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A STUDY ON CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING WRITING SKILLS

(A NATURALISTIC STUDY)

Mawaddah Hidayati
Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah Yayasan Pendidikan Islam (STIT-YPI) Lahat
Jln. Letnan Munandar Talang Kapuk Lahat
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
This study is aimed to describe (1) classroom techniques used by the teacher to
develop students’ English writing skill (2) the purposes of each classroom technique.
This type of the research is descriptive qualitative research, especially naturalistics
study. The technique of collecting data uses observation and interview. The result is
some classroom techniques used by the teacher to develop students’ English skill,
especially writing skill such as: writing based on picture, writing based on template,
writing a card, dictation, writing based on topic, join writing in a group, fill in the
blank, writing based on jumble word or sentence. The conclusion of this study is that
the use of various classroom techniques in the teaching - learning process by English
teachers in SMP Negeri 26 Palembang can develop the students’ English skill
especially writing skill. By using various classroom techniques can make students
interested and enjoyed in teaching-learning English language. Students are
becoming more active and creative in teaching writing skill. Based on the result,
classroom techniques used by teacher are very important and it can make the
students do not feel bored and lazy in the teaching - learning process of English
writing skill.

Key words: Classroom techniques, writing skill.

A. BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH PROBLEMS

The teaching of English as a foreign language has become increasingly

important in Indonesia. It is the first foreign language in Indonesia. It is a compulsory
subject to be taught for three years at Junior High Schools and for another three years
in Senior High Schools (Lauder, 2008). English also has been taught in Elementary
Schools as an elective subject since the implementation of the 1994 Curriculum. It
seems the development of English language teaching in Indonesia touches the recent
English curriculum objectives. Ironically, there are still very limited numbers of
students who are able to communicate in English, although they have been studying
English for about six years. In this context, M. Thalal (2010) stated that there are
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many cases in which students’ expectations do not match with the reality of learning
result showing that their English proficiency is still very low or they do not have
significant English ability after many years of study. Moreover, students of foreign
language education programs are considered successful if they can communicate
effectively in language (Riggenbach & Lazaraton, 1991). The parameter used to
revise the English teaching program in well-design syllabus, lesson plan, and
material design that the students’ success or lack of success in EFL (English as
Foreign Language) is judged by the accuracy of the language they produced.
In order to improve the accuracy of English communicative competence
based on recent English curriculum objectives, the teaching of writing skill has
become increasingly important in the English as a foreign language context.
Unfortunately, the change in the curriculum is not followed by appropriate
socialization and teacher training and accordingly, the results thus far do not match
the expectations. First, teachers are still teaching in the traditional way with the
biggest emphasis on the grammar, and if some are already moving towards a new
approach, the emphasis on fluency in the beginning is not directly followed by
accuracy. Moreover, the change of approach is not followed by the application of
suitable assessment.
Moreover, It is cannot be denied that writing is the complex skills because the
students need to comprehend spellings, grammars, sentences, vocabularies, and
structures as the units in writing. Wasilah (2009) said that writing is considered
difficult and people will be able to write after they have mastered listening, speaking,
and reading skill. Writing not only gets the words down, but it also needs the skills to
choose the words, spelling, punctuations, grammar, sentence linking, and text
construction correctly (Phillip, 2003).
Writing as a complex skill needs a process to be mastered. Some students can
speak English well and fluently, but they find it difficult to convey their ideas in
writing. It requires interesting methods in teaching to change students’ mindset in
learning, such as making new habits of students in learning. The effective and
efficient learning model can motivate the teacher to create and apply the creative
technique in the class. Therefore, learning writing can be one of the interesting skills
to be learnt. Writing can be learnt in various models (Wagiran and Doyin, 2005).One
of them is writing an essay. The students are supposed to develop not only their ideas
in making an essay, but also strategies to express their ideas, and making the
interesting essay to be read. They have to arrange and connect their sentences to be a
complete essay.
Based on the observation in SMP Negeri 26 Palembang, the teacher usually
uses invention technique such as: free writing, brainstorming and listing. The
activities which are performed by the teacher for the students in writing skill such as:
(1) Arrange the random sentence (Students do the task which is given by the teacher,
which contained the random sentence and arrange it to the correct sentences); (2) Fill
in the blank in the sentence (Students do the task which is given by the teacher,
which contained fill in the blank sentence); (3) Write the genre and functional text
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(Students write the genre and functional text according to the material which given
by the teacher). The classroom technique which is used by teacher above is good and
appropriate, but not developed yet the reliability and the abilities of students’ writing
skill. This research is dealing with classroom technique to develop students’ English
writing skill with naturalistics’ study.
In line with the background of the study, the reason of the researcher
observed the classroom techniques used by teacher in there, because in SMP Negeri
26 Palembang there are not making yet research about classroom technique used by
teachers especially in writing skill. Then, the problems of this study are formulated as
follows; (1) what classroom techniques are used by the English teachers in teaching
writing skills, (2) the purposes of each classroom techniques.

B. LITERATURE REVIEW
In teaching English, there are four importance skills. Those are reading,
listening, writing and speaking.
Crebert, et al, (2011:17) stated that writing is labeled as written production
and is one of the branches; when learning a second language, that four languages
must develop those four skills. Writing skill is specific ability which helped writers
put their thoughts into words in a consequential form and to mentally interact with
the message. Langan (2005: 12) said that writing can be used as a means of
communication. In the global era, many aspects of life need writing skill as a part of
the requirements. One of the examples which writing takes an important role is in the
educational setting. In the educational setting, students are predictable to be able to
write a kind of academic writing.
Based on the Harmer (2004: 11), in a long time, teaching writing only focuses
on what the content of the writing is not about the process of writing. The teacher
must consider several strategies below to understand the student’s writing process,
namely: (a) the way the teacher gets students to plan; (b) the way the teachers
encourage the students to draft, reflect, and revise; (c) the way the teacher respond to
their student’s writing.
Therefore, good writing comes from strong feeling and strong feeling comes
from things we like and things we hate good writing comes from life experience, and
the life experiences we know are the typical things we do and the unusual things that
happen to us maybe only once or twice in our entire lives. So, pick only the best
topics and be specific if you can (Peha, 2010: 6).
From the explanation above, it can be explained that writing teaching by
using classroom techniques are an effort made by the teacher to make a plan in
preparing student learning, by using writing an important part of the learning process,
then writing also requires a process of thinking, which students must think of ideas
idea to write.
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C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research is descriptive qualitative, especially naturalistics study which
intended to describe classroom technique to develop students’ English writing skill at
SMP Negeri 26 Palembang. The writer used naturalistics study because the aim of
this research is to determine actuallity, social reality, and the human perception
through their recognition, which might not be expressed through formal
measurement projection or the questions research which has been prepared first. The
researcher gets the data from three sources such as: event, informants, and document.
The researcher uses two methods in collecting data such as: interview and
observation. The researcher analyzes data takes some steps such as: collecting the
data, reduce the data, presenting the data, and takes conclusion drawing or
verification the data. In SMP Negeri 26 Palembang have two English teachers, the
first teacher Mrs Hj. Juniarti, S.Pd, and the second teacher Mrs Hj. Lena Haryani,
M.Pd. The object of this research focuses on the English teaching techniques are
applied by English teachers to develop students writing skill at SMP Negeri 26
Palembang.

D. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

Findings
This research focuses on the questions of problems, they are: (1) what
classroom techniques are used by the English teachers in teaching writing skills; (2)
the purposes of each classroom techniques.

1. Classroom Techniques for Teaching Writing Skills.

There are several techniques used by the English teacher to develop writing
skills, such as: writing based on picture, writing based on template, writing a card,
dictation, writing based on topic, join writing in a group, fill in the blank, writing
based on jumble word or sentence (Pratiwi, 2015).

(a) Writing Based on Picture

Writing based on picture is technique of teaching writing using images which
is paired and sorted into a logical sequence. Students observe the picture which given
by teacher in order to they can write the description about the picture. Writing based
on picture used to encourage the students in writing. Each student gets a picture then
they have to describe the picture based on their opinion about it.

(b) Writing Based on Template

Writing based on template technique is the technique which students
observing the examples of text which given by teacher with another word the action
of using someone or something as a model. It is used in order to make students easy
to understand the form of the text. Students can imitate the example which is used by
teacher, so students just change the content of the text according to teacher’s
instruction.
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(c) Writing a card

Writing a card is technique which teacher asks the students discuss the
material using card. This strategies used in order to the students not feel bored in
teaching learning process in the classroom. So the students can more interest in
learning.

(d) Dictation
Dictation is strategy when one person speaks while another person transcribes
what is spoken. Dictation can be defined as strategies which the teacher gives the
material orally, so in this technique students should write down what the teacher said.

(e) Writing Based on Topic

Before students are going to write something, the teacher gives an issue. Issue
is the act of officially making something available or giving something to people to
be used. The issues have to encourage the students to write. Students have to give an
opinion about the issue which given by the teacher. By using this technique students
can improve their knowledge in writing.

(f) Join Writing in a Group

Join writing in a group is technique which teacher divided the students into
several group or in pair. So the teacher gives the material with the students, then
students have to discuss with their group.

(g) Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blank is technique which teacher gives a type of question or phrase
with one or more words replaced with a blank line, giving the reader the change to
add the missing word. For example in a text which has blank word, so the students
have to write the appropriate word in order to suitable with the text.

(h) Writing Based on Jumble Word or Sentence

Jumble word or sentence is technique which students should rearrange the
jumbled word into the appropriate sentence or the sentence in appropriate paragraph.
This technique can improve students’ grammar also the vocabulary. Teacher can
understand the students’ structure ability in writing a text.

2. The purposes of each classroom techniques

There are several purposes of each technique used by the teacher to develop
students’ English writing skill, such as:
(1) Writing Based on Picture
The purpose of this technique is used to encourage students’ ability in writing,
students can understand to describe about something. And the other purpose of this
technique is students can improve their creativity in writing.
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(2) Writing Based on Template

The purpose of this technique in order to students can understand the form of
text easily. Because students can imitate, but they have to change the content based
on teacher’s instruction.

(3) Writing a Card

The purpose of this technique is students can more interest in learning. This
technique also can create the creativity students in teaching learning process about
writing.

(4) Dictation
The purpose of this technique is to improve students’ vocabulary in writing,
and also speaking so they can understood the material or text which given by the
teacher.

(5) Writing Based on Topic

The purpose of this technique used in order to students can give opinion,
point of view, or idea about issue which given by teacher. Students also can improve
their ability in write sentence and paragraph.

(6) Join Writing in a Group

The purpose is to create the relation student with student and also student
with teacher. So they have to discuss the material together.

(7) Fill in the Blank

The purpose of this technique is students can improve their vocabulary, and
students can understand the content of sentence/ text.

(8) Writing Based on Jumble Word or Sentence

The purpose is students can know the structure of the sentence, and
improving grammar and vocabulary mastery. The other purpose is students can
understand about the content of sentence or paragraph.

Discussions
After describing and analyzing the data, the writer draws the following
conclusions, as follow: The English teachers at SMP Negeri 26 Palembang use
various techniques to develop the students writing skill. The classroom technique has
each purpose in teaching-learning process. By using various classroom techniques
can make the students interested and enjoyed in teaching-learning English. The
students become more active and creative especially in teaching writing skill. Based
on the result, classroom technique used by the teacher of SMP Negeri 26 Palembang
is varied and effective to develop students’ English writing skill.
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REFERENCES
Alwasilah, C. (2009). CTL menjadikan kegiatan belajar-mengajar mengasyikkan dan
bermakna. Bandung: Mizan Learning Center.

Crebet, et, al. 2011. Grifith Graduate Attributes Written Communication Tool kit.
Grifith University.International Journal.

Harmer, J. 2004. How to Teach Writing. Essex: Longman Group.

Lauder, A. 2008. The State and Function of English in Indonesia. A Review of key
factors in MAKARA: Seri Sosial Humaniora.

Steve Peha. Welcome to Writer’s Workshop. (New York: Teaching That Making
Sense: Inc. 2010). P.14

Thalal, M. 2010. New Insight into Teaching of English Language to Indonesia

Students. Unpublished Paper.

Wagiran and Doyin, M. (2005). Curah Gagasan Pengantar Penulisan Karya Ilmiah.
Semarang: Rumah Indonesia BIS FBS Unnes.
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