Descriptive Picture for Students Speaking Skill

Using Descriptive Picture to Improve Students Speaking Skill

Introduction

Background

Language of communication occurs in daily activity as a text. This is true in any spoken and written language. Language represents medium of most communication comprehended by people in the entire world. Language as medium of communication has two types, they are written and spoken. Spoken language can be manifested in oration, dialogue, presentation, etc. Written language can be manifested in letter, news, short message, short story, novel, etc. Language is very important to express something and to communicate with other.

The verse above shows that language is very important to people in entire world. Language is important to communicate with other people. Especially English language, it is important language that is used by people in the world. People around the world speak English to communicate. By learning English, people can communicate to other people around the world, because English language is number one International language. People realize that they need knowledge to survives their lives. The knowledge that is needed is not only from their country but also from other countries. To make relationship with them, people need English for communication because English is one of International language that have an important role in the International communication.

Speaking is one of important aspects in learning language, because speaking is important tool for communication. Without speaking skill students will be a dumb. The teacher never knows the purpose of students mean.

In Indonesia, students are usually afraid of joining foreign language classes. They may feel unmotivated, discouraged easily. Their mindsets say foreign language is difficult to learn because most of them know nothing from the start. Usually, students know nothing how to express what they want to say.

The reason of learning is to change students’ intellectuality, morality and social attitude. To reach reason, the students interact with circle of learn that arranged by teacher in the learning process.

Learning speaking at junior high school can be done with many media to help students in speaking skill such as: pictures, cards, paper sheet etc. The researcher chooses describing picture to teach speaking in descriptive text, because with describing picture the students will be easier to express their ideas. With the describing picture, they can reflect on image, when they see.

David Nunan stated that Speaking is a skill which deserves attention every bit as much as literary skills, in both first and second language. To most people, mastering the speaking skill is the single most important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, and success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the language.

Speaking in a second or foreign language has often been viewed as the most demanding of the four skills. When attempting to speak, learners must muster their thoughts and encode those ideas in the vocabulary and syntactic structures of the target language.

People can define speaking as the way to carry out our feeling through words, conversation with other. Speaking also used to communicate as by talking, to make a request, to make a speech. It means that they always use it in their life, because without speaking they will be a dumb and never know everybody’s means. Jeremy Harmer,” Effective speakers need to be able to process language in their own heads and put it into coherent order so that it comes out in forms that are not only comprehensible, but also convey the meanings that are intended.” One of the reasons for including speaking activities in language lessons is to help students familiar with oral use of language in English conversation. Speaking activities provide exercise opportunities in real life speaking in the safety classroom. 

The Importance of Speaking

In learning English, speaking is important to support students’ ability to use the language. As one of language skill, speaking has given an important contribution to human work. The important speaking can be seen in people daily activities and business activities.

Speaking is an interactive task and it happens under real time processing constraints. It means that they will be able to use words and phrases fluently without very much conscious thought.

Descriptive Text

Descriptive is kind of text which describes particular person, place, things. In descriptive text, the researcher uses the simple present tense.

Describing Picture in Language Learning

Describing picture is one of activity in learning speaking English. In this activity, students must describe pictures in front of class. Every student gets one picture and must describe it. The purposes of this activity are to train students’ imagination and retell story in speaking English.

This method is to make students easier to describe something, and make learner process more enjoyable.

Pictures are one of the visual aids that can be used in teaching speaking. It makes something more interesting for the students. It also can be used in creating situation for speaking classes more clearly. Picture as aids are clearly in dispensable for language teacher since they can be used in so many ways. The teacher can teach vocabulary easily through pictures it means blackboard drawing, wall pictures, chart and flashcard.

a. Flashcard

It is a small card which teacher can hold up for students to see. Flashcards are particularly useful for drilling grammar items, for cueing different sentences, or practicing vocabulary.

b. Large wall picture

It is big enough for everyone to see detail. Sometime teachers use large wall pictures, when pointing to detail of a picture to elicit a response.

c. Cue card

It is a small card which students use in pair or group work. Teachers put students in pair or groups and give them some cue cards so that when a student picks up the top cue card in a pile he or she has to say a sentence that the card suggests.

d. Photograph or illustration

It is a photo or image that depicts a situation or people in action. The teachers use it to make the situation or the action clear. Photograph can be found in the book, newspaper, magazine, etc.

Projected slide

In the multimedia class, the teachers also use it to teach. Sometimes the teachers use it to show the images in the big form.

Describing Picture to Teach Speaking

The functions of describing picture are to practice describing things and using preposition of position, to practice listening and speaking to direction, to train students’ imagination and retell story in speaking English.

The benefits of using describing picture

Pictures are all right for beginner and for young learner. There are many benefits of describing pictures in a teaching process, they are:

1.Learning becomes more interactive

2.The length of time required can be reduced

3.The instruction be more interesting

4.The quality of learning can be improved

5.The positive attitude of students toward what they are learning and the process itself can be enhanced.

Conclusion

Language of communication occurs in daily activity as a text. This is true in any spoken and written language. Language represents medium of most communication comprehended by people in the entire world.

The verse above shows that language is very important to people in entire world. Language is important to communicate with other people. Especially English language, it is important language that is used by people in the world.

Speaking is one of important aspects in learning language, because speaking is important tool for communication. Without speaking skill students will be a dumb. The teacher never knows the purpose of students mean.

David Nunan stated that Speaking is a skill which deserves attention every bit as much as literary skills, in both first and second language. To most people, mastering the speaking skill is the single most important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, and success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the language.

The Importance of Speaking

In learning English, speaking is important to support students’ ability to use the language. As one of language skill, speaking has given an important contribution to human work. The important speaking can be seen in people daily activities and business activities.

Describing Picture to Teach Speaking

The functions of describing picture are to practice describing things and using preposition of position, to practice listening and speaking to direction, to train students’ imagination and retell story in speaking English.

The benefits of using describing picture

Pictures are all right for beginner and for young learner. There are many benefits of describing pictures in a teaching process, they are:

1.Learning becomes more interactive

2.The length of time required can be reduced

3.The instruction be more interesting

4.The quality of learning can be improved

5.The positive attitude of students toward what they are learning and the process itself can be enhanced.

Reason for using the topic

Teaching a foreign language is considered to be one of the most challenging teaching practices. In Indonesia, students are usually afraid of joining foreign language classes. They may feel unmotivated, discouraged easily. Their mindsets say foreign language is difficult to learn because most of them know nothing from the start. Usually, students know nothing how to express what they want to say.

Describing picture is one of method, so the researcher wants using this method to improve the students speaking skill in descriptive text. The researcher hopes this technique can help the students to gain self-confident in speak English especially to practice describing things in descriptive text.

Nama : Badi'atul Ulya

NIM    : 153221255