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activities, assessment types of language teaching and learning without abandoning the established practice of language education.
II. BRIDGING STAGE
In designing a learning program or a lesson there must be a plan to bridge the gap between theory and practice. In books of language learning
methodology the bridge is often called design, the function of which is to
bridge the gap between approach and procedure Richards and Rodgers,
2001, p. 20. In developing a learning program, the designer must bridge the gap by first writing the
objectives of the program. After the objectives are stated, a
syllabus type is mentioned and explained and the types of process or
learning activities are discussed. An assessment type is also included. The
roles of the learner and teacher are also discussed. The following are the components of the bridge that a designer of
self- actualization language learning should pay attention to. Here self-
actualization language learning can be pragmatically defined as communicative language learning that
‘mobilizes’ principles of self- actualization education in its design process.
A. Objectives
The general objectives of self-actualization language learning are as
follows. 1. The learner is able to self-actualize individually and socially.
2. The learner is able to acquire communicative competence. In order to attain the major objectives above, the following are the
enabling objectives that learners should aim at. In self-actualizing language learning learners are expected to be able to:
1. express their ideas and opinions freely in various interaction settings; 2. develop their own learning styles and strategies
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3. express themselves spontaneously in oral communication for various purposes;
4. express themselves in written communication; 5. make use of their local cultures;
6. have equal equitable positions in group and class work; 7. work together in various groups and cultural backgrounds;
8. tolerate different cultural backgrounds and levels of English proficiency; 9. consider everybody in the class important; and
10. express their feelings in various media. As discussed in the basic assumptions in the introduction, these self-
actualization learning objectives contain or reflect goals and principles found in Communicative Language Teaching, constructivist education, and
post-modern education.
B. The Syllabus
Since the formal curriculum used in schools adopts a competence- based approach, it is expected that the designer starts with a competency
standardcore competence and basic competence as stated in the curriculum being used. This is an
outcome-based syllabus with the major goal being the attainment of the learner’s communicative competence. In
the standard outcome-based syllabus, which tries to break down the major goal into different stages of the acquisition of skills, it is assumed that
communicative competence can be broken down into smaller components. The smaller components make up functional communication skills that are
contextually practiced stage by stage Richards and Rodgers, 2001, p. 143.
Despite the fact that core and basic competences are already stated in the national curriculum e.g., Kurikulum 2013, the self-actualization
learning designer may purposely ‘mobilize’ self-actualization objectives,
such as becoming creative or appreciating differences, in hisher design syllabus and lesson plan, preferably re-stated in learning indicators and
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realized in learning activities, material, and assessment types. It is assumed that both the core and basic competences in the national
curriculum are in line with the self-actualization principles of education. For example, in the core competence it is stated that students fully appreciate
and put into practice an attitude such as care, which includes cooperating, tolerance, and
peace Core Competence 2. This is basically in line with the self-actualization principles of learner-centeredness, equity and tolerance.
Besides, the core and basic competences in the curriculum and the self- actualization principles can also complement each other. For example, Core
Competence 2 emphasizes honesty as a virtue. This virtue is not explicitly stated in the self-actualization principles at least in these guidelines, but it
is implicitly found in the principles of equity and empowerment. However, in order not to make the practicing teachers and learning
designers confused, modifying the formulation of the core and basic competences or adding another set of competences to the list of basic
competences in the syllabus of the new curriculum should be avoided. There is still space for self-actualization principles and objectives in the
national curriculum. The columns of learning indicator, learning activity, learning material, and assessment types in the syllabus and in a lesson
plan, are then the places where self-actualization goals can be re- formulated and elaborated. In short, the syllabus is based on the core and
basic competences found in the national curriculum and it contains concrete indicators, learning activities, and learning material and also
assessment types with communicative and self-actualizing nuances. It is assumed, then, that both basic competences in the national curriculum and
self-actualization objectives and principles of education support and complement each other conceptually.
C. Learning Activities
