Overcoming Difficulties in Teaching Alphabet and Vocabulary To Children at Bunny Class in Bintang Mulia Kindergarten.

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v Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Dalam rangka memenuhi syarat tugas akhir kelulusan saya dari D3 Bahasa Inggris, saya melakukan program magang di sekolah Bintang Mulia sebagai seorang asisten guru di kelas Bunny. Selama melakukan program magang tersebut, saya menemui beberapa masalah dalam kegiatan mengajar Bahasa Inggris. Masalah yang saya angkat sebagai bahan penelitian dalam Tugas Akhir ini adalah bagaimana mengajarkan alfabet dan kosakata bagi anak balita (3-4 tahun).

Ada beberapa penyebab dari masalah tersebut. Pertama, saya sebagai guru merasa gugup pada saat harus mengajar anak balita. Kedua, saya tidak mempunyai pengalaman dalam mengajar anak balita. Ketiga, saya merasa tidak percaya diri pada saat mengajar anak balita. Ketiga hal ini mengakibatkan beberapa anak tidak mengerti pelajaran yang saya

berikan dan juga beberapa anak tidak mau memperhatikan pelajaran yang diajarkan.

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ix Maranatha Christian University

FLOWCHART

Cause 1: I feel nervous Cause 2: I do not have any teaching experience Cause 3: I do not feel confident

Problem:

The teacher had difficulty in teaching alphabet and vocabulary to children at

Bunny Class in Bintang Mulia Kindergaten

Effect 1: Some pupils do not understand the lesson Effect 2: Some pupils do not pay attention to the lesson

Potential Positive Effects: 1. The teacher feels more

confident

2. The teacher can teach well

Potential Solution I: The teacher is given more

practices to teach the children

Potential Negative Effects: 1. The teacher feels bored 2. The teacher still cannot

teach alphabet and vocabulary well

Potential Negative Effects: 1. Teacher needs time to

prepare teaching aids 2. The teaching aids are

hard to make and sometimes they are hard to

use Potential Solution II:

The teacher uses and makes teaching aids to

teach alphabet and vocabulary lessons Potential Positive Effects:

1. It can make the children learn the lesson well 2. It is easier for the teacher

to teach alphabet and vocabulary to children 3. The teacher becomes more creative in making

teaching aids

Chosen Solution:

I combine all of them. The teacher is given more practices to teach the children and uses teaching aids and songs to teach

alphabet and vocabulary materials

Potential Negative Effects: 1. Some children did not

follow the song 2. It takes time to find a suitable song for children Potential Solution III:

The teacher teaches alphabet and vocabulary by

using songs in English Potential Positive Effects:

1. It can make children interested in learning alphabet and vocabulary 2. It is easier for the children

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1 Maranatha Christian University

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

In this modern era, there are many languages that are needed for

communication; one of them is English. Nowadays, it is common to use

English in communication. Sukhrani states, “One common language is

necessary and hence the world has recognized English as the common

language of communication” (par.1). Not only is English used for

communication, but many people also learn English to be used in the

business and education sectors.

Right now, many schools have started using English as a means of

communication. It happens in Bintang Mulia Kindergaten (henceforth, BMK).

The teachers there teach the children in English every day. BMK has been

using English language as a means of communication for three years.

Additionally, the teachers teach the children English since they are in

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2 Maranatha Christian University In the childcare and preschool class the age level of the children is between

three to four years old. For kindergarten, teachers teach children between

four to five years old.

When I had my internship at BMK, I found a problem related to teaching

alphabet and vocabulary to children. I choose this topic because this is one of

the problems that teachers often faced. In the article “Teaching English as a

Foreign Language”, it is stated that “teachers are dealing with a variety of the

problem in teaching alphabet and vocabulary” (par. 1). I was a teacher

assistant at BMK when I had to teach alphabet and vocabulary to children in

Bunny Class (3-4 years old). Based on the book entitled From Birth to Five

Years written by Sheridan, the children at this age level can name and briefly

explain pictures, can understand the functions of objects and know how to

group the objects, and can understand part or whole concepts.

At first trial of teaching, some children were silent when I entered into the

class for the first time. After a while, the children felt comfortable and could

receive me as their teacher by willing to participate in the lesson.

Unfortunately, some of the children in the class could not accept and

remember the lesson well. When I asked some of the children to repeat or

guess the alphabet and vocabulary, they just kept silent and would not give

the answer of the questions. This happened because of two factors. The first

factor was because some of the children could not follow and understand the

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3 Maranatha Christian University how to teach alphabet and vocabulary to children.Iin this term paper, I would

like to analyze this problem and find the best solution to solve the problem.

B. Identification of the Problem

Based on my experience during my internship program as a teacher

assistant at BMK I would like to analyze:

1. Why did I have difficulties in teaching alphabet and vocabulary to children

at Bunny Class in BMK?

2. What are the effects of my difficulties in teaching alphabet and vocabulary

to the children?

3. How should I teach alphabet and vocabulary so that the children at BMK

can follow and remember the lesson?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The objectives of this study is to discover my difficulties in teaching

alphabet and vocabulary to children at BMK. It is also meant to find the best

solution to make the teacher able to teach alphabet and vocabulary to the

children well.

By writing this term paper, there are some benefits for the institution, the

reader of this term paper, and for me as the writer. For the institution, I expect

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4 Maranatha Christian University children alphabet and vocabulary so that at the end of the lesson the children

can accept and remember the lessons well. Moreover, I expect this paper can

make the readers know how to teach children alphabet and vocabulary.

Furthermore, by writing this term paper, I can share to the readers my

experience in teaching young learners, especially children. Finally, if I work as

a teacher in the future, I will know how to overcome this problem, especially if

I have to teach nursery class.

D. Description of the Institution

Bintang Kecil kindergaten is a formal education institution that was

established by Yayasan Bina Insan Mulia in 1997. Bintang Kecil kindergaten

changed its name into Bintang Mulia kindergaten in 2009. Bintang Mulia

kindergarten is located at Jl. Kopo Permai 1 Blok A no. 0. The teaching

methods used there are “Creative and Active Learning” that are manifested

by doing indoor and outdoor activities or programs, such as using music in

indoor activities for warming up in the morning, using computer, and having

“field trip”. Bintang Mulia kindergaten has some programs in order to make

the children healthy, smart, tough, independent, have a good character, and

have faith, in order to increase their pleasure in learning.

The vision of Bintang Mulia kindergaten is to provide education based on a

holistic Christian view, integrative, and transformative, supported by

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5 Maranatha Christian University Bintang Mulia kindergaten is to become a leading Christian educational

institution which gives priority to faith, integrity, and science.

E. Method of the Study

For the process of collecting data about the difficulty in teaching alphabet

and vocabulary to children at BMK, I use some ways. First, I gather data from

the observation of eighteen children in Bunny Class during my internship.

Second, I record all the data in my internship journal and I read it as there are

a lot of stories and experiences during my internship at BMK. Third, to

support this term paper, I read some books from Maranatha Christian

University’s library that are related to my problem. Lastly, I also browse on the

Internet to find the theories and solutions of my problem.

F. Limitation of the Study

My term paper focuses on how to teach alphabet and vocabulary to

children. There were eighteen children in the class. The age level of the

children is between three to four years old. The observation was done during

my internship program from January to March 2011 at BMK, Bandung.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

This term paper starts with the Abstract, a summary of the whole term

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6 Maranatha Christian University who supported me during the writing of this term paper. After that is Table of

Contents. Then, there are four chapters which follow : Chapter I is

Introduction, Chapter II is Problem Analysis, Chapter III is Potential Solutions,

and Chapter IV is Conclusion. The last part of my term paper is Bibliography,

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17 Maranatha Christian University

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

In the previous chapters, I have analyzed the causes and effects of a

problem that I faced in my teaching internship and several potential

solutions. The problem is the difficulty in teaching alphabet and vocabulary

to children at BMK. There are three causes of this problem. The causes

are the teacher feels nervous, the teacher does not have any teaching

experience, and the teacher does not feel confident. The effects of the

problem are some children do not understand the lesson and some of the

children do not pay attention to the lesson. To handle this problem, there

are some potential solutions. The solutions are the teacher is given extra

practice to teach children, the teacher uses teaching aids to teach

alphabet and vocabulary lessons, and the teacher teaches alphabet and

vocabulary by using songs.

Based on the analysis in the previous chapters, I decide to choose the

combination of all three potential solutions. The combination are the

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18 Maranatha Christian University teaching aids and the teacher also uses songs to teach alphabet and

vocabulary.

First, the teacher is given more practice to teach children. By having

more chances to teach the children by applying the same method that the

home teacher uses, she could teach the children better. Thus, at the end

of the class, the children could accept and remember the lesson better.

Second, the teacher uses teaching aids to teach alphabet and vocabulary

lesson. By using teaching aids, such as using pictures, flashcards, leather

puppets, and posters, it will make the children become enthusiastic to

learn the lesson. As Siders says in “How to Work with Teaching Aids”,

using teaching aids in teaching can make the children become

enthusiastic in learning the lesson (par.2). Then, the last is the teacher

teaches alphabet and vocabulary by using songs. By using the songs, not

only the listening skills of the children will improve, but they can also

remember the lesson.

Finally, I conclude that by applying the best solution that I have chosen,

the teacher can overcome the difficulties in teaching alphabet and

vocabulary to children, especially for a new teacher. These teachers can

use the three solutions together to reach the goals of teaching alphabet

and vocabulary for children. I also suggest that teachers always find other

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Maranatha Christian University

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Celce-Murcia,Marianne., ed. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign

Language.3rd ed. New York: Thomson Asian Edition, 2006.

Sheridan, Mary D. From Birth to Five Years.8th ed. New York: Routledge,

2008.

Electronic Sources

Guarany, Fernando. “Increasing Your Confident as a Language Teacher.

BBC. 18 January 2011. 18 March 2011

<http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/fernando-guarany/increasing-your-confidence-a-language-teacher?page=1>.

Haimson, Leonie. “How Teaching Experience Makes a Different.”

Parentsascrossamerica. 27 March 2011. 15 March 2011

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Maranatha Christian University Honos, Lara. “Ways to Help Your Children Focus and Pay Attention.”

Searchwarp. 15 August 2006. 1 May 2011

<http://searchwarp.com/swa86497.htm>.

“How Can Song Help You Learn English.” Wordpress. 30 April 2010. 2 May

2011 <http://online-english-lessons.eu/wordpress/2010/04/how-can-

songs-help-you-learn-english>.

“How to Make Music Teaching Fun and Creative for Children.” Ncctq. 2011.

3 May 2011 <http://ncctq.org/archives/3513>.

Johnson, Trevor. “How to Become More Confident.” Ezinearticle. 2011. 23

April 2011

<http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Become-More-Confident---10-Ways-to-Build-Your-Confidence&id=1080479>.

Lade, Adeyanju. “Teachers Perception of the Effects and Use of Learning

Aids in Teaching.” Ultibase.15 November 2003. 24 April 2011

<http://ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/nov03/adeyanju1.htm>

Lang, Catherine. “Beginning Teachers’ Experiences During Their First Year of

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<http://www.aare.edu.au/99pap/lan99269.htm >.

Peha, Steven. “There is No Practice Best Practice.” Ttms. 2003. 19 April

2011 <http://www.ttms.org/best_practice/best_practice.htm>.

Siders,Kaye. “How to Work with Teaching Aids.” Howtodothings.2011. 19

April 2011 <

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Maranatha Christian University

“Some Benefits of Teaching and Learning Aids.” kauaibbqgrill. 22 April 2008

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<http://www.kauaibbqgrill.com/144/some-benefits-of-teaching-and-learning-aids/>.

Sukhrani, Jiten. “Necessity of Day.” Niche. 2011. 9 March 2011

<http://article-niche.com/launch/English-Learning--Necessity-Of-The-Day.htm>.

“Teaching Aids Provides Incentive and Encourage Student.” Hubpages. 2011.

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<http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-provide-incentives-and-encouragement-to-students>.

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