonesian). Then, he sometimes takes advantages of whiteboard and sets the student’s seats
in rows, U form, and sometimes changes them like in a small circle – for a group work.
Besides, he applies several activities such as role-play activity in pair work and group work.
In the pair work and group work, the teacher gives the students a freedom to creatively
modify a conversation in the guidance book according to their own ways. These kinds of
activities are one of the teacher’s ways of encouraging or motivating the students to learn
English. After that, he also gives another motivation by advising his students that ‘What is
the value of learning English?’, ‘Why English is worth’, and ‘Work hard in studying valued
thing!’. Meanwhile, the teacher also uses the above activities as his techniques to increase
the students’ active participation – by engaging them in many classroom activities besides
only giving explanations.

Above all, during those all classroom activities, if the students make mistakes, the teacher
does not correct them right away because he does not want to break their self-confidence.
Instead, he does it later after the students finish their activity, either by him or by peer
correction. For instance, the students make mistakes when practicing a conversation, and in
the meantime, the teacher listens to their pronunciation and pick up the mistakenly
pronounced words. After that, he shows the students how the correct pronunciations are by
writing them on the whiteboard. Then, he asks his students to pronounce them. If most of
them do those correctly, that works. But, if most of them do not get the point, he gives some
explanation, very detail and very basic; like how to pronounce ‘NEW. This way, the
correction is more effective.
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The students respond to the teacher’s behaviors

Based on all the observations and the students’ statements about the teacher’s behaviors, the
researcher formulates the students’ overall response such as below:

Firstly, in general, the students indeed like English. Several of them possibly like it very
much. But, most of them are basically passive students who do not speak until they are asked
to do so.

However, during all the observations, the researcher finds out that the students mostly seem
to enjoy the class as they are quiet and fairly pay attention to their teacher’s explanation. It is
because the teacher uses Indonesian in his instructions and directions. The students fairly like
this way. Then, this way also leads several of them to be verily interactive and responsive to
their teacher’s instructions and questions. For instance, some students confidently answer
their teacher’s questions with English sometimes because the teacher mostly asks them in
Indonesian and occasionally asks in English – for some simple English question – and just
few students who can fairly understand such question. Additionally, they look interested if
their teacher asks them about the meaning of vocabularies. Anyway, there are still few of the
students who sometimes do not understand well their teacher’s English questions but they
still have enough self-confidence and effort to answer the questions.

After that, some of the students compatibly ask the teacher if they want more explanation
about the lesson. They probably relax and feel confident in this way as they do not worry
about making mistakes speaking English. This can be known as most of them easily speak
English individually although they mostly have a trouble with pronunciation, like above,
some of them have a confidence on themselves to answer questions from their teacher.
Another example, in a classroom activity, every student tells the history of their names.
Then, their mates will give response to them by asking some question related. In the
meantime, they are actually given a freedom by the teacher to use Indonesian too if they
cannot use English. This thing is also one of some factors that keep the students’ self-
confidence stay on, possibly.

Then, the students are mostly like pair work and group work. They do those activities orderly
as well as enjoy them because they are given a freedom, with which they are able to
creatively make a positive behavior during this activity. For instance, they are let to freely
modify the conversation according to their own way. Besides, they easily go to front of the
class practicing a conversation in role-play activity or leading their fellows in drilling activity
if their teacher asks them to be a volunteer– this is not a big deal for them. Anyway, few of
them appear to be a little bit shy sometimes to have a conversation practice. But, that does
not seem a big matter because they are generally interested a lot in speaking practice as all of
them always speak up loud. Additionally, they fairly like the formation of their seats that
sometimes change according to the kind of classroom activity. Above all, they seem to be
verily motivated to learn English in this class.

REFERENCES
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Harmer, Jeremy. (1998). How to Teach English: an Introduction to the Practice of English
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Harmer, Jeremy. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. England, Longman,
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Hess, Natalie. (2006). Teaching Large Multilevel Classes. Cambridge, Cambridge University
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Nunan, David. (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. New York, McGraw-Hill,
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