ORGANISING AN ENGLISH CAMP
Iwan Jazadi, Ardyansyah Putra, Fetty Yulia Utari,
Murdani, Sugandi, Susanti, & Mahmud Dianto
STKIP Hamzanwadi Selong
INTRODUCTION
(by Iwan
Jazadi)
English Camp is an activity whereby students spend a
certain period of time (at least one night) together by using English as the
only language of communication. The camp aims to increase students’ ability,
especially in speaking, to nurture friendship among students and lecturers, to
create the discipline in students’ and lecturers’ mental and actual use of
English, and to increase the confidence especially for students.
The students are divided into divisions (secretariate,
logistics, language policy, field management, etc.), each of which consists of
a few students. The students as participants fulfil their daily needs and
obligations in accordance with their divisions. However, formal classroom
sessions are also provided in ways that support all students’ activities. All
these are, of course, communicated in English. Thus, this program is a
contextualised, real life-based English learning program. This article reports
the organising of English Camp by the Association of English Department
Students of Hamzanwadi College of Education from 26 up to 29 May 2011.
Why is English Camp? Students of English Department
speak English well. It is normal. Nobody is surprised. Students of English
Department do not speak English well. It is not normal. Everyone is surprised.
However, the latter usually still happens in the English Department of a
college or university. Students generally practice English in limited settings.
Lecturers still mix English with Indonesian though when teaching higher
semester students. Students are not totally exposed to all real life contexts
of English use although they will serve as English teachers in the future.
On the other hand, teachers with high proficiency in
English are highly demanded today. The government has launched Pilot
International Standard School (PISS) in which English should be used as the
language of instruction in certain subjects and as daily language of instruction.
In Sumbawa Regency, two out of four PISS schools have taken a few measures to
upgrade their students’ English competence. One measure is by sending their
students even teachers to study in Pare, a village in Kediri Regency of East
Java Province. In there, the students are immersed 24 hours in learning,
teaching and using English for a certain period of time (one week or more). On
return from the program, the participants feel more confident in using English.
The problem is that the confidence usually fades away
as the memory of the program passes by. In other words, there is a real need
for PISS schools and other quality-oriented schools in Sumbawa of an
institution that caters for full time fun English learning. Being aware of
this, Paracendekia NW Education Foundation that manages English Department of
Hamzanwadi College of Education Selong, Sumbawa Campus, is challenged to offer
fun and effective learning of English to many consumers in Sumbawa and beyond.
However, to respond to the demand, the Foundation has to provide a large number
of teachers with a good command in English.
“YES, WE CAN,” This is what I said regarding whether
or not our institution can fulfil the demand of a large number of English
teachers in Sumbawa. I believe that my students in English Department are great
and capable of serving in creating English using, teaching and learning
environment. But, we need learning intensification to consolidate students’
knowledge and proficiency in English, build group dynamics, and nurture the
sense of teacher professionalism. English Camp done during semester breaks,
weekends, in addition to other programs such as English only classroom
environment and English medium dormitory program, is one of the answers. This is what I explained to my students as camp members
in the preparation meeting of English Camp (Monday, 23-05-11).
MEETING
CONCLUSION FOR ENGLISH CAMP
(Notes taken
by Ardyansyah Putra, Chief of Committee, Monday, 23-05-2011)
Rules:
-No other languages
-Come on time
-Rp 1000/mistake for speaking other languages
-No love among members
-Give clear information for the absence
Preparation:
-three glasses of rice for each member
-three gallons to fill mineral water (for drinking and
cooking)
-two stoves
-each member must submit Rp 5,000
For other stuff like clothes and other utensils, each
member can bring them from their own home. The stuff above should be ready
tomorrow, and so should the collecting of money. The event will be held at our
beloved college starting at 07.00 AM in the morning.
Next agenda :
Tuesday, 24th 2011
Agenda :
Timeline, preparation for foods, drinks and other stuff
For you who haven't joined yet, you can register to
me, Ardyansyah Putra, and must attend the meeting tomorrow. Thanks before... If
you have anything to ask, please feel free to send me a message at this number:
081237511638.
MENU DURING
THE FIRST ENGLISH CAMP
(by Fetty
Yulia Utari & Murdani)
Recently English Department of STKIP Hamzanwadi
Sumbawa Campus has established a new programme which is called English Camp.
English camp is established to improve our proficiency in English and build
solid togetherness among English students. Someone who wants to join in English
camp has to speak English with other people in English camp area. Another
language is forbidden in the English camp area. English camp enables us to make
an atmosphere like living overseas. So, everybody just speaks English.
The first English camp took place in STKIP Hamzanwadi
Selong Sumbawa Campus for four days. During the camping, all participants did
everything together such as studying, praying, sleeping, eating, and cooking.
Cooking was a particularly important and interesting activity which we used to
do together. Every day we helped our chef to prepare menu for all participants.
We cooked three times a day, namely for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because of
camping, we just cooked simple food for our menu. We had to prepare menu which
was easy to make, with ingredients that suited our fund, but of course it had
to be delicious.
As long as we were in camping, almost every day we ate
similar menu. It happened because we suited the menu with available ingredients
such as rice, tofu or soybean curd, soybean cake or tempeh, salted fish, onion,
garlic, cabbage, and carrot. Besides, we suited the menu with available cooking
utensils. Sometimes it was difficult for us to cook because of the limited
cooking utensils that we brought from home. However that’s a camp. We had to be
smart to change the function of everything.
Because of eating similar menu every day, all of
participants might get bored. That’s why our master chef, Murdani, tried to mix
and combine several ingredients in order to create different tastes. Here’s the
recipe from our chef of English camp for our lunch. It’s very simple and easy
to make. Let’s check it out.
Stirred fried soybean cake
(Tumis Tempeh)
Ingredients: soybean cakes, cabbages, carrots, long
beans, salt, tomato sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, onions, MSG
(Monosodium Glutamate), and cooking oil
The processes to go through are:
1. Chop cabbage, carrots, long beans into small
pieces, put onto the plate.
2. Chop soybean cake into small pieces and then fry
until half-cooked, drained and then put onto the plate.
3. Slice garlic and onions.
4. Warm cooking oil, after that put in the slices of
garlic and onions. Stir up till they produce fragrant smell.
5. Season with tomato sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce
then stir up until the seasoning is mixed.
6. Put in the pieces of cabbages, carrots, long beans
and fried soybean cakes into seasoned mixture. Stir up till the colour of
vegetables changes, then add salt, MSG and water sufficiently.
7. Wait until 5 or 10 minutes. The cooking is ready to
be served with rice.
That was our menu in the first English camp. There
were some more recipes that we used to cook during the camp, including fried
tofu plus soybean cake with soy sauce and vegetable for dinner, salted fish
plus soybean cake with soy sauce and vegetable for breakfast. All of
ingredients were cooked with a similar process. Even though the menu was
simple, we really enjoyed it in our togetherness. Hopefully English Camp can
exist on and on. So, we can obtain many experiences such as in the first
English Camp.
ENGLISH CAMP
FIELD MANAGEMENT
(by Sugandi)
The field management was a division of committee in
our English Camp. It takes control of the field of campus as our camp location.
It means, whatever the other divisions need to do outside the camp area or
within the area the facility of which is not ready should be consulted or
handled by the field management. Thus, this task was actually rather difficult
compared to the other divisions. In this case, I would like to share my
experience as the one who was responsible for the field.
I was coordinator of the field management division. I
had to control and looked after the field. There were some members of the field
management division, but we still found it difficult in managing the entire
field. For example, many of the members went to bed at 11 and 12 p.m. While at
such times I usually already slept. So, I could not look after the field fully.
Although I was accompanied by some members, I still got difficulties because
almost none of them cared about the field without their coordinator’s
involvement.
There were some other jobs done by field management
division. One was preparing any utentils needed by other divisions. For
instance, when the logistic division coordinator needed a knife of stove which
was readily available, the field management should play a role in preparing it.
The other obligation of the field management was to maintain security in the
entire camp location. It was more difficult obligation for field management
because I had to check around the location before going to sleep even without
any friends to make sure that everything was ok. I was the only man in the
field management division, while other members were my female friends.
In addition, before the program began, my division
formulated the rules of the program. The formulation was discussed, edited and
then agreed by other members. Thus, the points agreed had to be obeyed by all
members including the chief of committee. These are my experiences during the
English Camp. I hope this short article can give benefit to the readers.
MISTAKE AND FINE IN THE ENGLISH CAMP
(by Susanti)
In English Camp, every
participant has to be totally immersed in using English. However, concession
applies to the use of common Islamic expressions in Arabic such as Assalamu’alaikum or insya Allah. In addition, when a participant really does not know
the word in English in saying or explaining something, he/she is allowed to use
Indonesian words, but he/she must first say “in Indonesian...” If a participant
fails the requirement, he/she has to pay some fine of one thousand rupiahs. To
manage the discipline, a language police is appointed, whose duty includes
identifying the violators, write the word or words used in the violation, and
collect the fine.
I was appointed to serve as the language police in the
English Camp that was held from 26-29 May 2011. I observed that generally the
program agendas were well accomplished. All mistakes were within normal limits.
Almost all mistakes were accidental or spontaneous. I noted that non-English
words used by participants include Indonesian, Sumbawanese, Sasak, Javanese,
and Sundanese, as shown in the following table:
No
|
Students’ Initials
|
Mistakes
|
Languages
|
1
|
AP
|
Eneng sedekah
|
Sumbawanese
|
2
|
FYU
|
Curut
|
Javanese
|
3
|
HD
|
We can find lagi
|
English + Indonesian
|
4
|
J
|
Le’ les sio
|
Sumbawanese
|
5
|
JA
|
Lempar serasok
|
Indonesian + Sumbawanese
|
6
|
M
|
Ini kekerasan dalam
rumah tangga
|
Indonesian
|
7
|
S
|
Bolang mo
|
Sumbawanese
|
8
|
SK
|
Aya naon
|
Sundanese
|
9
|
Su
|
Use jilbab
|
English + Indonesian
|
10
|
YW
|
Singga’
|
Sasak
|
The table above
is evidence that
mistakes were made
by the participants.
The table explained about who made the mistakes, what
mistake was said, and the languages as the sources of the mistakes.
Aware or not,
the existence of that rule could make the
participants discipline. Even though punishment applies, the participants were
not afraid to speak. With this rule
also, all the participants discussed
all things in
their divisions in English. Girls always did gossips in English too. No other languages could be found
in the Camp environment
except English and
formulaic Islamic Arabic. In all activities English was used even
in the kitchen, bathroom and
bedroom. Even, there were some participants who talked during sleep by using English. All of the things above increased speaking ability
and confidence in all participants.
That camp could improve
the discipline of the participants, because in that environment all the participants were trained for being discipline. Our daily activities
included getting up on time in the morning, taking morning prayer, taking bath, having breakfast together, receiving
lessons which were interspersed with games, having a break for noon prayer, having lunch and afternoon prayer, getting the materials or lessons until before sunset, then taking early
evening and night prayers. Afterwards, we did free activities to
improve our English, and finally we took a long rest
or sleep on
at 23:00. All
activities were scheduled
properly and neatly.
So, no time was wasted.
All of the things above are advantages that we got
from the English Camp activities. They were really extraordinary. Those
activities really enhanced the knowledge, attitude and skills of participants. The
most important thing is that this event can provide an enormous influence for
the regular lectures and daily interaction in STKIP Hamzanwadi Sumbawa Campus especially
for English department students, because the rule for paying one thousand for one
mistake continues to apply every day.
CLOSING COMMENTS: ENGLISH
CAMP? WHY NOT!
(by Mahmud Dianto)
Its name is English camp. At first many English
students doubted about this program because they thought this camp was the same
as other camps. Usually when we talk about C-A-M-P, there are many assumptions
about it: dangerous, extreme, hard, spending a lot of time and money, and also many ghosts, hii... upss! Thus, it stands
to reason that a few weeks ago before this program began, some English students
posted their question and protest about it in the Fantastic Four Writing
Community Facebook. After the program began, the worry suddenly changed as a
strong motivation to accelerate our English.
In fact English Camp is one of Dr. Jazadi’s program to
develop our English performance as he would recruit us as English teachers in
his “Special English additional lesson program” at the Pilot International
Standard Junior High School 1 Of Sumbawa. In the English camp we had to be
discipline in using English language all the time. During the four days of the
English camp, we felt like we were overseas, in an English speaking country,
where we do not have other choices but to use English in our life. Thus, it is
unfortunate that those wanting to improve their English do not join English Camps
such as ours.
