TEACHING VOCABULARY OF TRANSPORTATION THROUGH POWERPOINT TO IMPROVE STUDENT’S MEMORIZING
by Euis Maftuhah
A. Background of the Study
Language is a means of communication. People can communicate with each other by using language. It brings idea, opinions, thoughts, and feelings. English is the first foreign language in Indonesia which is important to transfer knowledge, science and technology, art and culture, and establish international relationship. English is considered as a difficult subject for the Indonesian students, because English is completely different from Indonesian language being look at from the system of structure, pronunciation and vocabulary. English teaching involves of four language skills, they are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. In teaching and learning a language, there are four aspects that support four language skills above such as: grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation that are also taught in English teaching and learning process
Introducing a foreign language to children is challenging and is not as giving a toy to the crying child. It happens because children are unique in their characteristics and have a special way of learning a new thing. They acquire knowledge by asking, listening to people around them and also experienced things. Through these acquiring children develop their vocabulary. As cited by Schmitt “One of language elements in learning a foreign language is mastering the vocabulary“(2000:19).
Students sometimes find some difficulties in the process of learning vocabulary in this case in English word, they may be confronted by words that are totally unfamiliar with them and that their problem is they have to produce language due to their lack of vocabulary. As an English teacher, we should be creative to find a good way to help them enrich their vocabulary so they will not feel bored in the class. One of the ways in by using teaching aids we can using variety of teaching aids to explain language meaning and construction engage students in a topic or as the basic of whole activities.
PowerPoint is one of kind wonderful media technology teaching aids on tools that can be used by the teacher in teaching vocabulary of transportation. Wendy Russell said that “The presentations are comprised of slides, which may contain text, images, and other media, such as audio clips and movies. Sound effects and animated transitions can also be included to add extra appeal to the presentation”. (2000:17).
The writer has several reasons for choosing this topic. First, she think that young learners or children need a way to help them to memorize the word easily and one of the effective ways to help children easily in memorizing and also increasing their vocabulary of transportation as a kind of media technology teaching in the classroom. PowerPoint can increase children vocabulary achievement earlier especially for the new words because it consists of colorful pictures and words.
B. Limitation of the Problem
The writer concerned to the process of teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint to improve student’s memorizing. Then, she wants to find out whether there are any difficulties faced by teacher during the teaching and learning process using PowerPoint as a media technology teaching aid in classroom and also to find out the causes of teaches difficulties in improving their vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint. The vocabulary can take from the dictionary or text book based on the English teaching curriculum.
C. Statement of the Problem
The above explain about vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint to improve student’s memorizing. She would like to know the problem make by the students by analyzing out a good solution. The student’s problem she hopes will find out a good solution. The problems there are;
1. How is the procedure of teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint?
2. How is the students’ opinion about their vocabulary of transportation if use PowerPoint?
3. Are any difficulties in teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint faced by the teacher?
D. Purposes of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1. To find out the procedure of teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint.
2. To find out the students’ opinion about their vocabulary of transportation if use PowerPoint
3. To find out whether there are any difficulties in teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint faced by the teacher
1. The Nature of Vocabulary
Vocabulary is a component of language that maintains all of information about meaning and using word in language. Vocabulary building is really important in any language learning. Vocabulary also becomes the most important aspect in acquiring a language and mastering the second language. It is supported by Schmitt who says: “One of the keys in learning a foreign language is mastery the second language’s vocabulary“(2000:19). We know and use the words that suit our particular purposes and we continue to learn new words as long as we live. It is clear enough that everybody who learns a language as a foreign language is hoped to know and master the vocabulary to improve the language skills. Vocabulary becomes a major problem in learning English, teachers of Elementary School emphasizes on this matter earlier. In teaching vocabulary, generally the teacher teaches new words taken from reading text. It means that she integrates vocabulary with reading. This integration will lead to integrative lesson plan.
The writer defines vocabulary as a group of word in a language which is related to the meaningful word. Every learner has to build up their vocabulary because it has relationship with comprehension on the second language. As Thornburry say; “That vocabulary and comprehension have powerful relationship (2002:15). It is clear that the learners have to increase their vocabulary to make them able to speak, read, write and listen.
In the first level of a course, the active vocabulary is more prominent. But, when the students in higher level of study such as intermediated or advanced level passive vocabulary is more useful. From the explanation above, we know that every expert in every book is different in classifying the kinds of vocabulary, because every person has different ways in showing and telling their opinions and ideas. It means that vocabulary is containing of two kinds function and content words.
2. Vocabulary Learning and Acquisition
Research in first and second language acquisition suggest that initial teaching priorities for language areas should be vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Deep strategies take more time but ensure greater retention and ease of retrieval from memory. They include learning lists, reading a variety of texts on the same theme so as to ensure multiple exposures to relevant items, making extensive use of dictionaries, building up deep knowledge through word associations and revising to ensure retention.
Teachers may have little role to play where a learner is using shallow strategies appropriately. But they have a clear and ongoing role both in using deep strategies in class work and in training learners in their use. This is especially true for weaker learners, who tend to use even shallow strategies ineffectively: they guess inaccurately from context and do not later modify wrong guesses, and they do not read widely enough. Therefore, the English teacher has to be able to organize teaching and learning activities; they have to give materials by using a suitable technique and master the lesson effectively. Especially in learning vocabulary, teachers must make the students able to memorize such words in English language and group of new words. The statements above mean, vocabulary is important to teach and teachers must try to find the most effective way to teach it.
3. Teaching Vocabulary
Teaching vocabulary is presenting new words. Teaching vocabulary can help the students to learn the meaning of the words, understand the connection between the form and the meaning and how to use them. Student always deal with vocabularies in learning English because it appears in any language skills. Having enough vocabulary can make them able to listen, speak, read and write and paint. It also can make them easily to product the words without enough vocabulary, knowledge and the language skills seem to be useless. As cited by Schmitt “Because without the ability to recognize or product a word, any other kind of knowledge and language skill are virtual useless” (2000:45)
When teaching vocabulary, it is quite useful to have some ideas of what makes words relatively easy or difficult to learn. As cited Schmitt “Factors can be related to the word itself (intra lexical factors) or they can involve how well the first language learners matches the second language learners (cross linguistic factors)”. (2000:148). It means that when the teacher teach vocabulary, they probably face the problem from many factors related to the word itself and also the first language learners matches the second language learners.
The writer has assumption to fit explanation on some principles of teaching vocabulary, there are
1) The teaching of vocabulary should be based on the students’ ability.
2) The teaching of vocabulary should be suitable with student’s capability.
3) The words are taught from easiest to the difficult.
One of the principles that had been found useful in all methodological decisions is the principles of time effectiveness. The key in all, vocabulary teaching is to keep motivation high while encouraging students to develop strategies that they can continue to use once they leave the classroom.
According to the assumption above, explains that to know a word in a language as well as the native speakers knows it needs the ability to:
1. Recognize it in its spoken or written form.
2. Recall it will.
3. Relate it to an appropriate object or concept.
4. Use it in the appropriate grammatical form.
5. In speech, pronounce it in a recognizable way.
6. In writing spell it correctly
7. Use it with the words it correctly goes with i.e. in the correct collocation.
8. Use it at the appropriate level of formality.
9. Aware of its connotations and associations.
1. Definition of PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is included in the standard Office suite along with Microsoft Word and Excel. Wendy Russell said “The software allows users to create anything from basic slide shows to complex presentations. PowerPoint is often used to create business presentations, but can also be used for educational or informal purposes. The presentations are comprised of slides, which may contain text, images, and other media, such as audio clips and movies. Sound effects and animated transitions can also be included to add extra appeal to the presentation”. (2000:17). However, overusing sound effects and transitions will probably does more to annoy your audience than draw their attention.
The Good of PowerPoint
1. PowerPoint is fun to watch and fun to make.
2. Used correctly, PowerPoint can accommodate all learners' needs.
3. It has a spell-check function! Something our black boards and overheads lacks.
4. It motivates students when used in moderation.
5. It motivates teachers
6. PowerPoint allows you to reflect on your lesson and correct any needed changes. Finally, you can create the perfect lesson.
7. Imagine being able to print out what you did in class for students that were absent. Better yet, turn the accountability on to students and post your presentations on-line.
8. PowerPoint is not hard to learn. Our technology staff rates it a "B+" for ease of use. It should take about one hour to learn the basics.
The Bad of PowerPoint
1. Content can sometimes take a back seat to flash.
2. Computers crash, networks go down, viruses can plague computers! Always have a back-up plan!
3. Overuse can bore learners and diminish PowerPoint's effectiveness.
4. Classrooms need large monitors or projectors to display presentations. Make sure your technology plan furnishes this. With simple TV-out cards or VGA-TV converters, this can be easily accomplished.
5. A successful presentation can take several hours to develop.
The students remember your powerful stories more than any other part of your presentation. She can burn the points in their memory even more by showing a picture, telling a story related to that picture, and then making the point that the story and picture illustrate. In this way, the emotional impact of the picture will add weight to the point you make through the story.
2. The Usage of PowerPoint
Most PowerPoint presentations are created from a template, which includes a background color or image, a standard font, and a choice of several slide layouts. Changes to the template can be saved to a "master slide," which stores the main slide theme used in the presentation. When changes are made to the master slide, such as choosing a new background image, the changes are propagated to all the other slides.
The steps to use PowerPoint there are:
1. Prepare the tools such as laptop or computer and projector on the table.
2. The teacher r may choose to have the slides change at preset intervals or may decide to control the flow manually. This can be done using the mouse, keyboard, or a remote control. The flow of the presentation can be further customized by having slides load completely or one bullet at a time.
3. PowerPoint presentations can be created and viewed using Microsoft PowerPoint.
4. Collect up the picture related to any vocabulary are you want to teach or revise
5. Reading, this step to the teacher asks to the students to read the reading text about transportation.
A purely inspirational presentation, like a pep talk you would give your students, has very few points you need the students to remember, perhaps only one key point. Wendy Russell said that “To help the students remember your message, you should use recall aids. A recall aid is something that the students can use to recall the points you have made after you are finished the presentation”. (2007: 26). There are many different forms of recall aids, including handouts, workbooks, cards, and yes, PowerPoint. PowerPoint can be a recall aid because it can give visual reminders of the points we are making.
This activity teacher says a sentence with contains a word that rhymes with one of the PowerPoint picture and words then spell with the same pattern.
Review Endings; This activity helps children to spell word in PowerPoint which need and ending.
Cross-checking; this activity for checking student’s work
3. Learning Vocabulary of Transportation through Power Point
In building up students’ vocabulary achievement, the students must learn it well. PowerPoint is fun to watch and fun to make as Wendy Russell states “PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-directed situation”. (2007: 76). It means that the teacher can use the PowerPoint to help the children to memorize the word easily. The PowerPoint can be more effective if the student can interact with the PowerPoint; this interaction includes the activities that can expand the students’ understanding of the words and the use of them in any language skill. In addition, PowerPoint can add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain abstract concepts, while accommodating all learning styles. Used properly, PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for disseminating information ever known. Employed inappropriately, PowerPoint could potentially confuse students and make learning a difficult process.
The student he teacher have to assist student in developing their vocabulary of transportation through power point by taking the following steps. Firstly, assist the students in choosing the words from the reading text about transportation and suggest them to choose the words which are unfamiliar name of transportation for them. Secondly, ask them to write the words on the book. Thirdly, involve the students in interactive activities.
During the activities the student can see, say, hear, write and paint will be the result in greater vocabulary retention and enthusiasm for learning vocabulary. In addition, using PowerPoint can help the teacher teach vocabulary more interestingly.
DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDING
The object is students all of class for especially for elementary school. The interview to the teacher and the questionnaires are give to the students. The findings are focus on applying teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint.
B. The procedure of teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint in the class
In teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint method, the teacher need to follow some procedure in order to make the teaching learning activity run well. The teachers try to teach vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint to improve student’s memorizing. The information that some procedure there are:
Before the teacher entered the class, she must prepare her lesson plan and the material will teach to the students. She also brings the materials, such as laptop or computer and projector to the classroom.
The teacher usually starts the lesson by greeting the student and checking the attendance list. It is support by the result of the using this method that he teacher always greet the student when they start the lesson. The activities during the teaching and learning process the classroom.
The teachers prepare the picture and text about transportation in the PowerPoint and show to the student.
b. Teacher’s Explanation
Teacher explains the lesson by reading the text carefully. Then, the teacher gives the material to the students to write the difficult or strange words. This is the patterns apply by the teacher in teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint are:
1. Greeting the students and asking some questions related to the students condition
2. Having a listing of the sight words that the students are to know and read
3. Showing words or pictures and have students pick which one does not rhyme (car, bus, train, motorcycle, plane, ship, etc)
4. Creating a class story about the school and have pictures to match each sentence. “This is Alan’s car.”
5. Showing to the students a word and have them write all words associated with that word and group those words. For transportation, for example; land transportation (Examples: car, train, bus, motorcycle etc.) air transportation (Examples : ,plane, helicopter, jet etc)and ocean transportation (Example; ship, ferry, sailing boat, canoe etc)
6. Having students identify vocabulary by topic – show them pictures of ten occupations
7. Explaining the meaning of the words and pronouncing it.
8. Evaluating the lesson by asking some questions related to the topic and asking some vocabularies that they learn.
9. Closing the lesson by greeting and asking the students’ feeling about teaching and learning process of vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint.
Before closing the lesson, the teacher always ask the student some vocabularies that she has give to evaluate the teaching and give a home work. She asks the students’ feeling about teaching and learning process of vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint happy or not in learning English, especially when they learn the new vocabularies in the classroom.
C. The Students’ Opinion about their Vocabulary of Transportation if use PowerPoint
The writer gives the questioner to the students in the end observation to find out the data about students improvement of vocabulary of transportation with use PowerPoint. The questionnaire usually consist of ten questions and subdivide into three conditions, they are interest, ability and relevance.
D. The teachers’ difficulties in using power point for teaching vocabulary of Transportation through PowerPoint
In order know about the difficulties that is the writer interview the teacher and ask his or her about teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint. Usually, from the fact many troubles from the tool of PowerPoint there are:
1. There are some images which may be unsuitable for the students, so the research for the teacher to create material then one to let students loose on.
2. Content can sometimes take a back seat to flash.
3. Computers crash, networks go down, viruses can plague computers.
4. Overuse can bore learners and diminish PowerPoint's effectiveness.
5. Classrooms need large monitors or projectors to display presentations..
6. Be careful about the speed that you set on the PowerPoint, faster one can be dangerous if anyone your lass are epileptic.
But in learning with PowerPoint method it is easy to apply the process of teaching learning because through PowerPoint method the student can improve their vocabulary mastery easier getting new vocabularies and also feel happy fun and more interesting because they can see the colorful picture about transportation with each types, hear about the text, read about the text with picture and write which the difficulty of text, paint the pictures too. The use of PowerPoint method is very simple, the most important the teacher does not lazy to preparing the material which will be use in the class.
Vocabulary is one of the language components which play an important role in learning a language. The need of studying vocabulary is essential even though it is not the main goal of the learning process itself. We can use PowerPoint as one of the alternatives of the technique in teaching vocabulary.
PowerPoint is part of creating environment of the students’ because they can see, hear, say and write the words in the power point. It can make students more exits in learning vocabulary.
Teaching vocabulary of transportation through PowerPoint can make student enthusiastically to learn vocabulary because it can make happy and enjoy with color and picture. The use of PowerPoint method as media technology is very simple and also makes the students easier to learn the new vocabulary about the type of transportation and memorize it. Then there are no difficulties that face by teacher, even sometimes she fells little bit lazy and difficult to prepare material such as laptop or computer and projector.
Arikunto Suharsimi. 2002. Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktek (Edisi VI). Jakarta: Rineka Cipta
French Allen,Virginia. 2000. Teaching Technique in Teaching Vocabulary. New York. Oxford University Press
Tankersley, K. 2003. The Threads of Reading: Strategies for Literacy Development. Alexandria, VA: Association for the Supervision and Curriculum Developmen:
Thornburry, Scott. 2002. How to Teach Vocabulary. Oxfordshire: Longman Pearson Education
Wendy Russell. 2007. Beginer’s Guide to PowerPoint. Canada. Summersdale Publisher.