The Simple Past Tense in an Irregular Verb

b. The Use of the Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is the most commonly used tense in English which refer to any kinds of events happened in the past or even a repeated happening. It is as Swan said about the using of simple past as, “The simple past is the one most often used to talk about the past. It can refer to short, quickly finished action and events, to longer actions and situations, to repeated happenings ”. 12 Thomson supposed there are three points about the usage of the simple past tense, they are: 1. It is used for the action completed in the past at a definite time. It is therefore used: - for the past action when the time is given: I met him yesterday Pasteur died in 1895 - or when the time is asked about: When did you meet him? - or when the action clearly took place at a definite time even though this time is not mentioned: The train was ten minute late How did you get the present job? 2. The simple past tense is used for an action whose time is not given but which a occupied a period of time now terminated, e.g. He worked in that bank for four years but he doesn’t work there now, or b occurred at a moment in a period of time now terminated, e.g. My Grandmother once saw Queen Victoria. 3. The simple past tense is also used for a past habit: He always carried an umbrella Used to for indicating past habit is used as: 12 Micahael Swan, Practical English Usage, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, p. 469. - to express a discontinued habit or a past situation which contrasts with the present, e.g. I used to smoke cigarette; now I smoke a pipe - to express a past routine or pattern - The simple past tense is used in conditional sentences type 2. 13 In addition, Graver stated about the simple past tense refer to an action completed in the past; the use of it could be as something constantly or unchanging happened in the past or what he called as past ‗neutral’, second is habitual action in the past past iterative, verbs belong to the group which not normally used in progressiv e form refer to past ‗actual’, and could be as either simply a narration or experiment in the past events past narrative. 14

2. The Nature of the Student Teams Achievement Divisions STAD

Technique a. The Understanding of Cooperative Learning The teaching approach which focus on students to learn together in group for sharing their ideas, knowledge and or solving problems where the teachers are still led the learning activity directly is called Cooperative Learning. According to Muijs and Reynold, Cooperative learning is a broader concept that encompasses all kind of group work, including more teacher-led and directed forms. Generally co-operative learning is seen as more teacher directed, with the teacher setting the task and specific questions and providing pupils with materials and information design to help them to solve the problems. 15 It shows that in cooperative learning students will learn together in group for sharing their ideas, knowledge and or solving problems where the teachers are still led the learning activity directly. All the students are hoped can get involve. 13 Thomson and Martinet, op. cit., p. 177. 14 B. D. Graver, Advanced English Grammar, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, pp. 56 —57. 15 Daniel Muijs and David Reynolds, Effective Teaching Evidence and Practice, London: SAGE Publication, 2005, p. 57. Whereas Cruickshank, Jenkins, and Metcalf stated , “Cooperative learning formerly called students team learning is the term use to describe instructional procedure whereby learners work together in small groups and are rewarded for their collective accomplishment ”. 16 In addition, Kessler also stated about Cooperative Learning as, “Cooperative Learning CL is group learning activity organized, so that learning is dependent on the socially structures exchange of information between learners in groups and in which each learner is held accountable for his or her own learning and is motivated to increase the learning of others ”. 17 It can be inferred that Cooperative Learning is about organizing a group learning so that the learning activity depend on the information exchange among students socially and motivate each learners to have responsibility not only for hisher own learning but the other learners as well. Besides, the STAD technique is different than any other technique even though basically it still has the same idea or even the concept as any other technique in CL method that emphasizes on learning together and there is also students social interaction building. Freeman explained Cooperative learning as, “Cooperative learning essentially involves students learning from each other in groups. But it is not the group configuration that makes cooperative learning distinctive; it is the way that students and teachers work together, that is important”. 18 Here, Freeman makes it clear what make Cooperative Learning method different from other methods or approach is on the way that students and teacher work together. From several explanations above, it can be summed up that the teaching approach which focuses on students to learn together in group for sharing or exchanging their ideas, knowledge and or solving problems where the teachers are still led the learning activity directly. Besides this method can also build students 16 Donald R. Cruickshank, Deborah B. J., and Kim k. Metcalf, The Act of Teaching, 4 th Edition, New York: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc., 2006, p. 238. 17 Carolyn Kessler, Cooperative Language Learning: A Teacher’s Resource Book, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1992, p. 8. 18 Diane Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 164.