The purpose of this study is to know the characteristics of teaching and learning English in kindergarten of SALAM Yogyakarta. This school is one of the schools in Yogyakarta which has similar characteristics with sekolah alam concept.
This research is a descriptive qualitative study. The data in this study were collected by the in-depth interview method. This research was conducted with a variety of approaches related to English as a foreign language, learning English as a foreign language, teaching English to children, the teaching and learning process, and assessment and evaluation.
There are thirteen things found in the study conducted in kindergarten of SALAM. First, teaching English in SALAM kindergarten was handled directly by native speaker. Second, the purpose of learning English is to make children familiar with English as well as to build the character of students. Third, the theme of teaching is flexible. It depends on the handbook that was read. Fourth, the most popular method of teaching is book storytelling. Fifth, learning activity consists of nine stages. Sixth, teaching material is determined by the teacher considering the specific criteria. Seventh, the learning is done in a semi-open class. Eighth, the lesson is done once a week, an hour per day. Ninth, the facility used belongs to SALAM and belongs to teachers' personal collection. Tenth, the game was aimed to control the class. Eleventh, teachers maintain good communication with students outside the classroom as well as inside the classroom. The twelfth, an assessment is done by asking questions after the story is read. The teaching and learning English in SALAM kindergarten did not have any evaluation
