Teaching Writing by Combining Brain Writing Strategy and Running Dictation Strategy in Junior High School
By:
Lidya Noviega *)
**) Abriyenti Staf Pengajar Program Studi Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
ABSTRAK
Pada makalah ini, penulis akan membahas tentang penggabungan dua strategi dalam pembelajaran writing yang dapat diaplikasikan pada tingkat Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP) yaitu dengan menggabungkan Brain Writing Strategy dengan Running Dictation Strategy. Adapun langkah-langkah pengajaran writing dengan dua strategi ini adalah: awalnya siswa dibagi dalam bentuk kelompok kecil dan diberikan sebuah topik. Kemudian siswa diminta untuk menuliskan ide-ide mereka di sebuah kertas dalam waktu beberapa menit. Setelah itu, setiap anggota kelompok diminta untuk membaca kertas tersebut dan memberikan ide tambahan dengan cara bergantian.
Setelah semua anggota kelompok mendapat giliran, setiap kelompok memberikan kertas mereka kepada guru dan guru mengacak kertas mereka, lalu meletakkan tiap-tiap kertas di depan kelas.
Guru meminta dari perwakilan kelompok sebagai penulis dan anggota lainnya sebagai runner (pelari). Setiap runner diminta untuk berlari ke kertas yang ada di depan mereka dan mengingat satu kalimat dari kertas tersebut, kemudian kembali dan mengatakan kepada penulis apa yang telah mereka baca. Setelah si penulis selesai menuliskan apa yang mereka dengar dari tiap-tiap runner, setiap kelompok diminta untuk mengembangkan ide-ide mereka menjadi sebuah teks singkat.
Terakhri, guru bersama siswa mendiskusikan teks-teks tersebut. Dengan menggabungan dua strategi ini, guru dapat memvariasikan strategi pembelajaran untuk meningkatkan motivasi siswa dalam pembelajaran writing.
Key Words: Brain Writing Strategy, Running Dictation Strategy
*) Penulis
**) Pembimbing
INTRODUCTION
Writing is a language skill used to communicate and express ideas, thoughts, and opinions about something in written form. Teaching writing should be taught by the teacher to the students.
Based on the observation that the writer did when teaching practice, there were some problems found in teaching writing. First, the students is difficult to find ideas when they learned writing. Second, the students were not interested to write, because they were lazy to find ideas. They were sleepy and bored in teaching writing.
Finally, the students were afraid to write, because they were afraid to make mistake when share ideas in writing. So, the teacher should use strategy to increase students’
motivation in teaching writing at Junior High Schooll.
Based on background of the problem, there are many strategies that can be used by the english teacher in teaching writing. Some of them are Collaborative Writing Strategy, Students Team Achievement Division Strategy, Brain Writing Strategy, and Running Dictation Strategy. But in this paper, the writer focuses on combination of two strategies, they are Brain Writing and Running Dictation Strategies in teaching writing at Junior High School. Because these two strategies can help the teacher to increase students’ motivation and make the students are interested in teaching writing. However, the single strategy only get to the point of prewriting in process writing. So that, the teacher must complement process of writing with combine these two strategies.
This paper is hoped to be benefit for writer, readers, teachers, and students. For writer, this paper will give knowledge to use the combining strategies in teaching writing.
For the readers, it can add readers’
knowledge about a teaching strategy. For the teacher, it gives new information to teach writing that can make the students interested in learning writing. Finally, for the students, these strategies can increase their’
motivation in writing.
Writing
Writing is one of the four language skills that is important to be learned by the students such as listening, speaking, and
reading. There are many definitions of writing. According to Fulwiler (2002:16) writing is a way of the thinker to convey their ideas. The writing starts from ideas and ideas starts from writing. It is also supported by Hyland (2003:9) that writing is a way of sharing ideas about a topic. To determine a topic will be easier when the writer has ideas.
Process of Writing
Writing process helps the writer have a good writing. Based on some experts, there are some stages in the process of writing. According to Atlee (1995:11) there are five stages in the writing process, they are:
a. Prewriting, the writer find ideas from the topic.
b. Composing, the writer write out lines related to ideas.
c. Revising, the writer read again and clarify the out lines to make a good writing.
d. Editing, the writer correct language feature if they have mistakes.
e. Publishing, the writer share their’s work after correct it.
Teaching Writing
Teaching writing is a basic of language learning. In teaching writing, the teacher has an lead the students to get success in their learning. The teaching of writing also must be taught to early childhood. According to Harmer (2004:34) states that teaching writing purposes help the students to become better writers and learn how to write various genres.
Brain Writing Strategy
There are many definitions of brain writing strategy proposed by some experts. According to Cline (2007:77) brain writing strategy is a strategy used by the teachers in writing. It is almost similar to brainstorming. The similarity based on the principle of no judgement and of association. Moreover, Rodrigues in Sejnost (2009:69) says that brain writing strategy is an effective strategy in the classroom. It gives students an opportunity to share what they know about the subject without taking the risk of being wrong.
Procedure of Brain Writing Strategy There are some experts explaining about the steps of brain writing strategy.
Rojas (2007:362) states that the steps of brain writing strategy are:
a. The students work in small groups on a assigned topic.
b. Each student writes for a view minutes, and then all students put their papers in the middle of the table.
c. Each student reads another’s paper and added to by each group member.
d. Each group develops a master list of ideas from all the papers to be used for drafting. The students develop the ideas into a short text.
Advantages of Brain Writing Strategy Brain writing strategy can give many advantages to the students and teachers in teaching writing to improve students’
writing skill. Rojas (2007:361) states that there are some advantages of using brain writing strategy: First, this strategy can help the students in organizing ideas and understanding the purpose of writing. Then, this strategy will help the students to connect their personal experiences to new information from subject area. On a sheet of paper, the students can express and share their ideas and work collaboratively with peers to plan the writing.
Running Dictation Strategy
There are various definitions of running dictation strategy proposed by some experts. According to Council (2008:1-2) running dictation strategy is a fun strategy that motivates the students at upper primary and lower secondary level. In this strategy, the students can play while study in the classroom.
Procedure of Running Dictation Strategy Nation (2009:62) explains the steps of running dictation strategy: First, the students work in pairs or small groups. One learners is the writer and other is the runner who goes to the dictation text, memorises a short sentence, returns to the writer and retells it. If the students are working in groups, the activity takes the form of relay in which the first runner reads the first sentence of the short text and then runs another students and tells them what they have read.
The second student then runs to a third student and does the same. The third student in turn tells the scribe what they have heard.
Advantages of Running Dictation Strategy
Running dictation strategy can also give many advantages to the students and teachers in teaching writing. Council (2008:1) states that there are some the advantages of using running dictation strategy. First, this strategy is successful used in learn spoken and written. The finish products of this strategy are products of the group not of individuals, thus there is less threat to individual members’ face if their sentences are not totally accurate. The correction of the completed texts makes students notice aspects of what they have remembered and written that not be accurate.
Combination of Brain Writing Strategy and Running Dictation Strategy
The writer combines these strategies to make the students are motivated in writing. So, the procedures as the following :
1. The students are asked to make a small group and given a topic to be develop.
Each group consists of 5-6 members.
2. The students are asked to write their ideas in a paper at few minutes.
3. Each group members are asked to read paper and give addition or another idea about the topic. Every member gives addition to paper by turn.
4. After finish, Each groups give their paper and place line with each group in front of class.
5. One member of groups are asked to be writer and other member become runner.
6. Each runner are asked run and memorize one sentence of the paper.
Then, the runner run back to their group to tell what they have read.
7. Each writers of group are asked to write what they have hear from the runners until all of sentence have been written.
8. After written, each group are asked to develop ideas to be used for drafting, and then develops the draft into a short text.
9. The students asked to discuss together what they have written.
Preparation
Before teaching and learning process begins the writer have to prepare everything to make teaching and learning
success, such as: selecting and choosing the material, preparing media, and time allocation.
Procedure
There are some procedure of teaching writing by combining brain writing and running dictation strategies, pre- teaching activity, whilst-teaching activity and post-teaching activity.
In pre-teaching activity, there are some activities that will be done by the teacher, such as: greets the students, check students attendance, motivates the students by doing brainstorming. The teacher can apply these combination strategies in whilst- teaching activity. And in post teaching activity, the teacher and students summary about descriptive text. Then, the teacher asks difficulty of students about the material.
After that the teacher gives comment and suggestion about the learning process. If the time is limited, the teacher gives homework for the students.
CONCLUSION
Based on discussion on the previous chapter, the writer concludes that writing is one the language aspect in learning English. Teaching writing by combining brain writing strategy and running dictation strategy is needed to help the students to become active learner and also give variation strategy for used by the teacher in the classroom. In teaching learning process, the teacher should know which strategy that can encourage the students’ motivation in order to make them interested in learning English.
Furthermore, there are some suggestion to the English teacher in teaching writing by combining brain writing and running dictation strategies as follow:
Firstly, the teacher should be prepare material and media that will teach as possible. Secondly, the teacher must be master of the material. Thirdly, the teacher should know the students’ skill in learning writing. Fourthly, the teacher should give opportunities as much possible to every students’ try their writing ability in classroom. And the last is the teacher should give motivation to make students interested in learning writing.
REFERENCES
Atlee, Nancy. 1995. Advancing Writing Skill. San Luis Obispo: Dandy Lion.
Cline, Starr. 2007. The Power of Yes:
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Council, Martin T. 2008. ESL Developmental Continuum p-10:
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Fulwiler, Toby. 2002. College Writing : A Personal Approach to Academic Writing. Portsmouth: Boynton Cook.
Hyland, Ken. 2003. Second Language Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge Universty Press.
Harmer, Jeremy. 2004. How to Teach Writing. Edinburgh: Longman.
Nation, I. S. P. and Newton, Jonathan. 2009.
Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. New York: Simultaneously Published.
Rojas, Virginia Pauline. 2007. Strategies Success with English Language Learners. Alexandria: ASDC.
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