The Competence in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

English is an international language that is used widely all over the world. Ith has fours skill, such as rerading, writing, listening, andspeaking that should be mastered by people, especially for teacher and student. Teaching English as a foreian language needs some competences of the teacher in doing learning-teaching activity successfully. The competences that should be applied by English teacher in learning-teaching activity are approach, method, and technique.

The first competence that should be understood by tha teacher is the approach. According to Edward Anthony (1963), an approach is a set correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language learning and teaching. It is also the level theories of language learning and teaching. An approach is axiomatic. Within one approach, there can be many methods. For example, interactive games are often used in Audio Lingual courses for motivation and to provide a change to pace from pattern-practice drill. In Communicative Language Teaching, yhe same game may be used to introduce or provide practice for particular types of interactive exchanges. The key to dynamic teachung is the interaction between one’s approach and classroom practice. The teacher could disseminate the best approach in learning-teaching activity, mainly in teaching English as a foreign language, so the student eager to learn English better. For example, the teacher could combine the Natural Approach, which was introduced by Tracy Terreli in 1977 in the same time with the Oral Approach or Situational Language Teaching in 1980. The diversity approach in some method will make the interactive classroom. Therefore, the teacher can not ignore which should be used in learning-teaching English. And the teacher should be wise and smart in using the right approach to encourage student’s English competence.
The second competence that a teacher should prepare is the method. Richards and Rogers (1986) said that method was an umbrella term to capture redefined approaches, designs, and procedures. Similarly, Prabu (1990) thought of method as both classroom activities and theory informs them. A method is a way which is used to reach the goal. The teacher needs to use it in teaching and its variety shows the competence of teacher 9in managing the classroom. One method is The Grammar Translation Method, which was widely used in the USA in 1980. It is not the best method which is used by the teacher in teaching English, but it is a good method for the teacher with a little English proficiency can teach the language. It also develop student’s writing skill. And for a student who responds well to rules, structures, error correction. The Grammar Translation Method can provide a challenging learning process. Another method is the Direct Method which was associated with Francois Guinn and Charles Berlitz. It is believed to be the first method that encourages language teacher to teach a foreign language by modelling first language learning. In this method, grammar is taught inductively with no explanations of grammar rules, which is really an improvement in language teaching. There is also Audio Lingual Mrthod, which was introduced in the USA in 1940. This method was prepared to people in mastering foreign language orally in a short time. Besides these methods, there are some methods which are used anddeveloped by the teacher in teaching English, such as Silent Way, Community Language Learning, Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response.
The third competence that teacher should understanding is the technique. Mackey (1975) said a technique is implementation. It is something actually takes place in language teaching or learning in the classroom. So, all activities that take place in language class and the roles of language teacher are also regarded as technique. The language teachers or English teachers should improve their own technique by considering the underlying principles of the method. Some examples of technique in error correction are the teacher often praises when a student has made a good thing in learning the language in tha Audiio Language Teaching, and the teacher just repeats the right one if the student has produced a wrong expression in the Total Physical Response Method. Meanwhile, the teachers do not praise or criticize the students if they have made a good thing in learning language, so they learn to rely on themselves. This is an example of techniques in error correction in the Silent Way Method, and the teachers do not care if the student make an error expression as long as it does not hinder communication. And this is an example of technique in error correction in the Natural Method.
In short, teaching English as a foreign language needs some competences of the teacher in doing laerning-teaching succesfully, there are approach, method, and technique. However, these are not absolute factors, but it can encourage the language acquisition of the student.