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Classroom Action Research
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CHAPTER II
DESCRIPTION THEORITY
A. The Definition of Speaking
Speaking a language involves using the components correctly –
making the right sounds, choosing the right words and getting constructions
grammatically correct. Pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary tasks will
focus on the need for practice in language accuracy. At the same time, we
also need to get a clear message across and this involves choosing
appropriate content or ideas to suit a situation, e.g. deciding what is polite or
what might appear rude, how to interrupt or how to participate in a
conversation.
Hyams said, “When you know a language, you can speak and be
understood by others who know that language. This means we have capacity
to produce sound that signifies certain meaning and to understand or
interpret the sound produced by others.”1 Speaking consists of producing
systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning. (Utterance is simply thing
people say). Flores said, “Speaking is an interactive process of constructing
1 Hyams,Rodman,Fromkin, An Introduction to Language (Wadsworth, Thomson, 2003), p. 4
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meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information”2
Speaking as an instance of use, therefore, is part of reciprocal exchange in
which both reception and production play a part. In this sense the skill of
speaking involves both receptive and productive participation. Brown and
Yule made useful distinction between the interactional functions of speaking
(in which it serve to establish and maintain social relation), and transactional
functions (which focus on exchange of information).3
From all statements above, speaking is one activity to share
information, idea, and felling by sound produce that signify and then we can
make some communication with other people. Communication involves at
least two people: the sender and the receiver. There four are types of
communication between senders and receivers: writing, speaking, listening,
and conducting meetings. Communication is a process by which information
is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols,
signs or behavior.4
The activity the person does primary based on particular goal. So,
it is important that everything we wants to say is conveyed in an effective
way, because speaking is not only producing sounds but also a process of
2 Kathlen M. Bailey. Nunan, PracticalEnglish Language Teaching : Speaking, (New York, The Mc Graw Hill Companies, 2005), p. 2
3 Jack C. Richard, Developing Classroom Speaking Activities; From Theory to Practice. pp. 2 Http://Sribd.com
4 Klaus Hilgers (2007). Speaking and Listening. Epoch Consultants, Inc. Email: [email protected]
12
achieving goals that involves transferring messages across. Therefore,
speaking process should pay attention how to say as well as to whom
appropriately.
Speaking is an activity used by someone to communicate with other.
It takes place very where and has become part of our daily activities. When
someone speaks, he or she interacts and uses the language to express his or
her ideas, feeling, and thought. He or she also shares information to other
trough communication.
Speaking skill ensures the language learners to be able to
communicate actively in a target language. Thus, one’s eloquence in using a
target language orally is greatly determined by how well he or she learns
speaking skills. However, learning speaking is no easy task, let alone
teaching it. Students often encounter many problems. Confidence and being
afraid of making mistakes are two of the greatest psychological barriers that
hold the learners back from advancing in their study. Students tend to have
fears before larger groups. This happens especially in a culture that people
tend to use other people’s weaknesses as laughing matter.
Although students are able to overcome this problem, adjusting their
speech to different situations seem to be the problem of the more advanced
learners. Therefore, the language teachers should call for cultural learning to
engage in the learning of speaking. Many language learners I interview
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claim that the lack of vocabularies obstructs them from producing a good
speaking skill. These are the most problem found in most language learners
that urge an immediate solvency.
Building up confidence should be the first step a good language
teacher does to the learners. The teacher should be able to identify each
learner’s problems. This is a matter of constructing a mindset and a friendly
atmosphere in the classroom that speaking is a fun activity and that it is
easy. Teachers should be able to convince the students that speaking fears
are common and that it happens to everyone. This especially is effective to
those who are new to language learning. When they are advanced enough,
the focus of the teaching should be about how to develop what they have
acquired.
B. The Definition of Story Joke
Spontaneous conversation among friends, family members and
peers at school or work is the most frequent, most natural mode of
interaction for most people. Some people like to hear or make a joke,
because it making situation being conducive and fun.
This activity, makes the relation of communication more pleasing, causing
formed an active interaction.
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A joke is a short story or ironic depiction of a situation communicated with the intent of being humorous. These jokes will normally have a punch line that will end the sentence to make it humorous. A joke can also be a single phrase or statement that employs sarcasm. The word joke can also be used as a slang term for a person or thing which is not taken seriously by others in general. A practical joke or prank differs from a spoken one in that the major component of the humor is physical rather than verbal (for example placing salt in the sugar bowl).5
Narrative or story joke involves the telling of a story. Story joke is rather
different humorous story. The difference is that story joke has simpler plots
than humorous story. Another difference is that the chronology of story joke
is not as detailed as that humorous story. Before told, the story joke is
preceding by the opening question like “Did you hear about…? “Have you
ever heard about this one? “, “Do you know the one about…? Etc.6
There are two steps using story joke in the class:
1. Joke in Speaking Class Activity
Joke or funny story can used to make a classroom condition
more pleasant and interesting. Tosta states, that the use of humor
make the classroom atmosphere more pleasant increases interaction
among teacher and students, make learning more meaningful and
enjoyable, and pleases the students.7 There many reasons for using a
joke in the language classroom:
5 Joke, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke6 Delia Chiario, The language of Joke. (London: Routledge, 1992) P. 1027 Antonio Luciano Tosta, Laugh and Learn: Thinking Over the “Funny Teacher” Myth.
(English Teaching Forum, 1.1 2001) P. 27
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1. It is authentic form of communication
2. It involves talking real experience
3. It draws on the resources in the classroom
4. Students do not have to assume imaginary rules
5. students are motivated by content of each other story
6. It help group dynamics
7. It can be used t practice many different topic areas.
8. It promotes linguistic fluency
9. Learners practice circum-location skills
10. It help build learner's
2. The Selection of Jokes Used
The selection of jokes should consider the cultural differences
among students. Not all students will laugh at the same jokes because
they have different ways to perceive what is funny. Dobson
recommends, “When assembling humorous materials, choose only
those item that are known universally since each society has
somewhat different concepts of what funny.”8 So, teacher should
carefully select some jokes, especially those that contain ethnic,
8 Dobson, M. Julia. Effective Techniques for Conversation Groups (Washington: United States Information Agency, 1987), p. 90
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sexual, and political goners. For example a sexual joke may be funny
for some students but disgusting and rude for the other students.
The use of humour or joke is a complex and intriguing aspect of human
behaviour. Nash goes as far as to claim that ‘humour is a specifying
characteristic of humanity’, comparable in this respect to ‘the power of
speech, the mathematical gift, the gripping thumb’.9
Raskin said, that humour is present throughout social conventions
and cultural artefacts, and the use of humour is highly valued in interactions
between people. Despite this apparent importance, there is, as Raskin has
observed, currently no major theory of humour, in the sense of something
which ‘explains what is funny, why it is funny, how it is funny, when it is
funny, and to whom it is funny’.
C. The Technique of Teaching English Speaking Through Story Joke
Technique
Every student who studies English will study about all components,
which in that subject. Those components are reading, listening, writing and
speaking. All components have great correlation and support each other;
one of those items will be discussed by researcher is teaching speaking.
9 Ritchie Graeme, The Linguistic Analysis of Jokes, (New York, Routledge 2004),p. 12
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As one of the language skills, speaking can be complex process. The
first speaking has some points to show speaking and productions are relate
in the mind of individual for the learners. The learners also need
production to get interaction in receiving messages, result according to
Hymes10.
Sometimes students-perhaps especially those at the lower levels-can
be anxious about speaking in class. One way to overcome their reticence
and increase their opportunities to speak is to use pair work and group
work. Pair work and group work are configuration of people for doing
activities, rather than activity types per se. Pair work, as the name suggest,
involve two students working together to complete task or exercise target
language. Group work is three or more students working together.
Try to create humorous situations for role-plays and dialogues.
Changing the context of that tedious role-play in the textbook to a fun one
that allows the same structure to be practiced will make quite a difference
in the end. Teacher may also have students change the tone of their voices
and dress differently, reinventing the character, while role-playing. Another
nice technique is to attribute students’ names to the characters in role-plays
and skits. Teacher can always throw in one or two intelligent jokes every
now and then, and, above all, play games. By using humor, do not mean
10 Hymes, Communication Competence, (Cambridge Press, 1976), p. 16
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entertaining students with silly jokes all the time. Although jokes, if used
wisely, may contribute to the repertoire of his teaching kit, the funny
teacher is not an entertainer. He is an educator interested in the progress of
his students.11 Moreover, what is need in a classroom is a real and
spontaneous reaction. This where jokes and funny stories can come handy
and students can understand easily because they have they have familiar
with their humor in their lives.
D. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Story Jokes in Speaking
Class
There are some advantages and disadvantages of using story jokes in
speaking class.
1. Advantages of Story Jokes
1.1 The story jokes offer variety and provide interesting topics for
students. They can, therefore, be used to create various
activities and interaction between students like small
discussion and sharing story jokes.
1.2 Story jokes, which are funny can cheer up and make students
smile or even laugh. When they laugh they fell relaxed and
11 Tosta Antonio Luciano.. Laugh and Learn: Thingking Over the Funy Teacher”Myth”, English Teaching Forum 1992
19
their anxiety becomes low. As a result, the will enjoy the class
better and feel more secure in taking part in the activity.
1.3 Story jokes provide students with various topics of interaction.
They can share the stories and discuss the jokes with one
another. In addition, the function of the story jokes as
conversation topics also provide students with opportunity to
perform their own activity. In this way, they help increase
students involvement in the learning process.
2. Disadvantages of Story Jokes
2.1 The control of the class tends to be loss. Especially at speaking
activity-telling story jokes to each other-take places. Students
are free to go around the class to find partner. They
unexpectedly will talk outside the frame that has been the
frame that has been set. For example they speak in their
mother tongue, Indonesia.
2.2 This model also requires teacher to make well preparation. He
has to spend much time to select some suitable jokes and
design them. Teacher need to identify potential difficult words
that can hinder students’ comprehension and rewrite them in a
sheet of paper. English humor is one of the most important
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components of cultural schema of the target community
because of its richness in social knowledge.12
2.3 Since not every students would take or perceive jokes they
read as amusing, i.e. some might not smile or laugh upon
reading certain jokes, there is mistaking it for their non-
comprehension (of what they have read). Some teacher tends
to conclude that if the students are not laughing, then they fail
to understand the jokes they have just read. Unfortunately, this
may not always the case. The students may understand the
jokes completely, but it is just the jokes are not so funny
enough for them to laugh enough about.
E. The Action Research
Action research can be described as: any research into practice
undertaken by those involved in that practice, with an aim to change and
improve it. It is therefore, a process of enquiry by you as a practitioner into
the effectiveness of your own teaching and your students’ learning.
Action research is about both ‘action’ and ‘research’ and the links
between the two. It is quite possible to take action without research or to do
research without taking action, but the unique combination of the two is
12 http://www.asian-efl-journal.com. Download 12 January 2010
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what distinguishes action research from other forms of enquiry. It is, of
course, not restricted to an educational context.
a. The Definition of the Action Research
The most important component of action research is that it does
include both action and reflection that lead to enhance practice.
Kemmis and Mc Taggart distinguish it from the normal practice of
teaching in the following way:
1. It is not the usual thinking teachers do when they think about their
teaching. Action research is more systematic and collaborative in
collecting evidence on which to base their group reflection.
2. It is not simply problem solving. Action research involves
problem-posing, not just problem-solving. It does not start from a
view of ‘problems’ as pathologies. It is motivated by a quest to
improve and understand the world by changing it and learning
how to improve it from the effects of the changes made.
3. It is not research done on other people. Action research is research
by particular people on their own work, to help them improve
what they do, including how they work with and for others.
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4. Action research is not “the scientific method” applied to teaching.
There is not just one view of “the scientific method”; there are
many.13
However, if action research is different to the normal practice of
teaching, to what extent is it ‘research’? Notwithstanding Kemmis and
McTaggart’s differentiation between action research and teaching, there
is obviously a close connection between the two and it is this close
connection that makes the approach a particularly attractive one for
practitioners. The self-initiated approach to research and to an
improvement in practice is another strong attraction of the action
research approach. Indeed, some have argued that it is a legitimate part
of good teaching. Zeni said :
“Action research involves practitioners in studying their own professional practice and framing their own questions. Their research has the immediate goal to assess, develop or improve their practice. Such research activities belong in the daily process of good teaching, to what has been called the 'zone of accepted practice”.14
b. The Steps in Action Research
Within all the definitions of action research, there are four basic
themes: empowerment of participants, collaboration through
13 The Open University, Action Research A Guide for Associate Lectures (COBE, Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA), p. 814 Ibid, p. 8
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participation, acquisition of knowledge, and social change. In conducting
action research, we structure routines for continuous confrontation with
data on the health of a school community. These routines are loosely
guided by movement through five phases of inquiry.
Action Research Cycle:
1. Planning, data collection based on the problem and tested the
hypothesis by empirical measures based on initial observations in
general and can be as a reference to reveal the factors supporting and
inhibiting the implementation of the action
2. Action is a variation of careful and prudent practices which are
recognized as the idea into action and used as guidelines for the
development of the next actions with a view to improving the
situation.
3. Observation serves to document the effect of actions oriented to the
future, as well as providing a basis for reflection now.
4. Reflection is a reminder and a action ponder exactly as has been
observed. Reflection is an activity analysis, interpretation and
explanation (explanation) of all information obtained value from
observations on the implementation of the action.
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c. The Benefit of the Action Research
Action research can be a worthwhile pursuit for educators for a
number of reasons. Foremost among these is simply the desire to know
more. Good teachers are, after all, themselves students, and often look
for ways to expand upon their existing knowledge.
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