Communicative teaching by
Using pictures in speaking class
Speaking is a productive skill in learning a language. Beginners mostly are not confidence or shy when they will speak a new language. It is a basic problem in learning a language which faced of learners for them in order to improve their capability in using a new language. At a time they must remove it and try to use a new language if they want to be able in using that language and it is needed stimulus and motivation from their own, they also have to believe that they can use that language even just little or not fluently in pronunciation of a word. In a language class teacher may find this problem and have a question how to solve this problem?
In this paper the writer will try to share about build stimulus and motivation for students who learn English as a new language by using pictures in speaking class. Pictures here are In order to help students to develop their ability to use English as a new language, because it is not enough for students to have a competent ability in a language if they can not develop their idea and imagination before they have a conversation or discussion. Pictures are suitable with beginners or children but not for advanced class. Pictures can motivate students and make them want to pay attention to take a part in class and also contribute their idea to the context in which the language is being used in class.
There are several criteria or reason why use pictures in language class for beginners. Teacher can find and get pictures easy, only a few minutes to prepare pictures in classroom. This means that pictures would be used in class must be easy to prepare not spent long time. Teacher may use simple pictures to give stimulus and motivation for students then they can build any idea and imagination about the pictures before they say or speak, because it is difficult for them as beginners to speak directly without any stimulus and motivation besides information or instruction from teacher. Pictures also easy to organize, because those are just a few of paper which provide some pictures about event they can find in common society. If pictures have ready to use, do not forget, teacher has to manage classroom first before start the class. Be sure that all of students can see and pay attention or focus in class so they can follow learning teaching processes all. The next criterion is interesting. This is important factor of using pictures in teaching learning process. Teacher must have a choose of pictures that make students to be interested with the pictures so students enthusiast interesting to attend the class. Using pictures also considered with meaning, this mean that teacher must select pictures which have meaningful for students.
Pictures can be used to illustrate a number of structures and vocabularies although the sentence refer to the pictures but teacher can give the emphasis on the structure and vocabulary that must be used by students to tell and describe the pictures. Teacher may provides a sentence pattern to guide students in making sentences according to the pictures, then give a question for them about the pictures and they have to answer with their own words concerned a sentence pattern given. After students see the pictures they will get stimulus and idea to answer because pictures provide any information to be referred in conversation or discussion.
In most class activities, pictures used to promote general conversation, debate or expression and more open language class. Pictures can also used in mechanical and communicative practice. In mechanical practice, students concentrate on grammatical or phonological accuracy because pictures provide motivation and give stimulus for what is said. Meaning is given little or no significant, the point is how far students can get information from the pictures and say everything they can explain the pictures. In communicative practice the students make use of the patterns chosen by the teacher, then teacher give value to the meaning what they said, even teacher doesn’t know exactly what students want to say.