Teaching media Classroom Practice

Finally, the last way is by manipulating the complexity of the words and the language patterns in the songs. As remarked by Paul, “songs should be fully integrated whenever possible in the main course either for introducing or practicing the main language targets” 2003:60. Therefore, the complexity of the words and language patterns in the songs should be gradually increased. It is necessary to be done in order to utilize the songs not only for memorization but also for exploration of English language. 3 Games As being explained previously, one of the main characteristics of children is like to play. Thus, games are very useful and beneficial media to be used in teaching young children, including teaching English to primary students. Paul 2003:49 stated that games have a significant role in English lesson to enable the children to be completely integrated in the learning process. Game is defined as “an entertaining, engaging, even challenging activity which enables the learners to play and interact with others” Wright, Betteridge, Buckby, 2006:1. Based on that definition, game must bring fun and make the leaners to enjoy the process of English learning in the classroom. Games should become the part of the English learning in the classroom since they have many beneficial advantages. Some experts proposed many benefits of the games that are very useful in English language learning. Wrigth, Betteridge, and Buckby 2006:2 remarked some benefits of using the games in language learning. First, games help the language learners to keep their interest and motivation through the process of learning. As a matter of fact, language learning requires many efforts and time in order to obtain the optimal result. Therefore, the games can be the aiding tools to make the long process become more joyful and entertaining for the learners. Second, games can help the learners to “experience the language rather than merely study it” Wright, Betteridge, Buckby, 2006:2. By using the games, the contexts of language learning can be created. By learning the language in its contexts, the language becomes more useful and meaningful for the learners. Taking for example, sometimes the learners must speak or write in order to survive in the games. By doing so, the learners experience language as a means for communication. Third benefit is that games can make the repetitions in the language learning become more meaningful since they involve the emotions and real experiences related with the repetition. During the games, the learners often have to repeat some particular language items but they do not really conscious about that repetition. Therefore, the repetitions do not seem monotonous since they do not really aware of the repetitive actions compared with conventional repetition drills. Considering all benefits of games above, games should be considered as the part of language learning process and not only as time fillers. In addition, Paul proposed some benefits that games provide for teaching English to young learners. First, games help the young learners to enjoy learning English. When they enjoy it, their motivation and curiosity to learn English will keep increasing. Those high motivation and curiosity will support their success in English language mastery. In other words, games can be the positive reinforcements for young learners to learn English language. Second, games can create a conducive atmosphere to learn new things. Paul remarked that “in a comfortable environment, the young learners are likely less hesitant to try new things, to make mistakes, and to cope with confusion related with new words and patterns” 2003:49. While involved in the games, the children unconsciously trying many things, making mistakes, and also solving problems in order to keep surviving in the games. By doing all of them, the children have involved in the process of learning in a fun way. Third, the new information of English language obtained through the games give more impacts to the children. As stated by Paul, “the new knowledge about English language which obtained through the games tends to be more interesting and more internalized by the learner” 2003:49. Furthermore, he argued that games function not only to support the learning but also to facilitate the learning. In other words, the English language learning happens during the games, not before or after the games. However, the use of games to facilitate the English learning should consider some principles in order to ensure the obtaining of optimal stimulations from the games Paul, 2003:50. Those principles are related to the selection, duration, and number of games for the language learning. First principle is about the selection of the games. The games should be interesting enough to attract the children. In addition, the games must have the language contents which can be developed gradually to enable the learning process. The next principle is related to the duration of the games. The games should be stopped before the children want to stop in order to keep the children‟s interest toward the games so the games can be used again for the next time. Meanwhile, the last principle is related to the number of games used for English learning. The games which are used should not too many to ensure that the stimulations do not come from the variation of games but from the evolution of the games. However, the teacher also should not use too few games in order to prevent the over-repetitions of the same games. If the games are repeated too many times, the students might get bored and the lesson becomes less interesting for them. In addition, Paul also proposed some ways to manage the games in order to optimize the learning 2003:51. The first way is related to the best time to use the games in the process of learning. According to him, the best time to use the game is when introducing “the new language targets for the first time”. It aims to make the learners come across the new words and patterns during the games so the process of learning becomes more meaningful to them. The second way is related to the kinds of games being used. Paul 2003:51 suggested that the quieter kinds of game should be used for the new class. It aims to situate the children to learning circumstances including how to behave appropriately during the lesson. After that, more active activities or games can be conducted to make the learners more active mentally and physically. Besides, the physically active games are more fun for young learners and offer more opportunities for learning Paul, 2003:52. Doing the physical activities during the games help the young learners to remember and give them positive feeling about what they learn. Based on the explanations above, games are also very useful and advantageous media to be used in English lessons for young learners. The games enable the learners to enjoy the English learning in the classroom, help the learners to be involved deeply in to the process of English learning in a fun way, and enable the learners to internalize the English knowledge better. The creativity of the teachers in selecting, modifying, and integrating the games in the English lessons can give great contributions to a better English teaching and learning process for the young leaners.

d. Teachers‟ use of language

The language that the teachers use in the classroom gives clear directions about the beliefs of the teachers about the nature of language teaching and learning. Particularly in primary classroom, the language used by the teachers during the lesson may bring great impacts to the learners. Related with this, Phillips suggested that English and the mother tongue can be used interchangeably 2003:6. According to her, the most important thing is that the teacher communicates the guidelines clearly to the young learners about the appropriate time to use English or their mother tongue during the lesson in the classroom. As the example, Phillips described some guidelines in using English or learners‟ mother tongue in the classroom. She remarked that “English should be used as much as possible for the everyday organization and running of the cla ssroom”. In other words, English should be used for the daily conversations in the classroom. The daily conversations usually consist of routines and simple communication between teachers and learners for asking permission, greeting or responding to the greetings, asking or answering questions, and many more. For usual classroom routines, the teachers can give simple instructions together with the gesture to help the learners understand. If they use them every day, they would get used to them. In addition, English also can be applied for daily interactions between the teachers and the learners. Taking for example, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI when the learners use their mother tongue to request something, the teacher would not respond to it. As the result, the learners would try their best to use English in order to get the teachers‟ response. In other words, the teachers create the needs for the learners to use English since their contacts with English outside the classroom are very limited. However, Phillips argued that it is bet ter to use the learners‟ mother tongue in explaining complicated activity to prevent the great confusion and wasted of time. Another option is the teachers explain the complicated activities in English but then asking the learners to repeat them in their mother tongue to check their comprehension toward the teachers‟ explanations. Besides, the young learners should also be permitted to use their mother tongue during the feedback session since it is not useful to force them expressing their feelings and attitudes by using their limited English. Based on the explanation above, teachers‟ use of language in classroom can give enlightenments about what the teachers believe about teaching English to young learners.

4. Teachers‟ Beliefs and Classroom Practice

As w hat stated in the previous sections, the teachers‟ beliefs are closely related with teachers‟ practices in the classroom. According to Thwaite 2001, teachers‟ beliefs are the basis for the teachers in creating the interactions between the learners, teachers, teaching materials, and teaching resources in certain classroom in Farrell Ives, 2015:595. It means that what the teachers do in the classroom classroom practice is the representation of the teachers‟ beliefs. Therefore, the teachers‟ beliefs can be acknowledged by investigating their classroom practices thoroughly. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI The classroom practices done in the classroom can be used to identify the three areas of the teachers‟ beliefs which include the beliefs about language, the beliefs about language learning, and the beliefs about language teaching. Related to the first area, Grave proposed that the teachers‟ beliefs about language can be seen from the teachers‟ decisions about what to teach and how to teach it Graves, 2000:28. Then, related to second area, Graves remarked that teachers‟ beliefs in learning are reflected in the process, the roles of learners, and the focus of learning in their classrooms 2000:29. Meanwhile, related to the third areas, Richards and Lockhart proposed that teachers‟ beliefs about teaching could be seen through the teachers‟ role, teaching method, and teaching resources that used in the classroom 1996:36. Referring to the explanation above, it can be inferred three major points about the relation between the classroom pr actice and teachers‟ beliefs. First, the teachers‟ beliefs about language can be traced from the roles of materials and teaching technique. Second, the teachers‟ beliefs about language learning can be traced from the roles of learners and lesson structure. Lastly, the teachers‟ beliefs about language teaching can be observed from the roles of teachers, classroom management, teaching media, and t eachers‟ use of language.

B. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK T

he teachers‟ beliefs are important to be studied since what a teacher perceives or believes about teaching and learning will greatly contribute to their teaching Doyle, Goh, Zhang, 2004:1. Moreover, the teachers‟ beliefs about teaching young learners are significant to be studied since young learners in primary school have special characteristics which differentiate them with the adolescent or adult learners. The teachers‟ beliefs about teaching young learners are expected to be appropriate with the characteristics of young learners in primary school in order to optimize the successful of the English teaching and learning in the classroom. The study of teachers‟ beliefs can be done through many ways. One of the ways is by doing classroom observation. The classroom observation enables the observers to understand the beliefs by using their own perspectives and evidences in the classroom rather than using the information from the teachers‟ perspective Merriam, 2001 in Farrell Ives, 2015. Furthermore, many experts suggested that the teachers‟ beliefs decide their practises Uztosun, 2013:22. Teachers‟ beliefs are the teachers‟ personal conceptions about teaching and learning, which are consciously and unconsciously held and expressed through their actions in the classroom. Inferred by the definition, the study of teachers‟ beliefs in this research is conducted by examining the teachers‟ actions in the classroom. Those actions of the teachers are significant in leading the study to investigate the teachers‟ conscious or unconscious personal conceptions about teaching and learning. T he teachers‟ beliefs are closely related with teachers‟ practices in the classroom. As stated by Thwaite 2001, teachers‟ beliefs are the basis for the teachers in creating the interactions between the learners, teachers, teaching materials, and teaching resources in certain classroom in Farrell Ives, 2015:595. It means that what the teachers do in the classroom classroom practice is the representation of the teachers‟ beliefs. Therefore, the teachers‟ beliefs can be acknowledged by investigating their classroom practices PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI thoroughly. The classroom practices done in the classroom can be used to identify the three areas of the teachers‟ beliefs which include the beliefs about language, the beliefs about language learning, and the beliefs about language teaching. The concept map of this research is described through Figure 2.1. Figure 2.1 Theoretical Framework Classroom practice is the instructional practice that consists of teaching strategies and methods which employed in the classroom. Classroom practice basically consists of teaching strategies and methods of instruction. It means that classroom practice can be examined through the strategies and methods employed by the teachers during the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. Therefore, classroom practice in this research is analysed through the role of Classroom Practice Role of Learners, Teachers, and Materials Teaching Activity Teaching Media Teachers‟ Use of Language Role of Teachers Role of Learners Role of Materials Classroom Management Lesson Structure Teaching Technique Games Flashcards Songs Teachers‟ Beliefs Teachers‟ Beliefs about English Language Teaching Teachers‟ Beliefs about English Language Learning Teachers‟ Beliefs about English Language