Overcoming My Difficulty in Teaching English To Pupils Aged 1-2 Years in Walking-2 Class At Tumble Tots.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas Akhir ini memaparkan analisa permasalahan yang dihadapi saat saya magang sebagai guru di TUMBLE TOTS pada bulan Januari sampai Februari 2012 yaitu tentang kesulitan saya dalam mengajar Bahasa Inggris kepada anak usia satu sampai dua tahun ketika menjadi “leader”

kelas. Tugas “leader” kelas adalah menjadi pemimpin kelas yang

mengatur aktivitas di dalam kelas.

Penyebabnya adalah saya tidak mempunyai banyak pengalaman dalam mengajar anak-anak, saya merasa tegang ketika orang tua ikut berpartisipasi di dalam kelas untuk menemani anak-anak mereka, dan guru di TUMBLE TOTS jarang memberikan bantuan ketika saya sedang mengajar. Akibatnya saya tidak percaya diri, saya membuat kesalahan dengan tidak mengikuti urutan aktivitas kelas berdasarkan rencana pengajaran, dan guru senior saya memberikan masukan yang negatif berkaitan dengan kesalahan yang saya lakukan saat mengajar.

Untuk menyelesaikan masalah, ada tiga pilihan solusi. Pertama, saya akan meminta guru lain untuk mengobservasi saya sehingga saya bisa mengevaluasi cara mengajar saya dan bisa meningkatkan keterampilan mengajar saya. Kedua, saya akan mengobservasi guru lain ketika mereka mengajar. Ketiga, saya akan membangun hubungan dengan orang tua agar bisa lebih percaya diri dan tidak tegang ketika menjadi guru di depan kelas.

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APPENDIX A

FLOWCHART

Causes:

1. I have not had enough experiences in teaching pupils aged 1-2 years old.

2. I felt nervous to have the parents accompany their children and participate in the class activities.

3. Other teachers in my class seldom gave me any necessaries help or support during my teaching session.

Problem :

When becoming a leader of the class, I had a difficulty in teaching English to pupils aged 1-2 years in Walking-2 Class at TUMBLE TOTS (TT) school. based on the lesson plan in front of the class.

3. My senior teacher gave me a negative feedback about my performance in teaching.

Potential negative effects :

1. I might be discouraged and stressful when receiving negative feedback.

Potential solution I :

I will ask my senior teacher to observe me and give me feedback.

Potential positive effects :

1. I will practice teaching and obtain various inputs based on my performance. 2. I will be able to develop

my teaching skills.

Potential negative effects : 1. I might not be creative if I

always imitate how to teach from the others.

Potential solution II :

I will observe other teachers when they are teaching in Walking-2 English class

1. I can learn how to be a leader and how to speak out in front of pupils and parents. 2. I will improve my teaching

skills.

Potential negative effects :

1. Parents will not always give a good response to me.

Potential solution III :

I will build relationship with the parents while pupils are playing in the station.

1. I will learn more about the characteristics of the pupils. 2. I will communicate with

parents effectively.

Chosen solution

1. I will observe other teachers who are teaching in Walking-2 English class.

2. I will ask my senior teacher to observe me and give me feedback.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Teaching little children for the first time has a lot of challenges. The

teacher should deal with a new class situation and new pupils. Masmasika

states that,”Teaching is one of the most challenging professions. The

teacher is faced with a lot of challenges that could be very stressful.

Teaching young kids is not a walk in the garden but a real job that must be

given serious attention” (par.1). Although being a teacher has a lot of

challenges, it can be a rewarding and meaningful experience.

In order to teach effectively, a teacher needs to know the

characteristics of the little children. Munson explains the characteristics of

children aged 18 months – 2 years as follow, “Initially, between the ages

of 18 months to 2 years, children find it extremely hard to communicate

their needs to their parents, caregivers, and other children” (par. 2).

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the classroom. Consequently, the teachers will help parents to teach their

children to speak effectively.

When I did my internship at TUMBLE TOTS (henceforth, TT) on Jl.

Maulana Yusuf no 8 in January - February 2012, I taught little children

aged 1-2 years old at Walking-2 class. They were seven pupils

accompanied by their parents in the class. They came to class three times

a week, and the duration of the class was about one hour each day. The

pupils did not only study in the station, but also played in the garden

outside the station. At TT, the station is a classroom where pupils learn

and play. At TT, every teacher has two roles namely as a leader and a

supporter. As a leader of the class, the teacher manages the whole class

activities which are related to the lesson plan and class format. As a

supporter of the class, the teacher will turn on the music and lead the

pupils when they are playing in the station. In general, the supporter will

help the leader in the class. TT always has a theme of the lesson in every

month, such as Chinese New Year in January and zoo in February.

When becoming a leader, I had a difficulty in teaching the pupils and

remembering the class format. Class format is the sequence of class

activities. The first part is the opening format, such as having the children

sit in a big circle, greeting the children, having the children sing a song,

opening rhyme, having parents help the children to clap their hands,

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second part is the closing format, such as having children sit in the big

circle and say good bye, sing a closing song and rhyme, and eat in

dining room. The problem that I had as a leader has influenced my teaching

performance, and it has to be solved.

Based on the above explanation, the purpose of this term paper is to analyze

how to overcome my difficulty in teaching English to pupils aged 1-2 years in

Walking-2 class at TT school when I became a leader. In addition, I would like

to present the best solutions to deal with the problem effectively.

B. Identification of the Problem

In this term paper, I would like to discuss the following research questions:

1. Why did I have a difficulty in teaching English to pupils aged 1-2 years

in Walking-2 class at TT school when I became a leader?

2. How would I overcome such problem effectively?

C.

Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The objectives of this term paper are to find out the causes of the problem

and to present the best solutions to deal with the problem. The benefit of this

term paper for the teachers at TT is it gives information about how to

overcome the problem in teaching English to pupils aged 1-2 years old. For

the readers, they can learn valuable insights on teaching pupils. The last

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teaching English to pupils, I will learn from my mistakes, and I will develop my

knowledge about teaching English.

D.

Description of the Institution

Based on Teacher’s Guide which was published by Team Training, it is

stated that TT was started by Bill Cosgrave who became a gymnastic

training coach in 1968. He had been working at the British Gymnastic

Team for about 24 years, and he realized that children needed a basic

gymnastic to build basic motor skills. Then, he established TT at

Southampton, U.K. The concept of TT program was initially for children

aged 6 months - 5 years old then he extended the program for children

aged 6 months until they can walk and it was called gymbabes. The

purpose of establishing TT was to develop physical, rebound, and

social-skills. TT has more than 500 branches in the world. The basic philosophy

of TT is: “Give me your child until he is seven, and I shall give you a man.”

Another philosophy of TT is: “Developing Positive Minds” (3).

In Indonesia, P.T Tunas Mazmur Mandiri is the master franchise of TT

in Jakarta, located on Jl. Mangga Besar Raya no. 5F, West Jakarta. It is

organized by Mrs. Novita Tandry, as the director, and Mr. Robert Tandry,

as the General Manager. In Bandung, TT began in 2000. The main school

is on Jl. Maulana Yusuf and the branch is on Jl. Galunggung. The owner

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The number of teachers in Maulana Yusuf is seven, and the number of

children is about one hundred.

E.

Method of the Study

For this term paper, the analysis of the problem is based on my

internship at TUMBLE TOTS, Jl. Maulana Yusuf no 8, in January-February

2012. The data is taken from my teaching experience, internship journal,

and library research on printed sources and electronic sources. The data

is used to analyze the causes, the effects, and the potential solutions.

F.

Limitation of the Study

This term paper focuses on overcoming my difficulty in becoming a

leader of Walking-2 Class at TT. The subjects of the research are seven

pupils aged 1-2 years old in Walking-2 Class and I as the leader of the

class. The duration of the class was one hour each day. The pupils were

learning in the station, having lunch in the dining room, and playing in the

garden. I did my internship as a leader and supporter, and I became a

leader for six times. The period of internship started from January until

February 2012.

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The first part of the Term Paper is Abstract, the summary of the

whole term paper in Bahasa. It is followed by Declaration of Originality,

Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents. Then, there are four

chapters. The first one is Introduction, which consists of 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. The second chapter is

Problem Analysis, containing the analysis of the problem. The third

chapter is Potential Solutions, explaining the potential solutions along

with the negative and positive potential effects. The fourth chapter is

the Conclusion. The last parts are the Bibliography and the

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I would like to present the best solutions to overcome the

problem. The problem is when becoming a leader of the class, I had a

difficulty in teaching English to pupils aged 1-2 years in Walking-2 Class at

TUMBLE TOTS (TT) school. The causes are I have not had enough

experiences in teaching pupils aged 1-2 years old, I felt nervous to have the

parents accompanied their children and participated in the class activities,

and other TT teachers in my class seldom gave me any necessary help or

support during my teaching session. The effects are I was not confident in

teaching the pupils, I made a mistake in sequencing the lessons based on the

lesson plan, and my senior teacher gave me a negative feedback about my

performance in sequencing the lesson. The three potential solutions are I will

ask my senior teacher to observe me and give me feedback, I will observe

other teachers who are teaching in Walking-2 English class, and I will build

relationship with the parents while the pupils are playing in the station.

Based on the analysis, the best solutions are the combination of the three

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teaching in Walking-2 English class, I will ask my senior teacher to observe

me and give me feedback, and I will build relationship with the parents while

pupils are playing in the station.

I have chosen all the potential solutions because the three solutions are

important to overcome my difficulties in teaching English, so that my problem

can be solved effectively. The first step is I must observe other teachers so

that I can learn how to be a leader of the class. The second step is I will let

my senior teacher to observe me and give me feedback so that I will be able

to develop my teaching skills. The third step is I have to build a good

relationship with the parents so that I will not feel nervous to be a leader of

the class. Britz states that, “By being curious, observing, listening, and

questioning, the teacher shares and models the qualities that are valued and

promoted by the problem-solving process” (par.1). Therefore, applying the

three solutions is important to solve the problem and make me a better

teacher.

All in all, I believe that teaching English at TT is totally fun, and the

materials are quite simple. The teachers just need to have the ability to

deliver the lessons creatively. I suggest that the teachers at TT need to be

good teachers and leaders who are responsible, lovable, and independent.

Parents send their children to TT, because they believe that their children will

grow up well both by playing and learning. Therefore, teachers should

develop the quality of teaching so that they can give the best education for

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Gebhard, G. Jerry. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language. Ann

Arbor: The University of Michigan, 2006.

Team Training. Teacher’s Guide. Jakarta: P.T. Tunas Mazmur

Mandiri, 1990.

Electronic Sources

Bartel, Marvin. “Teaching Creativity.” July 2008. Goshen.edu. 3 May 2012.

<http://people.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/arted/tc.html>

Britz, Joan. “ProblemSolving in Early Childhood Classrooms.” 1993.

Ceep.crc.uiuc.edu. 15 May 2012.

<http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1993/britz93.html>

“Building Parent-Teacher Relationships.” Reading Rockets 2012.

Readingrockets.org. 5 May 2012.

<http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19308/>

Cotter, Chris. “Teacher Observations as a Positive Experience.” Head Up

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<http://www.headsupenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=vi

ew&id=188&Itemid=75>

Dinham, Stephen. “Powerful Teacher Feedback.” SynerGy. 2007.

Slav.schools.net. 14 April 2012.

<http://www.slav.schools.net.au/synergy/vol6num2/dinham.pdf>

Gaijinpot. “Japanese Elementary School Lack Confidence in Teaching

English.” Gaijinpot category: Teaching in Japan. 22 February 2011.

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1 February 2008. Teachers.net. 28 April 2012.

<http://teachers.net/gazzate/MAR08/gruber/>

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<http://donna-hupe.suite101.com/new-teachers-and-parents-a189769>

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