ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR ISLAMIC SCHOOLS (ELTIS)
Zuliati Rohmah(LAPIS ELTIS, IAIN Surabaya,zuliati@sunan-ampel.ac.id)
Caroline Bentley(LAPIS ELTIS,cbentley@ialf.edu)
Abstract: The present paper describes findings of research conducted by the English Language Training for Islamic Schools (ELTIS) Design Team on the teaching of English at Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) in three provinces in Indonesia. ELTIS is an activity supported by the Australian government under the Learning Assistance Program for Islamic Schools (LAPIS) facility. The paper also describes ELTIS planned activities to improve the English language ability of girls and boys in Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) through developing the language and teaching capabilities of English teachers within selected locations.
Keywords: English language training, TeacherTraining, Madrasah Tsanawiyah/MTs.
LAPIS (Learning Assistance Program for Islamic Schools) was established in late 2004, as a facility supported by the Australian Government to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development in Indonesia through assistance to the Islamic Education Sub-Sector (IESS). This followed a feasibility study that concluded that a program of assistance specifically targeting the IESS was appropriate and would be welcomed by the IESS. The Islamic Schools Sub-sector (ISS) serves approximately 6 million children, representing almost 15% of school enrolment in Indonesia. Madrasah (Islamic schools) serve a disproportionately large number of poor and disadvantaged children, often in isolated areas; overall more than 50% of madrasah students are female, with the percentage rising at junior and senior secondary level.
In the first two years, LAPIS conducted a comprehensive needs analysis within the IESS, and through extensive socialisation of the purpose of the facility, developed understanding and support at the central level and amongst the highest echelons of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA). An Immediate Support Program (ISP) was established, through which more than 50 activities were conducted in Islamic schools and colleges throughout the country, contributing to an understanding of the challenges, constraints, and sensitivities within the IESS, and building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries.
Based on its engagement with the IESS and lessons and feedback from stakeholders during 2004 – 2006, LAPIS has identified three Consolidation Activities, one of them is English Language Training for Islamic Schools (ELTIS). ELTIS aims to bring change and innovation to the teaching–learning process, to motivate and support MTs English language teachers, and to open pathways towards future certification.
Learning English can often be difficult for speakers of other languages. There are three major misconceptions imposed on learners by parents, teachers, public education programs and other parties (Stupack, 1995:32). First, they expect learners to master English quickly. Secondly, language is learned as an academic endeavor, everyone is expected to progress at the same pace, cover the same material, and come to the same conclusion. Thirdly, learners are generally asked to be passive. Whilst this is experienced in a large number of societies, Indonesia’s socio-educational situation makes the teaching of English in madrasah worse.
Statistics indicate that in the 2004 – 2005 school year there were 40,258 madrasah across Indonesia, representing 22% of all schools in the country, with only around 4,000 of them state-run. They are largely concentrated in more densely-populated provinces (West, East and Central Java, and across Sumatra). Furthermore, madrasah are often the only educational institutions in isolated areas, and hence tend to serve the poorest sector of the population, as well as offering girls access to education. In general more girls attend madrasah than boys, with this trend most significant at junior and higher secondary level (MTs: 52% girls/48% boys; MA: 55% girls/45% boys). Although madrasah enrolment indicates a higher percentage of girls than boys, there are significantly more male teachers than female, and the majority of principals are men.
Most madrasah teachers have been educated within the Islamic education system, which has traditionally had a focus on preparing teachers to teach religious studies, hence there is a high incidence of mismatched teachers: those teaching subjects for which they have not been trained. The Director General of Islamic Education estimates that as many as 80% of madrasah teachers may be mismatched. Furthermore, it is estimated that more than 50% of private madrasah teachers are part-time or volunteers, with the majority falling far short of government minimum service standards. Statistics from the MESA report (Asian Development Bank, 2003) indicate that 43% of registered MTs teachers are under-qualified, although the percentage is much higher is some districts.
The importance of English as part of a comprehensive education is rarely questioned in Indonesia. It is viewed as an essential skill for entry into the job market and a career path in an increasingly globalized economy. Across the country there is a considerable demand for, and interest in, good quality English language education. Within the ISS there are caveats: the English language training should be ‘murni’ (pure), that is, there should be no hidden agenda to introduce Western values (often characterized as lacking in a strong moral foundation), and the teaching materials should be appropriate to an Islamic educational environment. The state Islamic tertiary sector, and to a large extent the private sector, demonstrates an enormous interest in, and commitment to, upgrading the abilities of lecturers in the English language, in order to improve the quality of its graduates. Thus, similar to many other Asian countries, the practical importance of English in Indonesia is recognized but the learning of Western values is not desirable (Kirkpatrick & Prescott, 1995:99).
To respond to these needs, ELTIS focuses its activities on delivering Training of Trainer (TOT) courses; conducting English language upgrading and teacher training courses to improve the quality of English language teaching and learning in selected districts; facilitating district support networks; and developing teaching-learning resources appropriate to the IESS.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The data was collected by the core ELTIS design team selected by the LAPIS Implementing Partner (LIP), the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation (IALF). The data was collected over a two-month period, 8 February – 9 April 2007 through desk research and recommendations from the key stakeholders, including the Central and Provincial Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) and the Islamic Schools Sub-sector (ISS) Consultative Group. The team also undertook a series of visits to 3 provinces: East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi. The visits were aimed at introducing ELTIS; conducting preliminary situational analyses of tertiary institutions, Provincial and District MORA offices and MTs; and discussing potential involvement and/or support from the institutions. Sample needs analysis interviews and English language proficiency testing were also conducted among 60 English teachers in East Java and NTB.
FINDINGS
This section presents data collected from Central MORA, Stakeholder and Partnership Workshop, ISS Consultative Group Workshop, Islamic Tertiary Institutions, Provincial and District MORA, Madrasah Tsanawiyah, and English teachers.
Central MORA
The findings show that Central MORA have repeatedly emphasised the need to design a sustainable, replicable, accessible and affordable English language in-service training model.
Stakeholder and Partnership Workshop
The data obtained from this workshop largely confirmed earlier meetings with MORA representatives regarding the focus of ELTIS. With regard to English language upgrading, it was believed that a cycle of intensive face-to-face English language modules combined with home study modules supported through local teacher support groups would be preferable to the short course models used to date. It was suggested that ELTIS work closely with partner tertiary institutions to structure the training in line with the current credit point system (SKS) and seek to align the training with equivalent Diploma 1 or Diploma 2 courses. It was recommended that younger teachers become the key focus for ELTIS training, and that maximum age limits of 40-45 be applied for both teacher and trainers. Resource development was also identified as a clear need within the IESS. In addition, the establishment of self-access teacher resources was given strong support.
ISS Consultative Group Workshop
ELTIS invited the group to attend a one-day workshop to discuss the proposed project components. Feedback from the group regarding the language training component stressed the importance of practical and communicative courses. It was recommended that all teachers undergo language upgrading prior to taking teacher training modules in order to expose them to teaching models and methodologies reflecting those it is hoped the teachers themselves would use with their own classes.
Islamic Tertiary Institutions
The ELTIS design team visited 4 tertiary institutions (IAIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, IAIN Mataram, UIN Makassar, and STAIN Jember) during the first half of the design phase, and a further 3 institutions (UNISDA Lamongan, STAIN Kediri, and STAIN Watampone) in the second half of the design phase, in order to introduce the project and to discuss possible future collaboration. Based on the first visit, of all the tertiary institutions visited, IAIN Surabaya was the best placed to be an ELTIS partner institution, with the relevant strengths, facilities, and human resources. Given the scale of madrasah education in East Java, it is likely that one or more of the STAIN in the province could be involved later as subsidiary partners, under the direction of IAIN Surabaya. In West Nusa Tenggara, many local madrasah teachers are graduates from IAIN Mataram and close links with them have been maintained which form a strong foundation upon which to base ELTIS activities. The IAIN has previously worked with the ADB BEP project to conduct a two-year D1 certification program for MTs teachers, including content, methodology and practicum in schools, and so is familiar with cooperating with donor agencies. IAIN Mataram is the second key partner for ELTIS, with a number of its lecturers participating in TOT courses from the outset. It was found that STAIN Watampone in the Bone Regency of South Sulawesi has great potential as a partner institution for ELTIS, and is located in a district highly regarded for its interest in promoting English language amongst its young people. As such, this institution will become ELTIS third key partner during the second phase of implementation.
Provincial and District MORA
The MAPENDA personnel of East Java suggested that ELTIS focus on the ‘tapal kuda’ area – namely cities along the northern coast which form a horseshoe, such as Probolinggo, Situbondo, Bondowoso, Jember and Banyuwangi where the IPK (Indeks Penilaian Kumulatif) rankings and poverty index ratings are low, and where the student dropout rate is high. In Lombok, school supervision is not being conducted to an adequate standard due to the limited number of supervisors, most of whom have been trained as Islamic studies subject supervisors. All superintendents have been trained; however their mastery of the training materials is variable.
Collective advice from provincial and district offices Religious Affairs across the three provinces can be summarized as follows: ELTIS should coordinate closely with provincial and district Religious Affairs offices during implementation; educational personnel capacity and professionalism (teachers and principals) need enhancing through professional development training; teacher development needs to be linked with school development through the establishment of close district and tertiary institution partnerships; training components should not be “one-offs”, but incorporate a cyclical approach with follow-up training; teaching resources should be produced for English teachers; resource kits should be located within school clusters; proportional and controlled financial distribution of training funds should be provided, especially to private madrasah; synergies with other stakeholders should be explored; and real madrasah models should be developed.
Madrasah Tsanawiyah
East Java has 180 state madrasah with 96,138 students, and 2,498 private madrasah with 429,159 students. The district with the highest numbers of private MTs students is Jombang (25,515), followed by Lamongan (24,455), and Jember (24,232). Probolinggo district has the highest number of MTs (222), comprising 2 public and 220 private schools. The second highest is Sumenep District, Madura (199), comprising 4 public and 195 private MTs. Figures from the NTB regional Religious Affairs office show that NTB has a total of 541 MTs, with the majority located in Lombok where 25% of children attend madrasah. Lombok itself is divided into four main areas: Mataram, West Lombok, Central Lombok and East Lombok. Mataram has 3 state and 17 private MTs; West Lombok has 2 state and 122 private MTs; Central Lombok has 5 state and 174 private MTs; and East Lombok has 3 state and 166 private MTs. Most of the private madrasah are under familial management, which does not support the school-based management system because they tend to lack transparency, participation, accountability and sustainability. Madrasah schools are popular choices among parents in NTB, even when there is a state school available, as many madrasah provide education for virtually no charge.During the design phase, with the assistance of the staff from the regional Religious Affairs offices, the ELTIS team visited a number of private and state Madrasah Tsanawiyah in East Java, NTB and South Sulawesi, including several state Model MTs. Facilities and resources varied enormously between the schools visited. Some Model MTs are very well-resourced and have received funding for facilities such as modern Life Skills Laboratories, whereas other schools are teaching from dilapidated classrooms with very few resources.
Discussions revealed that Teacher Support groups among English teachers are non-existent in most schools due to lack of organization and funding; however the value of establishing groups is recognised as a means of supporting future teacher development activities. All teachers interviewed unanimously requested teaching/learning materials specific to the Islamic education context, combining texts and activities along Islamic themes with exposure to local and western culture. They requested texts which allow the students to talk about their lives and their religion - topics which are missing from the current text books. All teachers and principals expressed a keen interest to be involved in the ELTIS activities.
English Teachers
The total number of MTs teachers in East Java is 49,511, comprising 5,255 in public MTs under MORA and 423 teachers under MONE; there are 43,833 part-time (those without civil servant status) teachers. Among these, a large proportion of private MTs teachers are mismatched and under-qualified or non-certified. Indeed from an initial sampling of teachers, it was found that a significant number of English teachers in the districts of Probolinggo and Bondowoso have only completed junior or secondary high school qualifications.There are 934 full time teachers (civil servants) and 9,484 part time teachers in NTB. There are 369 English teachers, approximately 20% of whom are full-time civil servants. No specific figures are available on their qualifications; however the Head of the Curriculum Section of the provincial Religious Affairs office estimates that as many as 50% - 60% of them may be mismatched. Observation and discussions with teachers revealed that new communicative teaching methodologies are required which encourage students to participate in interactive and communicative activities, which in turn, it is hoped, will lead to higher student motivation levels. Teachers’ English language abilities also require upgrading to give them more confidence in using English as a means of instruction. School principals need to be aware of the content of training initiatives and specific training for principals and school supervisors is advisable, to avoid returning a ‘changed’ individual to an ‘unchanged’ environment. As far as possible, support and understanding from parents and the local community is necessary to help increase school attendance rates. In addition, the revitalisation of Teacher Support Groups, specifically for private MTs teachers is necessary and would be supported by the teachers themselves. Finally, teachers are very receptive of new training initiatives and are keen to upgrade their language and teaching methodology skills.
DISCUSSIONS AND FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
Based on the data collected and analyzed, ELTIS has designed a series of training programs intended to achieve the following purpose: Within selected locations, to improve the English language ability of girls and boys in Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) through developing the language and teaching capabilities of English teachers.
ELTIS has four components: Partner Capacity Enhancement, Teacher Development, Resource Development, and Sub-project Management.
1. Partner Capacity Enhancement
This component seeks to enhance the capacity of a range of individuals and agencies within the IESS to design, implement and support in-service English language upgrading and communicative English language teacher training programs for MTs teachers. The output will be achieved through four key activities.
1.1 Training of Trainers
The major focus of the first 6 months has been the Training of Trainers (TOT) component, currently in progress at the IALF Bali Language Centre under Cambridge ESOL ICELT (In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching) program. Through this training, Master Trainers are given opportunities to reflect on what they have done in their classrooms, both the content and methodology (Mckay, 2002:4), and make better planning for future lessons. During the TOT, the trainees are exposed to different methods to help overcome their resistance as resistance to change might arise due to their feelings that their security is challenged (Saraswathi, 1991:76; Kirckpatrick; 1995:104). The trainees are also equipped with the skills to deliver training materials and help teachers reflect on their own teaching. The participants of the TOT include lecturers from Islamic higher institutions and teachers from Islamic secondary schools. This is to bridge the perceived gap between the participants of the ELTIS training, namely, Madrasah Tsanawiyah teachers, and trainers from the higher institutions (Pillay & Wha, 2007:9). It is noted that one discrepancy of most teacher training throughout the world is that trainers actively stop being teachers when they move into the field of teacher training, and are training others to do something that they themselves no longer do.
1.2 Strengthening of Tertiary Level Training Capacity
The TOT courses (Figure 1 above) will be one major contribution to strengthen tertiary level training capacity. Another key factor will be the placement within the IAINs of a full-time English Language Teacher Specialist for a 12-month period; the specialist will mainly be based in IAIN Surabaya, spending approximately 3 weeks a month at IAIN Surabaya and 1 week at IAIN Mataram (the division of time reflecting the size of the two provinces, thus the number of MTs English teachers and scale of training). ELTIS has established regional offices within the two institutions, which will provide coordination, administration and finance services for the training programs. The offices are headed by Regional Coordinators appointed from within the IAINs, with the agreement of IAIN management. ELTIS will expand the resources available for ELT at the institutions through the purchase of small, specialized library collections in the early stages of the training program.During implementation, ELTIS has a brief to identify potential candidates for ADS (Australian Development Scholarships) and will collaborate with the IAINs in identifying other sponsors for short-course scholarships in Australia and New Zealand.
1.3 Revitalization of EL Teacher Support Groups
It is essential that teachers have a support framework for the home study modules component of their training and this will be achieved through the revitalization of existing teacher support groups such as MGMP or KKM. They in turn will be supported by the ELTIS Islamic Schools Adviser, who has recruited from within the ranks of a Religious Affairs English language trainer (Balai Diklat).
1.4 Strengthening of District Support Networks
Representatives from provincial and district Religious Affairs offices were involved in the design process since the early stages, facilitating visits to madrasah, introductions to madrasah principals, providing statistics and advice, and collating additional information as requested. In order to provide MTs teachers with a forum to share training experiences and newly-acquired skills, a series of local seminars is planned for the latter stages of ELTIS, under the auspices of the provincial and district Religious Affairs in liaison with ELTIS and the tertiary institutions. Another forum for strengthening communications at the district level is the regular publication of an ELTIS Bulletin, targeted at MTS English teachers, school principals and committees and local Religious Affairs representatives.
2. Teacher Development
This component seeks to significantly improve the English language and language teaching skills of MTs teachers in beneficiary schools in target districts in the two selected provinces. The training framework will provide a replicable model for future in-service ELT training programs in other locations. The output will be achieved as a result of creating the corps of English language upgrading trainers and teacher trainers within the tertiary and eventually the MTs system. Regional Coordinators in IAIN Surabaya and IAIN Mataram, supported by an ELTIS administrative support framework, will coordinate English language and teacher training courses for MTs teachers. They will work under the direction of the Team Leader and will coordinate the support role of the Islamic Schools Adviser. For one year (planned for January – December 2008), a native speaker English Language Teacher Specialist will be appointed to coordinate ongoing teaching materials development, take part in the teaching program, and run regular workshops for the English language upgrading trainers.
2.1 English Language Upgrading Courses
The basic framework will be based on four proficiency levels of training: Elementary, High Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, and Intermediate. It is recommended that each level comprise 100 hours of EL training: 60 hours face-to-face intensive training delivered over a 2-week period, followed by a series of home-study tasks designed to take 40 hours of work to complete over an 8-week period (5 hours per week), except for Level 4 which would have 60 hours of face-to-face training only. The program would represent 360 hours of study. It is estimated that it would take a teacher approximately one year to complete the full 360 hour program; however, based on the testing sample and on visits to madrasah, it is anticipated that many teachers will enter at Level 2, 3 or 4.
2.2 Communicative English Language Teacher Training Courses
The training will focus on key principles of Communicative English Language Teaching and the basics of classroom planning and management: lesson planning, managing the class, using visual aids, error correction, teacher talk, and a range of teaching techniques. It will be designed both to confirm and reflect on current knowledge and skills, and also to introduce new ideas and techniques. It will emphasize the importance and value of lesson planning, and through the process of plan-teach-reflect, encourage teachers to evaluate their own teaching styles and the effect the teaching-learning process has on the learners.The intensive modules will cover a range of key topics and skills integral to a communicative language teaching environment. After each intensive study module, teachers will be assigned an assessed practical teaching task to complete in their home school, with their own students. This will involve a range of skills designed to encourage them to reflect on and to apply the new teaching techniques and strategies introduced during the intensive study module. This will include some or all of the following, at different stages of the training: lesson planning, using warmers and fillers, using pairwork or groupwork activities with students, classroom management strategy, materials selection and modification, using technical equipment. Master Teacher Trainers will go into the field to mentor teachers and observe the practice teaching tasks on site, providing formative, rather than cumulative and judgmental, feedback, support and advice. The Regional ELT Seminars planned for the later stages of ELTIS will provide highly motivated teachers with a forum to present short papers or workshops on what they have achieved during the ELTIS training program.
3. Resource Development
This component seeks to provide teaching-learning materials to support MTs teachers in their transition to a more communicative style of English teaching, and appropriate to the Islamic educational context within which they operate. The output encompasses the design and production of classroom teaching materials to be piloted within selected schools, supplementary resource kits or bases (depending on the local context) for madrasah clusters across all districts, and the resource management skills to ensure that the resource kits are accessible, secure and well-managed.
3.1 Teaching Material Development
Two Curriculum and Materials Advisers – one native speaker and one Indonesian – have been appointed for an 18 month period in order to coordinate a materials development project within ELTIS in liaison with English language lecturers and teachers. Their task will be to oversee the design and development of curriculum and materials for the English Language Upgrading and Communicative English Language Teacher Training courses to be delivered to the beneficiary MTs teachers, as well as to assess specific materials needs within schools and establish a time frame for materials design/modification and production. ELTIS will be able to cover the cost of an initial small print run for piloting and review in selected MTs in target ELTIS districts. It will then, in liaison with partner agencies, lobby for funding from MORA to publish and disseminate the materials across the ISS.
3.2 Resource Kit / Base Development
As well as core teaching-learning materials, teachers will need to have access to supplementary teaching resources in order to develop communicative classroom activities. It is therefore planned to establish self-access resource kits or bases in selected schools. Where possible the Resource Kits / Bases will include graded readers and other materials for student use, encouraging independent study habits in developing English skills.
3.3 Resource Management Training
ELTIS is aware that it is not enough simply to provide resources; this must be accompanied by the establishment of systems and procedures to ensure access, relevant and full utilization, and security. Alongside selection and purpose of resources, ELTIS will deliver a series of workshop modules on self-access resource design and management. Participants will be selected from participating madrasah, in consultation with the principals.
4. Sub-activity Management
This component envisages combining standard management and M&E methodologies for quality assurance, as well as innovative approaches that have proven to work well in the Indonesian context. Activities (key performance areas) include: program planning, technical assistance, logistics and administrative support, funds management, information gathering and dissemination, performance management and assessment, relationship building, and continual improvement.
CONCLUSION
All ELTIS programs are working towards the improved language ability of girls and boys in Madrasah Tsanawiyah, to equip them with a key skill for entering the professional workforce. Working together in partnership with MORA at the central, provincial and district level, as well as with Islamic tertiary institutions and schools, synergies have been developed which will hopefully ensure that the ELTIS programs are feasible, manageable and sustainable and the ELTIS purpose will be achieved.
Glossary
DTT – District Teacher Trainer
ELTIS – English Language Training for Islamic Schools
ESOL – English to Speakers of Other Language
ICELT – In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching
IESS – Islamic Education Sub-SectorISS – Islamic Schools Sub-Sector
LAPIS – Learning Assistance program for Islamic Schools
MTs Madrasah Tsanawiyah – Islamic Junior High School
MA – Madrasah Aliyah – Islamic Senior High School
MESA – Madrasah Education Sub-Sector Assessment
MONE – Ministry of National Education
M & E – Monitoring and Evaluation
MORA – Ministry of Religious Affairs
TKT – Teaching Knowledge TestTOT – Training of Trainers
References:
Asian Development Bank. 2003. Madrasah Education Sub-Sector Assessment. July 2006.
LAPIS, Summary: Strategy and Implementation Plan. April 2006.
Kirkpatrick, A. & Prescott, D. 1995. Whose Course is It Anyway? Why We Need a New ELT Teacher Training Course. Paper presented at CULI’s Third International Conference in Bangkok.
McKay, S.L. 2002. The Reflective teacher: A Guide to Classroom Research. Singapore: RELC.
Pillay, H. & Wha, Y. P. 2007. Teach 2 Excel: Lessons our Gurus never taught us: Insights into Trainer Training. In Poedjosoedarmo, G. (Ed.). Teacher Education in Language Teaching. Singapore: RELC.
Saraswathi, V. 1992. Coping with Teacher Resistance: Insights from Inset Programmes. In Sadtono, E. (Ed.). Language Teacher Education in A Fast-Changing World. Singapore: RELC.
Stupack, S. A. 1995. Why do I find English so difficult? Paper presented at CULI’s Third International Conference, Bangkok (27-29 November 1995).
