2009-05-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Use of “Crossword Puzzle” Game to Teach English Vocabulary
By: Aquarina Eva Austin

a. Using Games to Teach Vocabulary
Games are often used only to fill in a few minutes before the end of the lesson at school. The teacher does not realize yet that games can be used as one of the education aid in learning- teaching process of English. Some experts state the uses of game as follows:
According to Thornbury (2002:80), using games is the prompt for vocabulary teaching. It means that through the games, the teachers can teach their students effectively especially in vocabulary mastery.
Rogers also states that games can be used for teaching sounds, spelling, vocabulary syntactic, and communication (1975:126). Mc. Kelvien as cited by Doristy (2004:24) adds that games can be used to practice communication, structure, and vocabulary.
The last, Dale (1971:302) says that an important objective of vocabulary instruction is to develop an interest in words. The student whose curiosity about words is aroused is likely to increase his/her vocabulary and to become more discriminating.

b. The Advantage of Using Games to Teach Vocabulary
As we know that using games is as prompts for vocabulary teaching. It means that through the games, the students will get the advantages, such as the students’ vocabulary mastery will increase and it will not make the students bored.
Phun as cited by Doristy (2004:25) adds that there are two advantages in vocabulary games: (1) there is sense of excitement about word and (2) there is sense of wonder and feeling pleasure.
As a result of those advantages, the students are eager to learn the word, because they need it. It means that vocabulary games attract the students to learn and feel exited in learning words.

c. Crossword Puzzle Game in Teaching Vocabulary
The crossword puzzle is still the most popular word game. It lies in the ease with which it can be constructed. The words are run together horizontally and vertically (Dale, 2000:310).
Wharton stated that crossword puzzle for use in the language classroom is really quite easy to create. First, make a list of words with which your students should be familiar. Then, search for a letter common to two words and you are off (1995:48).
The puzzle forms may be used in several ways:
1.The students find animals, colors, or plants in the puzzle.
2.The students find certain parts of speech: verb, noun, preposition, etc.
3.Other categories may include the names of the days, the week, months, school subjects
4.The student finds proper nouns: cities, states, countries, famous people, etc.
5.The student finds certain kinds of activities: trades, professions, sport, hobbies, etc.

This game can be done in individual, in pair, or in groups. The teacher gives a copy of the “crossword puzzle” and explains the rules, such as students have to complete it as quickly as possible. For the individual game, the student who can complete it first is the winner and gets the good point from the teacher. In pair work or group, the winner is the pair or group who can complete it first. All of the winners will have prizes from the teacher. It makes this game to be more attractive.
The use of “crossword puzzle” game in teaching vocabulary is one of the alternative techniques to help the students to construct and improve their vocabulary mastery.

REFFERENCES

Dale, Edgar. 1971. Technique of Teaching Vocabulary. USA.Held Educational Education Publications.

Doristy. 2004. Using Puzzle to Improve the Vocabulary of Elementary School. S1 Thesis. Surabaya. UNESA.

Thornburry, Scott. 2002. How to Teach Vocabulary. Singapore.Longman.

Wharton, Glenn. 1995. Crossword Puzzles: One Way to Improve Communication Strategies. English Teaching Forum 33 (1) Pp. 47-48.

English Text books as a Learning Devices in Teaching

2009-05-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

English Text books as a Learning Devices in Teaching

by: Reny

As an international language, English has spread out around the world. English as a foreign language is being taught and learned in many countries, even in Indonesia. Furthermore, it has been compulsory subject in every school in Indonesia. Language is a mean of communication in oral and written for understanding the information, taught, and felling. Language is also a mean to develop students’ knowledge of science, technology and culture. It becomes a central role to the development of the students’ intellectual, social emotional interaction.

From the above, it is appropriate that English becomes one of the core subjects that have to be taught. It is very important for the students to expert English as well as the other subjects. Mastering English is not easy. English is not kind of science, it is skill. If students want to be able to communicate English in oral or written, they not only have to study it, but also they have to practice it.

Developing the ability of oral and written communication, teachers should use techniques that they built in the class. Beside that, they also need some materials to stimulate their students. Jack C. Richards (2001) said that “teaching materials are a key component in most language programs”. Teaching materials, teachers can use textbook or prepare their own materials. There are two kinds of materials: (a) printed materials such as book, workbooks, worksheet, or readers: (b) non-printed materials such as cassette or audio materials, videos, or computer based materials: (c) printed and non- printed materials such as self- access materials and materials on the interned (Jack C. Richards, 2001:251). In many cases, teachers usually use text book to teach materials for their students.

Using textbook can ensure that the students in different classes receive the similar contents or materials (Richard, 2001: 255). It will be difficult for the teachers to teach and transfer the materials for the students if they do not use textbook. Using the right materials in the textbook will help students to learn. According to Whorter (1992:227), textbooks are not only a book of chapter, parts of which are assigned by instructor at various time during the semester, textbooks are the learning devices.

This article is going to explain about textbook, advantages and disadvantages of a textbook, and the criteria of an effective textbook.

Definition of Textbook

In learning language, students need to expand their awareness of specific items of vocabulary, structure, or phonology and of discourse conversation in written and spoken texts. They also need to be made aware of the existence and use of special effect in the language. They will need to have experiences of processing language in chunks, and of relating the meanings that they encounter to their own cultural presupposition, without imposing their expectation on messages based on different presuppositions. All these activity are provided by the teacher or textbook (Brumfit, 1994: 83). Therefore, textbook is a vehicle which provides all the activities that are needed by the students in learning language

Instructional materials serve as a basic for the language input students receive and language practice that occur in the classroom (Richard and Renadya, 2002: 66). Crawford in Richard and Renadya says that textbook is a vehicle for teacher. It is a teachers’ guide to teach their students. Textbook can provide support and help with the classroom management. It is also an agent of change if it provides the teachers with a clear picture of what the change is look like, and clears practical guidance on how to implement it in the classroom (2002:83).

According to Whorter (1992:227), textbooks are not only a book of chapter, parts of which are assigned by instructor at various time during the semester, textbooks are the learning devices. Richard says that materials which can be used in language learning are in form of (a) printed materials such as books, workbooks, worksheets, or reader; (b) non-printed materials such as cassette or audio materials, videos, or computer based materials: (c) printed and non- printed materials such as self- access materials and materials on the interned (2001:251).

Therefore, textbook is a kind of printed materials that can be used to teach. Using textbook can ensure that the student in different classes receive the similar content or materials (Richard, 2001: 255). It will be difficult for the teachers to teach and transfer the materials for the student if they do not use textbook.

The use of materials is that to support and enhance the students’ proficiency Brown says that “the most common form of materials support in language instruction comes through textbook”. Textbook is also used as guidance for teachers, for preparing what will be tough tomorrow (Brown, 1994:144-145). It can be concluded that using the right materials in the textbook will help student to learn and help them to develop their English’s proficiency.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Textbook

Richard (2001: 254) says that textbook is one of the commonest materials in language teaching. On the other word textbook especially commercial textbooks is often used by the teachers as their materials for their student. Commercial textbook has both advantages and disadvantages when it is used as a material in teaching learning process.

Richard (2001:2004-255) says that the commercial textbooks can give the positive and negative effects; it depends on how they are used and what the context they used for. The advantages of using commercial textbooks are:

1. Commercial textbooks provide structure and a syllabus for a program.

2. They help standardize instruction.

3. They maintain quality.

4. They provide a variety of learning resource.

5. They are effective. They can save teacher’s time.

6. They can provide effective language models and input.

7. They can train teacher.

8. They are visually appealing.

According to Nunnan the positive side of textbook is that “the best commercials materials fulfil an important teacher education function, and remove much of the burden and time involved in creating from scratch”. Rossner in Nunnan says that materials (including materials in textbook) are used to provide new information on how language works at a formal level, to provide focused practice in manipulating language form and in practicing sub- skills, to provide comprehensible input, to provide opportunities for simulating and rehearsing communicative situation, for testing and self assessment and for increasing motivation and interest in learning (1991:213).

Textbook does not only give the positive side for the teaching learning process, but also gives the negative side. According to Richard (2001:255-256), the negative effects are:

1. They may contain inauthentic language.

2. They may desert content.

3. They may not reflect students’ need.

4. They can deskill teacher.

5. They are expensive

2.3.3 Criteria of an Effective Textbook

According to Cunningsworth (in Richard, 2001:258) they are four criteria for evaluating materials, including textbook. They are:

1. They should correspond to the students’ need. They should match the aims and objectives of the language learning program.

2. They should reflect the uses that learners will make of the language.

3. They should take account of students’ need as learners and should facilitate their learning process.

4. They should have a clear role as a support for leaning.

Crawford in Richard and Renadya also gives some criteria of materials in teaching language, including textbook. The effective materials are likely to reflect the following statement:

1. Materials in the textbook must contextualized the language they present.

2. It should be on whole texts, language in use.

3. The language used in the textbook should be realistic and authentic.

4. Materials in the textbook have to include an audio visual component.

5. It has to advance the students autonomy

6. It needs to be flexible enough to provide to individual and contextual differences (2002: 84- 87).

Reny Yuanita Sari/ 052084030/English Education 05’/Repeater C class

References

Brown, H. Douglas. 1994. Teaching by Principle: An- Interactive Approach to Language. New Jersey: San Francisco University.

Brown, H. Douglas. 2004. Language Assessment: Principle and Classroom Practice. New Jersey: San Francisco University.

Brumfit, Christopher. 1994. Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching. Great Britain: Cambridge.

Nunnan, David. 2001. Language Teaching Methodology. London: Prentice Hall Internasional

Richard, Jack C. 2001. Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. London: Cambridge Language Education.

Richard and Renadya. 2002. Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. London: Cambridge University Press

Whorter, Kathleen T. 1992. College Reading and Study Skill, 5^th edition. London: Harper Collin Publisher.

Aquarina and Reny

English Text books as a Learning Devices in Teaching