Teaching English is (not) Difficult

            In the National Curriculum, English Language is one of the lesson that has been taught from the elementary school until Senior High School. Even in the University level, English is one of the compulsory subject that should be followed by the university students almost in all major. University students  are also obligated to have a TOEFL or IELTS score as one of the condition of students’ graduation. But, there is one big question, how is the output result from the students itself? Do they can speak and write using English language fluently? Or they still have a stigma that English is one of the difficult lesson?

            Actually from the journey of National Curriculum, from the CBSA to the Merdeka Curriculum it was clearly stated that the output of English Lesson is student are able to communicate in spoken and written. Especially in Merdeka Curriculum, those skills are elaborated into six language skills. They are listening, speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and presenting holistically based on genre approach.

            In the Merdeka Curriculum, English Lesson is aimed to be B1 (intermediate) level based on Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It means that students are able to deal with interaction using English language in various context clearly, they are also able to understand and utter the main idea comprehensively.  

            Thus in  practice of teaching English in classroom, teacher has a freedom to determine the purpose of the learning and use the approach, model, method and techniques of teaching. For students, Merdeka curriculum provide the freedom for students to express their skill based on their study preferences, interest and talent.

            Nowadays, with a rapid of growing technology in our life, it provides us many easiness, including for teaching and learning. There are so many resources that we as a teacher can use it in class, even for the students that has limited access in their gadget to use online resources. We can use many free application such as quiziz,  kahoot, esl games online, British council Kids etc. We also can use digital text not only a text book, such as TED Talk.  We, as a teacher should change the students’ point of view from the difficult into easy one.  But, there is one principle that we should hold tightly, that we don’t focus on the “fun” thing only, but the essence of teaching itself is we give a new thing and new experience for students to develop their language skill as a life skill.

Written by :

Oktabety Kusjayanti, S.Pd

SMPIT AL Uswah Tuban