Monday, April 25, 2011

The Advantage of Using Pictures in Teaching Genre: Narrative, Recount, Procedure,Descriptive, and Report Text

According to Latuheru (1988), pictures have several functions in the teaching and learning process. First, picture can translate abstract ideas into more realistic forms. Second, pictures are easily obtained, e.g. from schoolbooks, newspapers and magazines. Third, pictures are usable in different kinds of academic levels. Fourth, picture can save the teacher's time and energy. In addition, Raimes (1983), pictures in sequence provide for a variety of guided and free writing exercises. A picture sequence, such as a comic strip, provides the subject matter for writing narrative and for speculating about the story beyond the pictures in the strip. A set of parallel pictures provide materials that offer guidance on vocabulary, sentence structure, and organization, and then let the students to write about new subject matter.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Teaching Narrative Text through Peer Feedback

The implementation of peer feedback typically can be applied in a number of steps and occur at different settings. Generally, peer feedback encompasses assigning students to groups of two, three, or four who exchange completed first drafts and provide  feedback on each others' work before they revise them (Hyland, 2003). This normally takes place during class time. Nelson (1995) estimates that this strategy needs about thirty up to forty minutes in class or at home, whereas Hyland (2003) predicts that it can take up to an hour to complete, particularly if readers are invited to provide written comments and writers are required to give written response to readers' comments.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Strategy of Using Storytelling in Teaching Listening Narrative Text

Telling narrative text is different from reading narrative text. In some ways, telling is easier than reading aloud. In reading, technical problems such as the book he or she is holding may become a physical barrier between him or her and the audience. In telling, one can shape the narrative text to one's own need. When telling the narrative text, one can address the audience directly, she/he can make eye contact, use gesture and mime freely, and maintain a community of attention between teller and listener (Morgan & Rinvolucri, 1983).
There are some strategies used for telling a story. First is introducing the narrative text. The teacher can introduce the narrative text by telling the title or asking the students to guess the title, talking about the characters, giving new vocabulary or asking questions about the narrative text. It is sometimes essential for comprehension, before beginning a tale, to make some background comments on new or difficult vocabulary or the cultural assumptions and setting of the narrative text (Pederson, 1995).

Storytelling in Teaching Listening Narrative Text

    Storytelling can be used to develop listening comprehension skill. A teacher can tell a narrative text and then ask the students to recall the important events in the order of their occurence (Tidyman, et al., 1964). When students listen to a narrative text, the students pick up the information in order to comprehend the narrative text. Comprehension can be described as that process which enables the receiver to make meaning from verbal and non-verbal information. Non-verbal information may include background knowledge based on past experience or visual information. By storytelling, the teacher can give exercise on listening skill.