Toward a task-based textbook for Indonesian language learning
by Dr. Jessica Fox (Michigan State University)
Source: https://www.ncolctl.org/files/jncolctl-vol-19/Toward-a-task-based-textbook.pdf
Evaluative Summary
I find this textbook to be particularly useful for today’s Indonesian language teachers because the methods promoted in this textbook are current and can be supplemented well by teachers who adhere to task-based language teaching principles. This textbook falls in line with the aims of communicative and task-based language teaching for a number of reasons. First, the tasks in which the students learn grammar, vocabulary, and cultural insights will directly impact their ability to communicate in authentic ways, fulfilling Long’s (2015) call for pedagogic tasks that are relevant, motivating to students, and approximate real-world language use. Explicit lessons on grammar are embedded within the broader context of what students need to know to be polite and best understood by Indonesian interlocutors. Only necessary grammar items are taught, and they are taught in a progressive order of complexity according to the demands of the task. For example, most of the Indonesian verbs in the textbook are initially taught in their root form, and affixes that modify the transitivity and agency of the verb are introduced later when students need that enhanced information. Long (2015) also suggested that language elements are presented with consistent redundancy and removed gradually when student proficiency improves. Teachers can see this principle at work in the Indonesian Way textbook throughout the course of dialogue assignments; students are first provided prototypes as modells, encouraged to memorize, and finally elaborate beyond the starting dialogue.
In coordination with task-based principles, this textbook includes insights into Indonesian culture that are critical to language education (Byram, 1994; Kramsch, 1993). Each lesson highlights cultural notes in the margins about the Indonesian way of conversation, family life, and daily activities; needless to say, the Indonesian way may drastically differ from Western students’ lives. Most cultural references to slang, traditions, and legends represent the majority Javanese subculture in the extremely diverse 17,000- island nation. For students who have integrative motivation to study the Indonesian language and culture, learning culturally embedded phrases and traditions in the first year of language study is an empowering element.
Finally, the spaced repetition system (SRS) of vocabulary acquisition used in The Indonesian Way is in line with progressive research on explicit practices of lexical acquisition. Ellis (1995) and Nation (2009) suggested that vocabulary acquisition is better when students are presented with spaced repetition versus massed repetition. Although the exact nature of exposure, spacing, and frequency of vocabulary for best outcomes continues to be under investigation today, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) researchers and practitioners have developed computer-based algorithms for easy-to-use flashcard systems that track and recycle vocabulary words (Bailey & Davey, 2011; Eldridge et al., 2010). The Indonesian Way employs the free, open source program called Anki (Godwin-Jones, 2010; see the website for more information: http://ankisrs.net/).
In summary, this textbook is an invaluable staple for learning and teaching the Indonesian language. Indonesian is a Less Commonly Taught (LCTL) and critical language as identified by the U.S. Department of State due to its growing importance to global politics, religion, culture, and geography. Nonetheless, there are few Indonesian textbooks that are up-to-date, available for free, age appropriate for adults, and weave cultural learning alongside language development. This textbook is an excellent resource for language teachers who are looking for interactive, interesting, and task-based lessons.