On 21th January 2017, English Department teaching staff from UNIDHA visited SMA 4 Sungai Penuh with the intention of doing a community service in the form of an English workshop. The workshop was aimed at providing the students with information about TOEFL, useful strategies for achieving satisfying score in TOEFL PBT (Paper-Based Test), as well as skills that would help them improve their fluency in English.
The warm welcome shown by the principal, Drs. H. A. Surkati, M.SI, and one of the vice-principals, Sukiman, S.pd was very encouraging. After a small-talk or two, the team gave a gift to the principal and was led to the classroom where the workshop would be held. No less than seventy students made up of mostly 11th graders accompanied by their English teachers had crowded the classroom. The principle opened the workshop. He introduced the team, explained the visit, and gave a motivational speech to the kids.
The one and only Mr. Yal, formally known as Yalmiadi, S.S., M.Pd, started the four-part workshop with a comprehensive explanation on TOEFL; from its definition, significance, types and the kinds of test contained in each type, the scoring method, to the type of TOEFL preparation the team would be giving on that day. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Yal’s entertaining and engaging delivery filled the room with enthusiasm. The second part, also handled by Mr. Yal, focused on the first section of TOEFL PBT, Listening Comprehension. Guidance and strategies regarding English structure were given by Widya Fithri, S.S., M.Hum and Dra. Lucy Suraiya, M.A. The last part, Reading Comprehension, was handled by Rabbi Antaridha, S.S., M.A.
After given the explanation, skills, and strategies in each section, the students were asked to work on a few example of the test with limited time. The result was quite satisfactory, indicating their ability to grasp most of the materials explained to them. It also marked the good job their English teachers had done. All in all, the workshop went quite smoothly.