Penelitian ini mengeksplorasi tantangan dan strategi yang diterapkan guru dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar di era pandemi di MAN Ruteng. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologis. Data diperoleh melalui wawancara, observasi dan dokumentasi. Untuk keperluan wawancara individu, dipilih lima guru secara purposive. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa media pembelajaran yang digunakan adalah WhatsApp, google classroom, messenger, dan facebook karena dapat digunakan dan diperoleh dengan mudah dan sebagian besar siswa memiliki ponsel. Kemudian tantangan yang dapat diidentifikasi adalah fasilitas penunjang pembelajaran dan lokasi domisili siswa. Sedangkan guru menerapkan strategi praktis aplikatif dalam menangani hambatan kegiatan pembelajaran selama masa pandemic.

Different theorists proposed different definition of learning strategies (Wenden, 1987, O’Malley and Chamot, 1990, Oxford, 1990).  All the definitions highlighted that learning strategies are the actions taken to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferrable. The study aims to find out how Health Vocational School students in Ruteng, Flores employ learning strategies, what strategy is mostly employed and the implications of learning strategy employed to language learning and teaching which cover cognitive strategy, meta cognitive strategy and social strategy. It’s mixed method research combining the use of quantitative and qualitative study.  For the purpose of quantitative study, it was chosen 123 students by using the technique of cluster random sampling, meanwhile for the purpose of qualitative data, it was chosen 12 students and three English teachers by using purposive sampling. The research result shows that students of health vocational schools in Ruteng, Flores employ medium language learning strategy for the three learning strategies studied (Cognitive strategy employed by 90,2% (111) students, meta cognitive strategy employed by 86,2%(106) students, and social strategy employed by 86,2% (106) students. Regarding learning strategy mostly employed, the most frequent strategy is cognitive strategy which gains the mean 3.33. Meanwhile, the least strategy is social strategy and it reaches the mean of 3.26.  Medium learning strategy for the three strategies studied, and cognitive strategy as the most frequent strategy employed has the implication to applying teaching method which is oriented to raise up students’ cognitive strategy, adopting regularly the meta cognitive instruction in the classroom to help students improve academic achievement, and providing the opportunity for students to practice speaking English out of the classroom.

This study explored students’ independent learning during the Learning from Home Period within this covid 19 outbreak. This study was conducted at the Faculty of Health Science and Agriculture Unika Santu Paulus Ruteng, Flores covering four study majors. In order to obtain the objective of the research, it’s used qualitative studies with a phenomenological approach. Data were obtained through interviews. For the purpose of individual interviews, it’s chosen 12 respondents consisting of 8 students and 4 teachers taken purposively. The research results showed that 1) Students use books, modules, portable computers, and mobile phones as the media to apply independent learning. Certain teachers use online applications such as Goggle Classroom, Email, Whats app, and websites to engage students with internet learning instruments. Dealing with learning sources, students use files in the form of PPT, PDF, a word containing the materials, learning videos, notes, google, youtube, assignments distributed by teachers, and some other materials gained by the students themselves from the internet. 2) Students haven’t possessed time management skills. They don’t provide a specific time to learn the materials they obtain from teachers. They only used the learning schedule provided by the campus. 3) Teachers play most of their roles as instructors and facilitators. As instructors, teachers provided some instructions through materials or subject matters to be learned by the students. Moreover, students are asked or instructed to complete certain assignments within the time limit set up through the learning application used. Meanwhile, as facilitators, teachers provided opportunities for the students to discuss and ask questions through an online application provided. Even, certain questions asked through WhatsApp answered directly by the teachers. 4) There are some advantages and obstacles that could be the policymakers and school authority concerns in order to promote optimal self-learning during this covid-19 outbreak.

This study explores challenges and opportunities experienced by both teachers and students in the teaching and learning activity during this covid-19 outbreak. It is a literature study by reading the literature sources, and the data were obtained from articles of online journals, e-book, law regulations, and other relevant sources. The study identified some challenges teachers and students encountered in teaching and learning activities as follows 1) Learning Facility to support online learning, 2) Teacher's ability to use technology, 3) Challenge in preparing the suitable material suits to online learning during the covid-19 pandemic, 4) Students' difficulties to understand the subject materials. On the other hand, it's obvious that the implementation of online learning brings some opportunities for teachers and students that can't be denied. Some important opportunities are 1) Teachers and students engage to learning technology, 2) Students More Engage the Independent Learning, and 3) Changed Practices and Perspectives. Further task that should be undertaken is to take responsibility on keeping a balanced in order that the challenges are reduced and the opportunities are taken maximally to make the learning objectives achieved as planed prior to the teaching and learning activity.

Communicative language teaching (CLT) is a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom (Richard, 2006:2). Classroom interaction occurs in the process of applying CLT which requires the participation of both learners and teacher. The study aims at finding out how CLT and classroom interaction implemented collaboratively in the effort to increase learners’ speaking skill at private senior high schools in Ruteng, Flores. It’s mixed method research combining the use of descriptive quantitative and qualitative study design with phenomenological approach. For the purpose of quantitative study, it’s chosen 123 students by using cluster random sampling, meanwhile for the purpose of qualitative data, it’s chosen 12 students and three English teachers by using purposive sampling. The research result showed that CLT characteristics (82=66.7%) and teacher’s role (98=79.7%) were mostly categorized as high level of CLT implementation. Meanwhile, material, media and learners’ role were mostly categorized as medium level. English teachers always involve their students in the productive activities. However, they mostly used book or hand out as the media to deliver materials. Integrating technology into classroom, using games as one of method to cheer up the students boredom hardly ever undertaken. Regarding the implementation of classroom interaction; initiation was mostly in the category of low level (76=61.8%). Students mostly do the activities of learning English designed by teacher. They are not engaged with learning autonomy that leads them to have self learning habit. Consequently, students are only able to accomplish the simple tasks