Handling My Difficulty In Teaching Phonics To Preschool Children In Two Classes At KB Kemurnian II School, Jakarta.
ABSTRACT
Tugas Akhir ini berisi analisis permasalahan yang saya hadapi ketika
saya melakukan program magang sebagai asisten guru Bahasa Inggris di
Sekolah KB Kemurnian II, Jakarta. Saya melakukan kerja praktek yang
berlangsung dari bulan Juli hingga Agustus 2014. Selama melaksanakan
kerja praktek, saya menemukan kesulitan dalam mengajarkan phonics
kepada anak-anak usia 3-4 tahun di dua kelas.
Faktor yang menjadi penyebab permasalahan yang saya alami adalah
tidak adanya pengalaman yang saya miliki untuk mengajar anak-anak pra
sekolah. Faktor lainnya adalah saya tidak mengerti materi phonics yang
diajarkan, dan saya kurang mempersiapkan bahan sebelum mengajar.
Hal-hal tersebut mengakibatkan saya mendapatkan kesulitan ketika
mengajar di sekolah tersebut. Ada beberapa dampak dari masalah saya
yaitu kurangnya kepercayaan diri saat mengajar anak-anak dan anakanak tidak bisa menjawab pertanyaan. Saya juga memiliki tiga solusi
untuk menanggulangi setiap masalah yang saya hadapi. Solusi pertama
adalah saya akan menggunakan buku panduan dan berkonsultasi dengan
guru setempat. Solusi kedua adalah saya akan menggunakan flashcards
untuk mengajar phonics. Solusi ketiga adalah saya akan membuat
rencana pembelajaran sebelum mengajar.
Ketiga hal tersebut adalah solusi yang akan saya gunakan untuk
menangani kesulitan saya dalam mengajar phonics terhadap anak-anak.
Ketiga hal tersebut juga sangat baik untuk saya kombinasikan dan
terapkan dalam menghadapi kesulitan yang saya hadapi.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .............................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................v
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................1
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS .........................................................6
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS....................................................9
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION ..................................................................14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
C. SCHOOL PROFILE
D. SAMPLES OF PHONICS FLASHCARDS
v
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
I did my internship at KB (Kelompok Bermain) / Playgroup
Kemurnian II Jakarta from July 16, 2014 to August 15, 2014 as an English
teacher assistant. I taught about 25 children in 2 classes. I helped the
English teacher to teach phonics to the children. I assisted the children
who could not do the exercise. I helped them to learn phonics so they
could learn new vocabulary. According to Bald,” Phonics is systematic
teaching of the sound conveyed by letters and groups of letters, and
includes teaching children to combine and blend these to read or write
words” (1). Teaching phonics for children is important, especially for
reading skills. As Blevins states,”The goal of phonics instruction is to teach
students the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they can
decode, or sound out, words. This decoding ability is a crucial element in
reading success” (par.2).
1
Maranatha Christian University
During my internship, I found a problem. My problem was I had
difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool children aged 3 – 4 years old. I
became a teacher assistant and I taught them phonics in a multimedia
classroom by using a computer to help them understand the material. I
operated the program on the computer. The children could listen to some
of phonics sounds from the speakers and they could see the pictures and
the letters on the screen. However, most of the children became confused
and they did not understand the material. When I asked them the phonics
sounds, some of them could not answer my question and they just kept
silent.
Considering the above explanation, I would like to discuss my
problem in handling my difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool children
at KB Kemurnian II School. I choose this title because I would like to find
the solutions for teaching phonics. The English materials in KB Kemurnian
II School are all related to phonics. I never knew about phonics before my
internship, therefore I really did not understand the material. Hopefully, I
can get some new method for teaching phonics by doing this term-paper.
B. Identification of the Problem
The research questions of my term paper formulated are as follows:
1. Why did I have difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool
children in two classes at KB Kemurnian II School Jakarta?
2. How did my problem influence the children and me?
2
Maranatha Christian University
3. How should I solve the problem?
C. Objective and Benefits of the Study
First, the objective of my term-paper is to find out the causes of the
problem. Second, I would like to analyze the effects of my problem.
Third, I would like to present the best solutions to overcome my
difficulty in teaching phonics. My term paper will give many benefits to
others. The benefit for the teachers at KB Kemurnian II School is they
will get various ideas for teaching phonics. The benefit for the readers
is they will learn how to teach phonics to preschool children. The
benefit for me is I will learn some new techniques for teaching phonics
to preschool children.
D. Description of the Institution
Kemurnian School was established in 1978. This school was at
Jalan Kemurnian V No. 209, Jakarta Pusat. As time went by, the
students were increasing, so Kemurnian School built another school in
Perumahan Greenville blok Q No. 209 and Perumahan Citra II blok B 6 (TK) and Blok A – 3 (SD), Jakarta Barat. KB (Kelompok Bermain)
Kemurnian is a part of Kemurnian School. The headmistress of TK and
KB Kemurnian is Dra. Pauline Lena Hermawan. Now TK and KB
Kemurnian has 197 students and 18 teachers. This school also has
English and Chinese Departments. The vision of this school is to
3
Maranatha Christian University
become a leading school of faith and knowledge which is based on
tolerance towards the global era. This data is based on the information
on the website Eductory.
E. Method of the Study
I have collected some data to analyze the topic of my term
paper. First, I get the data from my internship journal. I also use
library research to gain the data from books and articles in the
Internet. This data is used to analyze the causes, effects, and the
potential solutions of the problem.
F. Limitation of the Study
The focus of my analysis is handling my difficulty in teaching
phonics to children in two preschool classes. The name of a class
are KBK (Kelompok Bermain Kecil) and KBB (Kelompok Bermain
Besar). I did my internship at KB Kemurnian II School Jakarta from
July 14, 2014 until August 15, 2014. My position was a teacher
assistant. The subjects of my research are 25 preschool children
and I as a teacher assistant.
4
Maranatha Christian University
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term-paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of
Originality, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents. This termpaper consists of four chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction,
divided into seven parts, there are : Background of the Study,
Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of Institution, Method of Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term-paper. The second chapter is
Problem Analysis that describes the cause and the effects of the
problem. Chapter Three describes the potential solutions to solve
the problems along with the positive and negative effects. The last
chapter is Conclusion. There is also Bibliography,a list of the
references used in this paper. Furthermore, this term-paper also
has Appendices that contain a Flowchart, School Profile, and
Samples of Phonics Flashcards.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I would like to discuss the chosen solutions of my
problem, which is handling my difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool
children in two classes at KB Kemurnian School II, Jakarta. There are
three causes of the problem, namely I did not have any experience in
teaching preschool children, I did not understand about phonics, and I
lacked preparation before teaching. Additionally, I also found the effects of
my problem, namely I did not have any confidence when I taught the
children, and the children could not answer the questions. Also, there are
three potential solutions of my problem. First, I will use a course book and
consult with the teacher. Second, I will use phonics flashcards to teach
phonics. Third, I will make a lesson plan before teaching.
Based on the analysis, the best solution is applying all the potential
solutions. Combining all of the three potential solutions will solve the
problem. First, I will use a course book and consult the teacher so that I
could get some knowledge from the teacher. Also, the children can have a
course book to study. Second, I will make a lesson plan before teaching
14
Maranatha Christian University
so that I can teach effectively with a plan that I prepared before. Third, I
will use phonics flashcards to teach phonics in order to make the children
learn phonics in a fun way. Moreover, using phonics flashcard will make it
easier for the children to memorize all of the phonics sounds.
Finally, I have a suggestion for the English teachers in KB
Kemurnian II School, Jakarta. The teacher should make a lesson plan
before teaching, so that the other teachers can understand the material. In
addition, preparation before teaching will make the teaching situation more
effective. If necessary, teachers also need to make a syllabus for one
semester ahead and to use the course book. It will be useful for parents
and the other teachers. Thus, they can know the details of the lesson that
will be learned in the coming semester.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBILOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Woodward, Tessa. Planning Lessons and Courses. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Electronic sources
Bald, John. “Using Phonics to Teach Reading and Spelling.” Sagepub.
2007. 23 September 2014 < http://www.sagepub.com/upm-
data/14772_Bald_Chapter_1.pdf>.
Beaudoin, Blake. “You want me to teach what! : Teaching Subjects with a
Low Confidence Level.” 20 October 2014
.
Maranatha Christian University
Blevins, Wiley. “Understanding Phonics.” Scholastic. 2014. 25 September
2014 .
Queen, Tara. “Tips for First-time Teachers.” American Psychological
Association. March 2010. 10 September 2014.
Rehmani, Amin. “Teacher Education in Pakistan with Particular Reference
to Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching.” Ecommons. 2006. 18
November 2014 .
Robertson, Callum and Richard Acklam. “Action Plan For Teachers.” BBC
World Service. englishagenda.britishcouncil.org. 2000. 3 November
2014 .
Salter, Chuck. “Attention, Class!!! 16 Ways to Be a Smarter Teacher.” Fast
Company. 2001. 12 November 2014 .
Maranatha Christian University
Shaw, Jamie. “Use of Flash cards in School.” Ehow. 5 November 2014
.
“Teach Phonics to Kids with Flashcards.” ABC Reading Eggs. 2014. 4
October 2014 .
“Teacher's In-Depth Content Knowledge.” Intime. 1999-2001. 20
September 2014.
“Using Flash Cards with Young Learners.” BBC. 24 February 2004. 4
October 2014 .
“Why Teachers Need to Plan Lessons.” Training Centre. 2012. 10
September 2014 .
Maranatha Christian University
Tugas Akhir ini berisi analisis permasalahan yang saya hadapi ketika
saya melakukan program magang sebagai asisten guru Bahasa Inggris di
Sekolah KB Kemurnian II, Jakarta. Saya melakukan kerja praktek yang
berlangsung dari bulan Juli hingga Agustus 2014. Selama melaksanakan
kerja praktek, saya menemukan kesulitan dalam mengajarkan phonics
kepada anak-anak usia 3-4 tahun di dua kelas.
Faktor yang menjadi penyebab permasalahan yang saya alami adalah
tidak adanya pengalaman yang saya miliki untuk mengajar anak-anak pra
sekolah. Faktor lainnya adalah saya tidak mengerti materi phonics yang
diajarkan, dan saya kurang mempersiapkan bahan sebelum mengajar.
Hal-hal tersebut mengakibatkan saya mendapatkan kesulitan ketika
mengajar di sekolah tersebut. Ada beberapa dampak dari masalah saya
yaitu kurangnya kepercayaan diri saat mengajar anak-anak dan anakanak tidak bisa menjawab pertanyaan. Saya juga memiliki tiga solusi
untuk menanggulangi setiap masalah yang saya hadapi. Solusi pertama
adalah saya akan menggunakan buku panduan dan berkonsultasi dengan
guru setempat. Solusi kedua adalah saya akan menggunakan flashcards
untuk mengajar phonics. Solusi ketiga adalah saya akan membuat
rencana pembelajaran sebelum mengajar.
Ketiga hal tersebut adalah solusi yang akan saya gunakan untuk
menangani kesulitan saya dalam mengajar phonics terhadap anak-anak.
Ketiga hal tersebut juga sangat baik untuk saya kombinasikan dan
terapkan dalam menghadapi kesulitan yang saya hadapi.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .............................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................v
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................1
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS .........................................................6
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS....................................................9
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION ..................................................................14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
C. SCHOOL PROFILE
D. SAMPLES OF PHONICS FLASHCARDS
v
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
I did my internship at KB (Kelompok Bermain) / Playgroup
Kemurnian II Jakarta from July 16, 2014 to August 15, 2014 as an English
teacher assistant. I taught about 25 children in 2 classes. I helped the
English teacher to teach phonics to the children. I assisted the children
who could not do the exercise. I helped them to learn phonics so they
could learn new vocabulary. According to Bald,” Phonics is systematic
teaching of the sound conveyed by letters and groups of letters, and
includes teaching children to combine and blend these to read or write
words” (1). Teaching phonics for children is important, especially for
reading skills. As Blevins states,”The goal of phonics instruction is to teach
students the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they can
decode, or sound out, words. This decoding ability is a crucial element in
reading success” (par.2).
1
Maranatha Christian University
During my internship, I found a problem. My problem was I had
difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool children aged 3 – 4 years old. I
became a teacher assistant and I taught them phonics in a multimedia
classroom by using a computer to help them understand the material. I
operated the program on the computer. The children could listen to some
of phonics sounds from the speakers and they could see the pictures and
the letters on the screen. However, most of the children became confused
and they did not understand the material. When I asked them the phonics
sounds, some of them could not answer my question and they just kept
silent.
Considering the above explanation, I would like to discuss my
problem in handling my difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool children
at KB Kemurnian II School. I choose this title because I would like to find
the solutions for teaching phonics. The English materials in KB Kemurnian
II School are all related to phonics. I never knew about phonics before my
internship, therefore I really did not understand the material. Hopefully, I
can get some new method for teaching phonics by doing this term-paper.
B. Identification of the Problem
The research questions of my term paper formulated are as follows:
1. Why did I have difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool
children in two classes at KB Kemurnian II School Jakarta?
2. How did my problem influence the children and me?
2
Maranatha Christian University
3. How should I solve the problem?
C. Objective and Benefits of the Study
First, the objective of my term-paper is to find out the causes of the
problem. Second, I would like to analyze the effects of my problem.
Third, I would like to present the best solutions to overcome my
difficulty in teaching phonics. My term paper will give many benefits to
others. The benefit for the teachers at KB Kemurnian II School is they
will get various ideas for teaching phonics. The benefit for the readers
is they will learn how to teach phonics to preschool children. The
benefit for me is I will learn some new techniques for teaching phonics
to preschool children.
D. Description of the Institution
Kemurnian School was established in 1978. This school was at
Jalan Kemurnian V No. 209, Jakarta Pusat. As time went by, the
students were increasing, so Kemurnian School built another school in
Perumahan Greenville blok Q No. 209 and Perumahan Citra II blok B 6 (TK) and Blok A – 3 (SD), Jakarta Barat. KB (Kelompok Bermain)
Kemurnian is a part of Kemurnian School. The headmistress of TK and
KB Kemurnian is Dra. Pauline Lena Hermawan. Now TK and KB
Kemurnian has 197 students and 18 teachers. This school also has
English and Chinese Departments. The vision of this school is to
3
Maranatha Christian University
become a leading school of faith and knowledge which is based on
tolerance towards the global era. This data is based on the information
on the website Eductory.
E. Method of the Study
I have collected some data to analyze the topic of my term
paper. First, I get the data from my internship journal. I also use
library research to gain the data from books and articles in the
Internet. This data is used to analyze the causes, effects, and the
potential solutions of the problem.
F. Limitation of the Study
The focus of my analysis is handling my difficulty in teaching
phonics to children in two preschool classes. The name of a class
are KBK (Kelompok Bermain Kecil) and KBB (Kelompok Bermain
Besar). I did my internship at KB Kemurnian II School Jakarta from
July 14, 2014 until August 15, 2014. My position was a teacher
assistant. The subjects of my research are 25 preschool children
and I as a teacher assistant.
4
Maranatha Christian University
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term-paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of
Originality, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents. This termpaper consists of four chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction,
divided into seven parts, there are : Background of the Study,
Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of Institution, Method of Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term-paper. The second chapter is
Problem Analysis that describes the cause and the effects of the
problem. Chapter Three describes the potential solutions to solve
the problems along with the positive and negative effects. The last
chapter is Conclusion. There is also Bibliography,a list of the
references used in this paper. Furthermore, this term-paper also
has Appendices that contain a Flowchart, School Profile, and
Samples of Phonics Flashcards.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I would like to discuss the chosen solutions of my
problem, which is handling my difficulty in teaching phonics to preschool
children in two classes at KB Kemurnian School II, Jakarta. There are
three causes of the problem, namely I did not have any experience in
teaching preschool children, I did not understand about phonics, and I
lacked preparation before teaching. Additionally, I also found the effects of
my problem, namely I did not have any confidence when I taught the
children, and the children could not answer the questions. Also, there are
three potential solutions of my problem. First, I will use a course book and
consult with the teacher. Second, I will use phonics flashcards to teach
phonics. Third, I will make a lesson plan before teaching.
Based on the analysis, the best solution is applying all the potential
solutions. Combining all of the three potential solutions will solve the
problem. First, I will use a course book and consult the teacher so that I
could get some knowledge from the teacher. Also, the children can have a
course book to study. Second, I will make a lesson plan before teaching
14
Maranatha Christian University
so that I can teach effectively with a plan that I prepared before. Third, I
will use phonics flashcards to teach phonics in order to make the children
learn phonics in a fun way. Moreover, using phonics flashcard will make it
easier for the children to memorize all of the phonics sounds.
Finally, I have a suggestion for the English teachers in KB
Kemurnian II School, Jakarta. The teacher should make a lesson plan
before teaching, so that the other teachers can understand the material. In
addition, preparation before teaching will make the teaching situation more
effective. If necessary, teachers also need to make a syllabus for one
semester ahead and to use the course book. It will be useful for parents
and the other teachers. Thus, they can know the details of the lesson that
will be learned in the coming semester.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBILOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Woodward, Tessa. Planning Lessons and Courses. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Electronic sources
Bald, John. “Using Phonics to Teach Reading and Spelling.” Sagepub.
2007. 23 September 2014 < http://www.sagepub.com/upm-
data/14772_Bald_Chapter_1.pdf>.
Beaudoin, Blake. “You want me to teach what! : Teaching Subjects with a
Low Confidence Level.” 20 October 2014
.
Maranatha Christian University
Blevins, Wiley. “Understanding Phonics.” Scholastic. 2014. 25 September
2014 .
Queen, Tara. “Tips for First-time Teachers.” American Psychological
Association. March 2010. 10 September 2014.
Rehmani, Amin. “Teacher Education in Pakistan with Particular Reference
to Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching.” Ecommons. 2006. 18
November 2014 .
Robertson, Callum and Richard Acklam. “Action Plan For Teachers.” BBC
World Service. englishagenda.britishcouncil.org. 2000. 3 November
2014 .
Salter, Chuck. “Attention, Class!!! 16 Ways to Be a Smarter Teacher.” Fast
Company. 2001. 12 November 2014 .
Maranatha Christian University
Shaw, Jamie. “Use of Flash cards in School.” Ehow. 5 November 2014
.
“Teach Phonics to Kids with Flashcards.” ABC Reading Eggs. 2014. 4
October 2014 .
“Teacher's In-Depth Content Knowledge.” Intime. 1999-2001. 20
September 2014.
“Using Flash Cards with Young Learners.” BBC. 24 February 2004. 4
October 2014 .
“Why Teachers Need to Plan Lessons.” Training Centre. 2012. 10
September 2014 .
Maranatha Christian University