Reflective Learning Logs in the Junior High School Classroom

Relay Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 267-274
Author(s):  
Hirofumi Naruse
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Reflective Process ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
High School Classroom ◽  
Objective View ◽  
Learning Logs

One of the most common foundational definitions of learner autonomy is “the capacity to take control over one’s own learning” (Benson, 2013, p. 2), and reflection is often mentioned together with this term in several language learning contexts. Moon (2013) describes reflection as “a process of re-organizing knowledge emotional orientations in order to achieve further insights”, and this reflective process plays an important role in fostering autonomy. Benson (2013) argues that reflection is a key psychological component of autonomy and plays integral part in fostering learner autonomy. Through reflection, learners can recognize the connection between the strategies they use in their learning and the outcomes they get as a result of their learning. This recognition enables learners to see their learning objectively and such an objective view leads them to make adjustment to their learning, and eventually take control over their own learning. Kohen (1992) also mentioned the importance of reflection on learning, stating that conscious reflection on learning experiences makes it possible to increase one’s awareness of learning, which can be regarded as an important key to the development of autonomous learning. Benson argues further that writing a journal is useful tools for reflection. Litzler (2017) also mentioned that in a number of different learning contexts diaries or journals have been used as a useful tools for reflection. In this paper, I would like to report on an implementation of reflective diaries in my junior high school lessons in order to promote learner autonomy.

scholarly journals A complex system of teachers' beliefs and practices in developing learner autonomy in Indonesian junior high school contexts: A mixed-methods study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dwi Agustina
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Learning Resources ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
New Curriculum

<p>The new junior high school curriculum in Indonesia requires teachers to develop learner autonomy and create a student-centred approach in English classrooms. It is therefore important to study what perceptions Indonesian English teachers have of this requirement and how their perceptions are reflected in their teaching practices. Learner autonomy may be perceived differently by Indonesian teachers as traditionally this concept has been applied in Western countries whose teaching traditions differ from those of non-Western countries. The research site is a tourist area where Indonesian students may have access to English users and authentic English language materials unlike other regions in Indonesia. This context prompted me to investigate how teachers perceived and used these local English language resources to facilitate their students’ English language learning and autonomy development. This study used S. Borg and Al-Busaidi’s (2012a) survey instrument within an explanatory sequential mixed-method design to investigate 145 junior high school teachers’ perceptions of developing learner autonomy. The second phase was a multiple-case study of nine English teachers in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.  The findings from the survey and the thematic analysis show that in general Indonesian teachers had positive perceptions about learner autonomy and its development. These teachers’ willingness to introduce the concept of autonomy suggests that there were no perceived cultural barriers to adopting this Western concept in Indonesia. However, the teachers did not share a common understanding of autonomy which may have affected the way they applied the curriculum. Teachers displayed complex underlying beliefs about the importance of autonomy and also about the different supports and constraints offered by their teaching contexts. These included different levels of experience in managing classrooms which appeared to result in varying levels of effectiveness in implementing learner autonomy.  This study reveals a complex interrelationship among teachers’ beliefs, practices, and contextual factors in which teaching experience played an important role. Positive beliefs about learner autonomy did not always result in good practice. Conversely, lack of facilities did not always undermine the practice of developing learner autonomy provided teacher belief in it was strong. Classroom management skills appeared to exert significant influence on developing autonomy in practice, as without these skills, teachers’ efforts to facilitate autonomous language learning seemed to result in teachers’ losing control of the classroom. These findings signal the importance of assisting teachers to develop the classroom management skills necessary for autonomous language learning.  Some tensions among teachers’ practices also emerged in this study. The new curriculum, like its (2006) predecessor, required that learning contexts should be extended outside the classroom, but the use of authentic local learning resources was still limited by many teachers’ understanding of the new requirements of the 2013 curriculum. The participant teachers were also coming to terms with the new, government-mandated textbooks. This heavy reliance on textbooks suggested that their primary focus continued to be on preparing students for the examinations, which were still the primary means for assessing student achievement. Teachers also seemed uncertain about how the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitated autonomy development, how to assess students’ learning, and how to play new and unfamiliar facilitation roles in the classroom. In addition, not all teachers had participated in professional development to prepare them for curriculum implementation, and not all schools had received the required government textbooks. These findings suggest that there was a rush towards curriculum implementation in Indonesia in 2013.  This study also shows that access to local learning resources such as tourist sites in Magelang Regency did not necessarily facilitate autonomy development. Some teachers had taken students to the temple in the past but some perceived that the new curriculum and other new challenges inhibited them from continuing this practice. These constraints outweighed teachers’ positive perceptions about the use of those local resources.  This study contributes to the study of English Language Teaching (ELT) in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context as it provides insights into how teachers begin to implement a new curriculum requirement to develop student autonomy and / or use authentic learning resources in the local area as resources for autonomy development. This study highlights subtle differences in the individual systems of teachers’ beliefs about learner autonomy and uses complexity theory to analyse how these beliefs interacted with the local environment to contribute to the various degrees of success in promoting learner autonomy.</p>

scholarly journals A complex system of teachers' beliefs and practices in developing learner autonomy in Indonesian junior high school contexts: A mixed-methods study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Dwi Agustina
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Learning Resources ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
New Curriculum

<p>The new junior high school curriculum in Indonesia requires teachers to develop learner autonomy and create a student-centred approach in English classrooms. It is therefore important to study what perceptions Indonesian English teachers have of this requirement and how their perceptions are reflected in their teaching practices. Learner autonomy may be perceived differently by Indonesian teachers as traditionally this concept has been applied in Western countries whose teaching traditions differ from those of non-Western countries. The research site is a tourist area where Indonesian students may have access to English users and authentic English language materials unlike other regions in Indonesia. This context prompted me to investigate how teachers perceived and used these local English language resources to facilitate their students’ English language learning and autonomy development. This study used S. Borg and Al-Busaidi’s (2012a) survey instrument within an explanatory sequential mixed-method design to investigate 145 junior high school teachers’ perceptions of developing learner autonomy. The second phase was a multiple-case study of nine English teachers in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.  The findings from the survey and the thematic analysis show that in general Indonesian teachers had positive perceptions about learner autonomy and its development. These teachers’ willingness to introduce the concept of autonomy suggests that there were no perceived cultural barriers to adopting this Western concept in Indonesia. However, the teachers did not share a common understanding of autonomy which may have affected the way they applied the curriculum. Teachers displayed complex underlying beliefs about the importance of autonomy and also about the different supports and constraints offered by their teaching contexts. These included different levels of experience in managing classrooms which appeared to result in varying levels of effectiveness in implementing learner autonomy.  This study reveals a complex interrelationship among teachers’ beliefs, practices, and contextual factors in which teaching experience played an important role. Positive beliefs about learner autonomy did not always result in good practice. Conversely, lack of facilities did not always undermine the practice of developing learner autonomy provided teacher belief in it was strong. Classroom management skills appeared to exert significant influence on developing autonomy in practice, as without these skills, teachers’ efforts to facilitate autonomous language learning seemed to result in teachers’ losing control of the classroom. These findings signal the importance of assisting teachers to develop the classroom management skills necessary for autonomous language learning.  Some tensions among teachers’ practices also emerged in this study. The new curriculum, like its (2006) predecessor, required that learning contexts should be extended outside the classroom, but the use of authentic local learning resources was still limited by many teachers’ understanding of the new requirements of the 2013 curriculum. The participant teachers were also coming to terms with the new, government-mandated textbooks. This heavy reliance on textbooks suggested that their primary focus continued to be on preparing students for the examinations, which were still the primary means for assessing student achievement. Teachers also seemed uncertain about how the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitated autonomy development, how to assess students’ learning, and how to play new and unfamiliar facilitation roles in the classroom. In addition, not all teachers had participated in professional development to prepare them for curriculum implementation, and not all schools had received the required government textbooks. These findings suggest that there was a rush towards curriculum implementation in Indonesia in 2013.  This study also shows that access to local learning resources such as tourist sites in Magelang Regency did not necessarily facilitate autonomy development. Some teachers had taken students to the temple in the past but some perceived that the new curriculum and other new challenges inhibited them from continuing this practice. These constraints outweighed teachers’ positive perceptions about the use of those local resources.  This study contributes to the study of English Language Teaching (ELT) in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context as it provides insights into how teachers begin to implement a new curriculum requirement to develop student autonomy and / or use authentic learning resources in the local area as resources for autonomy development. This study highlights subtle differences in the individual systems of teachers’ beliefs about learner autonomy and uses complexity theory to analyse how these beliefs interacted with the local environment to contribute to the various degrees of success in promoting learner autonomy.</p>

scholarly journals Study Abroad and Willingness to Communicate: A Case Study at Junior High School

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Adrian Leis
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Second Language ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
School Students ◽  
Study Abroad Program

The goal of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of whether a short study abroad program is effective in increasing its participants’ willingness to communicate in a second language. Using a questionnaire designed by Yashima (2002), a pre-post design study was used to examine a sample of 80 Japanese junior high school students who participated in a ten-day study abroad program to Sydney, Australia. The results indicate that although there were no statistically significant differences seen in the second language learning motivation of the students participating in the study abroad program, there were salient decreases observed in the anxiety students felt towards speaking English. Furthermore, as clear differences were seen in international posture, joining the study abroad program also meant that students felt more a part of the global community. Based on these results, the author concludes that traveling abroad for the purposes of study is indeed effective for adolescent learners of English, helping them feel more comfortable using the language as a tool for communication. 本論の目的は、短期海外研修参加者の第2言語におけるWillingness to Communicate (WTC) の向上に及ぼす効果について、より深い知見を獲得することである。八島（2002）によって作成されたアンケートを用い、シドニー•オーストラリアでの10日間の海外研修に参加した80人の日本人中学生のサンプルを事前事後調査方式で研究を行った。結果からわかったことは、統計的にみると海外研修に参加した生徒の第2言語における学習意欲には有意差が見られなかったが、生徒が英語を話すことに対して抱いていた不安の軽減が顕著に見られたということである。さらに、国際的な姿勢に明らかな差異が見られ、海外研修への参加は、生徒が国際社会の一員としての認識を強めるものとなっていた。これらの結果により、筆者は、学習を目的とする海外研修は英語を学ぶ生徒には非常に効果があり、海外研修によって生徒たちはより安心感を持って言語をコミュニケーションツールとして用いることができるようになったとの結論に達した。

scholarly journals IMPROVING INDONESIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING OUTCOMES USING INQUIRY MODELS IN CLASS IX STUDENTS OF SATAP SUNGAI BERTAM

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Susianingsih Susianingsih
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Inquiry Learning ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Outcome ◽  
Average Score

Junior high school SATAP Sungai Bertam set KKM indonesian language subject class IX of 78 with the provisions of 100% complete, still very many students who have not reached completeness, the purpose of this research is to increase learning outcome in indonesian language subject in class IX. This research is a classroom action research conducted in two cycles with two learning meetings, which includes: planning, implementation, and reflection, 26 study subjects consisted of 12 males and 14 females, Data collection techniques used a written assessment, observations in the form of indicators of teacher and student success, the results showed that on the pre cycle of percentage of student learning outcomes that is 35%, with the highest 79, the lowerst 50, and the average 66,58, in the first cycle increased by a percentage 73%, with the highest 80, the lowerst 65, and the average 76,27, then in the second cycle is 100% complete with the highest 85, the lowest 80, and the average score 82,81. Based on these results, it can be concluded that inquiry learning model can improve the learning outcomes of grade IX students in indonesian languange subjects at Junior high school SATAP Sungai Bertam.

scholarly journals Development of Problem Based Learning Book for Indonesian Language and Literature Subject at Junior High School"

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Uun Undarti Septiani ◽  
I Nyoman Sudana Degeng ◽  
Nurmida Catherine Sitompul
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Active Role ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Junior High School Level

Problem-based learning connects new problems that exist in daily life. It optimizes the ability to think through the process of group work and experimental activities. The students have difficulties in solving problems. They have little experience and are not highly motivated. It makes them unable to explore what students have. The conventional methods lack of training in critical thinking for students. This causes students to lack confidence to play an active role in the learning process. Based on these problems, the present study therefore developed the Indonesian language learning materials for Grade 7 at the junior high school level using the Problem Based Learning model.

scholarly journals The Cohesion’s Elements of Education Articles in Kompasiana

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-127
Author(s):  
Fathurrohman Gala Sanca ◽  
Erna Megawati ◽  
Azhari Ikhwati
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Web Page ◽  
Basic Technique ◽  
Lexical Cohesion ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Descriptive Method

The purpose of this study is to describe the kind of grammatical and lexical cohesion that used in education articles written by Syarifudin Yunus. The method that used in this study is qualitative descriptive method. Data source that used in this study are 24 education articles written by Syarifudin Yunus at Kompasiana.com web page in 2019 until 2020 year range. Technic that used in this study is basic technique of agih method or also called the BUL technique (For Direct Elements). The results of this study showed that there are four aspects of grammatical cohesions. The finding percentage of grammatical cohesion of this study are 54.4% conjunctions aspect, 35.4% references aspect, 6.1% substitutions aspect, and 4.1% ellipsis aspect. Besides, there are six lexical cohesion that found in this study. The percentage of lexical cohesions in this study are 63.5% repetition aspects, 14% equivalency aspects, 8.8% collocation aspects, 7.2% synonym aspects, 3.8% hyponyim aspects, and 2.7% antonym aspects. This study can be implicated for Indonesian language learning at junior high school and senior high school.Keywords: Grammatical cohesion; lexical cohesion; discourse.

scholarly journals Research on the Optimization of Oral English Teaching in Junior High School in the Environment of Man-machine Dialogue

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047
Author(s):  
Jiani Yao ◽  
Fusheng Zhang ◽  
Hongying Li
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Junior High School ◽  
Junior High ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Entrance Examination ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
High School Classroom ◽  
Man Machine Dialogue ◽  
Listening And Speaking

Dumb English is a serious phenomenon among most teenagers in China. When the assessment system of man-machine dialogue is added to the entrance examination, English listening and speaking ability becomes indispensable to students. How to arouse teenagers' interest in spoken English and effectively improve their listening and speaking ability is very critical. The main learning environment for students is the classroom, hence classroom teaching plays a key role in enriching students' ability of listening and speaking. In view of the problems existing in junior high school classroom and students' listening and speaking ability, the relevant optimization strategies are presented.

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