Implementing TBT in Online English Class for Indonesian Domestic Workers

This paper addresses teaching English to middle-aged learners who are the members of JPPRI (Jaringan Perempuan Pekerja Rumahan Indonesia – Indonesian Domestic Worker Network) as a part of community development. The 45 participants were not familiar with online classes and most of them were unable to spend time for self-learning apart from the class session; thus, the instructors needed to come up with teaching strategies to deal with the students' condition. This study attempted to solve problems related to students' low performance and participation by implementing TBT (Task-based Teaching) specifically designed to be delivered via WhatsApp group. The researchers conducted two cycles of action research and the altered teaching approach showed satisfactory results. The learners' performance and participation increased steadily after the teachers implemented the TBT. We conclude that the TBT model in this study is useful for online classes using WhatsApp application; repetition, elaboration, and learning duration are essential in the TBT model for middle-aged learners to attain the targeted learning outcomes.