Transcription
Do you know that there is a strange phenomenon happening in our Indonesia? We have 12 years of compulsory English learning from elementary school to high school, but only a very small number of people in Indonesia are fluent in speaking English. In fact, our English proficiency level is ranked 80th out of 116 countries, which is really low. This condition makes me realize that we are facing a problem in Indonesia.
Try to observe. Most people in Indonesia can actually speak basic English, but for some reason, every time we are asked to speak in English, most people find it very difficult. I realized this when I first moved to the Netherlands. Every time I had a conversation in English, I could understand what they were saying, but I couldn't speak as fluently as they did. And it turns out that many of my Indonesian friends felt the same way. After I analyzed it, there are three main reasons why Indonesians find it difficult to speak English fluently. And in this video, I will also discuss the solutions to each of these problems. Okay, let's get straight to it. Welcome to the limitless class.
The first problem I found is very much related to the mentality of Indonesians. Most Indonesians' mentality has been ruined by grammar police or people who like to correct our grammar when we speak, and a toxic learning environment. When I was in Indonesia, I was always afraid when I wanted to speak in English. Every time I made a mistake in English, there would always be someone correcting me while insulting me. Finally, I thought it was better not to use English at all if my English wasn't perfect, because I didn't want to look stupid in the eyes of others. And this kind of mentality made me very careful when I wanted to speak English in Indonesia. And this is the first problem: we want to sound perfect. We want to sound perfect, so every time we want to speak English, we always think about the grammar, the sentence structure, and the words we want to use. For example, if someone asks, "What's your favorite food?" I would immediately think, "Hmm, the sentence must use the present tense, and the structure is subject plus verb plus s or es." Because of this habit, I used to think that speaking English was very difficult. I still remember the first time I worked in a group during college in the Netherlands. I didn't contribute at all during group work because every time there was a group discussion, before I finished thinking about how to respond, they had already changed the topic of conversation. In the end, they would discuss, and I would just stay silent. All of this happened just because I didn't want to look stupid and I wanted to appear to be using perfect English. Until finally, I asked my friend who is a native American. At that time, I asked, "Actually, do Americans themselves speak English with perfect grammar?" And my friend just laughed and replied, "No, most Americans don't use perfect grammar either." And miraculously, after hearing that answer, my English became much more fluent when I spoke. And at that moment, I realized that all this time, what was hindering me from speaking English was just the fear of sounding wrong. Since then, I have always thought that English is a form of communication, regardless of whether the grammar you use is correct or not, as long as your conversation partner understands. So, the solution to this first problem is very simple, which is to change our mentality from wanting to sound perfect when speaking to being okay with not being perfect, as long as our conversation partner understands. The important thing is that every time we make a mistake, we try to learn and improve in the future. Okay, now let's move on to the second problem.
This second problem is related to the education system in Indonesia. When we talk about learning a foreign language, there are two types of learning methods: input-based learning and output-based learning. Input-based learning is when we are taught the theory, but we are not required to use that theory. For example, when we are learning listening and reading. Now, output-based learning is the opposite of input. Students are always required to use what they have learned. For example, in speaking and writing. Actually, both learning methods are needed, but unfortunately, the education system in Indonesia is too focused on input-based learning. For 12 years of compulsory English learning from elementary school to high school, I don't remember when the last time I had a speaking test at school, it probably never happened at all. At most, a child caught sleeping in class would be woken up and asked to continue reading a text. As a result, our opportunities to practice speaking English are very limited. So, it's not surprising that most of us actually understand basic English, but when asked to speak English, we will find it very difficult. And this kind of situation makes me realize something: understanding English does not automatically make us able to speak English. Perhaps the analogy is like this: when we have ingredients, it doesn't mean we can cook. And speaking English is like cooking. When we know many words in English, it doesn't mean we can use them in conversation. So, this is the second problem: output-based learning. The English learning system in Indonesia has very minimal practice, and most people are still unaware that speaking English is very different from reading and listening. The only way to speak English fluently is to practice a lot. What we aim for is to develop muscle memory for speaking English. We have to try to make our brains feel not strange when we speak English. And there are several ways I have done to train my muscle memory. Perhaps these methods will sound strange and creepy, but my method involves an imaginary friend. So, I like to create scenarios where I am talking to my imaginary friend, as if he is asking me something random, and I answer. I will try to say this answer repeatedly until it sounds good, meaning the pronunciation is clear, and I am not speaking too fast or too slow. And later, when I get the same question in real life, I won't have to think for a long time and I can answer it instinctively. So, the more we practice speaking, the more our muscle memory will be formed, and the better our muscle memory, the more fluent we will speak English.
Let's move on to the last problem, which is mindset. Most Indonesians, most of us, feel that learning English is useless and we only aim for grades in school. However, in the end, our goal in learning English is so that we can communicate in English, whether through text or conversation. If from the beginning our goal in learning is only for grades, we will always struggle to communicate in English. And what's worse, this kind of mindset is usually obtained from external environments. It's not uncommon for me to see comments on my social media that are roughly like this: "How can Indonesia progress if posts are in English?" Imagine this thought being heard by lazy people. They will definitely use this reason to not learn English. This kind of mindset is very easily swallowed hook, line, and sinker by children. Even when I was young, I had the same thought. When I was in junior high school, I had a fight with my mother because I didn't want to take English lessons. At that time, I said, "Why do we need to learn English? We live in Indonesia." Until finally, I graduated from college, and I realized that my thinking at that time was very foolish. Because when we enter our productive age, English will open up many opportunities, from education, job opportunities, to opportunities to do business with foreign countries. And when I knew the benefits, then I had the motivation to learn English in the true sense, which is to learn for communication, not to get grades. If I look back, perhaps I only had this correct mindset in early 2020, and I can say that what I have learned since 2020 is much more than what I learned for 12 years from elementary school to high school. So, the solution to this problem is that we must first correct our mindset before we learn. Instead of just learning to get grades, try to change your thinking to learning for your own benefit. So, how? Perhaps you can try by making a list of the benefits you want to get from learning English, such as studying abroad, working in an international company, or simply wanting to get a higher salary.
Okay, now we will enter the conclusion section. The first problem is that most Indonesians' mentality is already ruined by a toxic environment. We are always afraid to use English because we are always afraid of sounding wrong. The solution is: from now on, let's never be afraid of making mistakes, and if you are still trapped in such a toxic environment, get out now, save yourselves. The second problem lies in our education system. For 12 years of learning from elementary school to high school, we only focus on input-based learning, where our opportunities to practice speaking English are very minimal. Even though most of us already understand basic English, it doesn't mean we can automatically speak English. And the solution is: we just need to practice a lot. The more we practice, the more our muscle memory will be formed, and once our muscle memory is formed, we will naturally speak English fluently. The last problem lies in the mindset of most Indonesians who consider English unimportant and many people learn with the wrong purpose. Because most people consider English useless, most people only learn to get grades. It should be that learning is to be able to communicate. So, the solution is: let's first change our mindset from just learning for formality to learning for communication. So, that's all for now, friends. See you in the next video. Bye bye.