The ability to transform ideas into written form and the courage to express opinions in a foreign language, particularly English, are essential assets for students to succeed in the professional world. Writing skills are crucial as students often harbor brilliant ideas that unfortunately remain trapped in their minds. Others are unable to access these brilliant ideas, resulting in stunted growth or a lack of implementation by external parties. Similarly, proficiency in the English language is important in 'selling' these brilliant ideas to other nations so that they can be implemented worldwide. Moreover, when these two skills are combined, allowing individuals to write ideas in English and communicate them effectively in English, the world seems to be within their grasp.
A pertinent issue related to the ability to write and speak fluently in English is the feeling of inadequacy. Ironically, modern students are adept at writing SMS, expressing themselves on Twitter, Facebook, and other electronic media. Their written expressions often include English terms. However, when students are asked to write essays or summarize an article in English as part of their coursework, the results are astonishing. Why? Generally, students' essays are ‘copied and pasted’ directly from internet sources without citing them. Furthermore, when tasked with summarizing an English article into Indonesian, the results are quite amusing. For example, Mr. Smith White is translated as Father Smith White.
Why are students unable to write essays well? Why is the English proficiency of Indonesian students poor? There have been numerous articles and studies discussing these issues. However, this writing will focus more on strategies to overcome students' lack of proficiency in writing and speaking in English, especially in a university setting. The hope is that students will be able to go international.
We have discovered that students have low English language proficiency because they lack confidence. To cultivate this confidence, a club called English Fun Club was established by Toni Isbandi, one of the staff members. In this club, participants are encouraged to express their opinions in English. Even though their grammar and vocabulary in English are very limited, other participants do not mind. Everyone appreciates the opinions that are shared. This type of learning is suitable for instilling courage in participants when expressing their opinions. The topics discussed are controversial, making it easy to generate both pro and con opinions, such as on the topic of pornography. The discussions are lively, as participants are not limited to just students but also include other members of the community.
The method used in the English Fun Club is participatory, involving all members to participate. To motivate the participants, psychology games related to the discussion topics are often held. Sometimes, the games are replaced with a game of Scrabble, allowing all participants to learn English vocabulary in a fun way. This English language club is held every Saturday from 8:00 to 10:00.
The Writing Club is the second club founded by Toni Isbandi to encourage students' writing abilities. Initially, motivating students was challenging, but with the introduction of a blog or media for publishing their work, participants were spurred on to write. The blog's original name was 'Campus Crossings', then changed to 'Empowering Magazine', and later transformed again for better visibility on Google search. Club members are required to write at least one page of an article every week. Initially, the topics were open, but now they are predetermined a week in advance. The Writing Club meets every Thursday from 8:00 to 10:00.
Achievements to be proud of from the English Club and the Writing Club include: Almost all English Club participants are now confident introducing themselves in English, despite their limited vocabulary. They no longer feel embarrassed to be laughed at or ridiculed by other communities outside the English Club. They have even given presentations. The blog is becoming more prominent, with the number of articles increasing from 12 in October to 16 in November, and a significant 400% surge to 49 in December. Additionally, participants from both clubs have entered a tourism writing competition organized by the Tourism Study Program, with 17 participants taking part.
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