1
TEACHING WRITING BY COMBINING PLACEMAT AND SEND A PROBLEM STRATEGIES AT JUNIOR HIGH
SCHOOL
Wahyu Purnaningsih*)
**) Wiwit Sariasih, Staff Pengajar Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
ABSTRAK
Menulis merupakan salah satu keahlian yang penting dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris yang harus diajarkan oleh seorang guru kepada siswanya. Dalam mengajarkan menulis, guru harus bisa membuat siswanya mengerti tentang apa yang akan mereka tulis, tidak hanya mengerti tapi juga harus bisa memahami informasi yang ada dalam teks yang mereka tulis tersebut. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, guru harus punya strategi untuk membuat siswanya mengerti dengan apa yang diajarkan, sehingga siswanya mengerti, tertarik, memahami dan dapat menyimpulkan apa yang mereka baca. Strategi tersebut adalah Placemat dan Send A Problem strategi. Strategi ini diajarkan supaya siswa mampu untuk memberikan ide tentang text yang akan mereka tuliskan dengan menggunakan sebuah kartu dengan ukuran yang telah ditentukan dan siswa mampu untuk menuliskan sebuah ide atau informasi yang mereka dari sebuah text secara bersama-sama atau kelompok. Ini bertujuan supaya siswa cepat dan dapat memahami apa yang mereka tulis untuk meningkatkan kemampuannya dalam menulis. Strategi ini menggunakan narrative text sebagai bahan bacaan yang akan mereka tulis atau dikembangkan dikembangkan dalam bentuk pertanyaan berserta jawabannya oleh siswa. Jadi dengan menggabungkan dua strategi tersebut, siswa akan tertarik dalam belajar menulis dan cepat memahami inti dari teks yang mereka tulis.
Key Word: Writing , Placemat, Send A Problem Strategies.
*) Penulis
**) Pembimbing INTRODUCTION
Writing is one of direct communication between the writers and the printed texts which are produced by the writer. Delivering the creator ideas, thought, meanings, and any other understandings of some cases is happening in writing. In writing process, the writers
convey their feelings, ideas, expressions, and even share something to another. The important of the writing, students in school must have ability in writing. In order to get the purpose of writing, the teachers have crucial role to make writing becomes favorite activity to be done by the students in classroom.
2 Actually, writing is an activity when the students’ need much times and much attention for arranging the ideas, using appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary. Based on writer’s experience on practice teaching at SMP Pertiwi Siteba Padang, it was found that the students have problem in writing. First, students could not write or make a paragraph well and even a very simple sentence. However, it the students always product their writing, so they can get ability in writing. They have to be consifered the choice of word, speeling, grammar and punctuation. Then, they have to know how to arrange ideas well to make writing is easy to understand. Second, they still got some difficulties in discover ideas that should be conveyed in writing, so they could not develop their thinking in writing form. Third, some teachers’ explain more cannot be understood by students.
Based on the phenomena above, the students have difficulties in writing. It is necessary for the teacher to find out the appropriate strategy in order to help the students in writing. A good writing strategy is a strategy that can help the students to expose their idea well. To do that the teacher can lead the students by asking some questions. Therefore, the students will be easy extend their idea or write good writing product.
Based on the problem above in the background of the problem, so the writer limits the problem by combining placemat with send a problem strategies at junior high school to develop students’ reading comprehension.
In this paper, the writer used combination placemat with send a problem startegies in teaching writing.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUR Writing
Writing as communication and skill is daily activity and can help students to write learning process. Writing as
communication is a daily activity for students in learning process. The writer focused with task of help students view writing as essential to learning. Writing makes students responsible for their learning they cannot passively in the classroom. It also can say that writing includes all process communication from the writer construct the ideas in written form till make it is useful for the readers.
Caswell (2004:3) proposes that writing is the vehicle for communication and a skill mandated in all aspects of life.
Teaching Writing
Teaching writing is the way of teacher to teach the students to write or communicate in written form. Teaching writing helps students become better writers and learn how to write in various genres. According to Harmer (2004:31) that teaching writing is the activity where students write predominantly to increase their learning of grammar and vocabulary of the language.
Placemat Strategy
Placemat strategy involves students first reflecting on a statement that is made or on a question that is asked; they then write their answer in a square on a piece of paper that is in the form of a placemat.
According to Corbin (2008:136) Placemat strategy is a group brainstorming strategy in which a large sheet of paper is placed on a table so that all three or four members of a group can at the same time write their ideas or responses about a certain question or prompt by the teacher. It means that strategy have group brainstorming of paper for that all three or four members of a group at same time write their ideas or respone.
According, Bennett (2001) there five step in placemat. Frist, Assign a topic.
Second, Form groups of up four members.
Third, Give each group a piece of chart paper and each students a pen or pencil.
Fourth, divide the paper into parts based on the number of member in the group, and leave a central square or circle. Fifth, have
3 students writte their ideas tpic about the assigned topic in the designed spaces.
After sharing their ideas, they write common ideas in the centre of the paper.
Advantages of Placemat strategy
Alberta (2010:357) state that advantages of placemat strategy is for the group to consider all of the students’ input, look for similarities in answers and arrive at a common answer. In this case, this strategy can give contribution about information in placemat. So that, the students get similarities in answer and students do not difficult in writing their idea because they are sharing knowledge about answer the questions. Then, the students can find a common answer from the text.
Send A Problem Strategy
Send A Problem is each students on a team to write idea, give answer and a review problem in the card. It means that, every group must give idea, solution, summary, and review problem’s with card and uses size card. According to Bookman et al (2001: 1) Strategy Send A Problem is permits each student on a team to write a review problem on a flash card (index card). It mean that each students team for group to write idea and solution in the card, team reach on answer and write them on the backs of the card.
The procedures are ways that can be applied in teaching writing. The send a strategy procedure to Lynda (2009:60) procedure of send a problem the first is provide each student with a 3x5 card, a Post-it Note, or a half sheet of paper.
Second, give students time to review their notes, handouts, or other materials related to the content being studied. If necessary, provide students with time to have a brief partner discussion in order to review their ideas, questions, or thoughts. Third, instruct each student to create a question, based on the content being learned, that requires an explanation. Students should avoid creating questions that can be answered with a yes/no or a one-word
answer. Fourth, lead students to write the question on one side of their 3x5 card or paper and the answer on the other side.
Fifth, once all students have written their question and answers, collect the all card.
Sixth, randomly distribute the cards to students. Instruct them to look at only one side of the card. At this point, it doesn’t matter if students are reading the question or answer side of the card. Finally, depending on the side of the card students reading, ask them to either consider an answer to the question or to create a question that goes along with the answer provided.
Advantages of Send A Problem Strategy There are some advantages in teaching writing through send a problem strategy. Lynda (2009:60) that considering combining send a problem with a snowball fight, create the test, or keepers and wishers. For reluctant students, permit them to work in pairs to create the questions for the send a problem cards. As a review activity in preparation for an assessment, collect all he send a problem cards as a ticket out the door at the end of a lesson.
DISCUSSION
Placemat and Send A Problem Strategies can be used in elaboration part.
The procedures combination Placemat and Send A Problem Strategies:
The teacher selects appropriate text to be presented, The teacher gives group a large piece of paper that is divided into sections based on the number of students and includes a central square or circle, The teacher introduces Placemat Strategy. This strategy, the students can sharing their idea to the other about narrative text in study. In here, the students can share their opinion for their friends, The teacher giving card for students to make review materials related to the content being studied, The teacher asking student for make question and answer related to the text, The teacher asking student four randomly distribute the cards to another student, The teacher gives
4 time for discuss in group and each team discusses the question to reach consensus on the answer. Students discuss and clarify ideas they have written, The group shares and review all ideas and to reach a consensus on one set of key idea, Then, the teacher asks for students if group finish.
CONCLUSION
Writing is one of the important skills in English subject especially for communication. People always use it in their activities both in formal and informal situation. It is not just to write, but how the students will state their ideas, expression, it can be concluded that writing is important and difficult activity for students. Some students get problems in expressing their ideas and opinion. They do not know how to put their ideas and opinion into good writing. It is because by limited vocabulary, limited grammatical and background knowledge that they have.
Many strategies in teaching writing, the writer can also combine two strategies.
The strategies that can be used to develop students’ writing skill that is combining Placemat and Send A Problem Strategy.
Placemat strategy is a strategy to increase students in sharing their ideas in group, students write their answers in a square on piece of paper that to help students to review ideas. Then, Send A Problem strategy is work collaboratively to reach a consensus in answering the question for students’ writing ability and students can more creativities in team work for correct answers or solution and write it on the card.
These strategies is purpose to increase their responsibility about questions in writing process and they know how to state idea with share information so that they do discuss in their group until they get consensus answer in writing and they more active in writing class because they must give contribution in writing. Students will better understand write a sentence become paragraph with use Placemat. So, the students find input how write well.
Because that the writer combines Placemat
and Send A Problem strategies to get a good result when teacher teach writing in the class.
REFERENCES
Bennett, B. and C. Rolhelser. 2006. The Artful Science of Instructional Integration. Toronto, Ontario:
Bookation.
Caswell, Roger and Mahler, Brenda. 2004.
Action Strategy for Teaching Writing. Alexandria: ASCD.
Corbin, Barry. 2008. Unleashing the Potential of the Teenage brain:
10 Powerful Ideas. California:
Corwin Press.
F. Barkley, Elisabeth. 2010. Send A Problem.
Harmer, Jeremy. 2005. How to Teach Writing. London: Pearson Education Limited.
J, Bookman, et al. 2001. Cooperative Learning. Description of Some Commoly Used Techniques.
Lynda, 2009. Tools for Teaching in The Block. California: Corwin Press.
5
