Teacher`s use of English in delivering Biology lesson to an eleventh grade international class of SMA N 1 Wonosari - USD Repository
TEACHER’S USE OF ENGLISH IN DELIVERING BIOLOGY LESSON
TO AN ELEVENTH GRADE INTERNATIONAL CLASS
OF SMA N 1 WONOSARI
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By Aprillia Constantina
Student Number: 051214055
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATIONSANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
Nobody grows old merely
by giving a number of years
We grow old by deserting our ideals
Years may wrinkle the skin
but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul
Samuel Ullman I dedicate this thesis to my parents:
Stefanus Surya Trisniwantara and Clara Sri Astuti,
and my beloved sister Agnes Indah Serlyta
ABSTRACT
Constantina, Aprillia. (2009). Teacher’s Use of English in Delivering Biology
Lesson to an Eleventh Grade International Class of SMA N 1 Wonosari .
Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.Recently, many schools in Indonesia have become Bilingual Schools or
Sekolah Berstandard International (SBI) and some others are in the preparation to
be Bilingual Schools. SMA N 1 Wonosari is the only senior high school in
Gunungkidul that has applied the bilingual school concept. Considering this fact,
all teachers, who teach in international classes, have to teach in two languages, English and Indonesian. This research was conducted to answer three problems. They are (1) How is English used by the teacher in delivering Biology lesson to an eleventh grade International Class of SMA N 1 Wonosari? (2) What are the teacher’s difficulties in the use of English? (3) What are the proposed solutions to overcome those difficulties?
In this research, the researcher used the Qualitative Method. There are many different types of Qualitative Method but in this study the researcher used the type which is called case study. The case study was conducted in a Biology Class of the eleventh grade of International class in SMA N 1 Wonosari. The research participants in this study were a Biology teacher and the eleventh grade students from IX IPA 1. To gather the data, the researcher used two instruments namely observation and interview.
Based on the analysis result, the researcher obtained the data that the teacher used limited English in delivering Biology lesson. In the teaching and learning process, the teacher used two languages, Indonesian and English. In set induction, the teacher mostly used English to greet the students, to review the previous material and to introduce the objective of a new material. Generally, the teacher used Indonesian to relate the previous material to the new one. In main activities, the teacher mostly used English in assigning the students, giving reinforcements and stimulus to the students. In addition, the teacher combined English and Indonesian in explaining the topic and giving questions to the students. The different data were obtained in set closure. In general, the teacher used Indonesian in concluding the lesson, giving assignments and closing the lesson. Based on the observations, the teacher occasionally combined two languages in one sentence. In addition, the teacher often translated directly the English sentences into Indonesian.
It can be concluded that the teacher has some difficulties in the use of English. There were two types of difficulties related to the use of English. First was the mechanical difficulty, such as the difficulty in composing the simple worksheet in English. Second were the difficulties related to the teacher’s abilities of using English, such as the difficulty in explaining materials in English, the difficulty in answering the students’ questions in English, the difficulty in making addition, the researcher has proposed some solutions to overcome those difficulties. Those solutions are using the words and sentences that are familiar to the students, making the handout of every topic, answering the students questions by combining English and Indonesian, adopting varied questions from the books and internet, using different gambits in greeting the students, and making the written summary.
Key words : Bilingual school, International Class, Set Induction, Main activities, Set Closure.
ABSTRAK
Constantina, Aprillia. (2009). Teacher’s Use of English in Delivering Biology
Lesson to an Eleventh Grade International Class of SMA N 1 Wonosari .
Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.Akhir-akhir ini, banyak sekolah-sekolah di Indonesia yang telah menjadi sekolah dwi bahasa atau SBI (Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional) dan beberapa diantaranya sedang dalam tahap persiapan menuju sekolah bertaraf internasional. SMA N 1 Wonosari adalah satu-satunya sekolah menengah atas di Gunungkidul yang telah menerapkan konsep sekolah dwi bahasa. Mengacu pada kenyataan ini, semua guru yang mengajar di kelas Internasional, harus mengajar dengan menggunakan dua bahasa yaitu bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan untuk memecahkan tiga masalah, yaitu (1) Bagaimana bahasa Inggris yang digunakan guru dalam menyampaikan pelajaran Biologi untuk kelas sebelas dari kelas internasional SMA N 1 Wonosari? (2) Apa saja kesulitan- kesulitan guru dalam kaitannya dengan penggunaan bahasa Inggris? (3) Apa saja solusi-solusi yang ditawarkan untuk mengatasi kesulitan-kesulitan tersebut?
Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan metode kualitatif. Ada banyak jenis dari metode kualitatif, namun dalam penelitian ini peneliti menggunakan studi kasus. Studi kasus ini dilaksanakan di kelas Biologi dari siswa kelas sebelas SMA N 1 Wonosari. Partisipan dari penelitian ini adalah seorang guru Biologi dan siswa kelas IX IPA 1. Untuk mengumpulkan data, peneliti menggunakan dua instrumen yaitu observasi dan wawancara.
Berdasarkan hasil analisis, peneliti memperoleh data bahwa bahasa Inggris yang digunakan guru dalam menyampaikan pelajaran Biologi masih terbatas. Dalam proses belajar mengajar, guru menggunakan dua bahasa yaitu bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris. Untuk kegiatan awal, pada umumnya, guru menggunakan bahasa Inggris untuk menyapa siswa, mengulang kembali materi sebelumnya dan menyampaikan tujuan dari materi yang baru. Di sisi lain, guru lebih sering menggunakan bahasa Indonesia untuk mengaitkan materi sebelumnya dengan materi yang baru. Dalam kegiatan inti, guru pada umumnya menggunakan bahasa Inggris untuk memberi tugas pada siswa, memberi penguatan dan stimulus kepada siswa. Lain halnya ketika guru menerangkan topik dan memberi pertanyaan kepada siswa, guru lebih sering menggabungkan bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Indonesia. Data yang berbeda tampak di akhir pelajaran. Guru pada umumnya menggunakan bahasa Indonesia untuk membuat kesimpulan, memberi tugas pada siswa dan menutup pelajaran. Berdasarkan observasi-observasi yang telah dilakukan, peneliti memperoleh data bahwa guru tersebut terkadang menggabungkan dua bahasa dalam satu kalimat. Selain itu, guru tersebut juga menterjemahkan secara langsung kalimat bahasa Inggris yang diucapkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia.
Ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa guru tersebut masih mempunyai beberapa kesulitan terkait dengan penggunaan bahasa Inggris. Ada dua tipe kesulitan terkait sederhana. Kedua adalah kesulitan dalam hal kemampuan guru dalam berbahasa Inggris seperti kesulitan menjelaskan materi dalam bahasa Inggris, kesulitan dalam menjawab pertanyaan siswa dalam bahasa Inggris, kesulitan dalam membuat pertanyaan yang bervariasi, kesulitan dalam membuat kalimat-kalimat bahasa Inggris yang bervariasi untuk menyapa siswa, dan kesulitan dalam menyimpulkan pelajaran dalam bahasa Inggris. Peneliti telah memberikan beberapa solusi terkait dengan kesulitan-kesulitan tersebut. Solusi-solusinya adalah menggunakan kata-kata atau kalimat-kalimat yang mudah dipahami siswa, membuat ringkasan materi dari setiap topik, menjawab pertanyaan siswa dengan menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Indonesia, mengambil pertanyaan- pertanyaan yang bervariasi dari buku dan internet, menggunakan kalimat yang berbeda dalam menyapa siswa dan membuat kesimpulan tertulis dalam bahasa Inggris.
Kata-kata kunci : Sekolah Dwi Bahasa, Kelas Internasional, Kegiatan Pra- Pembelajaran, Kegiatan Inti Pembelajaran, Kegiatan Akhir Pembelajaran.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank my Dear Lord, Jesus Christ, who has given His wonderful blessing, grace, love, and guidance so that I can finish this thesis. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Christina Kristiyani, S.Pd., M.Pd, my sponsor, for her guidance, patience, and great encouragement in my thesis process. I really would like to thank her for spending time to correct and give suggestions in order to achieve the best result of my thesis. I would also like to thank all of the lecturers in English Education Study Program, to whom the writer has obtained a lot of knowledge. My gratitude also goes to the teachers and the students in SMA Negeri 1 Wonosari, especially Ibu Agnita Nunung N, S.Si. for spending time to help the writer conduct observations and obtain data.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my beloved family, my father, Stefanus Surya Trisniwantara, my mother, Clara Sri Astuti, and my sister, Agnes Indah Serlyta. I thank them for their love, prayer, guidance and encouragement which were given to me. I would also like to thank all my friends in class B, especially Lusi, Joex, Lara, Rimas, Tunjung, Siska, Nita, Yayas, Febby, Encit, Septi. I thank them for their help and support. My gratitude is also addressed to all my friends in Sanata Dharma University, especially in the English Education Study Program.
My gratitude also goes to all the secretariat staff of the English Education Study Program and the library staff who helped the writer during finishing this
Last but not least, I would like to express my special gratitude to Melchias Risna Pintokojati, who always gives great spirit and encouragement to the writer.
May God always bless them all.
Aprillia Constantina
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………….. i APPROVAL PAGES ……………………………………………………….. ii DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………………. iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA
ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ............................................. v
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……………………………... vi ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………… vii
ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………………….. ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………… xi TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………… xiii LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………. xv LIST OF APPENDICES ……………………………………………………. xvi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Research Background …………………………………………………… 1 B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………………………. 5 C. Problem Limitation………………………………………………………. 5 D. Research Objectives …….………………………………………………. 6. E. Research Benefits …….…………………………………………………. 6 F. Definition of Terms……………………………………………………… 7 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Description………………………………………………….. 12
1. Bilingualism…………………………………………………………. 12 2. International Class …………………………………………………..
13 3. Bilingual Classroom ………………………………………………...
14
4. Foreign Language Immersion Program……………………………… 15
6. Teaching Steps ……………………………………………………… 19
7. Content-Based Instruction…………………………………………… 25
8. Curriculum Development……………………………………………. 25
B. Theoretical Framework………………………………………………….. 26
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Research Method………………………………………………………..
29 B. Research Participants……………………………………………………
30 C. Research Instruments……………………………………………………
30 D. Data Gathering Technique………………………………………………
32 E. Data Analysis Technique………………………………………………..
33 F. Research Procedure……………………………………………………..
36 CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
A. English Used by the Teacher in Delivering Biology Lesson to an Eleventh Grade International Class of SMA N 1 Wonosari ……………………… 38 1. Set Induction ……………………………………………………….
39 2. Main Activities ………………………………………………...
44
3. Set Closure …………………………………………………………
50 B. The Teacher’s Difficulties in the Use of English ……………………… 51
C. The Proposed Solutions to Overcome Those Difficulties………………
56 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions……………………………………………………………. 62
B. Suggestions ……………………………………………………………
64 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………….
65 APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………..
68
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1 : The Existence of English Sentences in Set Induction …………… 39Table 4.2 : The Existence of English Sentences in the Main Activities …….. 44Table 4.3 : The Existence of English Sentences in Set Closure……………... 50LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 : The Request Letters to Conduct the Research …………… 68 Appendix 2 : The Schedule of Observations …………………………… 71 Appendix 3 : The Observation Guidelines ……………………………… 73 Appendix 4 : The Observation Sheets ………………………………….. 78 Appendix 5 : The Questions of Interview ……………………………… 111 Appendix 6 : The Transcripts of Interview …………………………….. 116
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter discusses the background of the study which consists of the
reasons behind the choice of field of study, problem limitation as well as problem formulation. In the problem formulation, the writer proposes three questions which become the main concern of the study. This chapter also discusses the objectives of the study, benefits of the study and definition of terms.
A. Research Background
In this globalization era, the development of science and technology increases rapidly. This development influences every country in almost all fields, namely in business world, educational field, tourism, commerce, banking and so forth. Regarding this situation, every country has its own way to improve the quality in order to be able to compete with other countries. Many countries, nowadays, focus on increasing their human resource’s quality by changing their education system.
Nowadays, many schools in Indonesia try to improve their education quality. One way that they choose is trying to apply the bilingual school concept to their school. It means that they will use both Indonesian and English in the teaching and learning process. The reason why they choose English is because they realize that English is very useful for their students. English has become an international language for most people (Lewis and Hill, 2002: 9). Most countries
2 nowadays many scientific books are published in English. Therefore, many schools try to make their students familiar with English by applying the bilingual school concept. By applying this concept, those schools expect that the teachers and the students can communicate well in both languages, Indonesian and English (Priyono, 2004). This concept is like the Foreign Language Immersion Program which is applied in many schools in Canada, Spain, and so forth (Met, 1993). In those countries, they use both English and their mother tongue in teaching and learning process. Therefore, English is not only as a subject of study but also as a media for communication between teachers and students.
Recently, many public schools in Indonesia have become Bilingual Schools or Sekolah Berstandard International (SBI) and some others are in the preparation to be Bilingual Schools. There are many requirements that the schools must have so that they can be considered as a Bilingual School, namely the teachers’ competencies, the students’ competencies, the facilities or media used in the teaching and learning activities, and the appropriate curriculum.
Successful immersion programs are characterized by: (1) administrative support; (2) community and parental support; (3) qualified teachers; (4) appropriate materials in the foreign language; (5) time for teachers to prepare instructional materials in the language; (6) and ongoing staff development (Met, 1993 ). As stated above, the teachers’ competency is one of the important requirements. It means that in a Bilingual School the teachers from all subjects
(Physics, Biology, Mathematics, History and so forth) have to use Indonesian and English in teaching. Therefore, it is a great challenge for the teachers and the
3 big burden for them. In addition, the teachers who teach in a Bilingual school may be senior teachers. It means that they have been working in that school for many years, even before that school becomes a Bilingual School. Therefore, they are accustomed to teaching in Indonesian. Hence, teaching in two languages, English and Indonesia, will be a difficult task for those teachers. However, this challenge will motivate the teachers to increase their English skills.
Besides, the students who learn in a Bilingual School should have good competencies in English because later they will learn many subjects in two languages. The school should have information about their students’ competencies by testing them the four basic skills in English (writing, reading, listening and speaking) before entering a Bilingual school. It is done to guarantee that the students will not have difficulties in the learning process later.
Those requirements make many schools afraid to apply a Bilingual School concept (Priyono, 2004). However, the school should be informed that being a good bilingual school cannot be achieved in the short time. Both teachers and students have to work hard for it. As stated before, developing many bilingual schools in Indonesia can help to increase the education quality. Therefore, teachers and students have to cooperate well to create a good Bilingual School.
By applying a Bilingual school concept, hopefully the teachers and the students can be more familiar with English. People cannot deny that English is the important language. Mastering English has been a requirement to get the better future. Therefore, in a bilingual school, English is used as a means of
4 medium where the students can become bilingual. As stated by Hoffmann (1991:42) that nowadays education can play a very important role in making children bilingual.
Recently, there is one senior high school in Gunungkidul that has applied the bilingual school concept, that is SMA N 1 Wonosari. This school divides the classes into three kinds: international, acceleration and regular classes. In this study, the researcher chose an International class to be researched. In the International classes, the teachers from all subjects have to use two languages in teaching their students. They use Indonesian and English.
Before applying a bilingual school concept, all teachers in SMA N 1
Wonosari teach their students in Indonesian. Now, they have to try to teach in
English. Concerning this case, the teachers must work hard. They are supposed to teach their subject in English appropriately so that their students can accept the lesson well. It is not a problem for English teachers. However, it can be such a big problem for non-English teachers, such as Biology, Physics, History, and Chemistry teachers. They have to work hard to learn English. They have to increase their English abilities. In addition, they have to learn about the English sentences that are usually used in teaching and learning process. This way can help them to teach in two languages well and to avoid the students’ misunderstanding.
In this research, the researcher chose a Biology teacher as the research subject because the researcher got the access to conduct a research in a Biology
5 researcher’s research. That Biology teacher thought that it would be useful for teachers especially for Biology teachers who teach in English. A Biology teacher in International class should know the English sentences that are usually used in teaching learning process (Tiwi, 2005). In this case, the teacher has to pay attention to the English sentences used in set induction, main activities and set closure.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the explanation above, the researcher formulates three questions to be answered in this research.
1. How is English used by the teacher in delivering Biology lesson to an eleventh grade international class of SMA N 1 Wonosari?
2. What are the teacher’s difficulties in the use of English?
3. What are the proposed solutions to overcome those difficulties?
C. Problem Limitation
In this research, the researcher focuses on the English sentences used by the teacher in delivering Biology lesson to an eleventh grade International Class of
SMA N 1 Wonosari . The main points that the researcher observes are the English
sentences used by a Biology teacher in set induction, main activities and set closure.
6 D. Research Objectives After doing a research in a Biology class of International class in SMA N 1
Wonosari , the researcher expects that those three questions can be answered.
Therefore, there are three objectives of this study. 1. to find out English used by the teacher in delivering Biology lesson, including the English sentences which are used in set induction, main activities, and set closure. 2. to find out the teacher’s difficulties in the use of English when delivering Biology lesson in English.
3. to find out the solutions for overcoming those difficulties.
E. Research Benefits
This research is expected to be able to give several benefits for the Biology teacher, the students, and the Bilingual School.
1. For the Biology Teacher Hopefully, this finding will give the useful information for the Biology teacher about the appropriate English sentences that can be used to teach in
International class, including how to open the lesson, to give questions and reinforcements to the students, to give stimulus, to explain materials and to close the lesson in English. In addition, by knowing the difficulties in delivering the lesson in English, the teacher will improve the ability in teaching in English. The Biology teacher should add the references about the English sentences that are
7 usually used in the teaching and learning process. Besides, the teacher should use appropriate media which can help them to convey the materials in English.
2. For the Students of International Class (IX IPA 1) This finding will be useful to increase the students’ insight into bilingual school, especially giving them information about the good English sentences used by their teacher so that they can feel that the teaching learning process is really effective and understandable for them. The purposes are that the students will be more familiar in English and understand the content of the subject well. In addition they can communicate in English well.
3. For the Bilingual School (SMA N 1 Wonosari) This finding will give the new point of view to the school itself about the ideal bilingual school. Hopefully, the school will improve their quality by increasing teachers’ competencies, especially in delivering the lesson in English.
F. Definition of Terms
This section presents the definitions of terms or important constructs used in this research. The terms defined here are international class, Foreign Language Immersion Program, the use of English, set induction, questioning and reinforcement skills, stimulus and variation skills, set closure , and SMAN 1
Wonosari . The definitions of those terms will be explained below.
8
1. International Class According to one of the teacher of SMA N 1 Wonosari, who becomes the leader of RSBI (Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional) program in SMA N 1
Wonosari , international class is one kind of classes in bilingual school of SMA N 1
Wonosari which has main characteristics, that are using English (40%) and
Indonesian (60%) in the teaching and learning process, using media which is based on technology information, combining KTSP (Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan
Pendidikan) and Cambridge curriculum, adapting and adopting the materials of
hard science such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry from a country that becomes a member of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/ OECD (Interview, December). In this study, the researcher focused on the English sentences that were used by the Biology teacher in an international class.
2. Bilingual School According to Brisk (1988 as cited in Bialystok, 2001: 235), a bilingual school is a school which uses two languages to instruct the students during the teaching and learning process. This definition is similar to the definition of a Bilingual School which is used in this study. In this study, a bilingual school is the school which uses two languages in the teaching learning process. In Indonesia it is often called Sekolah Berstandar International (SBI). One school that the researcher chose to be researched is SMA Negeri 1 Wonosari. Recently, this school has become a pioneer of a bilingual school or SBI in Gunungkidul. SMA N
9
1 Wonosari divides the classes into three kinds, namely international classes, acceleration classes and regular classes.
3. Foreign Language Immersion Program According to Myriam Met (1993), Foreign Language Immersion Program is defined as a program that uses a foreign language instruction in a regular school curriculum. In this case, the foreign language is used as the medium for content instruction. Therefore, a foreign language is not the subject of instruction. In this study, Foreign Language Immersion Program is like a Bilingual School where two languages, Indonesian and English, are used in teaching learning process. In SMA
N 1 Wonosari , English is not only as the important subject in a school curriculum
but also as the medium to teach others subjects. In addition, the curriculum used in International classes of SMA N 1 Wonosari is the combination between the National Curriculum arranged by government and Cambridge curriculum.
4. The Use of English In this study, the use of English means English sentences which are used in opening the lesson, explaining materials, giving questions to the students, giving reinforcements, giving stimulus and variation to the students and closing the lesson.
10
5. Set Induction
“Set induction is about preparation, usually for a formal lesson. When the
students are set, they are ready to learn” (Straker, 2002). The purpose of set induction is that to attract students’ interest so that they will be more ready for the subject or topic they are going to learn.
In this study, the researcher observed the English sentences used by a Biology teacher to open the lesson, including how to greet the students, to make the reference to past learning, to make relevance between the previous lesson and the new one, and to introduce the objective of the new lesson.
6. Questioning and Reinforcement Skills Based on Concordia University (2003), the purposes of giving some questions to the students are to increase the students’ critical awareness, to arouse the students’ interest and their curiosity in the topic, to refocus the previous or related issues, to help the students find the answer and concentrate on the topic under discussion. In addition, the purpose of giving reinforcement is to enhance the learning environment by providing encouragement to the students.
In this study, the researcher observes the English sentences used by a Biology teacher to give the questions and reinforcement to the students.
7. Stimulus and Variation Skills Based on San Francisco State University (2003), stimulus and variation
11 increase the students’ participation and to avoid boredom during the teaching and learning process.
In this study, the researcher observes the English sentences used by a Biology teacher to give stimulus to the students so that the students will participate actively in the teaching and learning process.
8. Set Closure According to Majid (2007), set closure is an activity conducted by a teacher to close the lesson. The goals are to conclude the lesson that has been learned, to end the teaching learning activity and to prepare the students for a new subject in the next meeting.
In this study, the researcher observes the English sentences used by a Biology teacher to end the lesson, including how to review the topic, make a conclusion, give assignments and close the lesson.
9. SMA N 1 Wonosari SMA N 1 Wonosari is a pioneer of Bilingual school in Gunungkidul. It is
located in Jl. Brigjen Katamso No. 04 Wonosari, Gunungkidul. This school divides the classes into three kinds, namely international, acceleration and regular classes. In this study, the researcher chose an International class to be researched. The researcher observes the Biology class in XI IPA 1.
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter discusses theories that underlie this research. It consists of
two parts: Theoretical Description and Theoretical Framework. Theoretical Description reviews the theories applied in conducting the study. Theoretical framework explains the contribution of the theories in solving the problems.
A. Theoretical Description
In this part, the researcher discusses some theories related to this study, among others, Bilingualism, International Class, Bilingual Classroom, Foreign Language Immersion Program, Basic Principles of Language, Teaching Steps, Content – Based Instruction and Curriculum Development.
1. Bilingualism Some experts have formulated the definition of the bilingualism. Ureil
Weinrich, one of the founding fathers of bilingual studies, offers one of the shortest definitions in his well known book Languages in Contact: “The practice of alternately using two languages will be called bilingualism, and the person involved bilingual.” (Weinreich, 1968: 1 as cited in Hoffmann, 1991: 15). In addition, William Mackey also offers a definition that incorporates Weinreich’s alternate use of two languages. moreover include the use not only of two languages, but of any number of languages. We shall therefore consider bilingualism as the alternate use of two or more languages by the same individual (Mackey, 1970: 555 as cited in Hoffmann, 1991: 16)
Besides, Brisk (1998) makes a similar point and describes the difference in the way the term ‘bilingual education’ is used in different countries. Brisk said that in the United States, bilingual education refers to the education of children whose home language is not English. It means that bilingual education refers to education in two valued language. He added that it is common for European countries to offer bilingual education school where children are instructed in two languages (Brisk, 1988 as cited in Bialystok, 2001: 235)
The government in Indonesia actually has made the regulation about the bilingual school. The existence of Bilingual School is based on the Government Law of National Education System (UU No. 20, 2003 article 50 verse 3). It states that the government carries out at least one level of education to be developed becoming International School.
2. International Class According to one of the teacher of SMA N 1 Wonosari, who becomes the leader of RSBI (Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional) program in SMA N 1
Wonosari , international class is one kind of classes in bilingual school of SMA N 1
Wonosari which has main characteristics, that are using English (40%) and
Indonesian (60%) in the teaching and learning process, using media which is based on technology information, combining KTSP (Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan hard science such as Biology, Physics, Chemistry from a country that become a member of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/OECD (Interview, December). Based on the decision letter no. 697/C4/MN/2007, SMA N
1 Wonosari has been stated as an International school. Afterwards, this school
divided the classes into three kinds, namely regular, acceleration, and international classes.
3. Bilingual Classroom “In recent years, bilingual education has sparked as much controversy as any other education issue” (Cromwell, 1998). She stated that many educators and parents agree that the main goals of bilingual education are mastery of English and the content of academic areas. She added that there are several methods used by teachers to instruct students whose English is limited. They are as follows.
a. Immersion In immersion, the teachers generally use simple English to teach students.
This method lets students learn English while learning academics subjects.
b. Transitional Bilingual Education In transitional bilingual education, the teachers gave some instructions in their native language while simultaneously providing instructions in English.
c. Developmental Bilingual Education In developmental bilingual education, the teachers tried to increase students’
In addition, Dr. Suzanne Irujo (2004) stated that in transitional bilingual classrooms, the teachers teach academic content in native language. In this case, the students can continue to progress in subject areas while they are learning English. It can not be denied that the acquisition of English proficiency, both social and academic, is also primary goal of bilingual classroom. She added that to achieve this goal, the teachers need to be aware of how much they spend using each language.
4. Foreign Language Immersion Program According to Myriam Met (1993), immersion is defined as a method of foreign language instruction in which the regular school curriculum is taught through the medium of the language. The foreign language is the vehicle for content instruction. It is not the subject of instruction. She added that there are two important goals of Immersion Program. The first is developing a high level of proficiency in the foreign language and the second is gaining skills and knowledge in the content areas of the curriculum in keeping with stated objectives in these areas.
There are two kinds of immersion program, namely total immersion and partial immersion. Met stated that in a total immersion the whole teaching learning process is conducted in a foreign language, including reading and language arts. It differs from a partial immersion. In a partial immersion, the teaching learning process is conducted in both a foreign language and a local always taught in English. However, the other subjects are taught in language that has been decided by the school.
In addition, there are some keys to successful Immersion Program, among others administrative support, community and parental support, qualified teachers and students, appropriate materials in the foreign language, time for teachers to prepare instructional materials in the language, and ongoing staff development (Met, 1993). “Studies have consistently shown that immersion students do as well as, and may even surpass, comparable non-immersion students on measures of verbal and mathematics skills in English (Holobow et al., 1987; Swain & Lapkin, 1991 as cited in Met, 2003). Met (1993) also stated that class sizes in public school immersion programs generally range from 20-35. Obviously, small classes are desirable.
5. Basic Principles of Language According to Lewis and Hill (2002: 22), language is complex aspects. It can be viewed as many different meanings, namely language is a system, as a habit, as a set of conventions, as a means of communication, as a means to an end, and as a natural activity. They suggested that teachers from any subjects should have a clear idea about the subjects they are teaching and the nature of the subject, including the language they use. “Good language teaching will reflect a variety of aspects of language” (Lewis and Hill, 2002b: 22). a. Language is a system Lewis and Hill (2002c: 22) stated that language as a system means that certain structures in a language can only be understood by relation to other structures, for example in English present tense is different from present continues tense. They are different because as a system they have different structure.
Language as a system cannot be learned easily. It needs to be understood and internalized. “The teacher who understands language as a system will see the necessity for activities which lead to understanding” (Lewis and Hill, 2002d: 22)
b. Language is a habit Lewis and Hill (2002e: 22) stated that language as a habit means that a language can be learned through repetition and intensive oral practice. The focus on this aspect is not on understanding but on the ability to respond automatically. It is like a habit if teacher asks to the students “How are you?” then the students will answer automatically “I’m fine, thanks”.
c. Language is a set of conventions Lewis and Hill (2002f: 22) explained that language can be defined as a set of conventions. As the example above, the students give response to the teacher by saying “I’m fine thanks”. In some countries, that positive response can be a part of social conventions.
d. Language is a means of communication Lewis and Hill (2002g: 23) added that language can be used as a means of that they can convey information well to the students. Sometimes, the teachers use the language which leads to students’ misunderstanding. Therefore, using communicative language is an important thing in teaching learning process.
e. Language is a means to an end Lewis and Hill (2002h: 23) suggested that language has to be used for a purpose. Therefore they defined language as a means to an end. There are some purposes in using language, among others to convey information, to express the feeling, to entertain, to instruct the activities, and to help the memory in note taking.
f. Language is a natural activity Lewis and Hill (2002i: 24) stated that language as a natural activity is similar to the term language-like behaviour. They provided an example that often found in many classroom activities.
A : Is Peter shorter or taller than Alan? B: Alan is shorter than Peter.
A : Ah, so Alan is not as tall as Peter.
They explained that the words and the structures are English but sometimes people do not believe that there are two real people would ever talk to each other like conversation above. Actually, it is not language yet it is language-like behaviour.
6. Teaching Steps Teaching steps consist of three main categories, such as set induction, a. Set Induction
“Set induction is about preparation, usually for a formal lesson. When the
students are set, they are ready to learn” (Straker, 2002). Straker added that the purpose of set induction is to attract students’ interest so that they will be more ready for the subject or topic they are going to learn. He explained that there are some significant aspects of set induction, among others how to start the lesson by greeting and welcoming the students, how to relate the previous learning to the new topic, how to understand their expectation by explaining the objectives of the new topic.