INTERACTIVE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES AND TYPES OF INSTRUCTION

By :
Dr. I Wayan Suandi, M. Pd.
I. Introduction
Language has got a central role in the development of students intellectual, social
and emotional. It supports students success in learning all subjects. Mastering a language
enables

students to express themselves, to participate in society, and to use imaginative

and analytic ability to solve problems in their life. Therefore, language education should be
able to help students to develop self awareness and cross culture understanding.
English is a means of oral and written communication. To communicate means to
understand and to express information, ideas, feeling, and to develop knowledge
technology, and culture. Ability to communicate, in broader sense, means having discourse
competence, that is ability to understand or create a text, applied in four language skills
(listening, speaking, reading and speaking). Those skills are used to respond and create a
text. Therefore English as a foreign language in Indonesia is taught to develop
communicative competence in certain levels of literacy.
The levels of literacy include performative, functional, informational, and
epistemic. On the level of performative, people are able to read, write, listen and speak by
using certain symbols. On the level of functional, people are able to use a language for
surviving their life such as listening to the announcement in the airport, reading direction,
newspaper, etc. On the information level, people are able to access knowledge by using the
language. On the epistemic level, people are able to express knowledge in the target
language ( Well in Celce Murcia)
The English Education in Primary school in Indonesia is local content. It is aimed
at developing learners language competence on the performative level. On this level of
literacy, learners are hoped to able to use English to accompany actions, to participate in
classroom and school interactions, and to recognize simple written English. In other words
learners are able to respond short instruction physically, answer short simple questions, read
and write simple words or sentence in context of primary school environment.

The English education in junior high school is aimed at developing learners

competence on functional level. It means that English is taught so that learners are able to
use English to get things done and for survival purposes such as buying and selling, asking
and giving permission, making and canceling appointments, to read and write simple texts,
to read popular science, etc. Where as the English education in Senior high school is aimed
at developing learners competence on information level so that they can use English to
access accumulated knowledge in informal and formal contexts.
Now days many books and modules in a university, for example in Medical Faculty of
Udayana University are written in English. Luckily many SMA graduates are good at
English. They are able to communicate orally and understand texts written in English
because they are getting used to reading English texts, for example articles in internet.
Therefore they have got very little problem in understanding the books and modules written
in English.
On the other hand, many SMA graduates are still underdeveloped. They can not
understand a text written in English well. As a result, they have to get the text translated
into Bahasa Indonesia. Many of them do not read the text. They have to wait for the
lecturers explanation. It means they should spend more time and money. It indicates that
the quality of English education should be well improved.
There are some problems related to the process of teaching and leaning English as a
foreign language in Bali. Most of the classes in Indonesia are so big that very few students
have got a good opportunity to in interact in the process of learning. As a result, instead of
practicing the language for communication, the students only get knowledge about the
language. Therefore many students fail to use English for communication.
Many teachers conduct teaching and learning activities which do not support the aims
of leaning English for communications. Many of them use techniques which do not help
learners develop skills for communication. In some cases, students purposes of learning
English are different from teachers objectives. Many teachers still do not know what
approach or method should be applied.
II. Interactive Teaching and Types of Instruction Point of View

In this seminar we would like to review our knowledge on interactive teaching,

including

several types of Instruction to teaching and Learning English as a foreign

language in order to support the aims of English education in primary school, junior high
school, vocational school and Senior High school. By these types of instruction we hope
that the primary school learners would be able to reach the level of performative. SMP
students would be able to reach the functional level. Vocational school students would be
able to reach functional or informative level. SMA students would be able to reach
informative level
Ideally every teacher should try hard to conduct effective teaching and learning.
Effective teaching involves creating learning environment in such a way that pupils are able
to achieve learning objectives. Effective teachers show : 1) Effective planning, 2)
Meaningful learning, 3) a positive interpersonal climate (good repot), 4) Development of
student competence, 5) Effective teaching time, 6) Quality of instructions and questions,
7) High teacher and learners expectation, 8) Enhancing motivation, 9) Monitoring and
assessment, 10) Reflection and evaluation
In order to develop effective teaching and learning, it is advisable for us to apply
interactive language teaching. In this good opportunity we limit our discussion on two
points of view: 1)Interactive teaching

and learning , which include: definition of

interactive, interactive principle, role of interactive teachers, and questions strategy for
interactive learning and group works strategy 2) Three types of instruction which includes
task based instruction, genre based instruction, competence based instruction.
A. Interactive Teaching and Learning.
1. Interaction
Interaction is very important for language teachers as it is the heart of
communication. In communication we send messages, we receive them, we interpret them
we negotiate meaning, and we collaborate to accomplish certain purpose. The best way to
interact is interaction itself. (Stern, 1984)
Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thought, feeling or idea between two or
more people, resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other. Communicative Teaching and
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Learning emphasizes the importance of interaction as human being using language in

various contexts to negotiate meaning in order to get an idea out of the persons head and
into the head of another person and vice versa. (Richard JC, 1988)
2. Interactive teaching Principles
There are some principles of interactive teaching (Brown, 2001). 1) Interaction is
the best accomplish when the attention is on meaning and massage, and not on grammar or
other linguistic forms. Therefore, learners are freed from keeping language in controlled
modes and more easily proceed to automatic modes of processing. 2) Students deepest
drives are satisfied as they appreciate their own competence to use language. Therefore,
intrinsic motivation is very importance. 3) Interaction requires strategic language
competence. It can help students make decision on how to say, write, interpret and repair
when communication pathways are blocked. 4) The cultural loading of interactive speech
as well as writing require that interlocutors cross culture understanding. 5 The complexity
of interaction needs a long developmental process of acquisition. 6) All of the elements of
communicative competence are involve in human interaction.
3. Teachers roles
Teachers play many important roles in the interactive teaching and learning.. There
are least five important roles a teacher should apply during the process of teaching and
learning: a) The teacher is a controller, b) The teacher is a director, c) The teacher is a
manager, d) The teacher is facilitator, e) The teacher is a resource. When a teacher teaches,
he or she might play more than one roles, but it very much depends on the teaching
objectives, the types of instruction and the level of the learners. A teacher of a primary
school, for example, might need to control the learners more than a teacher who teaches in
higher level ( Harmer : 1978).
In the English lesson that we deliver, we should be able to assume those five roles
in the continuum of directive or non directive teaching , depending on the purpose and the
context of an activity. The key to interactive teaching is to strive toward the upper, non

directive end of the continuum gradually, to enable our students to move from the role of
totally dependent to the role of relatively independent.

a. The Teacher as a controller

The teacher plays the role of controller when he is totally in charge of the class. He
controls his class in such a way that it runs well. He may control not only what the student
should do, but when they speak and what language they can use (English or Indonesian, or
both. It is important to realize that control is not necessarily the most effective role.
However, it is useful during an accurate reproduction stage.
b. The teacher as a director or organizer
Some interactive teaching and learning can be carried out in such away that

teacher is like a conductor of a drama. The students engage in either rehearsed or

spontaneous language performance. As a director a teacher might make up a role play so
that the students use the language. The goal of teachers direction must be to enable
students to engage in real-life drama of improvisation.

c. The teacher as a manager

As a manager, a teacher should be able to do the best thing for teaching and
learning: 1) plan for teaching and learning activity, in which he includes the long and short
term objectives, choose the suitable teaching material, create interactive activities, 2)
conduct the process of teaching and learning based on the lesson plan and the situation so
that students engage in the process of teaching and learning to reach the goal.
d. The teacher as a facilitator
A less directive role is described as facilitating the process of learning. A teacher
does not directly give the knowledge to the students. A facilitator works in order to enable
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students to learn more easily. He might give tasks that can guide the students to learn better.
The facilitating role requires that teachers step away from directive role, and allow the
students, with your guidance and gentle prodding, to find their own pathway to success. A
facilitator capitalizes on the principle of intrinsic motivation by allowing students to
discover language through using it pragmatically rather than telling them about language.
e. The teacher as a resource
The implication of the teacher role as a resource is that the students take the
initiative to come to the teacher. The teacher is available for advice and counsel when the
students seek it. However, many learners in Indonesia are not willing to come to their
teacher, though they need help. Therefore, the teacher should try to identify their problem
and help them solve it.
4. Questioning Strategy for Interactive Teaching and Learning.
A teacher can do a lot of things when he conducts classroom activity. In a big class
we cant expect the students to initiate interaction. Many students keep silent even though,
the teacher lets them discuss something. It is advisable for the teacher to initiate the
activity. It is good for the teacher to talk about something in such away that the students
would give a response.
The important key to an interactive language class is the initiation of interaction by
the teacher. The teacher needs to provide the possible stimuli for continues interaction.
These stimuli are important in the initial stage of a classroom lesson. Without such ongoing
teacher guidance, classroom interaction may be communicative but it can easily fall off the
teaching and learning objectives.
One of the best ways to develop our role as an initiator and sustainer of interaction
is by developing a repertoire of questioning strategies. In the foreign language class, in
which learners do not have many tools for initiating and maintaining language, our
questions can provide necessary stepping stones to communication. Appropriate
questioning in interactive classroom can fulfill a number of different functions (Brown,
2001)

Teachers questions give students the impetus and opportunity to produce language.
It is very scary for student to have to initiate conversation or topic for discussion.
Appropriate pitched questions can give the students an effective green light and structured
opportunity to communicate in the target language.
The teachers questions can serve to initiate a chain reaction of students interaction
among themselves. One question may be needed to start a discussion. Without the initial
question, however, students will be reluctant to initiate the process of discussion.
Teachers questions give the instructor immediate feedback about students
comprehension. After posing a question, a teacher can use the students responses to
diagnose linguistic or content difficulties. Grammatical or phonological problem areas can
be exposed through the students responses and give the teacher some specific information
about what to treat.
Teachers questions provide students with opportunities to find out what they think
by hearing what they say. As they are nudged into responding to questions about something
they have read they can discover their own opinion.
There are many types of question. They are arranged in the continuum from the
lowest level to the highest one. The higher the proficiency level you teach the higher level
of question you can give them. However, all of these types of questions have their own
place in the interactive classroom. Asking a lot of questions in our classroom will not
guarantee stimulation of interaction. Certain types of questions may discourage interactive
learning. The followings are categories of questions and typical classroom question words
(adapted from Kinsella and Bloom, 1956).
1) Knowledge questions:
Knowledge questions are used for eliciting factual answer, testing recall and recognition
of information. Common instruction and question words used in this type of questions
are define, tell, list, identify, describe, select, name, point out, label, who, what, where,
when, yes no Questions.
2) Comprehension questions.

Comprehension questions are aimed at developing and evaluating students ability to

interpret and extrapolate meaning. Common instructions and question words used in
this type of questions are: State in your own word, define, locate, select, indicate,
summarize, outline, match.
3) Application questions.
Application questions are aimed at developing learners ability to apply information that
they have heard or read to new situation. Common instructions or questions words used
in this type of questions are: demonstrate how, use the data to solve, illustrate how,
show how, construct, explain, what is __ used for? what would result? What would
happen?
4) Inference questions.
Inference questions are aimed at forming conclusions that are not directly stated in
instructional material. The common questions words are: How, why, what did ___ mean
by? What does__ believe? What conclusion can you draw from?
5) Analysis Question.
Analysis questions are used to lead students to break down into parts, and to relate part
to the whole. The common instructions are distinguish, arrange, separate, classify,
contrast, compare, differentiate, and categorize. The common questions are what is the
relationship between? What is the function of ? What motive? What conclusions?
What is the main idea?
6) Synthesis Questions.
Synthesis questions lead students to combine elements into new pattern. The common
instructions are: compose, combine, estimate, choose, invent, hypothesize, build,
design, and develop. The common questions are; What if..? How would you test, what
would you have done? What would happen if ? How can you improve?
7) Evaluation Questions.

Evaluation questions lead students to make a judgment of good and bad, right or wrong
according to some sets of criteria, and stating why. Common instructions are: Evaluate,
rate, defend, dispute, decide which.., select, judge, grade, verify. The common question
words are which is the best..? Which is more important? Which do you think is more
appropriate?
Richard (1999) has classified questions into three groups. He calls it Three Level
Guides. These types of questions are especially used to guide students to understand
reading text. They are literal questions, interpretive questions and applied questions.
At the literal level, students read the line of the content material. In simple terms, a
literal recognition of the massage determines what the author says. Among the three types
of questions, this type of question is considered to be the easiest questions of all. The
answers are right there in the text. Very often the words used in the questions can be found
in the text. This type of questions is very important to lead students to get information. It
also motivates and encourages students to learn.
Inferential/interpretive questions lead students to interact or read in more detail and
try to interpret the meaning in context. The meaning is implied in the text. The students
have to think and search the answers. They might have to think and search for the answers.
Applied comprehension questions lead students to use information to express
opinion and form new ideas. Students will not be able to answer this type of questions only
by reading the text. It requires them to relate the information in the text with their feeling or
knowledge.
5. Group Work Strategy for Interactive Learning
There are other strategies that can promote interaction. Pair work and group work
can give rise to interaction. Giving direction can stimulate interaction. Encouraging
students to develop their own strategies is excellent means of stimulating learners to
develop tools of interaction ( Watkins, 2005)
Group work is a generic term covering a multiplicity of techniques in which two or
more students are assigned a task that involves collaborations. We commonly call pair

work for two students in one group. Group work implies small group of students. That is
students in group of six or fewer. Group work can give several advantages in many ways.
Lecturing, explaining grammar points, and conducting drills might be good for
whole class discussion in which each student can get a few seconds to talk. A big class of
about 40 students or more group work helps to solve the problems which take place in a big
class. In a big class many students are reluctant to share their ideas or problems, where as in
small group work they can help each other. The teacher might be able to help the students
who have got some special problems.
One of the problems of a big class is variety of students ability and attitude. In a big
class, many students are too shy to speak English. They feel embraced when they make
mistakes. Whereas in a small group, they are encouraged to talk. They have got the
opportunity to prepare everything before they talk in front of the class.
In a big class consisting of 40 students, many students are successful to avoid doing
task since the teacher let them answer the questions one by one. On small group work, it is
difficult for any student to hide or avoid doing the task. Group work plays responsibility for
their work.
Each student in a classroom has unique needs and abilities. Everybody in one big
class has different range of proficiency level. Small group can help students capitalize upon
their individual differences. A teacher can do it by careful selection of small groups and by
administering different task to different group.
Though a teacher is successful to get his students work in group, it does not mean
that he can create interactive teaching. In order to promote the quality of group work, tasks
take a very important role. In other words, the selection of appropriate tasks can determine
the quality of students interaction in the group. Lectures, drill, dictations, certain listening
tasks, silent reading are not suitable for small group work. The followings are some
examples of small group work tasks.
a. Games.
This type of task can develop both social skill and integrated language skills (listening,
speaking, reading and writing) in one activity. Games can also increase students
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motivation. Either the teacher or students can choose one kind of game that is suitable for
the topic of discussion to develop language skill. For example: guessing words, guessing
pictures, etc.

b. Role play and simulation.

Role play minimally involves giving a role to one or more members of a group and
assigning an objective that participants must accomplish. Doing a role play students try to
act like what happen in real life. They use the language properly. In pairs, for example:
Students A is an employer, students B is a prospective employee. The objective is for A to
interview B. In this way they will develop certain skills. Role play can also involve
discussions of a certain issue. Simulation usually involves more complex structure and is
often conducted by a larger group (6 to 20), where the group members are working through
an imaginary situation as a social unit. The objective is to solve special problems.
c. Drama.
Drama is a more formalized form of a role play or simulation with a pre planned story
line and script. A small group may prepare their own short dramatization of some event.
They can write the script and rehears the scene as a group. In this way they will practice
writing and speaking. How ever, it might be time consuming.
d. Projects.
Certain project can benefit young learners. Every group in our class can do different
things. For example, the teacher gives tasks for all groups to write a plan for developing the
school. So group A will work for developing the library, group B works for developing
laboratory, etc. At last each group can display their own work; and the other group can give
comment.
e. Interview.

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It is very popular activity for pair work. It is very useful for the level of proficiency . At
the lower level, interview could be limited to using requesting function, leaning vocabulary
for expressing personal data, producing questions etc.

f. Brainstorming.
It is a technique of which purpose is to initiate some sort of thinking process. It is
often put to excellent use in preparing students to read a text, to discuss a complex issue, or
to write on a topic.
g. Information Gap
This activity includes a tremendous variety of technique. Its objective is to convey
or request information. There are two characteristics of information gap technique. 1) The
primary attention is information. 2) the objective of communication is to reach information.
However, students will learn the language by practicing it.
h. Jigsaw.
Jigsaw techniques are special form of information gap. In this activity each group is
given some specific or different information. The goal is to pool all information to achieve
some objectives. In this way the students can practice reading, listening and speaking. One
common activity of jigsaw is the use of strip story in which students try to get the whole
story.
I. Problem Solving and Decision Making.
This technique focuses on group solution on special problem. It might involves jigsaw
characteristics. The problem can be simple (e.g. getting and giving direction on a map) or
complex (e.g. solving a mystery in crime story). The important thing in this technique is
how students use the language. Decision making technique is a simple kind of problem
solving of which goal is to make a decision.
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j. Opinion Exchange.
This technique involves a debate on certain opinions. An opinion is usually a believe or
feeling that might not be found on empirical data. Opinions are difficult for students to deal
with at the beginning level, but for intermediate level, certain technique may be effective.
Not all topics contain opinion. The topics can be related with moral, ethical, religious,
political issues. They can be hot item for classroom debate.
6. Excuses for avoiding group work.
Some teachers are afraid of group work. They feel they will lose control, or students
will just use their native language, teachers can not monitor all group at once; some learners
prefer to work alone. The apprehensions are understandable. Group work does not mean
simply putting them into group and having them do what we would. As mentioned above,
group work is aimed at creating such learning environment that students will be able to
learn from each other, and increase communication to develop competences.
In some cases a teacher might avoid using group works strategy as he thinks control
is very important. There some situations in which control is important: a) you are teaching
in an institution where the administrator requires that we teach a traditional methodology;
b)you are teaching in a culture where good teaching is defined as students quietly
working in orderly fashion, c) you are teaching very large class ( of seventy five or more)
where too many small groups are difficult to manage, d) you are teaching a group of
unruly students, where discipline is a major issue, e) you are non native speakers without
confidence to let your students go in small group. In these cases control might be an issue.
B. Genre Based Instruction
1. Rational for implementing Genre Based Instruction
In teaching and learning English in Indonesia, teachers are more concerned with
how students use the language in social interaction. In other words language is seen as
social phenomena. It means the language is used in context of situation and culture.

As

Language is considered as a means of communication, Model of English education in

Indonesia is developed based on culture and context of situation. Now lets see how context
of culture and situation affect the language in our education.
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Konteks Budaya
Genre
Konteks Situasi
Tenor
Field

Mode
Register
TEXT

: Text and Context Relationship (Hammond et al. 1992:1)

The above diagram shows that a context of culture produces different kinds of genre.
In English culture, for example, we know many kinds of text such as narrative, descriptive,
recount, report, transactional dialogue, etc. Those kinds of text are often used in daily life.
Even British children need to learn how to tell the real past events orally or in written
language. It is due to the fact that in order to become a good citizen every body should
learn to communicate.
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Since the English education in Indonesia is aimed at developing students

communicative competence, the national curriculum (Content Standard) is designed on
genre based instruction. In SMA year I, for example, we can see the competence standard is
Memahami makna teks fungsional pendek dan teks monolog sederhana berbentuk
recount, narrative dan prosedur dalam konteks kehidupan sehari-hari. It means that the
students should be able to understand the meaning of both short functional text and
monologs. The texts are recounts, and procedure used in daily life. That is the reason why
genre based instruction is recommended.
Genre-based instruction sees communicative competence as involving the mastery
of different activity types and text types. Communicative competence involves ability to
use different kinds of spoken and written texts in the specific contexts of their use. In
classroom practice, teachers are recommended to develop students ability to communicate
in different kinds of texts recommended in the content standard.
As the name is genre based Instruction, the core units of planning in GBI are
activity types and text types. These are identified through needs analysis and through the
analysis of language as it is used in different settings. However, the syllabus also usually
specifies other components of texts, such as grammar, vocabulary, topics and functions;
hence it is type of mixed syllabus, one which integrates reading, writing and oral
communication and which teaches grammar through the mastery of texts rather than
in isolation.
Communicative competence is the goal of genre based Instruction. In classroom
practice, a teacher does not only have to teach English in context based on genre but
train students how to learn English. In this way students will develop their
communicative competence continually until they become independent learners
2. The implementation of Genre Based Instruction
How can students become independent learners?

Helena gives the following

description of how a genre-based approach is implemented in two cycles and four phases:
The two cycles are oral cycle and written cycles. In oral cycle, students will learn oral
English to develop listening and speaking skills, while in written cycles students will learn
written English to develop reading and writing.
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Every cycle consists of four stages. The four stages are building the context
(building Knowledge of the field), modeling and deconstructing of the text, joined
construction of the text, and independent construction of the text. The followings are short
explanation about how a teacher can carry out the four stages.
Phase1. Building the context
This stage is aimed at developing students knowledge related with context, so that
they are well prepared to involve the next stage. The teacher might do it many times. Many
teachers build students knowledge of language (vocabulary and structure in context).
There are several activities involved in this stage. 1) Students are introduced to
social context of an authentic model of a certain text type. 2) Students are lead to
explore features of the general cultural context in which the text-type is used and the
social purposes the text-type achieves. 3) Students are lead to do an exploration of
register. It involves building knowledge of the topic of the model text and knowledge
of the social activity in which the text is used, e.g. such as job seeking, understanding
the roles and relationships of the people using the text and how these are established
and maintained, e.g. the relationship between a job seeker and a prospective employer,
understanding the channel of communication being used, e.g. using the telephone,
speaking face-to-face with members of an interview panel.
Context building activities include: 1) Presenting the context through pictures,
audiovisual materials, realia, excursions, field-trips, guest speakers etc. 2) Establishing the
social purpose through discussions or surveys etc, 3) Cross cultural activities such as
comparing differences in the use of the text in two cultures. 4) Comparing the model text
with other texts of the same or contrasting type e.g. comparing a job interview with a
complex spoken exchange involving close friends, a work colleague or a stranger in a
service encounter.
Phase 2 Modeling and deconstructing the text
In this stage students are introduced with one type of text. They might be given
several examples or topics of the same type of text. Students can do some important points
until they are very familiar with the type of the text. During this stage students can do some
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activities, such as, 1) the most important is developing language skills, for example reading
skills, 2) at the same time students can develop learning strategy to improve language skills,
3) after language skills and learning strategies are developed, students are led to investigate
the structural pattern and language features of the model, and comparing the model with
other examples of the same text-type.
Phase 3. Joint construction of the text
In this stage students still learn the same type of text. Students begin to contribute to the
construction of whole examples of the text-type. The teacher gradually reduces the
contribution to text construction, as the students move closer to being able to control texttype independently
Joint construction activities include: 1) teacher questioning, discussing and editing
whole class construction, then scribing onto board or OHT, 2) Skeleton texts, 3) jigsaw and
information gap activities, 4) small group construction of texts, 5) self-assessment and peer
assessment activities.
Phase 4. Independent construction of the text
In this stage students still learn the same type of text, but in different ways. Students work
independently with the text. Learner performances are used for achievement assessment.
There are some activities involved in this stage. For example: in oral cycles, 1)
students can do listening tasks, e.g. comprehension activities in responding to live or
recorded material such as performing a task, sequencing pictures, numbering, ticking or
underlining material on a worksheet, answering questions; 2) students can do listening and
speaking tasks, e.g. role plays, simulated or authentic dialogues; 3) students can do
speaking tasks e.g. spoken presentation to class, community organization, workplace
In written cycles, students can do reading tasks e.g. comprehension activities in
responding to written material such as performing a task, sequencing pictures, numbering,
ticking or underlining material on a worksheet, answering questions. They can also do
writing tasks which demand that students draft and present whole texts
Apart from the four stages above, a teacher can add another stage. This stage is
linking to related texts. In this stage students investigate how what they have learnt in this
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teaching/learning cycle can be related to other texts in the same or similar context and
future or past cycles of teaching and learning
Activities which link the text-type to related texts include: 1) comparing the use of
the text-type across different fields; 2) researching other text-types used in the same field,
3) role-playing what happens if the same text-type is sued by people with different roles
and relationships; 4) comparing spleen and written modes of the same text-type; 5)
researching how a key language feature in this text-type is used in other text-types.
C. Competency-Based Instruction
1. What is Competency Based Instruction?
Competency-based instruction is an approach to the planning and delivery of
courses that has been in widespread use since the 1970s. The application of its principles to
language teaching is called Competency-Based Language Teaching - an approach that has
been widely used as the basis for the design of work-related and survival-oriented language
teaching programs for adults. It seeks to teach students the basic skills they need in order to
prepare them for situations they commonly encounter in everyday life. Recently
competency-based frameworks have become adopted in many countries, particularly for
vocational and technical education. They are also increasingly being adopted in national
language curriculum, as has happened recently in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and
the Philippines.
What characterizes a competency-based approach is the focus on the outcomes of learning
as the driving force of teaching and the curriculum. Auerbach (1986) identifies eight
features involved in the implementation of CBI programs in language teaching: The goal is
to enable students to become autonomous individuals capable of coping
with the demands of the world.
a. Rather than teaching language in isolation, CBLT teaches language as a function of
communication about concrete tasks. Students are taught just those language
forms/skills required by the situations in which they will function. These forms are
normally determined by needs analysis.

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b.

What counts is what students can do as a result of instruction. The emphasis is on

overt behaviors rather than on knowledge or the ability to talk about language and
skills.

c.

Language learning is broken down into meaningful chunks. Objectives are broken
into narrowly focused sub-objectives so that both teachers and students can get a
clear sense of progress.

d.

Outcomes are public knowledge, known and agreed upon by both learner and
teacher. They are specified in terms of behavioral objectives so that students know
what behaviors are expected of them.

e. Students are pre-tested to determine what skills they lack and post-tested after
instruction on that skill. If they do not achieve the desired level of mastery, they
continue to work on the objective and are retested.
f.

Rather than the traditional paper-and-pencil tests, assessment is based on the ability
to demonstrate pre-specified behaviors.

g.

In content, level, and pace, objectives are defined in terms of individual needs;
prior learning and achievement are taken into account in developing curricula.
Instruction is not time-based; students progress at their own rates and concentrate on
just those areas in which they lack competence.
There are two things to note about competency-based instruction. First, it seeks to

build more accountability into education by describing what a course of instruction seeks to
accomplish. Secondly it shifts attention away from methodology or classroom processes, to
learning outcomes. In a sense one can say that with this approach it doesnt matter what
methodology is employed as long as it delivers the learning outcomes.
2. Implementing a competency-based Instruction
Based on the characteristic above CBI is good developing English in Vocational
School .CBI is often used in programs that focus on learners with very specific language
needs. In such cases the specific language skills need to function in a specific context is the
focus... The starting point in course planning is therefore an identification of the tasks the
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learner will need to carry out within a specific setting (e.g. such as in the role of factory
worker, restaurant employee, or nurse) and the language demands of those tasks. The
competencies need for successful task performance are then identified and used as the basis
for course planning. For example part of a specification of competencies for a job training
course includes the following: a) identify different kinds of jobs using simple help-wanted
ads; b) describe personal work experience and skills; c) demonstrate ability to fill out a
simple job application with assistance; d) produce required forms of identification for
employment; e) identify social security, income tax deductions and tax forms; f)
demonstrate understanding of employment expectations, rules, regulations and safety; g)
demonstrate understanding of basic instruction and ask for clarification on the job; h)
demonstrate appropriate treatment of co-workers (politeness and respect).
III. Conclusion
Based on the explanation above we can conclude that language especially English is
an important subject for students in Indonesia, as it can help them learn other subjects and
develop leaning skills so that they can learn for ever. Therefore the learning goal is to
develop students communicative competence. In order to reach the goal, teacher needs to
conduct effective teaching and learning. The possible classroom types for effective teaching
on English as foreign language in Indonesia, which is in accordance to the curriculum are
Interactive teaching and learning, genre based instructions,

and competence based

instruction, which is suitable for Vocational school.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Astika, Gusti 2004. A task-based approach to syllabus design. The ACELT Journal, 8, April
2004, 11-17.
Auerbach, E.R.1986. Competency-based ESL: one step forward or two steps back? TESOL
Quarterly 20(3): 411-430.
Beglar, David and Alan Hunt. 2002. Implementing task-based language teaching. In Jack
Richards and Willy Renandya (eds). Methodology in Language Teaching: an
Anthology of Current Practice. New York: Cambridge University Press.

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Bou-Franch, Patricia 2001. Conversation in foreign language instruction. In V. Codina and

E. Alcon (eds). Language Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom. Castellon:
Publications de la Universitat Jaume 1 pp 53-73
Burns, Anne. 1998. Teaching speaking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 18, 102-123.
Council of Europe 2001 Common European Framework of References for Languages:
Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Feez, S.1998. Text-Based Syllabus Design. Sydney: National Centre for English teaching
and Research.
Kerr, Rosalie and Jennifer Smith 1978. Nucleus: Nursing Science. London: Longman
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Krahnke,K. 1987. Approaches to Syllabus Design for Foreign Language Teaching. New
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Prabhu, N.S. 1987. Second Language Pedagogy. Oxford:. Oxford University Press.
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Skehan, 1996. Second language acquisition research and task-based instruction. In J.
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Willis and D. Willis (eds) 1996. Challenge and Change in Language Teaching. Oxford:
Heinemann.
Van Ek, J. and L.G.Alexander. 1980. Threshold Level English. Oxford: Pergamon.
Willis, Jane 1996. A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Harlow: Longman.
Wu, Siew-Mei 1996. Content-based ESL at high school level: a case study. Prospect. 11,
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