Example of Explanation Text

How does a cell phone work?

A cell phone, or we know as hand phone, is an important gadget in this modern world. What is a cell phone? A cell phone is actually a radio in certain way. Like a radio, by a cell phone we can communicate to other people in real time. Million people use cell phone for their communication. Even nowadays, people use cell phones to communicate in voice, written and data. Alexander Graham Bell is the person who make great change in the way people communicate to each other. He invented a telephone in 1876. Actually, wireless radio was formally known in 1894 presented by Guglielmo Marconi. Using that technologies, then a cell phone was born. However do you know how actually cell phones work?

This short explanation on how a cell phone work is really wonderful. A cell phone or in long term "cellular telephone' works by transmitting signals of radio to towers of cellular. The towers are networked to a central switching station. The connection usually uses wire, fiber optic-cables, or microwave.

Then the central switching station which handle calls in certain given area is directed and connected to the wire-based telephone system. The cellulars are pick up by the towers and relayed to another cellular telephone user or the user of wire-based telephone network.

The towers can be different in the availability and capability to receive signals. Some tower can receive the signal from short distance and the others can receive more distance. However, there are usually more than one tower in certain given area so that the system can handle the increasing telephone traffic.

Students Are the Master of Their Own Grader

In learning English, students have their own ways and methods. Some students think that they enjoy learning English through doing some exercises related to grammar or writing skills. Other students might think that by practicing English in terms of speaking will enhance their ability. On the other hand, the tests done in school will cover all skills which are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. That means students have to deal with this situation in class. As the consequences, students who realize that they are weak in one skill would feel insecure on how they should deal with the tests they do not really master at. There must be a solution for this.
 

Since the teachers will grade the students, they should do it wisely. Teachers should not just take the score from written tests but also from the students’ performance in class.  Some actively-speaking students should get some appreciation from the teacher because they often dare enough to speak up, while others do not. Although that speaker-kind-of student has weakness in writing, their performance in speaking should cover their English comprehension in so-called a “unique way”.
 

In Indonesia, the use of scoring rubric in class is getting popular. Especially in English subject, teachers should develop a fine and appropriate rubric which later students use to grade one another. This is quite fair since students will be assessed based on the students’ judgment and the teacher’s rubric as well. These two considerations in scoring will benefit students. First, students will know how well they are performing since there are some criteria that they should achieve based on the rubric. Second, students will experience how to score someone’s performance based on the rubric given.
 

This is the actual matter that we, the English teachers, should focus on. We should not let the students down just because they are weak in some skills. Moreover, we should enhance and facilitate their excellence to be even better. Of course we have to make them be sure that other skills are also important to master. It can be done by giving the material that they find it attractive. 

Why should it be "Less Teaching More Learning"?

The idea of Less Teaching More Learning has challenged teachers to do better in their class. Teachers are not only supposed to explain and drill the materials, but also to guide students on how to solve problems. Meanwhile, in reality, it can be seen that teachers only teach materials that later will be used in examinations. Like the old days, students only listen to the teacher’s speech in class, and they are rarely included in the discussion. This is actually the main obstacle of the teaching activity in Indonesia because the teacher is not the center of the teaching and learning activity, but the students are. Therefore, it is expected for the students to be active and critical in class. There are several reasons why teachers should agree with the idea of Less Teaching More Learning in class.

Firstly, teaching is not merely about the materials or competences. Teaching is about giving the students something meaningful, so that they both learn the materials and the values on related subject. If the students are able to achieve the good values in certain subject, they will posses a better behavior in their society.
 

Secondly, teaching is about guiding students to follow their curiosity. What Indonesian students need the most is the critical thoughts and creativity. By feeling curious and having a lot of questions on their head, the student will enhance their creativity and their critical thoughts by their own. Here, teachers’ role is to become a guide for students to help them find the answers to the questions.
 

Finally, the teacher’s role in class is to become the facilitator for the students. Teachers could provide students some questions that will lead them to understand certain materials. The questions may relate to the students’ daily activity or their behavior. Here, students not only learn how to solve some problems but also how to reflect their daily behavior related to the problems.
 

Therefore, Indonesian schools can start implementing the Less Teaching More Learning by providing two teachers or more in one class. It would be beneficial because the students will have more facilitators to help them in class. Moreover, Indonesian students like to be appreciated. Teachers can appreciate the students’ work by providing students with some rewards or honors.