Cooperative Language Learning Language Teaching Methodologies

25 mendukung pencapaian tujuan tersebut, pengembangan kompetensi peserta didik disesuaikan dengan potensi, perkembangan, kebutuhan, dan kepentingan peserta didik serta tuntutan lingkungan. Memiliki posisi sentral berarti kegiatan pembelajaran berpusat pada peserta didik.”BSNP, 2006: 5 Curriculum is developed based on principle that learners have a central position to develop their competencies in order to be human beings who believe in God and have a noble characteristic. The curriculum also develops students to be healthy, educated, capable, creative, and independent and to be democratic and responsible citizen. In order to achieve those goals, development of learners’ competencies is matched with learners’ potentials, learners’ development, learners’ needs, learners’ necessities, and society requirement. Having a central position means that learning activities are focused on learners. From this point of view, it is clear that development of the curriculum which is going to be implemented focuses on students along with their characteristics as a human being and a learner as well. It is also clear that schools, especially teachers, have to develop learning techniques which focused on learners; it means that teachers should conduct learner-centered learning activities. The designed and developed KTSP should cover educational goals of the school, structure and content of curriculum of the school, academic calendar, and syllabus BSNP, 2006: 5. Among those terms that KTSP covers, a term which a teacher should consider in applying learning techniques is the syllabus. According to BSNP 2006: 15, syllabus development could be done by a teacher independently or in a group of teachers in a school or several schools, in a group of Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran MGMP in Pusat Kegiatan Guru PKG, and in Bureau of Education. When teachers recognize characteristic of students, KTSP requires teachers to design and develop syllabus independently. For teachers who cannot design and 26 develop syllabus independently, the school then form a group subject teachers, to facilitate the designing and the development process of the syllabus which is going to be implemented in the school. BSNP 2006: 14 states, “Silabus merupakan penjabaran standar kompetensi dan kompetensi dasar ke dalam materi pokok pembelajaran, kegiatan pembelajaran, dan indikator pencapaian kompetensi untuk penilaian.” Syllabus is standard competency and basic competency which are described into main material or learning material, learning activities, and competencies achievement indicators for evaluation. This point of view implies that a certain subject’s syllabus contains learning materials, learning activities, and achievements indicators which are derived from standard competencies and basic competencies. In addition to that, BSNP 2006: 16 states that learning activities are designed to give students learning experiences that involve mental and physic interaction among students, among students and the teacher, neighborhood, and other learning sources in order to achieve the basic competencies. This point of view implies that learning techniques applied by teachers should not only cover or deal with knowledge about the subject being learned, but also involved interaction among students, the teacher, and environment around the school in order to make the learning activities more meaningful. The learning experiences could be achieved through the use of various learning approach and learner-centered learning BSNP, 2006: 16. It means that teachers may use any kind of learning approach along with learning methods under the approach. One thing that the teachers should put as a priority is that the learning techniques must be techniques which focus on learner. 27

B. Theoretical Framework

This study aims generally to find out how the English teachers conduct the English reading in the class, especially on teaching techniques applied by the teachers in order to help students in learning English reading activities. There are two main points to be considered in this study. The first one is learning techniques in English reading class, which are conducted based on the teaching methodologies of Communicative Language Teaching and Cooperative Language Learning as suggested in recently applied curriculum, KTSP. The second point to consider about is the applied curriculum; the learning activities and the teaching technique should be in line with goals that are stated in the curriculum. English reading class should be communicative as it is suggested in Communicative Language Teaching. In addition, English reading class should also promote cooperative learning among students as it is suggested in Cooperative Language Learning. An English teacher, therefore, should conduct English reading class that promotes and facilitates communicative and cooperative learning activities with suitable and acceptable learning techniques. The learning techniques in conducting teaching-learning activities are expected to be able to help and encourage the students in learning English subject. At the same time, however, the learning technique the teachers applied should also be acceptable for the students. The learning activities which are conducted with suitable learning techniques should also meet the goals stated in the KTSP, that has been designed 28 by the school before and that has been suggested by government. The research findings and discussion in this study then can be used as a consideration to describe how the teachers conduct the English reading class for students and how helpful and encouraging the learning techniques are for students in learning English subject.