IMPLEMENTING PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN STIMULATING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY
By : Humiras Betty Marlina Sihombing, S.Pd, M.Pd English Literature Faculty
University of Darma Agung Medan
ABSTRACT
This article was the reflection of author’s experience on trying out the teaching of English Speaking class, by implementing Problem-Based Learning Method. The steps of Problem-Based Learning were summed up. Both successful and unsuccessful lessons were discussed, and then, lesson learned was provided.
Keyword: Teaching based on Prolem Based Learning Method .
Introduction
Communication is an essential need for human being. One of the ways in communication is through speaking. It is very important to master speaking skill. In order to do it, students must be trained to use English in communication orally. The frequency in using the language will determine the students’ speaking skill, and without implementing the experience of learning the language in the real life; it is difficult for the students to master speaking skill. Hence, speaking competence can be accomplished by practicing it orally.
In addition, Speaking is one of four language skills. It is a productive skill in the sense that speakers produce sounds of the language. Basically, speaking is intended for two-way communication. The speaker and the listener negotiate the meaning of what they say. Speaker-listener interaction takes place in real time, thereby allowing very little time for the speaker to respond to the listener if the rules of a conversation to be maintained.
In Indonesia, English is considered as a foreign language (EFL). Educational institution had introduced it since primary
school up to university level as a compulsory subject to learn.
Teaching English at University is different from teaching it at primary up to senior high school. The students at university are categorized as adult learners. They are more responsible than the young learners are because; previously before entering their major they have decided to enrich their knowledge on their chosen major that is English. Besides, the syllabus of English particularly for speaking subject demands the students to be able to communicate in English very well. The time they will graduate from the university. However it is not so simple to master the skill. Based on the author’ observation on one of University in north Sumatera many problems occur dealing with it.
mother tongue. Third, the students rarely practice to speak English during teaching-learning process. For instance, when the lecturer asks them to make conversation with other friends in front of class the students become ashamed, unwilling, and unconfident to speak. The main reason for this is because they are afraid of making mistakes. Fourth, most of the students are not confident to use English in speaking class. Finally, the students are not interested in the material given to them.
In connection with students’ problem, the lecturer sometimes cannot handle the class based on the students’ problems. The main problem is the way to manage the class. During the teaching-learning process, the lecturer should make the students enjoy and interested in the materials. Indeed it is a hard work for getting the students attention.
However it will be a very big challenge for all the English lecturers. In teaching English to adult learners, the lecturer should be able to create the interesting and various materials. Based on the author’s experience, when she was a student in a certain university, she was very disappointed with her speaking class because she got only a little bit from it. Her lecturer only asked her to write a short conversation and then practice it with her friends. Usually way of teaching like this does not encourage students’ spirit in learning.
Considering her bad experiences during studying this subject before she wants to give something new for her students. It is by using Problem Based Learning method. This method allows the students-learn about a subject in the context of complex, multifaceted, and realistic problems. It lets the students working in groups, with this way of learning students are able to study identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to
access new information that may lead to resolution of the problem. The role of the instructor is that of facilitator of learning who provides appropriate scaffolding of that process by (for example), asking probing questions, providing appropriate resources, and leading class discussions, as well as designing student assessments (Barrows, 1996). In addition, this method offers a concept that learning is a product of cognitive and social interactions originating in a problem-focused environment (Greeno et al., 1996).
Moreover, the writer assumes that Problem Based Learning is the more suitable way for teaching Speaking subject especially it contains the motivation.
Secondly, all of the seventy four students are adult learners each of whom has experienced learning English at somewhat different levels. Finally, the students are from different cultural backgrounds in which instructional experience can vary, especially in terms of teaching and learning expectations. All of these classroom aspects need to be addressed in planning the course.
Planning the Lesson
From the previous situation, many questions were of my concern as I was assigned to instruct this course for the first time. What kind of contents should I implement for the course? What kind of materials and textbooks should I use? What teaching methods and activities should I employ? How would I encourage my students to participate in classroom activities? How would I prepare the lesson in order to suit the needs of the students whose English backgrounds were totally difference? And the following was part of my plan.
In response to the content issue, I assumed that teaching English as a foreign language, as suggested by the field of study, could be useful and relevant to what they were going to encounter in the future classes that emphasized research methods and teaching methodology in English teaching and learning. I decided to choose some units in American Breaktrough by J.C. Richard. M N. Long for the topics of discussion. Each unit of the text was theories grounded and centered on the teaching of English. It could serve as teaching backgrounds for other courses. I picked up some of the units for classroom activities along with some other supplementary materials about tips speaking English from various sources including the World Wide Web. Three specific goals were clarified as for
the students: 1) to become better accustomed to hear and speak in English; 2) to be able to express opinions and ideas appropriately and; 3) to be able to perform a presentation with confidence. As a starting point, video recording of the learners’ speaking English was conducted twice at the early stage of teaching, for the students to assess their own performance in both individual presentation and group discussion. The students had an opportunity to view the video tape a week later after the recording their own performance without my comment on the language they used except on the clarification of the content. It was made clear to the students; especially the ones who are Bataknese, that I did not criticize them because it might lower their self-confidence of speaking English. However, as I expected, the lecturer rely mostly on reading their notes instead of speaking freely based on their understanding of the concepts. For the rest of the semester, I had to find some effective strategies to encourage the students to speak freely as much as possible and one of the methods I employed was Problem-based Learning method (PBL).
Problem-Based Learning Method
at the Medical School and had learned about the PBL process as the following:
KKU 7 steps in small group session Step 1: Term clarifying
Step 2: Problem listing Step 3: Brainstorming Step 4: Hypothesis setting
Step 5: Learning objective identification Step 6: Analysis
Step 7: Synthesis
The action plan for each step is outlined as the following:
Getting Start
1. Students are randomly divided into 3 groups, with 7-8 students in each
group.
2. Two members of the group are assigned special roles, one as a leader and the
other as a secretary.
3. Tutor explains the steps of class activities as in the attached handout.
Problem–based Learning Procedures
Phase I (2 hours of class time discussion) Step 1: Term clarifying
1. Each group receives the scenario as in the handout.
2. The groups study the scenario and clarify the terms for precise understanding.
Step 2: Problem listing
1. Each group raises some questions about the scenario.
2. The secretary writes the questions on flap charts.
Step 3: Brainstorming
1. Each group brainstorms to find out the possibly answers/solutions for each problem raised in step 2.
2. The secretary writes the responses on flap charts.
Step 4: Hypothesis setting
1. Each group sets hypothesis based on the discussion in step 3.
2. The secretary writes the responses on flap charts in terms of cause/effect diagram.
Step 5: Learning objective identification 1. Each group identifies their learning objectives in order to test the hypothesis stated in step 4.
2. The secretary writes the learning objectives on flap charts.
Phase II (5 hours of self-study and 2 hours of class time discussion and presentation)
Step 6: Analysis
Students in each group search for the answers/solutions in response to each hypothesis posted in step 4 by conducting self-study or meeting with a resource person.
Step 7: Synthesis
1. Students in each group conceptualize the contents of this case-study model implementation.
2. Students in each group perform oral presentations about their work to class in English.
Originally, PBL, defined as a curricular method, emerged from the field of medical sciences over three decade ago (Barrows, 2000). However, in the field of language education, it is considerably young method of inquiry.
Within the field of language learning and teaching, PBL engages language students in learning how to learn while they also learn language and content. Generally in my classroom, as Mathews-Aydinli (2007) has suggested, I act as a coach for or facilitator of activities that students carry out themselves. My role does not simply present information or directly control the progression of work. Instead, I provide students with appropriate problems to work on, assist them in identifying and accessing the materials and equipment necessary to solve the problems, give necessary feedback and support during the problem solving process, and evaluate their participation and products, with the goal of helping them develop their problem-solving as well as their language and literacy skills. Mathews-Aydinli (2007) has also concluded the four main steps of PBL process for students which are:
1. Being introduced to the problem; 2. Exploring what they do and do not
know about the problem;
3. Generating possible solutions to the problem and;
4. Considering the consequences of each solution and selection the most viable solution.
There are also suggestions for teacher by Mathews-Aydinli as the following:
1. Pre-teach. The teacher needs to make sure students understand the goals and benefits of a problem-based approach for language learning and emphasizes the importance of using English in problem-solving activities.
2. Introduce problem and vocabulary. The teacher may use pictures, video, or texts to introduce the problem to students. Students also need to be prepared for vocabulary related to the problem. The teacher may ask students about previous personal experiences with the
problem and provide pre-reading exercises about it.
3. Group students and provide
resources. Firstly, the teacher needs to make sure that students understand the problem and the expectations of them that there is no single answer or solution, and that students need to choose what appears to be the most viable solution to them and be prepared to explain why they chose that solution. Secondly, the teacher should give students access to resources such as the Internet, books, magazines, brochures, newspapers, television, and telephones and make sure that students are aware of the range of resources available and know how to use them. Finally, group the students with different language backgrounds and proficiency levels. 4. Observe and support. The teacher observes students and provides support as needed, by do not attempt to direct their efforts or control their activity in solving the problem. While observing, the teacher takes notes and provides feedback on student participation in the activity and on language used during the activity.
5. Follow up and assess progress. The teacher provides students with opportunities to present and share the results of their work, provides follow-up activities based on his/her observation and assesses students’ participation and success in the activity.
strategies, increase motivation for learning, and become effective collaborators (Hmelo and Evensen, 2000). Particularly in language classroom, PBL promotes meaningful interaction in the classroom. The interactions that occur while students were dealing with real-world issues and problems are more meaningful and authentic than interactions produced during activities such as assigned role plays or repetition of dialogues. Since PBL shifts the emphasis on learning activity from teachers to students, it can also help students become more autonomous learners who will transfer the skills learned in the classroom to their lives outside of the classroom (James, 2006). As to activate learners to interact with each other in listening speaking class, PBL can be powerful. To my assumption, while students are focusing on the problem to be solved, they will try to overcome the linguistic hindrance, retrieve prior knowledge of the language to be used, and finally, become skillful language users. Utilizing PBL in the Teaching of Listening and Speaking. After intensive literature reviews on the topic and with the support of the Office of Research and Development, I decided to incorporate PBL into my English Speaking class of Teaching English departments’ students in Teaching English as a Foreign Language program. The teaching plan covered four weeks of instruction; the first two weeks were for students’ preparation, to be familiar with the seven steps of performing the task. The students were divided into three groups, with seven to eight students and an instructor in each group. Then, each group was assigned to a problem based on the use of teaching material designs. Flip charts were attached to each side of the classroom wall. With two instructors eaten in the middle of the class, classroom environment was somewhat
different from the traditional one. Facing the flip charts on the wall, each group had got many different ideas from the activities in which English had been used as the mean of communication. As the methods were first introduced, I explained the process to them when they needed. In the following class, each student presented what he/she had learned to the group and in front of the class. The introduction section to problem-based learning seemed to go well, in a relaxing atmosphere, to motivate and trigger students to communicate and participate in the discussion.
For the third-week lesson, students were introduced to one scenario concerning with an authentic problem occurring in teaching and learning English. This time, students were using video-taped by the Office of Research and Development as a part of the class’ project. However, it seemed like students were too overwhelming with the problem; they were unlikely to satisfy with the results of what they were doing. When I let them work all by their own, they seemed to confuse about how to carry out the activity, especially, step 4 Hypothesis setting and step 5 Learning objectives identification. They seemed to have the expectation that I gave them comments after their completion of each stage. Once I did, which was my big mistake, the sense of uncertainty filled up the classroom. I agreed with them that the problem was unclear so that they were not sure where it would lead them to. At that moment, I had to reconsider the scenario and decided to break it into two parts. So, scenario 2 in the following week was connected to scenario 1 in terms of content provided. From then, the class had come to normal.
From my experience of using PBL in a classroom, I have found out that the PBL is effective to stimulate prompt speaking in students as they are focusing on solving the problem and help them to gain listening input from interactions with peers. However, PBL has to be well-designed, especially the scenario set for the content to be learned, and the instructors need to be well-trained, e. g. to know when and how to break into the discussion appropriately and to be very patient and supportive in the way they interact with students. “Considerations for lecturer,” as pre teaching, introducing problem and vocabulary, grouping students, providing resources, observing and supporting students, and conducting the follow up and progress assessment are very useful and thus, PBL can be considered as a powerful alterative way of teaching listening and speaking English.
References
Barrows, H. (2000). Preface. in D. H. Evensen, and C. E. Hmelo. (eds.) Problem-based
Learning: Research Perspective Learning Interactions. London : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hmelo, C. E. and Evensen, D. H. (2000). Problem-based Learning: Research Perspective Learning Interactions. London : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
James, M. A. (2006). Teaching for transfer in ELT. ELT Journal, 60 (2), 151-159.
Long,, J.C. Richard M.N. American Breaktrough.Cambridge:
Mathews-Aydinli, J. (2007). Problem-Based Learning and Adult English Language Learners. in Center for
Adult English Language
Acquisition (CAELA).
Washington, DC : Center for Applied Linguistics.
Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., and Williams, M. (2005). The TKT Teaching Knowledge Test Course. New York : Cambridge University Press.
Appendix
Scenario 1
All undergrads attending College are required to complete three English foundation courses by their second year. Most of them are successful for these classes in terms of grading. Apparently, however, after their completion of the three courses, their English language performance is still unsatisfactory.
1. Term clarifying
College undergrads
English foundation courses Successful for the classes Grading
English performance Unsatisfactory
2. Problem listing
Why is their English language
performance still
unsatisfactory?
How has English been taught at this university?
What about the evaluation?
What is the learning
environment like?
How many students are there in each normal class?
What are the English backgrounds of the students? What is the work load of the
instructors?
3. Brainstorming
Why is their English
Not have enough time to
practice/not have an
opportunity to use it in daily life or with foreigners.
How has English been taught at this university?
Teacher centered/ use
traditional method/use first language instruction/
Why do the students
successful for classes? / How do they pass the exam? / What kind of evaluation do they take?
Multiple choice exams/ the
test is not
standardized/students cheat.
What is the learning
environment like?
Small rooms/old
rooms/crowded rooms/heterogeneous rooms/homogeneous
rooms/rooms without air conditioners/class starts too early/too late.
How many students are there in each normal class?
Big/small/medium classes
What are the English
backgrounds of the students? Low motivation/poor/late
class attendance/miss class frequently
What about the instructors? Over teaching load/not
qualified/inexperienced/none natives of English
4. Hypothesis setting
The students fail to communicate in English because they do not have enough time to practice/not have an opportunity to use it in daily life or with foreigners/The curriculum is not suitable.
At this college, English has been taught as lecturer centered/ using
traditional method/ relying on first language instruction.
The examination for English is based on multiple choices.
The test/grading is not
standardized.
The students cheat for the exam. The learning environment is not
suitable for effective learning: insufficient technology support; small, old, crowded rooms;
heterogeneous rooms,
homogeneous rooms; rooms without air conditioners; class starts too early, too late; too big, small classes.
The students have low motivation of learning/are usually late for classes and miss class frequently.
The instructors work
overload//are not
qualified/inexperienced/not enough natives of English.
5. Learning objectives identification Clarifying ELT problems in This
department
6. Analysis
Study a particular ELT problem in this department
7. Synthesis
