English is an international language that is used in most of the countries in the world. Not only used by over 300 million people in English native countries, but also used in other countries. People in English native countries will acquire it as their first language, while people in other countries will learn it as a Foreign Language. Both of the countries learn the same language, learn the same language skills, and learn the same language culture. But as they learn it differently, as first language and as foreign language, there must be some differences in learning the language.

The first difference that can be seen from both of the learning types is about their prior knowledge in the language. Prior knowledge here means as “….what one already knows about a subject….” As stated by Steven (1980:151). In learning English as first language, people don’t have any prior knowledge about English. While in learning English as foreign language, people have already known something about their native language and also about their target language (English). For the example, a native English kid doesn’t know which words belong to noun, verb, adverb, and adjective that (s) he found. While a non- native English kid has already known which words belong to noun, verb, adverb, and adjective in both of his/ her native language and also in English.

Another difference that distinguishes learning English as first and foreign language is their consciousness in learning the language. A linguist from University of Southern California, Stephen Krashen has identified two main modes of learning a language; they are Conscious Learning and Subconscious Acquisition. Generally, native speaker of English who acquire the language as their first language will acquire it subconsciously. They aren’t realized that they are learning language. They also are not consciously aware of the rules of language they have acquired. But they can feel which one is correct. Grammatical sentences ‘sound’ right, or ‘feel’ right, and errors feel wrong, even though they don’t know which rule was violated. (Krashen 1982:10).  As it’s started since they are born, language comprehension is more important than language production. On the other hand, people who learn English as foreign language will learn the language consciously. They know and they are aware that they are learning language. In this conscious learning, learner will be presented some grammar and pronunciation rules and then will be given some examples of the rules in sentences or utterances used in real life. Then the learner will know the rules, be aware of them, and be able to talk about them. In this learning, language production is very important.

One other thing that makes first language learning and foreign language learning different is the condition for successful learning.  English native speakers learn English by hearing their parents’ conversation while the meaning is made clear by the context. They will learn to understand and comprehend the language uttered. They will be able to understand more language than they can produce. Not only by hearing, they will also associate what they hear and the meaning of the message they mean. And at the last condition, they will associate what they hear and the grammar they know. It’s very different to condition for successful foreign language learning. First of all they will be given some grammar and pronunciation rules. After that they will be given some examples of the rules in sentences or utterances in their real life. Further, they have to be able to produce the language they learn by using the correct grammar and pronunciation. In this learning, language producing is very important.

                The last difference in learning English as First and Foreign Language is the outcomes, such as errors, and order of skills being reached. In learning English as first language, children usually produce some errors in pronouncing some words, such as ‘nana’ for banana. This error made caused by the speaking ability of the children itself, dealing with developing speaking organ. While in learning English as foreign language, learners always make mistakes in pronounce the word because of their acknowledgement and the differences of pronouncing some letters in their first and their target language. The respond from other people regard to these errors also different. Parents whose children mispronounce banana with nana rarely correct it with the right pronunciation, while teacher whose students make mistakes in their pronunciation will correct it as soon as they utter the words. In terms of the skills being reached by the learners, they are also different. In acquiring first language, the earliest stage is listening skill. Through this process, students also develop their comprehension skill on the language they heard. After that, the next stage is speaking skill. Children will try to pronounce and utter some words and sentences gradually. And the last, but not least is reading and writing skills. It is very different with order of skills in foreign language learning. It is started by reading skill, listening skills, and the last speaking and writing skill.

                In short, even though most of the countries in this world use English for their communication, use the same English, learn the same English culture, and master the same language skills, there is also some differences regard to the origin they learn the language; as first language and as foreign language. The differences may be in terms of the starting point of the knowledge had by the learners, in terms of the process, and also in terms of the outcomes as results of learning the language. 

Every student can learn, just not on the same day or the same way (Evans). This quote shows that every student has their own strategy to learn something. They also take different interval of time to be able to master their learning. The strategy they used will determine they succeeds in their learning. Learning strategy here means “specific actions, behavior, step, or technique used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992, p.63). Oxford (1990) has identified six mayor groups of language learning strategies, they are cognitive strategy, Meta cognitive strategy, memory- related strategy, compensatory strategy, affective strategy, and social strategy. In the following paragraph, will be explained all of those strategies.

First strategy that they can apply to enhance their language learning is cognitive strategy. This strategy enables the students to manipulate the language that they’ve known directly. Some activities that include in this strategy such as repeating, visualizing, making summary, making mind maps, categorizing ideas, and linking their prior knowledge with the new knowledge they acquire. Students can repeat some words, terms, or expression that they already knew in order to memorize the words. When they read some word, they can imagine and visualize the word in their mind to make the knowledge more concrete and the memory will last longer rather than just read them. After the lesson finish, the teacher always asks the students to make some summary that can make the students easier in reading the lesson again. The benefit of using this strategy is the students will find out that their experience or prior knowledge related closely to the new knowledge, so it will make them easier to understand the material.

Second strategy in language learning strategy is meta cognitive strategy. This strategy refers to awareness of student’s own knowledge- what they know and what they don’t know- and students’ ability to understand, control, and manipulate their cognitive process (Meichenbaum, 1985). In this strategy, the students should be able to use their prior knowledge to plan their strategy to approach learning task, take some steps to solve problem, reflect and evaluate the results, and modify approach. This strategy is really appropriate to be applied in problem based learning and project based learning, because the students need to be able to measure their ability, construct and modify their learning process, and solve the problem using their own strategy. The benefit of using this strategy is the students will be able to guide, regulate, and evaluate their own learning, and it will also make them independent learners.

Another strategy that can enhance students learning is memory related strategy. This strategy helps the students to link items in target language with another. The activities in this strategy such as learning and retrieve information in an orderly string (e.g., acronyms), while other techniques create learning and retrieval via sounds (e.g., rhyming), images (e.g., a mental picture of the word itself or the meaning of the word), a combination of sounds and images (e.g., the keyword method), body movement (e.g., total physical response), mechanical means (e.g., flashcards), or location (e.g., on a page or blackboard) (Oxford, 1990). By linking an item to the other in target language, it will enrich students’ vocabulary mastery. Not only knowing the name, but also able to use the words in a sentence or daily expression.

Next strategy is compensatory strategy. This strategy includes guessing from the context in listening and reading; using synonyms and “talking around” the missing word to aid speaking and writing; and strictly for speaking, using gestures or pause words. Compensatory strategy is used to help the learner make up for missing knowledge. This strategy is really helpful when the students don’t know completely the whole sentences. The students can understand about the topic without have to know the entire words meaning. It can be done by guessing from the known word meaning with the situation or condition of the environment.

After that, there is another strategy called affective strategy. The activities in this strategy such as identifying one’s mood and anxiety level, talking about feelings, rewarding oneself for good performance, and using deep breathing or positive self talk. This strategy has been proven that it can improve target language proficiency by Dreyer and Oxford. Besides improving learning, this strategy also used to make the students more sensitive about the environment around them and also increase their self esteem. One of the programs for self talk introduced in this strategy is Neuro Linguistic Program (NLP). In this program students will talk to themselves saying positive things in target language. It is believed can improve students speaking and also can reach what they say to themselves.

The last strategy based on Oxford is Social Strategy. This strategy helps the students to work with others and learn language and also the culture. The activities focused on some expression that can be said in some situation, asking for permission, and other expression that relates to students real life. This social strategy is very easy to be done not only inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom. Being a member of an organization became one of the ways to implement social strategy outside the classroom. It is the easiest strategy to be implemented in learning process.

Based on the explanation above, there are six main strategies that can be done by the students to enhance their own language learning. They may choose the best and the most appropriate strategy for them to be implemented. Choosing the strategy by them selves will make them more comfortable in learning process and they will not feel forced in doing it. 

Debating Bad Effects

Every student can learn, just not on the same day or the same way. It’s one of the quotations from George Evans. This quote shows that every student have their own strategy to learn something. They also take different interval of time to be able to master their learning. The strategy they used will determine they succeed in their learning. Learning strategy here means “specific actions, behavior, step, or technique used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992, p.63). Oxford (1990) has identified six mayor groups of language learning strategies, they are cognitive strategy, metacognitive strategy, memory- related strategy, compensatory strategy, affective strategy, and social strategy. In the following paragraphs, will be explained all of those strategies. 

All human need to express themselves in order to survive, living their live. As what have been stated by Laurie Halse Anderson, “When people don’t express themselves, they die one  piece at a time. “ it shows that expressing is very important. Expressions here means sharing their ideas or thought through communication. Communication can be in written form and spoken form. Since it’s for expressing something that come from them, writing will be so easy.

                Human can write easily when they are knowledgeable. They know many things that can be written in their writing. It can be from their experience that they really interested in being written. It can be about their ideas about something in the environment. It can also from their deep thinking about some problem that they have. The process of writing also can be helped by their knowledge about how to something in aproper way, including the use of language in writing. In addition, they will be easier in writing when they have get used in doing it. 

“Nothing happens by coincidence” said William S. Burroughs. It also supported by some experts that can beat Darwin theory that stated “this world exists by coincidence”. Everything happens for a reason, through some process, and has some purposes. This world is created through some processes and took times, in Al- Quran stated that this world is created in 6 days. So is in language mastery. Human can’t use language directly when they were born in this world. People acquire first language through some process, such as: babbling, one word stage, two words stage, telegraphic, and then the last is fluency and surely it takes several times to through all of the process. In line with that, mastering English as a foreign language also need some process and stages that takes some intervals of time.

When I was in my elementary school, I have learned English since I was in my third grade. At first, I could minimally understand the words and couldn’t use English in my communication yet. All things that I knew were Yes and No, this stage is called preproduction stage. Not long after that, I started to understand and utter word by word and this stage is called Early Production. When I was in my 4^th grade I started to develop more complex words and combined words with other words co I could communicate the basic thing I knew, this stage is called Speech Emergence. In this stage I’ve always said something ungrammatical and wrong. This stage happened in a very long period. And the forth stage is Intermediate Fluency, in this stage, a person can form a complete ideas and sentences with less grammatical error, in my point of view I’m still in this stage. And not yet reach the last stage of acquiring language, that is fluency.