CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Children are the next generation as a property, in the sense that

they may later be functioned as Teachers, Presidents, Doctors and many

others to replace the present generation. Therefore, children have to be

well prepared for those positions since very beginning. One tool to prepare

them for their future roles is education.

However, teaching children is not easy, in fact, it is difficult because

most children quickly get bored and inattentive if they are expected to sit

and listen to the information given to them. Basically they are more

interested in what they are doing ( Harmer, 1998:5). They will fed up

when they should learn and memorize things without doing anything.

In fact, teaching children can also be an interesting job for some

people. (Hammer, 2001: 38) say that children learn something faster than

adolescents because they are most susceptible to learning and receiving

new things. They are also the best learners. A teacher should know how to

make children interested in studying.

Teaching style is very important for teachers, because it can affect

the learners in studying. As Dunkin and Biddle (1974) say;

“Our ‘succes’ in teaching, we were taught, would depend on our

ability to provide positive reinforcements, maintain appropriate
discipline, inspire interest in the subject matter, and present an
exciting and challenging lesson. We were also counseled to use

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appropriate logic, diction and a pleasent tone of voice, exhibit

warmth and humor”.

Dunkin and Biddle clearly state that a teacher determines a

succesful teaching by making the lessons interesting, exciting and

challenging. In order to maintain the learners interest in learning, a teacher

should use different techniques or strategies and apply different kinds of

activities in teaching. Good teachers teach creatively in order to increase

the learner’s curiosity. For example, by making use of the surrounding

environment as well as indoor activities such as games, pictures, songs,

poem or role plays.

Though this novel “Totto Chan; The Little Girl at the Window”,

created by Tetsuko Koroyangi offers some ideas on teaching children.

Totto Chan, the main character on the novel, is a very curious girl that she

labeled naughty and strange at her former school. However, she enjoys

anything at her new school, Tomoe Gakugen, where this naughty and

strange girl is transformed into the nicest girl who is responsible to her task

and herself.

Totto Chan’s experience interests me because it exposes me to

many important things to understand the children, to teach them, to build

them a good relationship between teacher-student and also student-

student. In short, it gives some suggestions of how to be a good teacher,

especially for children. So for a purpose the writer is interested in

conducting a research entitled “Strategies for Teaching Children in

Totto-Chan; The Little Girl at the Window Novel”.

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1.2 Problem Statement

In this study, the writer will analyze the strategies of teaching

children based on the information from the novel, and the writer formulates

the discussion into three questions ;

1. What are the teaching strategies used in Totto Chan; The Little

Girl at the Window Novel?

2. What are the effects of using teaching strategies as depicted in

Totto Chan; The Little Girl at the Window Novel?

3. What is the most dominant of teaching strategies used in Totto

Chan; The Little Girl at the Window Novel?

1.3 Objective of the Study

Based on the above problem statement, the objectives of the study

are as follows:

1. To find out the teaching strategies used in Totto Chan; The Little

Girl at the Window Novel.

2. To analyze the effects of using teaching strategies as depicted in

Totto Chan; The Little Girl at the Window Novel.

3. To find out the most dominant teaching strategies in Totto Chan;

The Little Girl at the Window Novel.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The writer expects that the result of the study can enlarge our

knowledge effects of using teaching strategies as depicted in the novel

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and remind the reader about the importance strategy of educational in our

life.

1.5 Scope of the Study

Teaching strategies According to Larrouse (1972 : 21) is

indoor activity or a measure of its tendency to take part in a given

reaction and depends on the pressure and the temperatures done

inside the class. Teaching strategy in fact is one of the mandatory

subjects for the student teachers (Achsin, 1980), includes teaching

practices, techniques and comments to lead students intrinsically to

be involved in learning activities. According to Oxford (1990 : 854)

strategy refers to technique or specific action to improve children’s

learning. So, a strategy could also been seen as a technique. To

make the learning activities interesting the teacher can use imdoor

and outdoor activities.