Technology Language Learning in the Netherlands

 By Desri Fitriana

Technology in the Netherlands is growing fast, because that country has good human resources. Technology is a tool can make our life easier. Everyone can uses technology for their own businesses. As students, we are using technology for support our businesses like doing assignments. For teachers, technology also helping them for makes a learning process interesting. Even for all occupation in the world, technology has a role important for their life. Technology is developing superbly fast in the Netherlands. Every years, all of scientists always founded invention from each them sector.

Basically, technology in the classroom develops step by step according to Language Teaching Methodologies in 20^th century. In the Netherlands for the first time, English was learnt for commercial purposes, like trading. In the first half of 19^th century, more and more people already interested in reading English literature and mastering the language. English Language Teaching in the 19^th century in the Netherlands was dominated by Grammar Translation method on the one hand and the Direct Method on the other. Actually Language Teaching Methodologies has five methods are Grammar Translation, Audio-Lingualism, Direct Method, Total Physical Response and Suggestopedia. The first is Grammar Translation. In this step tends to explaining about grammatical rules, giving practice in translation in both directions. Consisted of explaining grammar of the target language using the student’s first language (L1) is Dutch. The grammar-translation method was a reaction to the more natural, communicative ways of language teaching that were practiced in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, in which students were meant to learn mainly through direct contact with tutors who were native speakers of the target language. Although the grammar-translation method lacks a unifying theory, it is based on the assumption that acquiring structural knowledge of a language leads to acquiring skills in that language.

The other movement in this period was the direct method, which gained momentum at the end of the 19^th  century and in which language is regarded first and foremost as a means of communication and used both as language of instruction and as target language, resulting in an emphasis on oral skills. The teachers have more interactions with their students, like asking those questions and telling them to do things. Direct method is more interactive rather than grammar translation method; because the teachers use examples of language to inductively teach grammar and encourage students to be more active and interactive.

So, that is why in the Netherlands or Holland, education system is growing fast and the Netherlands has been became one of countries that have good higher education and an international study environment. Not only in education sector, but in technology the Netherlands also has been a good improvement, such as a windmill. Windmills are one the most famous the Netherlands’ icons, as a characteristic of the Netherlands landscape and a symbol of the Netherlands struggle with water. So that is why, nowadays international students are interested to being a part of the Netherlands with studying in the Netherlands.