Overcoming Difficulty in Teaching English To Young Learners in Runner Class at Kids2Success.

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i Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas Akhir ini membahas permasalahan yang saya temui selama menjalankan program magang di Kids2Success. Selama saya

melaksanakan magang di Kids2Success, saya sebagai guru

mendapatkan kesulitan dalam mengajar anak-anak pra-sekolah usia 3 sampai 6 tahun sehingga tidak dapat menyampaikan materi dengan baik. Hal ini disebabkan oleh dua hal, yaitu saya tidak mempunyai cukup pengalaman dalam mengajar anak-anak pra-sekolah dan

karena adanya anak nakal di dalam kelas. Kesulitan itu membuat saya saya tidak dapat menyelesaikan pelajaran tepat waktu dan anak-anak tidak menerima materi pelajaran dengan baik.

Saya mengajukan tiga solusi yaitu pertama guru diberikan lebih banyak kesempatan untuk mengajar anak-anak, kedua guru memberikan pendisiplinan kepada anak nakal, ketiga guru

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FLOWCHART

CAUSES

- The teacher has no experience in teaching children.

- There is a naughty child in class who disturbs other children finish the lesson on time.

The teacher should be given more teaching practice by the process more fun for the children.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

- The child might hate the teacher and will not want to study listen to the teacher. - The child might not disturb other children in class.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

- It might make the children not want to study seriously. - it might make the children feel bored if the teacher cannot give different activities.

POTENTIAL SOLUTION 3

The teacher gives fun activities in the

learning process based on the topic.

POSITIVE EFFECTS

- The teacher can teach and handle the children well in class. - The activities will make the children feel enthusiastic and motivated to study in class.

CHOSEN SOLUTION

- The teacher should be given more teaching practice. - The teacher gives fun activities in the learning

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Teacher holds an important role in the process of teaching and

learning, especially for children or young learners under 7 year old

because children must receive the best knowledge to support their

knowledge development from an early age. In the article “What is The Role of a Teacher” it is said that “the reason why the first years of school are so critical is because kids learn the base of their educational

life” (1). Because of that a teacher must know his or her students and be well prepared as to make the children understand and receive the

material well in their first year of learning English. Still in the same

article, it is stated that:

A teacher needs to be well prepared in order that the students

receive the best treat. It is essential and crucial for teachers to be

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2 Maranatha Christian University

students. The future education success of the students depends on

their first years. (par. 1)

Furthermore, the teacher of small children should have some skills,

abilities, and knowledge, such as handling and teaching children or

young learners.

Children’s behaviour is also important to support the learning process. Eric Digest states that “the atmosphere of the classroom has

much to do with student behaviour” (1). For example, if there is a naughty child who likes disturbing other children in class, like grabbing

other children’s pencils or books, his action could disturb other children. This disturbs the learning process because it might make other children

not able to concentrate and receive the material well from the teacher.

During my internship programme at Kids 2 Success (henceforth,

K2S), I taught 5 children in Runner Class, aged 3 – 5 year old for 90 minutes. I found out that I, as a teacher in Runner Class, had difficulty

in teaching children. I could not explain and teach the English lesson

well and when teaching the children, often I was too serious and clumsy

because I really did not have any experience of teaching them. As a

result, the children did not receive the material well. Another thing that I

have to deal with is I could not handle a naughty child. The child’s name was Farrell. He was hard to stay calm, liked moving around and

disturbing other children in class. Furthermore, he was easily bored and

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I tried to warn him, he became angry. His behaviour distracted the

learning process and my concentration so that I could not teach well in

class. Having the situation as stated above, I would like to solve the

problem which could be further explained in the identification of the

problem part below.

B. Identification of the Problem

In this term paper I will discuss these questions:

1. Why can the teacher not teach the Runner Class at K2S well?

2. How should I, as a teacher, teach in Runner Class?

3. What is the best solution for me as a teacher who has difficulty in

teaching children in Runner Class?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

There are some objectives and benefits that I want to reach at the

end of my Term Paper. The objectives of the study are to identify the

causes and the effects of the problem of my difficulty in teaching

children in Runner Class at K2S and also to give some potential

solutions to the problem. The last objective is to find the best solution to

the problem.

Besides the objectives of the study, there are also the benefits of

the study. The benefits are for the teachers in K2S, for the readers, and

also for me. The benefit for the teachers in K2S is they could know how

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suitable activities to help the children understand the material. For the

readers who want to be a teacher, they could get knowledge on how to

teach the lesson well in class. They can also know how to teach

children by developing some skills to teach children. The benefits for

me are I could know how to teach children in class and if someday I

work as a teacher in play group or kindergarten, I will know what I

should do to teach children and handle naughty children in class.

D. Description of the Institution

K2S is a franchise institution from America. The curriculum is

licensed from America. The logo of K2S is a kangaroo named

Blackfoot Wallaby. K2S uses two languages as the medium of

instruction in class, namely, Indonesian and English.

K2S branch office in Kopo was first established by Mrs. Erni

Kosasih in 2006 and now the owner is Mrs. Ivon. K2S is an academic

course for Preschool, Play Group, Kindergarten, and Primary School

children. The address is at Ruko Taman Kopo Indah II 2a No. 55,

Bandung

The motto of K2S is “Learning is a Process” while the vision is to make children like English from an early age. K2S has its own modules,

depending on the level and grade of the children. The modules are

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There is only a maximum of five students in each class, in order to

make the lessons run effectively.

E. Method of the Study

The problem that I discuss in this term paper is based on my

experience during my internship programme in K2S for three months

(January-March 2010). I found out that I as a teacher had difficulty in

teaching children in Runner Class at K2S. The data that I use for this

Term Paper is taken from my internship journal as a teacher in K2S, I

also take references from book and the Internet.

F. Limitation of the Study

The analysis focuses on me, as a teacher, who had difficulty in

teaching children in Runner Class at K2S in Bandung. There are five

children in my Runner Class aged three until six years old. I have to

teach them Runner One Module: this includes topics such as Alphabet

and At the Supermarket. In each meeting, the length of the lesson is 90

minutes. The data for this analysis is taken from my internship

programme in Runner Class at K2S.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

There are four chapters in my Term Paper. Chapter One is the

Introduction, which has seven parts. These parts are Background of the

Study, Identification of the Study, Objectives and Benefits of the Study,

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Study, and Organization of the Term Paper. In Chapter Two, I describe

the analysis of the problem and also the causes and effects of the

problem. In Chapter Three I discuss the Potential Solutions of the

problem as well as the positive and negative effects. In Chapter Four, I

choose the best solution for the problem. At the end I put the

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CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I would like to present the best solution for the problem that I have during my internship at K2S. The problem is as a teacher, I have difficulty in teaching children in Runner Class at K2S. I have analyzed three causes of the problem. The first cause is the teacher has no experience in teaching children. The second cause is there is a naughty child in the class who disturbs other children in class. There are also two effects of the problem. The first effect is the teacher cannot finish the lesson on time. The second effect is the children do not receive the material well. There are also three potential solutions to solve the problem. The first is the teacher should be given more

teaching practice. The second is the teacher gives the naughty child punishment and reward. The third is the teacher gives fun activities in the learning process, based on the topic.

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and the teacher gives fun activities in the learning process, based on the topics. As a teacher who had no experience in teaching children, I need more teaching practice to observe the children’s behaviour, character and also their interest in learning. I believe by having more teaching practice I could know children’s characteristics and their interests in learning. Dr Veronica Mc Cue states that “teacher preparation, professional, knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, flexibility and perseverance, along with many specific teaching practises, make a difference in student achievement” (2). In my opinion, teacher’s experience and practice support a teacher’s perfomance in class.

I gave the children fun activities in the learning process based on the topic. I believe by giving them fun activities it can make them feel they are having fun and can enjoy learning. Benito Vacio also states that “activities for language learners must be interesting” (1). In this way the teacher could get a good feedback from the children in learning process and it gives confidence to the teacher to teach children because they listen and give respect. Furthermore, children are easily bored and have a lot of energy and move a lot. They need fun activities which allow them to have physical movement in learning. Stephanie Kelley states that “most children will not be able to sit still as long as the average adult, therefore a teacher should

schedule time for physical movement for children” (1). In my experience, fun activities make the children have fun and enjoy the lesson.

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