Handling My Difficulties In Teaching English Vocabulary To Preschool Children During My Internship As A Teacher Assistant At TKK 246 BPK Penabur Bandung.
ABSTRACT
Mengajar anak-anak usia tiga sampai empat tahun atau anak-anak
prasekolah tidaklah mudah. Dalam proses belajar mengajar ada banyak
kesulitan yang dihadapi di dalam kelas. Salah satu kesulitan yang saya
hadapi selama kegiatan magang saya di TKK 246 BPK Penabur
khususnya di kelas “Sun Class” adalah saya mengalami kesulitan dalam
mengajarkan kosa kata bahasa Inggris kepada anak-anak prasekolah.
Menurut hasil pengamatan dan analisa di kelas, ada beberapa faktor
yang dapat menyebabkan kesulitan dalam mengajarkan kosa kata kepada
anak-anak. Penyebab yang pertama adalah teknik yang saya gunakan
tidak menarik bagi anak-anak, dan kurangnya komunikasi yang baik
dengan anak-anak.
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang saya lakukan selama kegiatan
magang, dapat disimpulkan kombinasi tiga solusi yang dapat digunakan
untuk mengajarkan kosa kata kepada anak-anak prasekolah. Pertama
yaitu menggunakan permainan dalam kegiatan mengajar di kelas. Kedua
yaitu menggunakan pertunjukan seperti pertunjukan boneka tangan dan
drama, dan yang terakhir yaitu menggunakan lagu dan sajak dalam
kegiatan mengajar di kelas.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………….. i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ………………………………………….. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………… iv
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 ...……………………………………………. 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A.
B.
C.
D.
FLOWCHART
SAMPLES OF VOCABULARY GAMES
“OLD MACDONALD SONG”
INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
iv
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In the process of learning a language, vocabulary learning plays a very
important role. In the article “Activities that Teach Kindergarten Students
Vocabulary Skills”, Sara Ipatenco states that “Vocabulary is an essential
part of kindergarten literacy instruction. When children are exposed to a
range of words and their meanings, they often become better readers who
understand and can comprehend a variety of different texts and genres”
(par.1). From the quotation in the article above, it is clear that vocabulary
learning is significant for kindergarten children for their reading
comprehension in the future.
However, teaching preschool children is not easy, especially for the
first time teacher, as Garvie said in his book entitled Teaching English to
Children that “Long years of experience have shown the most
important.Without a suitable teacher, teaching young children becomes
impracticable” (98). From the quotation, it is clear that is important to have
a teacher that can suit the needs of young children to make the teaching
and learning process run smoothly. When I was teaching English during
1
Maranatha Christian University
my internship at TKK 246 BPK Penabur, I found that the preschool
children in Sun Class were not interested in learning English vocabulary.
For instance, some children ran around the class, and sometimes when I
was explaining the material, they were busy with their friends for chatting
or playing.
I did my internship at TKK 246 BPK Penabur as an English teacher
assistant to help Mrs. Anik, the English teacher at TKK 246 BPK Penabur.
When I had to substitute Mrs. Anik, the English teacher in Sun class, I
found the difficulty that the preschool children in the class became easily
bored while studying English vocabulary when I taught them, the lesson
lasted for thirty minutes. During the period, only around the first ten
minutes did the children seemed interested with the lesson. The rest of the
time was spent by the children being busy with themselves. I find the topic
important to discuss as vocabulary is the main focus in the English lesson
for kindergarten children. Thus, in this term-paper, I would like to analyze
this problem to find the solution. I will try to find out the causes and the
effects of the problem, so that I can propose some potential solutions.
B. Identification of The Problem
What I am going to explain in this paper is formulated in the following
questions:
1. Why did I have difficulties in teaching English vocabulary to
preschool children at Sun Class?
2
Maranatha Christian University
2. How did my difficulty affect teaching and learning process during
my internship?
3. How should I teach the children so that they are not easily bored
in learning English vocabulary?
C. Objectives and Benefits of The Study
The objectives of the study are to identify the causes and effects of the
problem in teaching English vocabulary to preschool children who are
easily bored at TKK 246 BPK Penabur and also to find out how the
difficulty affected the teaching and learning during the internship.
Moreover, I can find the solutions the handle children who are easily bored
when learning English vocabulary.
There are several benefits of the study. First for the institution,
especially for English teachers, they will know the causes why children
can be easily bored in class and how to teach English vocabulary
correctly. Furthermore, for the readers, they will know the strategy and
techniques for teaching English vocabulary to preschool children. In
addition, for me, I can know more about how to teach preschool children
using good strategies and techniques.
D. Description of the Institution
Based on the information in the school’s official website, TKK 246 BPK
Penabur Bandung was established in 1955. From that moment on, the
school is regarded as one of the best schools in Bandung, even in West
3
Maranatha Christian University
Java. The location of the kindergarten is on Jalan Sudirman no.246
Bandung. Besides kindergarten, there is also an elementary school. TKK
246 BPK Penabur has developed much in building structure and in
organization sector in the location. Currently, this school is led by Miss
Indriane as the headmistress. There are nineteen teachers and two staffs
who work for TKK 246 BPK Penabur.
The vision and mission of TKK 246 BPK Penabur:
Vision: To become a qualified Christian educational institution in
Faith, Knowledge, and Service.
Mission: To develop students’ potentials optimally through good
quality education and teaching based on Christian values.
E. Method of Study
The methods applied for doing the study are library research and field
research. The library research was done to find theories from books and
articles on the internet. The field research was held to get data from my
observation during my internship. The data was recorded in a journal that I
wrote based on my internship from January 13th, 2014 until February 27,
2014.
F. Limitation of the Study
The subject of my research is myself when teaching English vocabulary
to preschool children at Sun Class at TKK 246 BPK Penabur. There
weretwenty two children in the class, aged three to four years old. The
4
Maranatha Christian University
observation is done during my internship in Sun Class started on January
13th until February 27th 2014.
G. Organization of the Paper
This term paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of Originality,
Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, and consists of four chapters.
Chapter One is the Introduction, with consists of the Background of the
Study, Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of the Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term Paper. Chapter Two is the Problem
Analysis, in which I explain the causes and effects of the problem. Chapter
Three is the potential solutions, which contains three potential solutions,
with the analysis of their positive and negative effects. The last chapter,
chapter Four is the Conclusion, in which I will give the best solution that
can solve the problem. Moreover, the term-paper ends with a Bibliography
and Appendices.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I will explain the best solution to the problem when I had
my internship. My problem is difficulties in teaching English vocabulary to
preschool children at TKK 246 BPK Penabur. Based on the analysis, the
problem has two causes and two effects. The first cause is I did not use
interesting strategy when teaching vocabulary to the children and the second
cause is I could not communicate well with the children. The two effects of my
problem are the lesson became less enjoyable for the children and I had to
repeat the material in the next meeting.
I propose three potential solutions to overcome my problem in teaching
English vocabulary to preschool children. The first potential solution is I will
use vocabulary games during my lessons. The second potential solution is I
will use performance activity such as puppetry. The third potential solution is I
will use songs and nursery rhymes when I teach vocabulary in class.
14
Maranatha Christian University
After I analyze the positive and negative effects of the three potential
solutions, I decide that the best solution for my problem is combining all the
three of them. I believe games, songs, nursery rhymes and puppets can help
me to make teaching English vocabulary to preschool children more
interesting. I can vary my teaching techniques so that the children can learn
English vocabulary in a more fun way. Using games, songs, rhymes, and
puppets can make it easier for the children to remember the vocabulary learnt
on that day. Moreover, using games, songs and puppets can make the
children be confident in speaking English. In addition, the fun atmosphere in
class will make me more relaxed so that it will be easier for me to
communicate with the children.
In the end of the paper, I would like to offer a suggestion for the first time
teachers to teach preschool children.They should equip themselves with
games, puppets, songs, and nursery rhymes. Being prepared is the key to
teach well. Thus, it is a must a for pre-school teachers to familiarize
themselves with various activities and teaching aids which are suitable for
three to four years old children.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Garvie. Eddie Teaching English to Young Children. Clevedon, 1990
Killen, Roy. Effective Teaching Strategies. Katoomba: Social Science Press,
1998
Killen, Roy. Teaching Strategies for Outcome-Based Education. Cape: Juta &
Co, 2007
Electronic Sources
BPK Penabur Bandung. 7 January 2015
Brown, Annabelle. “Activities for Teaching Family Vocabulary to
Preschoolers”ehow.com.22 October 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Frances, Careen. “How to Teach ESL to Kindergarten
Children”eslteachersboard.com.13 June 2014
Huyen,Nguyen Thi Thanh. “Learning Vocabulary Through Games”. Diago
Sofrano. 3 May 2012
Ipatenco, Sara. “Activities That Teach Kindergarten Students Vocabulary
Skills”.education.seattlepi.com.2007.06 March 2014
Mawaddah, Yulia. Using Game in Teaching Vocabulary. Thesis, Syarif
Hidayattulah State Islamic University Jakarta. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI,
2010.
Morin, Amanda. “4 Reasons Kids Are Bored at School”
childparenting.about.com.15 June
2014
Snuggs, Carla. “Techniques to Teach Preschoolers Vocabulary”31 Aug 2014
ehow.com.20 June 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Walsh, Kathryn. “Activities & Themes for Preschool Puppets”
ehow.com.2005. 22 October 2014
YourDictionary. ”ESL Songs” esl.yourdictionary.com. 11 November 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Mengajar anak-anak usia tiga sampai empat tahun atau anak-anak
prasekolah tidaklah mudah. Dalam proses belajar mengajar ada banyak
kesulitan yang dihadapi di dalam kelas. Salah satu kesulitan yang saya
hadapi selama kegiatan magang saya di TKK 246 BPK Penabur
khususnya di kelas “Sun Class” adalah saya mengalami kesulitan dalam
mengajarkan kosa kata bahasa Inggris kepada anak-anak prasekolah.
Menurut hasil pengamatan dan analisa di kelas, ada beberapa faktor
yang dapat menyebabkan kesulitan dalam mengajarkan kosa kata kepada
anak-anak. Penyebab yang pertama adalah teknik yang saya gunakan
tidak menarik bagi anak-anak, dan kurangnya komunikasi yang baik
dengan anak-anak.
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang saya lakukan selama kegiatan
magang, dapat disimpulkan kombinasi tiga solusi yang dapat digunakan
untuk mengajarkan kosa kata kepada anak-anak prasekolah. Pertama
yaitu menggunakan permainan dalam kegiatan mengajar di kelas. Kedua
yaitu menggunakan pertunjukan seperti pertunjukan boneka tangan dan
drama, dan yang terakhir yaitu menggunakan lagu dan sajak dalam
kegiatan mengajar di kelas.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………….. i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ………………………………………….. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………… iv
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 ...……………………………………………. 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A.
B.
C.
D.
FLOWCHART
SAMPLES OF VOCABULARY GAMES
“OLD MACDONALD SONG”
INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
iv
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In the process of learning a language, vocabulary learning plays a very
important role. In the article “Activities that Teach Kindergarten Students
Vocabulary Skills”, Sara Ipatenco states that “Vocabulary is an essential
part of kindergarten literacy instruction. When children are exposed to a
range of words and their meanings, they often become better readers who
understand and can comprehend a variety of different texts and genres”
(par.1). From the quotation in the article above, it is clear that vocabulary
learning is significant for kindergarten children for their reading
comprehension in the future.
However, teaching preschool children is not easy, especially for the
first time teacher, as Garvie said in his book entitled Teaching English to
Children that “Long years of experience have shown the most
important.Without a suitable teacher, teaching young children becomes
impracticable” (98). From the quotation, it is clear that is important to have
a teacher that can suit the needs of young children to make the teaching
and learning process run smoothly. When I was teaching English during
1
Maranatha Christian University
my internship at TKK 246 BPK Penabur, I found that the preschool
children in Sun Class were not interested in learning English vocabulary.
For instance, some children ran around the class, and sometimes when I
was explaining the material, they were busy with their friends for chatting
or playing.
I did my internship at TKK 246 BPK Penabur as an English teacher
assistant to help Mrs. Anik, the English teacher at TKK 246 BPK Penabur.
When I had to substitute Mrs. Anik, the English teacher in Sun class, I
found the difficulty that the preschool children in the class became easily
bored while studying English vocabulary when I taught them, the lesson
lasted for thirty minutes. During the period, only around the first ten
minutes did the children seemed interested with the lesson. The rest of the
time was spent by the children being busy with themselves. I find the topic
important to discuss as vocabulary is the main focus in the English lesson
for kindergarten children. Thus, in this term-paper, I would like to analyze
this problem to find the solution. I will try to find out the causes and the
effects of the problem, so that I can propose some potential solutions.
B. Identification of The Problem
What I am going to explain in this paper is formulated in the following
questions:
1. Why did I have difficulties in teaching English vocabulary to
preschool children at Sun Class?
2
Maranatha Christian University
2. How did my difficulty affect teaching and learning process during
my internship?
3. How should I teach the children so that they are not easily bored
in learning English vocabulary?
C. Objectives and Benefits of The Study
The objectives of the study are to identify the causes and effects of the
problem in teaching English vocabulary to preschool children who are
easily bored at TKK 246 BPK Penabur and also to find out how the
difficulty affected the teaching and learning during the internship.
Moreover, I can find the solutions the handle children who are easily bored
when learning English vocabulary.
There are several benefits of the study. First for the institution,
especially for English teachers, they will know the causes why children
can be easily bored in class and how to teach English vocabulary
correctly. Furthermore, for the readers, they will know the strategy and
techniques for teaching English vocabulary to preschool children. In
addition, for me, I can know more about how to teach preschool children
using good strategies and techniques.
D. Description of the Institution
Based on the information in the school’s official website, TKK 246 BPK
Penabur Bandung was established in 1955. From that moment on, the
school is regarded as one of the best schools in Bandung, even in West
3
Maranatha Christian University
Java. The location of the kindergarten is on Jalan Sudirman no.246
Bandung. Besides kindergarten, there is also an elementary school. TKK
246 BPK Penabur has developed much in building structure and in
organization sector in the location. Currently, this school is led by Miss
Indriane as the headmistress. There are nineteen teachers and two staffs
who work for TKK 246 BPK Penabur.
The vision and mission of TKK 246 BPK Penabur:
Vision: To become a qualified Christian educational institution in
Faith, Knowledge, and Service.
Mission: To develop students’ potentials optimally through good
quality education and teaching based on Christian values.
E. Method of Study
The methods applied for doing the study are library research and field
research. The library research was done to find theories from books and
articles on the internet. The field research was held to get data from my
observation during my internship. The data was recorded in a journal that I
wrote based on my internship from January 13th, 2014 until February 27,
2014.
F. Limitation of the Study
The subject of my research is myself when teaching English vocabulary
to preschool children at Sun Class at TKK 246 BPK Penabur. There
weretwenty two children in the class, aged three to four years old. The
4
Maranatha Christian University
observation is done during my internship in Sun Class started on January
13th until February 27th 2014.
G. Organization of the Paper
This term paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of Originality,
Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, and consists of four chapters.
Chapter One is the Introduction, with consists of the Background of the
Study, Identification of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,
Description of the Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study,
and Organization of the Term Paper. Chapter Two is the Problem
Analysis, in which I explain the causes and effects of the problem. Chapter
Three is the potential solutions, which contains three potential solutions,
with the analysis of their positive and negative effects. The last chapter,
chapter Four is the Conclusion, in which I will give the best solution that
can solve the problem. Moreover, the term-paper ends with a Bibliography
and Appendices.
5
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I will explain the best solution to the problem when I had
my internship. My problem is difficulties in teaching English vocabulary to
preschool children at TKK 246 BPK Penabur. Based on the analysis, the
problem has two causes and two effects. The first cause is I did not use
interesting strategy when teaching vocabulary to the children and the second
cause is I could not communicate well with the children. The two effects of my
problem are the lesson became less enjoyable for the children and I had to
repeat the material in the next meeting.
I propose three potential solutions to overcome my problem in teaching
English vocabulary to preschool children. The first potential solution is I will
use vocabulary games during my lessons. The second potential solution is I
will use performance activity such as puppetry. The third potential solution is I
will use songs and nursery rhymes when I teach vocabulary in class.
14
Maranatha Christian University
After I analyze the positive and negative effects of the three potential
solutions, I decide that the best solution for my problem is combining all the
three of them. I believe games, songs, nursery rhymes and puppets can help
me to make teaching English vocabulary to preschool children more
interesting. I can vary my teaching techniques so that the children can learn
English vocabulary in a more fun way. Using games, songs, rhymes, and
puppets can make it easier for the children to remember the vocabulary learnt
on that day. Moreover, using games, songs and puppets can make the
children be confident in speaking English. In addition, the fun atmosphere in
class will make me more relaxed so that it will be easier for me to
communicate with the children.
In the end of the paper, I would like to offer a suggestion for the first time
teachers to teach preschool children.They should equip themselves with
games, puppets, songs, and nursery rhymes. Being prepared is the key to
teach well. Thus, it is a must a for pre-school teachers to familiarize
themselves with various activities and teaching aids which are suitable for
three to four years old children.
15
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Sources
Garvie. Eddie Teaching English to Young Children. Clevedon, 1990
Killen, Roy. Effective Teaching Strategies. Katoomba: Social Science Press,
1998
Killen, Roy. Teaching Strategies for Outcome-Based Education. Cape: Juta &
Co, 2007
Electronic Sources
BPK Penabur Bandung. 7 January 2015
Brown, Annabelle. “Activities for Teaching Family Vocabulary to
Preschoolers”ehow.com.22 October 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Frances, Careen. “How to Teach ESL to Kindergarten
Children”eslteachersboard.com.13 June 2014
Huyen,Nguyen Thi Thanh. “Learning Vocabulary Through Games”. Diago
Sofrano. 3 May 2012
Ipatenco, Sara. “Activities That Teach Kindergarten Students Vocabulary
Skills”.education.seattlepi.com.2007.06 March 2014
Mawaddah, Yulia. Using Game in Teaching Vocabulary. Thesis, Syarif
Hidayattulah State Islamic University Jakarta. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI,
2010.
Morin, Amanda. “4 Reasons Kids Are Bored at School”
childparenting.about.com.15 June
2014
Snuggs, Carla. “Techniques to Teach Preschoolers Vocabulary”31 Aug 2014
ehow.com.20 June 2014
Maranatha Christian University
Walsh, Kathryn. “Activities & Themes for Preschool Puppets”
ehow.com.2005. 22 October 2014
YourDictionary. ”ESL Songs” esl.yourdictionary.com. 11 November 2014
Maranatha Christian University