PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS


  • Since English is teach as a foreign language in our countries, most students are not familiar with it. Whereas, students’ have limited time to learn English in class, and they still do not have enough encouragement to practice English outside the class in order to get familiar with English. Our project activities analyze the causes that make the students difficult to communicate in English and suggest some solutions that can overcome the difficulties. 
    The first cause that makes the students difficult in speaking English is that the environment does not support the students to speak English frequently. The environment here means the people outside the class. Those people may think that the students just want to show off when they speak English for daily conversation. The response that the students get makes them loose their self-confidence to improve their speaking. Since the students do not want to be rejected by the people around them, so they use their native language in daily conversation. That makes the students unable to communicate in English fluently outside the class.
    The second cause is problem with grammar. English always deals with reference of time while Indonesian does not have one. Moreover, there are singular and plural forms that the students have to distinguish and still many forms that have to be learned. Most students are very easy to get confused with English grammar, while grammar is very needed to form a right sentence. If the students do not have grammar mastery, of course they will not be able to produce sentences that grammatically right. Realizing that the grammar students have is very weak, so they feel embarrassed when they want to produce English sentences orally.
    Now, English is an international language. Even technology and working world use English. It is believed that the students want to be the winner in world competition that is getting tight day by day. One of the conditions that the students must require is having ability to speak English fluently. This skill will be their plus point in facing the working world. From now on, the students have to try hard to overcome their difficulties to speak English fluently.
    There are two ways to encourage students to overcome their problem. The first one is a way for the teacher to do. It is considered necessary for the teacher to force the students only to speak English during the class. The teacher may fine the students every time they speak their native language. The teacher himself must be able to convince his students to be brave to speak English, does not matter if they have very bad grammar. Just say whatever the students want to say. And the teacher must convince his students that making errors is a normal thing in learning. This way will raise students’ confidence to try to speak English. It will be better if the teacher does not give correction every time his students make errors, but he should give feedback and give explanation for every error after the students finish their speech.
    The second solution is for the students themselves. They can have an English conversation place that consists of their friends, classmates. They can share and talk about anything in English during that time. In this common place, they can learn together. Students can correct each other without feeling embarrassed.
    This common place for our project participants are our TwinSpace. Thanks to it our students make friends, develop their English and social skills, feel confidentt and believe in yourselves!