Language center makes its mark with one-to-one teaching
By Asip A. Hasani
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Loud laughter echoed from the Colorado Language Institute (LB-Colorado), which has been at the forefront in promoting Indonesian language courses in the city.
A middle-aged European man looked confused at the reaction of the audience to his statement, "Saya akan segera meninggal di Jakarta ...", which he took to mean that he would soon "live" in the country's capital.
Unwittingly, he had actually said, "I will soon die in Jakarta"!
He was one of a small group of participants on an intensive language course at the school, which is meant to supplement private courses. The students are instructed to tell a story in Indonesian to develop their language skills.
"He also burst into laughter when one of our tutors told him what he had just said," Erma Haryati, 45, the founder and owner of LB-Colorado, recalled.
Indonesian is considered by many to be one of simplest languages in the world to learn. But it is not such an easy ride for many of those starting out learning the language, as the example above testifies.
That is the reason, Erma told The Jakarta Post, why LB- Colorado chose to apply the private model of one student to one tutor in teaching students in class.
She said intensive assistance and guidance was essential in learning Indonesian so that students understood the syntax and context when using the language.
LB-Colorado was solely an English language course when it was founded by Erma in 1982. She only considered establishing an Indonesian language course at LB-Colorado after some of her private students urged her to do so.
She had a background in the field; she had assisted her English teacher Gloria Soepomo in giving private Indonesian language courses to foreigners when she was a student of English at Yogyakarta's Sanata Dharma University in 1979. Erma finally made up her mind to open the Indonesian language course at LB- Colorado in 1990.
Her experience in teaching Indonesian using the one-to-one system was transferred to LB-Colorado.
"Some couples who want to have lessons together are the exceptions to this private teaching model," she said.
Attracting students to LB-Colorado has not been difficult, Erma said, adding "word of mouth" has served the institute well. Former students often recommend the school to colleagues who intend to study Indonesian.
The institute's reputation for quality has been enough of an advertisement to attract new students.
So much so, in fact, that sometimes LB-Colorado's 16 classrooms are fully occupied with students and the school has to refuse new applicants. Perhaps a suitable measure of its high regard has been the fact that it was also able to survive otherwise difficult times in 1998 when most foreigners canceled plans to visit the country due to the domestic social and political instability.
Students
Students at the institute vary from individuals to members of organizations, from those affiliated with the government to private companies. Some governmental and non-governmental organizations regularly send their international staff, assigned to work in Indonesia, to LB-Colorado.
Individual clients are commonly those who intend to study at universities in Indonesia.
More than 10 years after it was founded, LB-Colorado currently has about 1,500 alumni and has become one of the most well- respected Indonesian language courses in the city. Most of its 18 tutors have studied at foreign language departments, specializing in English, German and French.
"Beginners need tutors who are patient in introducing Indonesian words gradually. This qualification is mostly fulfilled by our female tutors," Erma said of the teaching staff, which only has three males.
"Adequate understanding of the students' mother tongue also helps our tutors relate and describe the logic of the Indonesian language."
Colorado's students participate in class sessions, with three different tutors guiding them in a classroom measuring no more than 12 square meters. One session takes two hours.
The quickest package for novice learners available at LB- Colorado's program is a weeklong intensive course, while the longest program takes around two months.
"A week is enough for beginners to survive among Indonesian native speakers, such as bargaining with traders or shopkeepers, asking directions and listening to others speak," Erma explained.
From the business side, LB-Colorado's growth has been slow but constant. Erma Haryanti is considering opening a branch office in another major city.
"I think Jakarta is the most likely city for an LB-Colorado branch office," she said, although no time has been set for the opening.