Giving Description To Intermediate Learners While Teaching Vocabulary At Fond of English.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Di dalam bab satu pada tugas akhir ini, saya membahas mengenai masalah yang saya hadapi selama saya magang di Fond of English sebagai

teacher assistant. Saya mengalami kesulitan untuk memberikan deskripsi dari kata-kata yang akan ditanyakan kepada murid-murid saya yang ada di level

intermediate. Memberikan deskripsi adalah salah satu cara yang dipakai di

Fond of English untuk mengajarkan kosakata kepada murid-muridnya. Pada bab dua, saya membahas penyebab dari kesulitan tersebut.

Penyebab pertama adalah saya belum memiliki pengalaman dalam mengajar kosakata. Penyebab kedua adalah saya malas untuk mengembangkan kosakata yang telah saya terima selama saya belajar Bahasa Inggris. Pada bab ini, saya juga membahas mengenai dampak dari masalah tersebut. Dampak pertama adalah para murid akan menjawab dengan jawaban yang salah. Dampak kedua adalah para murid akan meremehkan saya. Pada bab tiga, saya membahas potensi solusi untuk menyelesaikan masalah tersebut. Solusi pertama, saya akan berkonsultasi dengan kamus selagi

mempersiapkan diri untuk membuat deskripsi. Solusi kedua, saya akan membaca buku-buku Bahasa Inggris di waktu luang saya. Solusi ke tiga, saya juga akan berlatih untuk memberikan deskripsi di depan supervisor

saya.

Bab empat menguraikan tentang solusi terbaik yang dipilih. Saya memilih untuk menggunakan semua potensi solusi yang saya miliki sebagai solusi terbaik untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini.

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APPENDIX A

FLOWCHART

Causes of the Problem: 1. I did not have any

experience in teaching vocabulary

2. I was lazy to improve vocabulary that I have received during I learned English

Problem:

My Difficulty in Giving Description to Intermediate

Learners While Teaching Vocabulary

Effects of the Problem: 1. The learners came up

with the wrong answers 2. The learners looked

down on me

Potential Negative Effects: 1. I will not be confident

with my own ability 2. It will be time

consuming

Potential Solution I I will consult the dictionary while

preparing the description of the words

because I only have few vocabularies

2. The process of absorbing the words is complex

Potential Solution II

I should read more English books in my spare time

Potential Positive Effects:

extra time to practise giving the description with my supervisor 2. I will have less time to

socialize with the other teachers

Potential Solution III

I will practise in giving description in front of my supervisor to get her feedback

before I enter the class

Potential Positive Effects:

I will combine all my potential solution as my chosen solution. First, Iwill consult the dictionary while preparing the description of the words. Second, I

should read more English books in my spare time. Third, I will practise in giving description in front of my supervisor to get her feedback before I enter

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APPENDIX B

LIST OF INTERVEW QUESTIONS

Name of interviewer : Irene Priscella Name of respondent : Debie Sadikun

Day&date of interview : Tuesday, 6th_{November 2012}

Place of interview : Fond of English

1. What do you mean by the clues? Could you elaborate more about that kind of technique?

2. What are your reasons and purposes of choosing and applying that way of teaching?

3. What are your targets for applying that way of teaching?

4. Do you think this is effective way of teaching? If yes, why? If no, why? 5. Do you have any references about this method or this one is based on

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APPENDIX C

LIST OF INTERVEW QUESTIONS

Day&date of interview : Thursday, 29th_{November 2012}

Place of interview : Fond of English

1. Do you think my difficulty in giving verbal clues can confuse my students? Why?

2. Will the students come up with the wrong answers too if my clues are not clear? If yes, how do you think it could happened?

3. What are your reasons to choose OALD as one of your resources in teaching English vocabulary?

4. Do you think my description will be clearer if I look up the definition of the word in the dictionary?

5. Do you think I will be dependent to the dictionary if I often look up the definition of the unfamiliar words in the dictionary? If yes, why? If no, why?

6. Will you feel tired while you are looking up some words in the dictionary? Why?

7. Do you think I will enjoy reading if I still have few of vocabulary? Why? 8. Are English books expensive? If yes, why? If no, why?

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APPENDIX D

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW

Irene : Okay Ci Debie. Thanks for your time. And is it okay for you if I am tapping this interview?

Debie : Definitely I don’t mind.

Irene : Okay. So let’s start with the first question. And my first question is as I noticed your way of teaching vocabulary, you always gave something like giving verbal clues about the words that you would like to ask to your students while you were teaching vocabulary. What do you mean by the clues? And could you please elaborate more about that kind of technique?

Debie : Yeah, verbal clues that I mean here is more to the description or the definition. Well, let’s say I wanna ask my students about the word “plumber”. So, I will come up with the description of plumber. Hmmm, I’m gonna ask my students, like what do you call for someone whose Job is repairing a tap. And normally, students can easily say

“plumber”. Usually, I will also mention like “P”, how many letters. And they can easily come up with the answer.

Irene : Alright. Then, second. What are your reasons and purposes for choosing and applying that way of teaching?

Debie : The reasons are because we know that we are a course, right? We try to fulfill the needs of the students that actually can’t be fulfilled by the school. Normally, school always gives reading comprehension, Name of interviewer : Irene Priscella

Name of respondent : Debie Sadikun

Day&date of interview : Tuesday, 6th_{November 2012}

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I mean reading passage to make the students learn vocabulary. And usually students get very bored if they have to learn vocabulary through reading passages because they have to read and come up with probably some difficult questions, I mean vocabulary, and they have to ask the teacher. They have to write down for the translation. If we, we think to, you know, like having a game. We go for innovative way. We just describe the vocabulary. Usually students will not bored. The program will not be dull. They feel interested in it.

Irene : I see. Next, what are your targets for applying that way of teaching? Debie : The target, of course that the students are able to understand the

definition and also are able to apply in a sentence so they can easily speak well.

Irene : Do you think this is effective way of teaching? If yes why, if no why? Debie : I’ve been teaching for fifteen (15) years and I think this method of

teaching vocabulary truly works for me. Because, mmm, number one, the students will not be bored using this way. So when someone get bored and they feel interested in something usually they are

encouraged more to learn. So, for them, to enhance or to strengthen their vocabulary, of course, they are more encouraged. It truly works for my course here.

Irene : I see. Okay, my last question is do you have any references about this method or this one is based on your opinion and your

experiences?

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like to read, especially for the reading passage. You know, for the reading comprehension, like when we were in Senior High School usually the teacher gave reading comprehension, like giving some questions and we have to answer that and then they gave also like vocab list that the students have to memorize. And that is super dull. Irene : Well, great. I think that’s enough. Thank you for your time Ci and I

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APPENDIX E

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW

Irene : Good morning Ci Debie. Thanks for your time. I'm sorry for disturbing you again.

Debie : It's okay, Irene. Never mind. Irene : Alright, should we start now? Debie : Sure

Irene : As you know, I have a difficulty in giving verbal clues to intermediate, pre-advanced, and advanced learners while I was teaching vocabulary in your course. Sometimes my difficulty makes me giving them

confusing clues or descriptions about the words that I would like to ask to them. Do you think it can make my students got confused with my clues or descriptions? And why?

Debie : Yes, if you, yourself, are confused how to describe some words, of course, you will give a confusing description because you are not sure about your own description. And if you get confused, how can you give a clear description to your students, right? So, in giving the description, I mean the clues, you have to be clear. The students will feel confused, because of your description.

Irene : I see. Then, will the students come up with the wrong answer too if my clues are not clear? What do you think about it? If yes, how do you think it could happen?

Day&date of interview : Thursday, 29th_{November 2012}

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Debie : Yes, of course. Definitely. If you give a confusing description, students will get confused too. And mostly, they will come up with wrong answers.

Irene : Okay. Next, as I noticed, usually, you use Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary to look up some difficult words. Do you have any reasons why you choose that dictionary?

Debie : It's because this dictionary is good. It provides a clear description, or definition for each words.

Irene : Do you think my description will be clearer if I look up the definition of the word in the dictionary?

Debie : Certainly. This dictionary provides a good description. It also have some, yeah, kind of a sentence to help the readers. It makes you easier to understand the description.

Irene : I see. Next, do you think I will be dependent to the dictionary if I often look up the definitions of the unfamiliar words in the dictionary? If yes why, if no why?

Debie : Well, I think so. You will loose your self-confidence if you are often to look up the words in the dictionary.

Irene : Alright. And, will you feel tired while you are looking up some words in the dictionary? Why?

Debie : Yeah, of course. Your eyes will get tired. There are a lot of words in the dictionary. It will make your eyes get tired.

Irene : Alright. Next, do you think I will enjoy reading if I still have few of vocabulary? Why?

Debie : Of course not. You will not enjoy your reading because you will get confused. With those unfamiliar words. And, yeah, you gonna feel confused.

Irene : Yeah. And then, are English books expensive? If yes why, if no why? Debie : Hmmm, if you want the good one, of course, it will be expensive. The

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Irene : I see. Okay, one of my solution of the problem is I am practising myself to give clues in front of you. It is so tiring for me. Do you think it's tiring? Why?

Debie : Haha. Yeah, I still remember, and I know that you felt very tired at that time. But, yes, if you really want to improve your vocab, you have to give extra effort.

Irene : Okay. My last question, according to you, by practising to give clues in front of you, will it cut my free time to socialize with the other teachers? Debie : Certainly. It will cut your free time. Last time, you practised during the

break time, right? You will have to practise giving verbal clues instead of chatting or socializing with them. I know, it's not fun. But you have to do it to develop your vocabulary.

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APPENDIX F

EXAMPLE OF VOCABULARY MATERIAL

BUNDLE “I”

English Indonesia Plaster Plester/Gips Cure Menyembuhkan Squeeze Meremas Traffic Bump Polisi Tidur Neglect/ignore Mengabaikan Warden Sipir penjara Fragrant Wangi Maggot Belatung Supervisor Pengawas Fly over Jembatan layang Murmur Bergumam

Garnish Hiasan (cake,food) Vow Sumpah

Log Gelondongan kayu Leech Lintah

Mumble Komat-kamit Trunk Bagasi mobil Sanitary Napkin Pembalut Pole Tiang/kutub Vegetation Tumbuhan Wicked Jahat Slip out/blurt out Keceplosan Stroller Kereta bayi Refugee Pengungsi Banner Spanduk Glance Menatap sekilas Shaddy Teduh

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

The topic of my term paper is my difficulty in giving description to

intermediate learners while teaching vocabulary. The reason of choosing

this topic is because teaching vocabulary is interesting. It seems easy, but

it is not as easy as I thought it to be. It is because the vocabulary,

especially for the intermediate level, is quite wide and complicated. It

challenges me to keep enriching myself and learning more. Moreover,

vocabulary plays an important part in learning English. Furthermore, Crist

states in his article that “We think with words, so the limits of our learning

are related to the limits of our vocabulary” (par.2).

I did my internship at Fond of English (henceforth, FOE), an English

course in Cirebon. I worked as a teacher assistant there. Sometimes Ms.

Debie Sadikun, the owner of FOE, gave me some chances to teach in

class. Each class consists of eight (8) students and I usually taught three

(3) or four (4) classes in one day. The levels of the learners are divided

into five (5) categories; elementary, intermediate, intermediate,

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is around 10-17 years old. The difficulty of vocabulary materials that are

given is based on the learners’ level of English. One meeting will last for

one hour and the learners will learn at least twenty (20) vocabulary in one

meeting. Usually, I distributed the list of English vocabulary materials with

their meanings in Bahasa in advance of the next class meeting.

Based on the interview with Ms. Debie, one of the methods of teaching

vocabulary applied in FOE is by giving the description or the definition of

the words that will be asked to the learners. After the description is given

to the learners, they have to guess what the answers are. For instance,

the teacher is going to ask the learners about the word “plumber”. Then,

the teacher will give the description of the word plumber. Usually, he or

she will mention the first letter of it and also the number of letter in the

word. For example, the teacher will say, “what do you call someone whose

job is repairing a tap? It is “P”, it has seven (7) letters” (6th_November

2012). The description will help the learners to find out the answer of the

question. If the learners can answer the question, they will get a point. The

learner who gets the highest point will get a present as a reward. Ms.

Debie usually varies this method with a game so that the learners got

excited and they could learn well. I choose to observe intermediate

learners as the subject of my observation because I taught intermediate

class most of the time during my internship.

It was a bit hard for me to describe the words that will be asked to the

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description easily. Therefore, I would like to find the best solutions of my

problem.

B. Identification of the Problem

This term paper describes a problem that I found when I did my

internship as a teacher assistant in FOE. The problem can be stated into

these questions:

1. Why do I have difficulty in giving description to intermediate

learners while teaching vocabulary?

2. How should I improve my skills in giving description to those

learners while teaching vocabulary?

3. What is the best solution for my problem?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The objectives that I want to achieve at the end of the process of my

term paper writing are I can figure out the causes and the effects of my

problem, find some ways to improve my skills and find out the best

solution of the problem.

The advantage for the institution is the teachers in FOE can learn from

my term-paper so that they can give better description. The advantages for

the readers are they can enrich their knowledge of teaching English

vocabulary, especially in giving description, as one of the methods to

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there. Besides, this term paper gives me an advantage. It makes me

deepen my knowledge and skills about English teaching.

D. Description of the Institution

Based on the information from the FOE’s company profile (Appendix

G), FOE was established on Tuesday, 4 November 1997 by Debie

Sadikun, as a dedication to her beloved parents. The name is chosen

because she has conviction that by being fond of English, people will be

committed to spend time learning English. Led and blessed by God, FOE

has been thriving ever since it was founded. Having the high demand in

providing more classes, Ms. Debie has extended the course by hiring

more teachers since 2010. FOE is always committed to deliver excellence

in English teaching for general, academic, and business purposes.

The vision of FOE is empowering the learners to develop confidence

and persistence in learning English. The mission is encouraging learners

to develop an interest in learning English on a lifelong basis. FOE has a

motto that through English, FOE will embrace the world.

Nowadays, FOE is growing fast. The learners are increasing each year

because of its high quality. This institution always develops its quality in

order to fill the needs of learners in the English learning.

E. Method of the Study

In collecting data for this term paper, I use several ways. The first way

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data is written down in a journal which records every activities that I have

done during my internship. The second way is by reading some books in

the library. The library provides a lot of good books to help me open my

mind. I also read some journals as my references. The third way is by

reading some English articles in the internet. Internet service provides

some good articles that help me a lot in finding theories for my term paper.

The fourth way is by interviewing Ms. Debie Sadikun. The period of

collecting the data was from September until January 2013. The data is

used to support and justify this term paper.

F. Limitation of the Study

The discussion of this term paper will limit on a certain method in

teaching English vocabulary that is used in FOE while I was doing my

internship from 16th_{July until 16}th_{August 2012. The method is by giving}

description. I had to give some description when I taught vocabularies for

the learners of intermediate level in FOE. The subject of the research is I,

as a teacher assistant.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

My term paper starts with the Abstract. Declaration of Originality,

Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents are following after the

Abstract. Chapter I describes about Background of the Study, Identification

of the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the

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the term Paper. Chapter II describes the problem analysis. It will discuss

the causes and the effects of the problem. Chapter III describes the

potential solutions. It will discuss some potential solutions to solve my

problem and some potential positive and negative effects of each potential

solution. Chapter IV describes the conclusion of my term paper. It will

discuss the summary if the previous chapters, statement of chosen

solutions, justification points from the theories and contexts, and some

suggestions and opinions. Bibliography consists of the sources of the

theories. The last part will be Appendices which consist of the flowchart,

the list of the interview questions, the list of interview transcriptions,

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Elsjelyn, Evelyn Rientje. English Made Easy . Jakarta : Kesaint Blanc

Publishing, 2010.

Mikulecky,Beatrice S., and Linda Jeffries. Reading Power . New York:

Longman. 2005.

Electronic Sources

Crist, Robert. “How to Improve Your Vocabulary by Applying Three

Techniques.” www.vocabulary-vocabulary.com . 2007. 05th

October 2012. <http://vocabulary-vocabulary.com/How-to-Improve-Your-

Vocabulary-by-Applying-Three-Techniques.php>

Essberger. Josef. “Improve your English through Reading.” 2012. English

Club. 29th October 2012. <http://www.englishclub.com/esl-articles/200003.

htm>

Hansen, Randal S. “Easy Ways to Improve and Expand Your Vocabulary:

Seven Tips for Learning New Words.” www.enhancemyvocabulary.com .

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<http://enhancemyvocabulary.com/improve-expand-vocabulary.html>

“Ideas for Improving Your Vocabulary” www.gallaudet.edu . 2012. 6th

January 2013. <www.gallaudet.edu/TIP/English_Works/Vocabulary/Ideas_

for_Improving_Your_Vocabulary.html>

Luciano. “10 Sure-Fire Strategies to Improve Your Vocabulary.”

www.litemind.com . 2012. 22nd_{December 2012. <http://litemind.com/10-}

strategies-improve-your-vocabulary>

Pell, Nicholas. “How to Build a Word Vocabulary.” www.ehow.com . 2012.

eHow. 14th_{November 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/how_6146031_}

build-word-vocabulary.html>

“Quickly Improve Your Vocabulary.” www.exforsys.com . 15th_November

2010. Exforsys.Inc. 12th_{November 2012.}

<http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/english-vocabulary/quickly-

improve-your-vocabulary.html>

Salsbury, Marina. “Inexperienced Teachers and EFL.” www.omniglot.com .

2013. 14th_{February 2013. <http://www.omniglot.com/language/articles}

teachingefl2.htm>

“What Teachers Do Every Day.” www.experience.com . 2013. Experience,Inc.

14th_{February 2013. <http://s2b.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel}

_id=education&source_page=editor_picks&article_id=article_1133291

019105>

“Why Improving Your Vocabulary can Enhance Your Life.”

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<http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/english-vocabulary/improving-

your-vocabuary.html>

Wilson, Alice. “How to Learn English Vocabulary.” www.ehow.com . 2012.

eHow. 26th November 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/how_7835192_

learn-english-vocabulary.html>

INTERVIEW

Sadikun, Debie. Personal interview. 6th_{November 2012.}

Giving Description To Intermediate Learners While Teaching Vocabulary At Fond of English.

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPENDIX A

FLOWCHART

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.

Background of the Study

B.

Identification of the Problem

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

D.

Description of the Institution

E.

Method of the Study

F.

Limitation of the Study

G. Organization of the Term Paper

BIBLIOGRAPHY