Developing student-centered grammar materials for beginners' level Indonesian

Abstract

Curriculum development is an integral element in determining the success of language learning. The selection and preparation of teaching materials is one element that needs to be considered in curriculum planning. It is important to have materials tailored to students' needs in order to facilitate better learning and to enhance their learning experiences (Richards, 2001; Tomlinson, 2001). This article discusses the pedagogical consid-erations, design and development of the student-centered "Communicative Practical Indonesian Grammar" materials and the "Pelangi Bahasa Indonesia" podcasts for beginners at the National University of Singapore. The grammar materials were developed in accordance with communicative language teaching principles. Grammatical structures are presented in the materials in accordance with the inductive approach through which students learn the use of the structure through practice of the language in context and formulate the rules from practical examples. They discover and generate the rules from their experience of using the target language (Brumfit & Johnston, 1979; Ellis, 2001; Richards, 2006). Research has shown that podcasting has many advantages. They are portable, convenient, attractive and motivating (Chan, Chen, & Döpel, 2011). The "Pelangi Bahasa Indonesia" podcast materials were produced as a supplement to the "Communicative Practi-cal Indonesian Grammar" materials to reinforce grammar knowledge, and encourage learning beyond the classroom. © Centre for Language Studies.