When English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is taught to students, the right method is needed so that the teaching material can be delivered well. Not only delivered, but also making students really understand so that they can apply it in their daily lives as preparation for their future. For that, Andrew Hunt, a senior academic manager at English First from the Eduka group, provided some explanations and tips for teachers.
In creating teaching materials, it must first be determined who the teaching material is made for, by whom, and whether it is for all students or only some. This needs to be done because the teaching material must be adjusted to the learning abilities of the students in order to be understood well.
In addition, Andrew Hunt emphasized the need for a PIE method in the learning and teaching process. According to him, PIE stands for Personal Input, Interaction, and Engagement.
In the PIE method, Personal Input means that as a teacher you must absorb a lot of knowledge or skills. Then as a student, Personal Input means that students must be able to absorb many things presented by their teacher.
In addition to Personal Input, there is something called Interaction. According to Andrew Hunt, reading books only will be very lacking in learning English, especially if English is a foreign language for students. Therefore, frequent practice is needed to have good English skills. In learning a language, practicing by interacting is very necessary. This will have a greater positive impact on students than just learning from books.
The last of the PIE methods is Engagement. There needs to be a hook or something that interests students to learn. So, in addition to the teaching material being absorbed well, engagement will make learning more fun and train students' creativity.
The use of objects or tools can be very helpful in increasing engagement or creating interaction between students. Examples include the use of images related to learning materials, the use of flashcards, word games, or various forms of games combined with English materials.
In addition to the PIE method, Andrew Hunt also provides a tips that he calls "Use it, don't lose it!". There are several things that can be used as learning techniques, such as the use of sentences, questions, conversations, stories, even sentences that express agreement or rejection (agree/disagree).
