Writing is also crucial subject in English class<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal, High\/Scope Indonesia
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Sitting in the late afternoon sun, in the shadow of an
\nattractive clock-tower (Bukitinggi's Jam Gadang), in West Sumatra
\na young learner of English expressed her greatest concern. \"It's
\ndifficult for me to find native-speakers (of English) to speak to
\nand so I cannot practice my English as much as I want. My English
\nwon't improve unless I can practice,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
Practice is indeed a vital ingredient and there is no doubt
\nthat the opportunity to use the language will help in learning.
\nLearning by doing is a tried and tested concept for practical
\nsubjects. The practical application of, and exposure to, the
\nlanguage has been widely acknowledged as a valuable asset in
\nlanguage learning.<\/p>\n
The American essayist and editor, Russell Lynes noted that,
\n\"there is no better way to learn any language than by being
\ncontinually exposed to it.\" And this would seem to support that
\nyoung West Sumatran's concerns about practicing with a native
\nspeaker. But in order to quell these learner's concerns a little,
\nan option was proposed -- namely that through writing exposure,
\npractice and use of the language can be achieved.<\/p>\n
To accommodate this written exposure to the language postal
\naddresses were exchanged and correspondence (between Jakarta and
\nPadang, West Sumatra) was duly engaged in. This kind of exposure
\nand this kind of practice has a definite part to play in learning
\nany language. But writing is a sadly neglected skill and
\nopportunity to learn within the Indonesian classroom.<\/p>\n
There may be a variety of reasons for this -- anything from
\nstudents finding it difficult and even boring to write through to
\nteachers do not feel sufficiently competent to handle it or
\ncapable to manage the perceived extra workload it may create.<\/p>\n
But a primary culprit may be the manner in which the learning
\nof English has largely been pushed towards the notion of learning
\nthrough a \"communicative approach\". Thus there is the potential
\nloophole that teachers and thus students will neglect writing.<\/p>\n
In order to be communicatively competent the perception is
\nthat students of English must practice speaking in the language.
\nBut this kind of approach can create a degree of negligence and
\neven apathy with regards achieving grammatical accuracy. In
\nseeking to encourage students to speak in the language teachers
\nare targeting fluency but may often be overlooking accuracy,
\nwhich is dangerous.<\/p>\n
It is, perhaps, a surprising reality for some to recognize
\nthat a person may be able to communicate reasonably well orally
\nbut experience difficulties when facing the written form of the
\nlanguage. However, it is an observable fact that when a person
\nspeaks they can make themselves understood, yet may consistently
\nbe making grammatical mistakes.<\/p>\n
In short, it is possible to state that the English language
\nmay often have a different oral grammar that cannot be replicated
\nin written form. If it were, it would likely be looked upon as
\nbad English.<\/p>\n
Consider the Indonesian teacher of English in a junior high
\nschool. Proudly this teacher praised a student as being
\n\"exceptional in English\". However, this teacher was directed to
\ngive this student and his classmates a writing assignment. The
\nteacher was shocked, almost horrified, at the results. This
\n\"exceptional\" student, when asked to write a brief letter,
\nsurprised his grammatical errors that ran throughout the writing.<\/p>\n
Here was a clear example of a student that would have been
\ndeemed successful in meeting the needs of the \"communicative
\napproach\" because he could attain apparent oral fluency but
\ncloser inspection, made possible through the assignment of a
\nwriting challenge, showed that the student was not attaining
\naccuracy. Consequently a substantial part of his language was at
\na disappointingly low level.<\/p>\n
A critical factor in learning English is the use of context.
\nUsing words in a context and appreciating how they work together
\nand off each other -- not learning words through memorization or
\nby rote. Similarly, that context should be the context of the
\nEnglish sentences in which words are used.<\/p>\n
It is not sufficient to constantly have students translate
\nwords. Learning through translation is always likely to prove
\ndangerous as so often there are words that do not really have
\nequivalents in the second language and so words may defy exact
\nand accurate simple translation. There is simply no better way
\nfor students to see, appreciate and understand word context than
\nseeing and using the written form of the language.<\/p>\n
Challenging the students to produce their own writing directly
\nfosters this appreciation and encourages the students to learn by
\ndoing and discovering for themselves, which is always likely to
\nbe a far meaningful and lasting learning experience.<\/p>\n
Within the current curriculum for English in Indonesian
\nschools there is some prescription of the need to target basic
\nwriting tasks. These include the production of formal and
\ninformal letters and writing of narration and descriptive pieces
\nbut these are rudimentary outlines at best and clearly many
\nIndonesian teachers do not focus students on the skills of
\nwriting.<\/p>\n
This lack of focus on writing skills is unfortunate on two
\nlevels. First, as highlighted, writing can be a useful tool in
\npracticing and learning about grammar. But, in addition, a
\nfailure to look at writing does miss an opportunity to develop
\nthinking skills.<\/p>\n
The kinds of organizational procedures and structuring of
\nideas that students may learn from writing can, without question,
\nhelp them to develop as thinkers and, by definition then, improve
\nas learners. Results provide the best proof and validity of any
\ntheory and so to conclude -- a word or two about that young
\nlearner in Padang. When she first began writing her letters they
\nwere blighted by so many mistakes that it made them difficult to
\nread and challenging to understand.<\/p>\n
Little more than 12 months after she began writing the letters
\nhad become lucid, fluent in their presentation of her ideas and
\neasy, even pleasurable, to read. She had got her practice and her
\nlanguage had improved.<\/p>",
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