Start Them Early: Teaching English to Young Learners in Indonesia

 

 

Gloria C. Kismadi

 

 

In 1990es, the Department of Education and Culture –as it was called then—allowed the teaching of English as early as the 4^th grade of elementary school although this was not compulsory. The implementation of English language teaching in the elementary schools did not immediately take place for various reasons. Few teachers were properly trained to teach English to young learners. Additionally, facilities were limited; It was not clear what facilities should be made available. Finally, appropriate materials were not available for young learners of English in a foreign language setting. A decade later, the teaching of English to elementary school children is part of the curriculum, particularly in the city schools.  Most public schools still begin the teaching of English in the 4^th grade, although some may start as early as the 2^nd grade.  What brought this change about? This chapter will take into consideration the training of teachers for young learners, and the goals and content of various teaching programs for children.  It is hoped that an overall picture of the present state of English language teaching for young learners will emerge from which considerations for successful learning programs can be taken into account.

 

 

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Kismadi, G. C. (2004). Start them early: Teaching English to young learners in Indonesia. In B. Y. Cahyono & U. Widiati (Eds.), The tapestry of English language teaching and learning in Indonesia (pp. 253-264). Malang: State University of Malang Press.

 

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