eBook: Fluent English

Fluent English Author: Barbara Raifsnider

Introduction from the author

Fluent English is a high intermediate-/advanced-level course in English as a second or foreign language. It is designed to meet the needs of the intermediate-level student in vocabulary, grammar, listening comprehension, idiomatic usage, and pronunciation. It offers a great deal of practice in each of these areas, through both written exercises and recorded materials. The language used in this course is realistic and practical, and the situations in each of its twenty lessons offer a cultural context that will be recognizable and relevant to most intermediate-level students of English.

The course is divided into twenty lessons covering a range of topics from small talk and social situations, to telephones and business meetings, to computers, politics, and the Internet. Each lesson offers essential vocabulary related to its topic, as well as important phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions that are typically challenging to the intermediate-level student. The lessons are divided into ten sections, each of which focuses on a different English language skill:

• Say It Clearly! The first section of each lesson is a recorded pronunciation and intonation warm-up. These sections focus on aspects of pronunciation and intonation that are typically challenging for intermediate students of English — consonant clusters, linking, reduced English, challenging sounds, etc.
  
  
• English at Work. The second section of each lesson features English in realistic contexts, ranging from dialogues to recorded messages to readings. The English at Work section is the cornerstone of each lesson, where the important grammatical structures and vocabulary are demonstrated. These sections are all recorded, giving the student an opportunity to hear and model native speakers.
  
  
• Build Your Vocabulary. The vocabulary section of each lesson includes certain vocabulary from the English at Work section as well as other general vocabulary related to the topic of the lesson. Each word or expression is defined in simple English, and an example is given to show realistic usage.
  
  
• English under the Hood. Each lesson focuses on three important grammatical structures. Explanations are complete and straightforward, and plenty of examples are given to demonstrate each construction in context. Each grammatical point is also followed by a practice drill, giving the student a chance to practice and check comprehension.
  
  
• Phrasal Verbs. Each lesson includes a list of important and common phrasal verbs centered either on a common base verb, such as take or get, or a particular theme.
  
  
• Each phrasal verb is clearly defined, and examples of usage follow each definition.
  
• Real English. Important idiomatic expressions related to the topic or theme of each lesson is included in the Real English section. This section is in the form of a short paragraph, where idiomatic expressions are used in context. The student should be able to understand the meaning of each expression from context, but each idiom is also defined in an appendix at the back of the book.
  
  
• Bring it All Together. Each lesson also includes five comprehensive review exercises. The first exercise focuses on the vocabulary from the lesson, the next three focus on the grammar and structure, and the last one focuses on the phrasal verbs introduced in that lesson.
  
  
• Listen Up! Each lesson includes a recorded listening comprehension exercise. The student is directed to listen to a short article or dialogue on a topic related to the lesson, and then to answer questions written in the book. The Listen Up sections are designed to use both vocabulary and idiomatic expressions related to the theme of the lesson.
  
  
• Why Do They Do That? Each lesson includes a culture note that explains an aspect of American culture related to the lesson's topic. These aspects of culture range from table manners to home ownership to driving habits to proper behavior while being pulled over for speeding. The culture notes are designed to be both interesting and relevant to the student's experiences.
  
  
• Answer Key. Each lesson also includes a key to all exercises.
  
  
  
  
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Sex Education for Children, is it necessary?

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

In Indonesia, sex is still considered as taboo matter to be discussed. Some people think that sex must be about pornography or nudity. As a result, they never think to talk about sex in public, and to their children either. Then, how if children ask parents where is baby origin? Most of people in my community may answer with different point answer, such as it comes from heaven, and the others may ignore their children questions by saying ‘you don’t have to know about that, Son’. These answers may not be a solution for some children having high curiosity of knowledge. The main question in my mind, is it necessary giving children knowledge about sex?

As discussed above, sex is not only about pornography or sexual activity. According to Concise Oxford Dictionary Eleventh Edition, there are two definition of sex:

1. either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions. (1.2) The fact of belonging to one of these categories. (1.3) The group of all members of either sex.

2. sexual activity, specifically sexual intercourse. (euphemistic) A person's genitals.

Regarding those definition, sex also related to male/female reproductive function and some matter related to that. Since sex is still taboo matter in some communities, introducing sex to children is often ignored.

           Parents can start to give understanding about sex to children by explaining about gender. Telling whether your kid is a girl or boy is important to avoid the digression. Parents can start to tell their kid about gender even when their kid is still a baby. For example, if parents have a girl they can give her many girly things. Parents can give girly toys, such as doll, kitchen set toys, etc. This intends to avoid their daughter becoming boyish.

             When children growing older, parents may give them understanding about some matter related to their kid’s genital. Children must know that it is private and they cannot show it in public. Some parents in my community sometimes let their kid walking around without wearing pants, or they even let their kids pee anywhere. However, it is important to habituate kids to wear proper suit.

            Reaching teenage, children may become more complex because they have both childish and adult side. Parents need to emphasize to giving understanding about some puberty indication, including menstruation for a girl, and the difference pitch of voice for a boy. Parents need to guide them wisely. In this age, children also already attracted to their opposite sex. Because of that, parents have to explain that there are some constraints of having relationship with opposite sex. This is to avoid free sex that endangers their reproductive organ. Teach them to avoid free sex is better than advice them to use condom while having a sex intercourse.

26/SEPT/09

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‘Meraih Mimpi’, an Educative Animation Movie for Children.

After ‘laskar Pelangi’ and ‘Denias, Senandung di atas Awan’, I am interested in ‘Meraih Mimpi’, the first musical animation movie in Indonesia. This movie is an impressive animation movie which provides some morality education, such as tolerance and spirit of reaching the expectation. The movie setting is in a village and forest of Batam island which is also settled by various specific Indonesian animals.

The story is about Dana (cast: Gita Gutawa) who is forced to follow patriarchies tradition and also the domination of the land lord who burdens her family even all the villagers with expensive land tax. In fact, the land lord, Pairot (cast: Surya Saputra), has implicit goal to chase the villagers away of his land. He wants to build a hotel and casino there. However, Dana cannot let this happening and attempts to win scholarship competition to continue her study. She needs proper education to fight against Pairot’s plan. Together with some jungle animals and her brother, Rai (cast: Patton “idola cilik”), Dana is not only successfully achieve the scholarship but also finds the real identity of Pairot.

‘Meraih Mimpi’ which provides a story about a girl and her family which care about animals and environments, hopefully, can be a positive inspiration to many children, especially Indonesian kids. This movie also emphasizes on the gender equality which demands the same right between women and men. Through some messages implied here, children will obtain some valuable morality education which is really necessary for them.

Reading: www.meraihmimpi.com

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Do you make an Error or a Mistake in language learning?

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

Language is an oral or written communication media which is including the process of encoding and decoding a meaning. Besides each language is also has a structure which is required to avoid misleading of the meaning. In English, time gives main influences to the structure of a sentence. People need to speak differently when they want to tell their past, present or future activities.

The complexity of a language may lead us to do error or mistake. Then, what is the difference between error and mistake? In my opinion, error can be related to the wrong concept of language understanding. For example:

Andy writes these following sentences:

1. Tari plays the piano every day.
   
2. They play the piano every day.
   
3. Tari can plays the piano.
   
4. They can play the piano.
   

From the example we can see that Andy doing something wrong with his sentences. He is completely error in writing those sentences. He takes the simple present tense concept to be applied to the sentences followed by modal verb ‘can’. Error can be dangerous for the language learner. Since the language learners think that they do the right, they may redo their error in the same case.

Meanwhile, for someone who already knows the concept but doing something wrong can be said that he/she doing a mistake. Mistakes often occur because of reckless act both in writing and speaking. Example of mistake:

Andy writes these following sentences:

1. They work in the hotel.
   
2. We works in the cabin.
   
3. Jono works in the restaurant.
   
4. They can work in the hotel.
   
5. Jono can work in the restaurant.
   

Regarding to the example, Andy does a mistake in the sentence no. 2. He already knows the concept of simple present tense but still doing something wrong.

Both error and mistake must be avoided to master a language. Language learners need to practice the target language to stay away from doing a mistake or error. Furthermore, language learners can elaborate their language understanding by reading recent writing and learning other aspects influencing the target language, for example: culture.

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Entrepreneurship for a better future part II

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

A desperate man writes a letter to one of private television company in Indonesia asking for help to publish information that he wants to sell his kidney. The man is considered suffering hard depressive condition since he does not get a job for a long time. The man named Ahmad, not his real name, has a reason to do this risky act. He wants to get some money that he can use to make his family happy.

This man had left his wife and child for some years to get a job in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Since there are many difficulties in looking for job, he never gets one. Jakarta which is a metropolis city of Indonesia is always being a destination for some job seekers all around Indonesia. However, this city also offers many problems because there are many inhabitants living here. Many new comers of Jakarta trapped in poverty and cannot go back to their homeland.

Poverty which also becomes Ahmad’s problem enforces Ahmad and turns his mentality down. He finally finds an irrational idea to sell his kidney for some money. However, he meets difficulties to publish his desire and then he decides to write to a private television institution. He wants to find someone who needs his kidney.

Regarding to Ahmad’s problem, we can see that some people may still has mindset that becoming an employee is the only financial problem solver. Ahmad even does not find other ways out besides selling his kidney. If he really sells his kidney, will he really get better life? One of main speaker of the interactive talk show TV program with Ahmad said that someone who is rarely gets much money usually has big desire to spend those money for shopping rather than manages those money for something profitable, for example starting a business.

A doctor who is also attends the talk show program tells that transferring kidney is not easy procedure. The process of legal kidney transfer is very complex and expensive. Besides, losing the kidney will also affect the health condition of a person. How if Ahmad gets more money while he will also get health problem? Will his family be happy for that? I think Ahmad need to consider this.

This problem also can be a proof that we really need to obtain entrepreneurship and leadership to face the real life. Hopefully, government will consider providing some programs that educate people to be independent, skillful and having Entrepreneurship mindset. Thus, people will have ability and bravery to make their own business and be able to get proper life.

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Education System of Indonesia (UU no. 20 tahun 2003)

What is Education? Education is planed efforts to create learning activity and its process so that students can actively develop their own talent to get spiritual-religious value, self control, personality, intelligence, and skill which are needed for their self, society, and nation(Education system of Indonesia, chapter 1 verse 1/ SISDIKNAS).

The rule no. 20 year 2003 regulates the education system of Indonesia. On that rule, government tries to explain the definition of education, the educational profession, curriculum, and many other matters related to the education.

  If you are interested in learning this rule, you can download it using this link below: http://www.ziddu.com/download/6603843/sisdiknas.pdf.html

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Teacher as the students’ facilitator

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

Teacher is a respectable profession which can be said as a form of dedication in the education field. A teacher has to be able to give a good example to the students. In my opinion, teacher shall not only transfer knowledge but also educate and guide the students to be better than before. Teacher has main job to convey certain learning subject, however teacher cannot forget to educate the students about the morality, attitude, behavior, and mentality.

In addition, a teacher can make self-discipline as the priority, and use proper teaching method or technique which is adjusted to the students’ condition. In educating the students, teacher can consider Javanese proverb from Ki Hajar Dewantoro, they are ‘ing ngarso sung tulodo, ing madyo mangun karso, and tut wuri handayani’. This proverb reflects teachers’ ethic code which all teachers shall think about it. Teacher can also take some valuable meaning of that proverb.

First, ‘ing ngarso sung tuladha’ means that teacher has to be able to give good example for the students. Besides, there is another Javanese proverb said that ‘Guru digugu lan ditiru’ which means that teacher is trusted and must be took as the example for the students. The implementation of a good attitude, behavior and morality will influence the students to do the same. Besides, a teachers need to be open minded and appreciate the suggestion or criticism for them.

The other value which teacher can obtain is that teacher has to be able to influence and control the students. In this case, teacher’s attitude and personality will be the main instrument to change the students’ behavior. Teachers is not a person which must make students afraid or scare, teacher can be ‘friend’ or ‘peer’ during the teaching and learning process without ignoring the power as a teacher.

The last, teacher need to appreciate the various potential of the students. Each student may have different talent, expectation, and attitude. However, all of them have positive potential that have to be developed. This is teacher chance as a professional education worker to turn the students to better. Teacher can adjust the teaching method and need to be the facilitator for the students in transferring the knowledge.

In conclusion, teacher does not only covey some learning material to the students but also educate them about morality, attitude and behavior. Besides, teacher takes the main control and influence of the students, then teacher need to take this chance to develop students’ potential.

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Free Idul Fitri Card

"Happy Idul Fitri to all Muslim all over the world. Please forgive all my faults and let me be better than yesterday."

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The art of writing and speaking the English Language

An eBook written by Sherwin Cody

The mastery of language is important for our success in life. For sellers, for example, they won’t sell anything if they can’t describe the advantages of their goods or when they’re not able to write an interesting advertisement using effective English (Cody, 2006: 8). Therefore, it is clear that good language mastery will lead us to success.

Language is a medium of communication. Language is merely a medium for thoughts, emotions, the intelligence of a finely wrought brain, and a good mind will make far more out of a bad medium than a poor mind will make out of the best ( Cody, 2006: 8). It is very useful to make a relationship, improve the networking, and communicate in the society.

In this eBook you can learn many things related to writing and speaking skill. The first one, this book provide you the word study, including the study of spelling, the mastery of irregular words, and the mastery of regular words.

Do you want to know about this eBook? You can download the eBook here

Click link below to download

http://www.ziddu.com/download/6537216/The_Art_of_Writing_and_Speak.pdf.html

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Constructing a good English lesson plan

By Azys Syaiful Anwar
16/09/09

Teachers need to arrange a set of activity before they’re going to teach the students. Teachers may write or just take the points of their plan in the mind. There are some important matters of writing a simple English lesson plan:

First of all, teachers need to choose suitable topic by looking up the topic from their syllabus, for example: animals, colors, Alphabets or fruits. Then, teachers have to specify the skill that they’re taught whether it is writing, speaking, listening or reading skill. Next, they can set allotted time for a teaching session. Don’t forget to set the objectives or goals of the lesson.

Whom do they teach? Do they teach young learner or adult? It is important to determine the teaching method. Since young learner and adult have different characteristic, they need different treatment in language teaching. Young learners are quickly acquiring the lesson if there are no pressures in the teaching process. Besides, they have more energy not only for learning but also other activity. However, they enjoy fun and interesting language learning. Meanwhile, adults are mature and able to attend a course in convenience.

After teachers finish writing the topic, allotted time, level and objective, they can start to write their teaching activities. The first one is warming up session. In this session, teachers can do brainstorming to students by asking several questions related to the topic. This intends to introduce the topic to students indirectly. After that, teachers can explain their objectives of their lesson.

The second part of lesson plan is the presentation session. In this session teacher give complete explanation about their lesson. Teachers can use a text which specific genre to give a proper modeling. From the text, teachers can elucidate some new vocabulary to students. Besides, teacher needs to give details information about the language feature used in the text. Then, teachers have to assess students understanding level by creating certain exercises related to the modeling session.

If the students completely understand what the teachers taught, teachers can continue to the next session. That is joint construction or group exercise. Teachers can ask student to do an exercises in a group. Then, there is an interaction between students. It can help students to learn from their friends.

After students complete their group assignment, they can now ready to face individual assessment. Teachers can give them home works.

Download example of a lesson plan:
http://www.ziddu.com/download/6523882/lessonplan.pdf.html

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Textbook Vs Computer, which one is the best?

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

Formerly, textbook is the most helpful media that supports the teaching and learning process. Since textbook constructed with complete materials which are meet the requirement of school curriculum, textbook becomes the main resources of the teaching and learning process. For Example, textbook written by J.S Badudu (I’m forget the book’s title) is the primary resources which is used in teaching Indonesian of junior high school (1999, when I was junior high school student).

The other resource which teacher mostly used is students’ worksheets book (LKS). These students’ worksheets are usually written based on the textbook. It means either textbook or students’ worksheet used to explain the same material. In my opinion, students’ worksheets will not give positive impact to students. Since the students’ worksheets arranged with the summary of each topics discussed in the textbook, students tend to use it to learn the material. However, students’ worksheet is more helpful for the teachers. Teachers do not need to write some exercises related to what they are taught.

 

In the recent year, technology dominates many aspects of life including education. One media which has multipurpose function is a computer. Computer may very familiar to us as an entertaining device for gamer; working property for designer, officer, employee, etc; and it can be a learning assistant when it is used by students. The concept of learning emphasizes on the use of computer to help learner understanding the lesson can be said as CAL (computer assisted learning).

 

The combination of hardware and software is very important in the CAL. Hardware is the real device. Meanwhile, Software presents some programs containing the learning material. Students can study in more convenience through CAL. They can even study by self using many educative software which may recommended by their teacher. Do you think they have less social contact? I don’t think so. CAL also accommodates the use of internet that allows learner having social interaction through computer mediated communication, for example email, forum, and blog. Besides, internet can be used as unlimited information access. Learner can search many recent learning resources, including article, eBook and journal.

In conclusion, book or computer, each of them has advantages and disadvantages. Since textbook is containing proper material that meet school curriculum need, it is considered as a useful learner resources which can be learned anytime and anywhere. Meanwhile, computer has advance technology assisting learner in learning the lesson. So, I think using both computer and textbook as learning resources is the best solution. Then, How about you?

14/09/09

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Homeschooling, the alternative way of study

By Azys Syaiful Anwar 

In Indonesia, homeschooling becomes one of many options in educating children. There are some reasons to pick homeschooling as the alternative way of learning. First, some parents may feel unsatisfied with school curriculum which may not fulfill their children talent. Besides, they also think that they are ready to educate children in the house. For example, People living in big city and out of country usually decide on homeschooling to educate their children.

Parents and other family members take an important part of the implementation of homeschooling. They need to create fun and creative learning atmosphere that supports children to study. As a result, children’s talent can maximally develop as what parents expected. Besides, homeschooling also provides significant learning process, because it is integrated to the daily activities and have flexible learning time.

In addition, parents have to aware that their role is as the facilitator. They can take children as their friends. Likewise, they shall not act arrogantly to children. Actually, children love to play, so parents shall not easily blame their childish attitude. Parents can create activities related to the learning material to reduce children useless actions.

Another essential thing to know is that parents need to transfer more knowledge to children. However, parents do not need to master all the learning material, such as English, Mathematic or Physics. They can ask Tutor to teach their children. It will be better than parents force to teach children without proper knowledge. Nevertheless, parents have to make time for their children. In the other word, parents cannot hand all the teaching responsibility to the Tutor.

Finally, when children complete their homeschooling program, they can attend ‘Paket A’ (or, equal with elementary school) or Paket B (equal with Junior high school) examination test as the learning assessment of homeschooling program. Besides, they can join formal school for evaluation process.

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Teaching reading to children

1. The best time to teach children
   

It is essential to note that children with younger age will be better to learn something. They are able to acquire many new things. When children reach one year old or less, parents can start to teach; even parents may begin to teach them since they still infants. Parents usually speak as they have conversation to their infants. Through this way, parents can stimulate infants’ hearing sense. Besides, parents also can use picture to teach.

Another important thing is the parents or children mood. Parents must not teach if they have bad mood. Likewise, if children have bad mood, parents shall not force them to learn. Bad mood can be caused by fatigue, problems, stress, etc. Parents can postpone their lesson until the situation going better.

2. How long you can teach your kids.

The duration of teaching kids is also important. Can you imagine if your kids feel bored with your lesson? Children dislike something serious. They enjoy something fun, such as games, pictures, and other activities. To teach them, parents can arrange a fun concise activity, for example game. The activity has to take a short duration, and parents must stop before children asking to end the lesson.

3. The method of teaching children

The first thing you need to do is teaching children the alphabet. As discussed above, children dislike serious learning. Parents can create fun activity in teaching alphabet, such as using alphabet song. Then, parents will be able to teach them combined alphabet to form a word, for example e-g-g. In this session, children are taught how to spell a word. When parents read a story to children, they can also ask their children to read a simple word in the book. Parents may choose the short simple word, then longer word.

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Language teaching method

Methods are sets of teaching plans, strategies and techniques used to organize classroom practice (Cole and Chan, 1994: 4). There are some methods of language teaching that can be used by teachers. H.H. Stern (1983: 452) said there are six language-teaching methods which are commonly used, they are:

1) Grammar-Translation or traditional method

This method emphasizes the teaching of the second language grammar; its principal practice technique is translation from and into target language. The languages is presented in short grammatically chapters or lesson each containing a few grammar points or rules which are set out and illustrated by examples.

The grammatical features that are focused upon in the course book and by the teacher in his lesson are not disguised or hidden. A technical grammatical terminology is not avoided. The learner is expected to study and memorize a particular rule and example, for instance, a verb paradigm or a list of preposition. No systematic approach is usually made to vocabulary or any other aspect of second language. Exercise is consists of words, phrases, and sentences in the first language which the learner, with the help of bilingual vocabulary list, translates into the target language in order to practice the particular item or group item.

2) The direct method

The direct method is characterized by the use of the range language as means of instruction and communication in the language classroom, and by the avoidance of the use of the first language and of translation as a technique. The standard procedure involves the classroom presentation of a ‘text’ by the teacher.

The text is usually a short specially constructed foreign language narrative in the textbook. Difficult expressions are explained in the target language with the help of paraphrases, synonyms, demonstration, or context. Grammatical observations are derived from the text read and students are encouraged to discover for themselves the grammatical principle involved. Exercises involve transpositions, substitutions, dictation, narrative, and free composition. Since the direct method class involves much use of the spoken language, stress, is also laid on the acquisition of a good pronunciation.

3) The reading method

This method deliberately restricts the goal of language learning to training in reading comprehension. In this method, the use of the first language is not banned in language instruction as in the grammar-translation method. The introduction in the second language is oral as in the direct method because facility in pronunciation and ‘inner speech’ are regarded as an important aid in reading comprehension.

4) The audio-lingual method

This method has several distinctive characteristic: (1) separation of the skills–listening, speaking, reading, and writing– and the primacy of the audio-lingual over the graphic skills; (2) the use of dialogues as the chief means of presenting the languages; (3) emphasis on certain practice technique, mimicry, memorization, and pattern drills; (4) the use of the language laboratory; (5) establishing a linguistic and psychology theory as a basis for the teaching method.

5) The audiovisual method

A visually presented scenario provides the chief means of involving the learner in meaningful utterances and contexts. Audiovisual teaching consists of a carefully thought-out but rigid order of events. The lesson begins with the filmstrip and tape presentation. The sound recording provides a stylized dialogue and narrative commentary. A filmstrip frame corresponds to an utterance. In other words, the visual image and spoken utterance complement each other and constitute jointly a semantic unit.

In the second phase of the teaching sequence, the meaning of sense groups is explained (‘explication’) by the teacher through pointing, demonstrating, selective listening, question and answer. In the third phase, dialogue is repeated several times and memorized by frequent replays of the tape-recordings and the filmstrips, or by language laboratory practice. In the next stage, development stage (‘exploitation’ or ‘transposition’), students are gradually emancipated from the tape-and-film-strip presentation.

6) Cognitive theory

The cognitive approach does not reject, disguise or deemphasize the conscious teaching of grammar or of language rules. It does not avoid the presentation of reading and writing in association with listening and speaking. Instead of expecting automatic command of the language and habit-formation from intensive drill, it seeks the intellectual understanding by the learner of the language as a system; and practice of meaningful material is regarded as being of greater merit than the drive towards automatic control. The behaviouristic view of learning in terms of conditioning, shaping, reinforcement, habit-formation, and over learning, has been replaced by an emphasis on rule learning, meaningful practice, and creativity.

Bibliography

Cole, Peter G and Chan, Lorna. 1994. Teaching Principles and Practice. New York. Prentice Hall.

Stern, H.H. 1983. Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. New York: Oxford University Press.

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How children acquiring first language

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

As a simple example, I have analyzed the language development of a child, Fariz Ahza Bahtiar (1.5 years old). I obtain the data by observing Fariz for his latest language development and also interviewing Fariz’s parents to get some information about the language development of Fariz in the past. Based on the observation, I can tabulate the research report in this following table. 

Age (Month)	Speaking ability
7	At this age, Fariz cannot speak any words but he can understand if his mother calls his name. He tries to search the sound source location.
1 2	Fariz is able to speak one syllable words, such as “wah”, “pak”, “ba”, “bu”. He can imitate the word spoken by his mother by saying one syllable of the word, for example when his mother ask a question to Fariz, such as “Dik, Fariz pipis?”, then Fariz imitates his mother by saying “pis”.
18	Fariz has able to speak two syllable words, such as “abuk”, “mimik”, “cucu”. At this stage, Fariz words can be understood. At least, his mother can identify the words spoken by Fariz.

Reading:

Scott, Wendy A. and H. Ytreberg, Lisbeth. 1990. Teaching English to Children. New York: Longman

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Language and Gender

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

In sociolinguistics, language and gender have a close relationship. In addition, there is a question which can be used as a topic of a discussion; it is “why do women speak more politely than a man?” In the other words, women tend to use standard languages than men. Some linguists believe that women aware of their social status in the society. Related to the matter, we have to bring language as a part of social life containing some values which reflected the complexities of social network, politic, and culture in the society.

The differences between men and women are quite clear. Physically, women are weaker than men. Besides, socio-cultural factor also influences their languages or in speaking, for example: their profession, women have different role in a community.

In the Javanese society, a woman, in her activities, is considered to be more polite than a man. In this point of view, women shall speak politely. However, this is not always true. In the daily conversation between mother and her daughter or husband and wife usually informal language is used. Sometimes, the conversation is inserted with colloquial or utterances. Besides, it will be an unwelcome sound for our ear if a woman speaks loudly using rude utterances such as, ‘damn’ or ‘shit’; women usually speak polite words such as: ‘oh dear’, or ‘fudge’. Besides, women often speak using adjectives, such as adorable, charming, divine, lovely and sweet.

This difference in vocabularies which is caused by gender can describe each role of women and men in the community. In addition, women also have different call in the community. People usually called women using polite and elegance calling, such as miss, lady, even babe (baby). In the socialization, men more often talk about sports, business, politic, formal materials or taxes. Meanwhile, women tend to speak about social life, books, foods, drinks, and lifestyles. Likewise, there are also differences in certain English words based on gender, such as actor-actress, waiter-waitress, mr.-mrs, boy-girl, man-woman, etc.

The differences of the way of speaking of women and men are:

Women: Talking too muc, Talking about their private life and emotions, Using less rude words, Like to talk about celebrities issues, If they talk about a man, they may talk about his attitude, personality and care.

  
Men: Talking less than women, not talking about their feeling,Usually talk using rude words, such as damn, shit, fuck,etc, Like to talk about sports, politics, and culture, If they talk about a woman, they mostly talk about their physical appearance. :)

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Entrepreneurship for a better future

By Azys Syaiful Anwar

Recently, the number of job vacancy in Indonesia is less than the number of Indonesian that may increase the unemployment problem. Besides, there are many Indonesian getting a lot of problems to get a job because of their education status. Most of Indonesian may only be graduated from High school even elementary school. However, the problem of finding jobs is also frightening Indonesian having higher education status, for example: scholar or academician degree holder. It means there is something wrong with Indonesian education system. That is the lack of leadership and Entrepreneurship taught in the schools or universities.

Indonesian education system guides people to be an employee and does not train them to be an employer. As a result, people think that having job as an employee is better than having their own business. Moreover, employees, such as state institution workers and private institution workers have higher social status in the community. They may be considered having proper life because of their job. In reverse, this mindset brings people, especially for those having higher education, to be idealist in looking for a job. They feel shame when do not obtain perfect job and become jobless during seeking for a job. Then, how about Indonesian with lower education status? Most of them may work as labors or servants even they go abroad to be labors or servants in the other countries.

From the entrepreneurship seminary which I attended about three months ago, I acquired information that there were about 70% senior high school graduates in US in 2007 decide to start their own business. Meanwhile, there were about 74.000 university graduates in Indonesia become unemployed. Unemployment is a big problem that leads Indonesian economies becoming worse. People need to change their mindset. Job is not the only way to reach success. People can also be an entrepreneur for their own success by starting a business. People can begin from a small business even with a fore thought people can launch bigger business using less money.

Basically, everyone can be a successful entrepreneur who is able to create and develop a business in the right way. An entrepreneur must have entrepreneurship and leadership spirit. Those are able to find opportunities and stand up to some challenges. It does not mean that an entrepreneur is brave to take a risk without any plan or preparation, but an entrepreneur must be able to make a proper plan in running a business. There are three principle of Entrepreneurship:

• Excellent, trying to be the best.
• Innovation, having capability to create something new.
• Anticipation, having capability to anticipate the alteration and having vision to see the opportunities in the future.

Thereby, Entrepreneurship is the most important factor to create the real entrepreneurs who are independent and able to support the national economies condition. To be an entrepreneur, people need to apply the mindset of an entrepreneur, they are creative-innovative, able to find opportunities and stand up to some challenges.

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