English is becoming more and more important language in th2 21 st century. To respond this condition, some countries start introducing English to their school students earlier. In the newest Curriculum 2013, Indonesian government changes the status of English in elementary school to be an extracurricular activity which was stated as a local content in the previous curriculum. This policy becomes a great concern for some teachers and educators in Indonesia. To address this problem, the writer try to analyze it by proposing three problems; How is the implementation of teaching English as a foreign language in Elementary schools, What are the problems in teaching English in Elementary schools, and What are the challenges of teaching English in Elementary schools. Data were collected from previous research findings, and find out that many elementary schools still teach English with some problem such as unqualified teachers and unsatisfactory learning outcome. Thus, it is challenge for all the stake holders, especially government and higher education institutions.

Dalam kondisi pandemi Covid-19 dimana mengharuskan guru mengatasi keterbatasan dan kendala dalam Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh, kemampuan menggunakan teknologi yang tepat dan metode mengajar yang menarik dapat memberikan dampak yang besar dalam proses pembelajaran. Di SMK Muhammadiyah Bawang, guru mengalami kesulitan untuk mengembangkan metode mengajar sehingga banyak pembelajaran yang masih monoton dan menjadi krisis kejenuhan bagi peserta didik di tengah situasi PJJ yang semakin berlarut. Guru akan dapat menjalankan pembelajaran dengan lebih variatif jika mampu menguasai dan memahami beberapa aspek diantaranya pemahaman tentang materi, kondisi siswa, situasi lapangan dan latar belakang masing–masing siswa guna dapat menjalankan proses pendidikan yang sesuai dan setara serta adil bagi semua siswa. Kegiatan In House Training (IHT) di SMK Muhammadiyah Bawang ini diikuti oleh 24 peserta yang terdiri dari guru – guru pengampu mata pelajaran di sekolah tersebut. Metode yang digunakan dalam kegiatan ini adalah pelatihan yang meliputi ceramah, refleksi, diskusi, konsultasi dan praktik. Tujuan utama kegiatan ini adalah: 1) Peserta mengetahui miskonsepsi PJJ pada masa pandemi; 2) Peserta mengetahui penerapan Strategi 5M untuk PJJ d imasa pandemi; 3) Peserta memiliki kanvas RPP Merdeka Belajar untuk PJJ. Kegiatan ini berdampak baik kepada guru–guru di SMK Muhammadiyah Bawang dalam membangakan metode mengajar selama PJJ. Hal ini ditunjukkan dengan pembuatan kanvas RPP Merdeka Belajar yang lebih baik di akhir pelatihan. Hal ini juga didukung dengan hasil kuesioner menunjukkan kepuasan guru setelah mendapatkan pelatihan serta menerapkan metode tersebut dimana kelas menjadi lebih aktif dan variatif.

Speaking is one of the most important skills in English. Speaking English in public is difficult for Indonesian students because English is learnt as foreign language. Speaking practice should be done continually and effectively. Personal presentation is used as a practice method for students to be able to speak in public. By combining digital technology and education, the objectives of this study are (1) classifying the time allotment of personal documentation video done by students; (2) describing the topics of personal documentation video done by students; (3) describing the speaking problems faced by students; and (4) classifying the advantages of students by composing personal documentation video. This descriptive qualitative study analyzed data in the form of speaking recorded in video projects done by students and interviewed result with the students. After classifying the data based on the duration of the videos, it was found that there are 21 videos (25,30%) which have duration less than 7 minutes, 52 videos (62,65%) which fulfill the duration requirement in 7 -10 minutes, and there are 10 videos (12,05%) which have more than 10 minutes duration. It shows students' vocabulary mastery in describing something. The common topics used by students in the project were hometown, hobbies, describing things, and tourism or travel experiences. This study found that the common problem in speaking is the lack of confidence caused by the lack of vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. This study also finds the advantages of students' developments in speaking skill for presentation after composing personal documentation video project.

Tata kelola penyelenggaraan pendidikan dan pembelajaran jenjang sekolah dasar dihadapkan banyak tantangan dan persoalan pada era komunikasi dan komputasi global ini. Layanan kegiatan bimbingan dan konseling dari guru kepada siswa dan orang tua/wali memerlukan adaptasi cepat supaya pendidikan dan pembelajaran mampu mengikuti perkembangan dan tunturan perubahan tersebut. Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah untuk memberdayakan dan meningkatkan layanan bimbingan konseling bagi guru-guru SD/MI Muhammadiyah Se-Surakarta pada era komunikasi dan komputasi global. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan dengan pendekatan holistik reflektif partisipatif (HRP). Kegiatan dirancang bersama dengan melibatkan kepala sekolah dan guru unggulan sebagai model layanan bimbingan. Kegiatan diteruskan dengan totorial KDT (Kelompok Disukusi Terpumpun), dan partisipasi aktif serta diakhiri dengan refleksi secara holistik. Hasil kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah bahwa guru-guru SD/MI kemampuan layanan bimbingan dan konselingnya diperlukan pengayaan dan pemutakhiran secara berkala dan terus-menerus. Layanan bimbingan dan konseling guru-guru SD/MI perlu menyeimbangkan antara kompetensi profesional dan kompetensi sosial. Kompetensi sosial ini memerlukan jangka waktu dan proses yang lebih lama karena berhubungan dengan hakikat kemampuan dan kemandirian anak dalam berkehidupan bermasyarakat. Layanan bimbingan konseleling dari guru kepada anak-anak dan orang tua/wali pada era komunikasi dan komputasi global memerlukan adaptasi teknik dan strategi yang kontekstual.

The application of distance learning in elementary education using virtual technology is an activity that needs to be supported and considered to support good quality learning for the continuity of education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The learning process will not run without communication. Communication is important to convey information, both oral and written. The caretaker can be a teacher. The speech act is an utterance that is made as part of social interaction. So, the caretaker speech is the simplified form of speech used by people who think the listener has limited linguistic. The aim of this research is to describe the use of caretaker speech used in Distance Learning assistance activity. This is the descriptive qualitative research. The data were obtained by using observations, questionnaires and interview to the 10 teachers of elementary school first grade in Batang regency. The results showed that there were 5 categories of illocutionary speech acts in Distance Learning Assistance Activity as the following: 48% for assertive, 36% for directive, 3% for comissive, 13% for expressive; and 0% for declarative. The study concludes that the reason for using more directive speech acts was to make students able to achieve competence despite distance learning. This study is expected to add information related to the importance of teacher speech acts, especially in the context of distance learning in elementary schools.