CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
D. Problem Formulation
4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Buzz Group Technique
There are the advantages and disadvantages of using Buzz group technique, namely:
a. The advantages10
1) They examine as many ideas as possible and report them to the main group.
10 Clifft Ricketts and John C.Ricketts, P.344
2) All member get a chance to speak.
3) It allows everyone’s ideas to be expressed.
4) Participants learn to work in-real life situation where others opinion are considered.
5) It sents group work to get discussion started.
6) Because member is expressing, opinions, it is good for dealing with controversial subject.
7) Created the fun condition and using a fewer time.
b. The disadvantages11
1) Effectiveness the group may be lowered by the imam-true behavior of a few.
2) It may not be effective for younger group or group that knows each other too well to take each others opinions seriously.
3) It can be time-consuming when dealing with very large groups.
4) The report of discussion does not arrange well.
B. The Concept of Writing Descriptive Text 1. The Concept of Writing
a. Definition of Writing
According to Sanggam Siahaan, writing is the written productive language skill. It is a skill to convey information to a reader or group of readers. It is realized by writer ability to apply the rules of
11 Ernest W.Brewer, Proven Ways, P.76
the language she or he is writing to transfer the information she or he has in her or his mind.12
Meanwhile David Nunan that writing can be defined by a series of contrast it is both a physical and a mental act, its purpose is both to express and impress and it is both a process and a product.13 It is clear that writing is physical action to make some word or idea and our mental to think how to express into some word and arranging statements and paragraphs to be understood by the readers. Express and impress mean our self and desires to express an ideas or feeling and readers. Process and product mean that a writer needs some steps of working to get a product of writing form.
Beside Pinnel and Fountas writing is a complex process and teacher have a vital role in helping children, as they work through the challenges that allow them to become competent and confident writers.14 It is clear that writing is complex process and the teacher help and allowed the students to become competent and confident writers in writing ability.
According to M.F. Patel and Praveen M. Jain writing is a skill which must be taught and students and writing is essensial features of
12 Sanggam Siahaan, Issues in Linguistics, (Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu, 2008), p.2
13 David Nunan, Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teacher, (Sydney:
Macquarie University, 1991), p.88
14 Pinnel and Fountas, Primary Literary Programme-Reading and Writing, (HKSAR:
Education Bureau, 2008) , p.21.
learning a language because it provides a very good means foxing the vocabulary, spelling and sentence pattern.15
Based on the above, the reasearcher assumes that writing is productive language. Writing can be defined by a series of contrast it is both a physical and a mental act, its purpose is both to express and impress and it is both a process and a product and the teacher have a vital role in helping children, as they work through the challenges that allow them to become competent and confident writers. So writing is the peoples’ act to show their ability in compose idea and develop it creatively and systematically.
Furthemore, regarding to the writing product, it can refers to the activities such as write a simple sentences, paragraph, or longer compositions like text. To know the students’ writing skill the researcher measured the students by giving them to make descriptive text. The researcher was intructing the students to make simple composition which was determined. The composition was analyzed and scored by writing base scale:
15 M.F. Patel & Praveen M. Jain, English Language Teaching, Vaishali Nagar: Sunrise Publishers& Distribution, 2008. P 125
Table 2
Assessment of Writing Skill Random General classification & description
C O N T E N T
27 – 30
22 – 26 17 – 21 13 - 16
Very good excellent: knowledgably subtantive relevant to topic, provides details of the topic
Average to good: some knowledge of subject, mostly relevant to the topic but lack detail
Poor to fair: limited knowledge of subject, inadequate development of topic
Very poor: does not show knowledge, not partinent to ropic
O R G A N I Z A T I O N
18 – 20
15 – 14
10 – 14 7 – 9
Very good excellent: ideas clearly stated, well organized, logical squencing and relevant to generic structure
Average to good: loosely organized, limited support and logical but incomplete sequencing, relevant to generic structure but sometimes using unclear sentences
Poor to fair: not fluent, ideas confused, lacks logical sequencing, generic structure not clear
Very poor: does not communicate, no organization, not enough to evaluate
V O C A
18 – 20
14 – 17
Very good to excellent: sophisticated range, effective word or idiom choice and usage, word form mastery, appropriate register
Average to good: adequate range, occasional errors of
B U L A R Y
10 – 13 7 – 9
word/idiom, form, choice, usage, but meaning not obscured
Poor to fair: limited range, frequent errors of word/idiom, form, choice, usage, meaning confused or obscured Very poor: essentially translation, little knowledge of vocabulary, idiom, word from, or not enough to evaluater
G R A M M A R
22 – 25
18 – 21
11 – 17
5 – 10
Very good to excellent: effective complex constructions, few errors of agreement, tense number, word order/funtion, article, pronoun, and preposition
Average to good: effective but simple construction, minor problem in complex construction, several errors of agreement, tense, word order/function, articles, pronoun, preposition, but meaning seldom obscured
Poor to fair: major problem in complex/simple construction, frequent errors of negation, agreement, tense, word order/function, articles, pronoun, preposition and/of fragment, deletion, meaning confused or obscured Very poor: virtually no mastery of sentence construction rules, dominated by errors, did not communicate, or not enough to evaluate
M E C H A N
5
4
3
Very good to excellent: demonstrated mastery of convention, few errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing
Average to good: occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, but meaning not obscured
Poor to fair: frequent errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, poor handwriting, meaning
I
C 2
confused or obscured
Very poor: no mastery of conventions, dominated by errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, handwriting, illegible, or not enough to evaluate16
b. Composition of Writing
Related to the final product of writing, it has to agree with the several compositions in writing. Brown H.Dougles said that,” A good deal of attention was place on “model” compositions that students would emulate and on how well a students final product measured up againts a list of criteria that include content, organization, vocabulary use, grammatical use, and mechanical considerations such as spelling and punctuation.17
It can be noted that the final product of writing has to well organized, the massage comprehensible, argument are relevant and related to the researchers view. Main ideas and effective supporting ideas are clearly stated. Also, the language is clear, smooth, and interesting. There are no major errors of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
16 Sutanto Leo, English For Academic Purpose Essay Writing, (Yogyakarta:
Andi,2007), P.vii
17 H.Douglas Brown, Teaching by Principles on Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, (The United States of New York: Longman, 2001), 2nd Edition, P. 335
c. The Process of Writing
According to Jeremy Hermer process of writing is learning how to write by writing. He suggested that the process of writing has four main elements:18
a. Planning
Planning is a series of strategies designed to find and produce information in writing.
b. Drafting
Drafting is a series of strategies designed to organize and develop a sustained piece of writing.
c. Editing (Reflecting and Revising)
Reflecting and revising are often helped by other readers (editors) who comment and make suggestion, a series of strategies designed to re-examine and re-evaluate the choice that have created a piece of writings.
d. Final Version
Final version is when the writer have edited their draft, making the change they consider to be necessary, they produce their final version. This may look considerably different form both the original plan and the first draft because thing have change in the editing process, but the writer is now ready to send the written text to its intended audience.
18 Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Writing, ( England: Pearson Longman, 2004), p.4-5.