Everyone Actively Learns

Simple and engaging. That’s what we found when Steven Riley, a senior teacher from Australia, taught for a day at RBB (Rumah Belajar Bersama) in Bulukumba District, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. In communication, he taught intonation, which closely relates to question and answer exchanges. First, he asked about all the participants’ well-being and names while observing how they responded. Then, the students were asked to make statements addressed to him.

Starting from that brief conversation, Steven who has traveled far and wide, even to Japan immediately understood the students’ capacities. Soon after that, he approached those who lacked confidence in speaking and greeted them using every day conversational vocabularies. The atmosphere then became more relaxed and more prepared. After that, he gave examples of how to control pitch. “If you want to ask a question, raise the pitch at the end of the sentence. On the other hand, if you want to answer, just lower the pitch at the end,” he said. It’s that simple.

The lesson continued. Because Steven spoke entirely in English, he also used body language so that his explanations could be understood. The writer occasionally stepped in to help translate only the more complex parts to help students grasp more quickly. Otherwise, they were encouraged to try to interprete everything Steven explained on their own.

Controlling pitch may seem trivial, but most students did not yet know how to raise or lower their voices properly with a pleasant tone. Steven did not give up. This seasoned the teacher knew exactly how to handle it. Each student who failed to speak correctly was asked to repeat. And if they still failed, even at the age of 72, he showed no signs of fatigue and did not hesitate to actively walk around, approaching each student one by one to help them follow what he said until they reached a level of voice he considered comfortable to listen.

After that, Steven trained speaking skills further. To teach directions, he first drew arrows for north, south, east, and west. Then, he created winding roads with three juctions and four juctions. He also drew houses, schools, offices, and more. “Where is the school?” Steven asked. The answer was not just pointing at the drawing but explaining it. Students had to say things like “Go straight to the west, turn left, then right at the intersection” and so on. The answers varied because different locations were being asked about.

Steven’s Teaching Outcomes
Steven’s interactive two-way learning approach successfully stimulated thinking, encouraged active speaking, and directly ensured students’ level of understanding. Even passive students began to think and prepare themselves, anticipating that they might be asked questions. Meanwhile, those who were already confident in speaking became more creative and critical in expressing their opinions.

The learning atmosphere also became livelier because communication was built among students and between students and the teacher. A teacher with an open mindset like Steven is appropriate to this method. He was prepared for the possibility of unexpected critical questions. Steven’s experience, insight, and mental readiness in managing the class made the learning process very enjoyable from start to finish, which lasted about 90 minutes.

Steven Riley is actually no longer working as a teacher but as a contractor in France. He met Anjas, a guide who understands maps and the needs of his guests, which allowed Steven to channel his passion for teaching by coming to RBB. Steven’s teaching method is closely related to pronunciation, speaking, and intonation was excellent and became a valuable reference to be followed up in supporting the acceleration of students’ learning abilities.

Zulkarnain Patwa
Bulukumba, Tuesday, April 28, 2026