56th TEFLIN International Conference, Malang, East-Java, 8-10 December 2009

TEFLIN is a professional organization which stands for the association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia. The members of TEFLIN are institutions and individual teachers of English in secondary and tertiary education institutions in Indonesia as well as instructors in non-formal English courses. The objective of TEFLIN is to provide English teachers with opportunities to share and discuss contemporary issues (trends), and developments in language teaching, learning, and research. TEFLIN also aims to provide direction to the future development of English language teaching in Indonesia.


To achieve its purpose, TEFLIN conducts an annual International Conference organized by its member institutions. This conference is a major event and attended by some 300 to 400 participants from institutions all over Indonesia and abroad. The speakers at the conference are invited scholars, university lecturers, and secondary school teachers. The major theme of this conference is RESPONDING to GLOBAL CHALLENGES through QUALITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

On this conference, i presented a paper entitled "Communicative Competence on Second Language Teaching". It is due to the need of Delevoping Language Competence on English Language Teaching. Thus, the English Language Teaching is not only focusing to the grammatical competence, but also to the sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and the strategic competence.

I suggest to whom who may concern to the development of English Language Teaching to join the next TEFLIN Conference. It will give you a new insight about a better strategy to the development of English Language Teaching in Indonesia.

the nominee of wall magazine

This semester, i asked my students to make a wall magazine about their school and here are their works...






















choose one of your best wall magazine in terms of grammar, content, and design. put the comments and i'll announce the result soon.

Conditional Sentence

"If i have a new car, i will go around the city"


Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses. They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.

Conditional Sentence Type 1

→ It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form: if + Simple Present, will-Future

Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.

The exercises can be found through the following link!

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-1/exercises

Conditional Sentence Type 2

→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.

Form: if + Simple Past, Conditional I (= would + Infinitive)

Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

The exercises can be found through the following link!

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-2/exercises

Conditional Sentence Type 3

→ It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.

Form: if + Past Perfect, Conditional II (= would + have + Past Participle)

Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

The exercises can be found through the following link!

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-3/exercises

Now try this one:



If you dont understand yet, meet your english teacher to get more information about it. Enjoy the lesson!

Subjunctive (1)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PICTURE ? IF ONLY THESE MONEY WERE MINE...

The subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in dependent clauses to express wishes, commands, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or statements that are contrary to fact at present. It is sometimes referred to as the conjunctive mood.
The subjunctive is not uniform in all varieties of spoken English. However, it is preserved in speech, at least in North American English and in many dialects of British English. Some dialects replace it with the indicative or construct it using a modal verb, except perhaps in the most formal literary discourse. According to the Random House College Dictionary, "Although the subjunctive seems to be disappearing from the speech of many, its use is still the mark of the educated speaker.

If a clause is in a past tense, then a clause subordinate to it cannot be in the past subjunctive, though it might be in the pluperfect (past perfect) subjunctive;
examples:

If I had known him before

Fact : I didnt know him,

I would not be here if he had not helped me.

Fact : He helped me

If a clause is in a present tense, then a clause subordinate might be in the past subjunctive;
examples:

If I knew the answer, i could get the best score.

Fact : I dont know the answer, so i cant get the best score

If I were you, i told him the secret.

Fact : I am not you, so i i dont tell him the secret

Here are some exercises for you:

The Subjunctive


As your home work, Make 5 examples of subjunctives based on the following picture and tomorrow discuss with your friend about your examples.

What is Business Correspondence ?

Communication is very important. To run a business, we need to correspond each other. Thus we need to know a little thing about business correspondence.

Business correspondence is being defined as a way of communication through the exchange of letters. These are the letters written or received by two or more parties which may come in the form of letters, emails, text messages, voice mails, notes or post cards. The different kinds of business correspondence that we use nowadays are business letters, memos, faxes and emails.

In fact whenever business correspondence is being talked about, business letter is the very first thing that would enter to our minds. The very respectful and most technical phrases that we can still see nowadays are first brought by the business letter’s techniques. It is also profoundly studied at schools especially when it is time to discuss technical writing.

To see the details about each part. You can download to my download center.

What is News Item text ?

Well, Reading is an enjoyable activities, isn't it ? Reading newspaper can be done anywhere and anytime. Reading will give us more than we've expected. So,before we read more about the news, lets study about news item text.

News Item text is one of the most popular text throughout the world. It tells the reader about the newsworthy event or important event take place. The generic structure is :

1. Newsworthy event (the main news)
2. Background events (the details about the news, the sequence of the events)
3. Sources (the comment from the witnesses, experts)

The main features of this text is the use of reported speech and simple past tense.

Look at the example on the following address :

http://understandingtext.blogspot.com/2008/02/indonesian-maid-beheaded-news-item-text.html

If you want to get more example about news, you can click www.thejakartapost.com on the right side of this blog.

After you've read the example, click the exercises on the left side. And do the exercises. have a nice exercises.

Using Arts and Crafts in English Lessons

In any English class it's important to vary the activity type to maintain interest. You will always be dealing with different types of learners, some prefer solving puzzles and singing songs, and some enjoy working in groups while others prefer working on their own. Here we need to use a new strategy which is offering a new insight about edutainment concept just like using art and crafts in english lessons. The aims of this activity are:
- To integrate arts and crafts in the English classroom without losing sight of a learning objective
- To cater to a range of learner styles
- To successfully give instructions for a craft activity in order to include all students

To make it works properly, look at the following tips:
1. Prepare as much as possible before the lesson without removing the creative element of the activity. Carefully consider the different stages of making the craft and decide which stages the students can do themselves, which they can't, which stages will allow them to be creative and which won't.
2. Always ensure you have sufficient tools for all the students in the class. If a child has to wait a long time for glue or scissors learning there is less time for learning and they will get bored.
3. Make your instructions as simple as possible. This should be done in English so they become part of the language learning process. The more you use simple instructions such as ‘cut, stick, fold' etc the quicker the students will pick up and retain this vocabulary. You will not be helping them by giving instructions in their first language. You should however ensure that everyone has understood what they have to do before moving on. If your instructions are too complex they will get lost and you will lose their interest.
4. Don't underestimate the value of letting a child create something that they can personalise. The moment they walk out the door carrying their English bookmark or their English pirate hat they are transferring what they've done in class to their home environment. If they leave the classroom able to enthusiastically tell someone about their object, why they made it and what they did with it they are much more likely to leave with a positive image of learning English.

Have a nice activities

Practice your listening (3)

This is the exercises of UNAS Senior High School 2008-2009. Listen and answer all of the questions correctly. The first session you can play the record and then continue with the reading. Good Luck.



Soal UNAS Bahasa Inggris Kode A SMA Tahun 2008-2009

Practice your listening (2)

This is the listening section of UNAS 2007-2008. Listen carefully and answer the questions! Good Luck !

What is recount text ?

Well, Look at this picture. Going together with your family on the holiday is a nice experience, isn't it ? Have you ever got that experience ? So, first let's discuss about a text called recount and then let's share our experience together.

Recount text is a recount is a text which list and describe past experiences by retelling events in the order in which they happened (chronological order). The purpose of the Recounts text is to retell events with the purpose of either informing or entertaining their audience (or both).

The basic recount consists of three parts:
- the setting or orientation - background information answering who? when? where? why?
- events are identified and described in chronological order.
- reorientation which is concluding comments express a personal opinion regarding the events described

The language features of the recount text are:
- the language is written in simple past tense
- frequent use is made of words which link events in time, such as next, later, when, then, after, before, first,

Recount text can be occur in the form of personal recount (such as biography), factual recount, or imaginative recount. The major difference between recount and narrative text is the generic structure. If a passage doesn't have a conflict and it retells past events, that is called as a recount text.

The example of recount text can be seen through the following link
http://understandingtext.blogspot.com/2008/10/vacation-to-london-clear-example-of.html

After, you have read about it now read the exercises for a moment and do it. You can also download it. Just look at the left part of this blog and click the link entitled recount exercises. Do your best and your teacher will give comment to your job on the end of the exercise. Good Luck.
WRITING A PERSONAL LETTER-recount

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Education-Early-Educ beginning books for

What is Narrative ?

Well, Do you know whose picture is this ? This is one of the most famous story throughout the world and it has been translated and adapted into many languages. Is it a real story or a fiction ? After this we will discuss more about it through a text which is called narrative.

Narrative is a text which is created to entertain, to gain and hold a readers' interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes / social opinions eg soap operas and television dramas that are used to raise topical issues. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved.

There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.


These are the generic structure of a narrative text;
Orientation:
introduction of the story in which the characters, setting and time of the story are established. Usually answers who? when? where? and it is stated in the beginning of the story. as the example "Once upon a time, Mr Wolf went out hunting in the forest one dark gloomy night".
Complication or problem:
The complication usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the complications in real life).
Resolution:
There needs to be a resolution of the complication. The complication may be resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of complications that have to be resolved. These add and sustain interest and suspense for the reader.

The language features of the narrative text are:
- Usually use simple past tense
- Use Connectives,linking words to do with time such as once upon a time, on the next day,etc.
- there are imagery such as metaphor for example "She has a heart of stone"

Here, the example of the narrative text can be seen through the following link;
http://www.candlelightstories.com/audio/three-little-pigs/

Here you can see the text and listen the audio as well.

The first sentence (Once upon a time there were three little pigs. )is called as an orientation. Now, it's your turn to determine the complication and the resolution.

Good Luck !

As your homework, listen to the following story and make the summary of the story. Submit it to your teacher next week.

What is report text ?

Do you know about this animal ? Where do you usually find it ? Do you recognize the characteristics ? Before we discuss it deeper, lets have a look to the following information.

Report text is a text which is created to describe the way things are with reference to a range of natural, man-made and social phenomena in our environment.

A report text consists of two parts:
- General classification
( a sentence that tells what the phenomenon under discussion. Usually in the beginning of the text).
- Description
(describe what the phenomenon is like, in terms of: Parts, Qualities, Habits or uses).

The grammatical features are:
- Focus on Generic Participants
(Generic participants refer to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind)
- Using simple present tense (unless the object was extinct)

Click the example of the report text can be seen on this pages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orang_utan

Now, after you have' read it, you can find two more examples there. Just Click to the the right bar of this blog, Wikipedia. After that, type the name of your favourite Indonesian animals on the search box. Next, wikipedia will give you the information about it. Finally, Consult your teacher about your findings.

Next meeting, Click the left bar of this blog, and download the lesson plan (RPP of Report Text). The lesson will be conducted based on that lesson plan. Do you have any questions ? Just leave it on the chat zone and i'll try to answer it just for you. :)

Apakah pendidikan itu ?

Pendidikan adalah salah satu hal yang wajib kita utamakan dalam kehidupan. Menurut UU No.20 tahun 2003 tentang sistem Pendidikan Nasional, Pendidikan adalah usaha sadar dan terencana untuk mewujudkan suasana belajar dan proses pembelajaran agar peserta didik secara aktif mengembangkan potensi dirinya untuk memiliki kekuatan spiritual keagamaan, pengendalian diri, kepribadian, kecerdasan, akhlak mulia, serta keterampilan yang diperlukan dirinya, masyarakat, bangsa dan negara.

Berdasarkan definisi diatas, sudah selayaknya seorang pengajar hendaknya mengantar anak didiknya agar mampu secara aktif mengembangkan potensi dirinya untuk menjadi pribadi yang berkualitas di masa sekarang dan masa depan. Pendidikan bukan hanya menjadi tanggung jawab sekolah atau institusi formal saja. Pendidikan juga bukan mutlak di tangan orang tua saja. Pendidikan adalah proses yang terjadi setiap saat di sepanjang hayat dimanapun kita berada sehingga pendidikan adalah tanggung jawab bersama.

Konsep pendidikan saat ini telah berkembang dari teacher centered menjadi student centered. Konsep ini juga didukung degan berkembangnya teori-teori pembelajaran seperti penggunaan Cooperative Learning, Multiple Intelligence, PAIKEM, Constructivist, Communicative Approach dan masih banyak lagi. Namun secanggih apapun metode kita, kalau tidak diimbangi dengan pendidikan akhlak, maka pendidikan itu hanya akan menciptakan insan intelektual yang tidak berbudi mulia.

Bangsa yang besar adalah bangsa yang menjunjung tinggi pendidikannya. Namun bukan hanya pendidikan kognisi saja, namun juga akhlak yang mulia. Oleh karena itu marilah kita mendidik anak-anak kita dengan hati yang bersih. Sentuhlah mereka tepat di hatinya karena jauh dilubuk hati setiap manusia selalu tersimpan kebenaran yang hakiki. Ketika kita berhasil menyentuh hati mereka, maka berbagilah dengan mereka tentang ilmu yang bermanfaat sambil menanamkan nilai-nilai akhlak yang mulia. Ketika mereka berhasil memahami apa yang kita sampaikan, maka rayakanlah keberhasilan itu dengan mereka sehingga mereka bisa merasakan kemenangan yang selalu diinginkan setiap orang. Dengan demikian, akan muncul semangat siswa untuk mencapai kemenangan-kemenangan yang lain.

Kemenangan seorang pendidik adalah melihat anak didiknya berhasil memahami dan menghayati hakikat pendidikan itu sendiri.

Practice your listening (1)

Play the record and lets' practice your listening ! This record is taken from National Examination of Senior High School 2006-2007.

Multimedia Competition

Last year, i joined multimedia design competition for senior high school teachers. Previously, mam Lina and i got the bronze medal for the same competition. She taught me a lot about multimedia. Thank you then. (readers can get the program to my download center entitled "Kitchen of the Day").

That was a great moment. i've got a lot of new things about how to make a good multimedia design, how to construct a good lesson plan, and how to share the idea to the students through the multimedia. I didn't win the competition but they gave me a chance to revise my job based on the judges' worthy suggestion. My revised job is a modified presentation program and it can be modified easily by the other user. The summary of my revised job can be seen through the following video and it can be downloaded soon. Enjoy it.

What is procedure text ?

Have you ever try this food ? Do you know how to make it ? Lets study first and then you will know how to make it.

Now, we are dealing with a text called procedure text. Procedures help us do a task or make something. They can be a set of instructions or directions eg step by step method to germinate seeds. The text below is an example of a procedure. The labels show the structure and language features of procedure text. Procedures begin by outlining an aim or goal. Sometimes there is a list of the materials and equipment needed and the steps are then listed in order.

When writing a procedure text you should:
• use present tense eg spray
• include technical terms when you need to eg friable
• use words that tell the reader how, when and where to perform the task eg fill, firmly.

The example of the procedure text can be seen through the following address:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Sandwich

Can you identify the aim, materials, and steps ? What are they ?
1. Aim
...
2. Materials
...
3. Steps
...

Now, try this one.

EC Final examination Grade XI

Dear students,

This is the description of your final examination:

Task
Make a speech at least around 3 minutes about one of the following topics:

Grade XI Science Program;
1. The role of IT towards education in Indonesia
2. Are we ready to be an international school ?
3. If i were the English teacher of SMA YPPI-II Surabaya

Grade XI Social Program;
1. Are we ready to be the IT based school?
2. Are we ready to be an international school ?
3. If i were the English teacher of SMA YPPI-II Surabaya

Rules
Submit the speech in the form of CD just like UTS and give the summary of your interview to www.allaboutenglish-zone.blogspot.com. Dont forget to leave your identity (name / class / no.)

The due is 0n June 6th 2009
After June 6th 2009, you will get the lowest score.

The scoring criteria:
- pronunciation (cara baca ) 20%
- content (isi ) 40%
- grammar (tata bahasa) 20%
- fluency (kelancaran) 20

Good Luck and do your best!

Final Examination for E C Grade X

Dear students,

This is the description of your final examination.

Task:

Interview your friend from the other class. Ask them about :
- their plan on the next holiday
- their ability and their like

Rules:

Grade XA

Students from no. 1 up to no. 14 may choose student from no.15-27 from grade XB or X C
Students from no. 15-27 may choose student from 1-14 from grade XB or XC.
Submit the interview in the form of CD just like UTS and give the summary of your interview to www.allaboutenglish-zone.blogspot.com
The due is 0n June 6th 2009
After June 6th 2009, you will get the lowest score.

Grade XB

Students from no. 1 up to no. 14 may choose student from no.15-27 from grade XA or X C
Students from no. 15-27 may choose student from 1-14 from grade XB or XC.
Submit the interview in the form of CD just like UTS and give the summary of your interview to www.allaboutenglish-zone.blogspot.com
The due is 0n June 6th 2009
After June 6th 2009, you will get the lowest score.

Grade XC

Students from no. 1 up to no. 14 may choose student from no.15-27 from grade XA or X B
Students from no. 15-27 may choose student from 1-14 from grade XB or XC.
Submit the interview in the form of CD just like UTS and give the summary of your interview to www.allaboutenglish-zone.blogspot.com
The due is 0n June 6th 2009
After June 6th 2009, you will get the lowest score.

The scoring criteria:
- pronunciation (cara baca ) 20%
- content (isi ) 40%
- grammar (tata bahasa) 20%
- fluency (kelancaran) 20

Here are the example of the summary:

"
Dear my teacher,
I interviewed Adi last week. She said that ...

Thank you
(Your name/ class / no.)


Good Luck and do your best!

How to be a good a story teller

Have you seen the video above ? It is very interesting, isn't it ? Being a good story teller is not an easy job. In fact, story telling is an interesting thing to do. Here are some steps if you want to be a good story teller;
Step 1

The best way to teach others the art of storytelling is to become a storyteller yourself. By fitting your reading style to the characters in the story, you present the character's personality to your audience in a realistic way. You'll also find your reading of the story much more enjoyable.

Step 2

Consider the time period and read the characters' parts according to the time. For example, a more formal period in history, such as the Victorian era may require a more formal stance in your diction.

Step 3
Change your tone when reading the narrative portion of the text. Granted you still need to be somewhat enthusiastic in your reading; however, you cannot keep the same voice you use for your characters when presenting your characters' personalities as is used for your narrative. Your narrative presents information about what is happening as well as describing the characters' features.

Step 4
The following technique has always worked for me especially when reading narrative as well as the conversation of several different characters. Stand in front of a mirror and pretend you are looking out at your audience. Read to your audience. If it is a mixed audience of adults and children and the story is primarily for children then read toward the level of the child. When reading to adults use tones of general conversation amongst characters and less facial expression. Read the narrative in a matter of fact way, as if you were reading the story to yourself. The age of the audience as well as the story line will determine how much facial animation is needed-generally, much more for children and less for adults.

Step 5
Turn on PBS and watch Sesame Street. Observe how the characters talk to one another. In like manner, you should bring the same amount of fun to the stories you tell children.

Step 6
For adults, watch some classic and current movies. Observe how the characters converse and inter-relate with one another. When you read, read as if you were playing each of the characters' parts in a movie or show. Read your narrative speaking each word as clearly and concisely as possible. Make certain your overall tonal quality, especially when reading to an adult audience is clear and crisp.

Step 7
Listen to book tapes while driving or walking. Notice how the narrative is delivered and how the reader portrays the characters as well as reads each part.

Step 8
Add bright facial expressions when reading to children. Look around the room and tell the tale, looking at individual members of the audience. If you are uncomfortable looking directly at your audience members, look just above the top of their heads. This will give the impression you are looking directly at them.

Step 9
Memorize most of your story, especially when speaking to a group. Use the story itself only as a guide.

Step 10
Practice your storytelling to members of your family as well as to your friends. Ask for constructive feedback from family and friends you find reliable.

Step 11
Tape record yourself so you know how you sound.

Step 12
Give it to your friend or your teacher so you'll receive some sort of worthy suggestions.

Do you want to do it ?

The Passive voice

Watch the video carefully, and lets check your understanding about the passive sentence. Try the following exercises:

1. Should we have an object on a passive sentence? Explain your answer!

2. Let's have a look to the following sentences,

" My grandmother is a famous singer. She has won many awards for her album so far. My uncle will invite her to the opening of his cafe next month".

Based on the sentences above, can we change all of the sentences into the passive sentence ? Explain your answer!

Give comments to this post! Good Luck.

Conducting job interview

Yogi's second chance

After his debut as the representative of SMA YPPI-II Surabaya at UPH English competition, Yogi Saputra came back to the English Speech competition which was held by Universitas Widya Kartika Surabaya on May 7th 2009. With his speech entitled "If i were the President of Indonesia", he delivered his speech deliberately. Eventhough he didnt win the competition, but he did a great improvement. Keep on practicing boys. :)

Happy New Year to the Reader

Dear Readers,

A new day has come and let us share the hope for a better future,

To our dreams…
May we never stop believing in them
And taking the actions that will make them a reality.

To our friends, loved ones, associates (or colleagues)…
May we take the time to let them know
How much it means to us
To have them in our lives.

Let us encourage more and criticize less,
Give more and need less.
And whenever we can,
Let us create harmony and peace.

To new beginnings…
Let us start fresh, right now,
To make this the very best year ever

Happy New Year 2009