Rethinking of maintenance of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Indonesia

What is it about?

The maintenance of CLT in Indonesia should consider but not limited four aspects: societal classroom, socio-economic, cultural, and ideological constraints. Indonesian EFL teachers have managed to adapt each of these methods to the situational contexts of their classrooms. The teachers’ flexibility in adapting the practices and theoretical approaches of different language teaching methods to Indonesian classrooms should be acknowledged and taken into account when considering the suitability of CLT, instead of an unquestioning acceptance of CLT as the only or the best method.

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Why is it important?

Those four aspects impede the implementation of effective CLT instead of a narrow concept of CLT i.e., students sizes, structural curriculum, etc., as well as arguments against the idea of changing the status of English from EFL to ESL in Indonesia. However, it is necessary to carry out ”a deconstructive and reconstructive project". The former signifies the attempts to interrogate and critique established knowledge to suit the needs of the local, while the latter constitutes the interpretation of local knowledge to fit current conditions. An instance of such an attempt in the English classroom may be the reconstruction local wisdom or culture by using English. Teachers may ask their students to create and perform, in English, a drama derived from local cultures such as Indonesian folklore or the traditional puppet performance (Wayang). Such an activity gives students the opportunity to practice English communicative skills while expressing and maintaining their cultural heritage.

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