Students believe that learning grammar is as difficult as learning Algebra
because those two topics are full of formula. Grammar indeed has many rules. As
an example, if we want to make a sentence which related to an activity which
happens in progress in the past, we have to use the Past Continuous Tense
formula, which is Subject + to be (past) +Verb-Ing + Object. Mostly, that is
the way how the teachers explain Past Continuous Tense to the students. Now,
let us have a look at the definition of grammar itself. According to www.answers.com,
grammar is the system of rules implicit in a language, viewed as a mechanism
for generating all sentences possible in that language. Another definition
comes from www.usingenglish.com,
which defines grammar as a description of the rules of the structure of a
language; the way words combine, the order they come in, the way they change
according to their relationship to other words, how they build up into units
like a sentence.
From the definition of grammar above, we can infer that actually grammar is
full of rules and mechanisms in learning English. Furthermore, there is a
branch of grammar which is considered as a difficult material that is tenses.
Tenses are verbs form that indicate, or can indicate, a relationship between
the time the action in a verb occurs and the time the verb is uttered (Accessed
on October 27th 2010; http://spanish.about.com).
In other words, tenses specify whether the verb refers to action in the past,
present, or future. In our opinion, teachers are expected to find several
innovations to make grammar especially tenses are easy to learn by the
students. One of the teaching methods that can be used is by using pictures. In
addition, using pictures to increase students’ understanding in the usage of
tenses requires three steps which are: preparation, implementation, and
evaluation.
First of all, let us deals with the first step of this teaching method
which is preparation. This step is important because pictures which are used in
this lesson are crucial. Moreover, there are several chapters which should be
taken by teachers, three of which are; the teachers prepare things which are
needed, then explain the rules to the students, lastly the teachers divide the
students into several groups. The first chapter that should be done is
preparing things which are needed. In this case, the teachers should prepare
the main media here which are pictures. Pictures which are prepared must be
related one or all of the three points in tenses, which are past, present, and
future and they must be interesting. After that, the second chapter which
should be taken is explaining the rules to the students. There are several
rules which are suggested, two of which are as follows: the students have to
mention as many tenses as possible which are showed by a picture and they have
to present it in front of their friends. This step is important to make
students are engaged to the lesson that the teachers give. Let us go on to the
last chapter which should be prepared by the teachers is dividing the students
into several groups consist of four students. In our opinion, by dividing the
students into several groups is very effective to train them to appreciate
different opinions which occur in the discussion and how to make a round answer
based on the group discussion.
Second of all, let us have a look at the second step in teaching grammar
through pictures which is the implementation in doing this teaching method.
This step can be divided into several chapters, three of which are; firstly,
the students do teacher’s instructions in group discussion, secondly, the
teacher guides the students along the process, and lastly, the students
collect their works to the teacher. Subsequently, the first chapter is giving
the answer sheet and starting to count the time. Next, the second chapter that
the teacher should do is guiding the students along the process. In this case,
the teacher becomes the facilitator who facilitates students to do the
assignment. The last chapter which should be done by the teacher is collecting
the students’ work. The first thing that should be done by the teacher after
giving the answer sheet is considering the time allocation to the students to
do the assignment. Commonly, time allocation in one period of teaching is forty
five minutes. We can allocate fifteen minutes to the students to write down the
tenses that might be happened based on the pictures and guiding them during the
process. And then the remaining thirty minutes will be applied in the last step
which is evaluation.
Third of all, the last step in teaching tenses through pictures is
evaluating the students’ work. Basically, there are several chapters which
should be taken by the teachers, three of which are; firstly, the teacher
explains the correct answers to the students, secondly the teacher evaluates
the students’ works, and lastly the teacher reviews the lesson. The first
chapter in this evaluation step is explaining the correct answers to the
students. In this case, the teachers have to explain it in sequences so that
the students can understand. The second
chapter in evaluating the students’ works is by evaluating their works itself.
Additionally, the point of evaluation can be based on how many correct tenses
which they could find. As an example, the teacher gives ten points in every
single correct answer that has been written down by the students. The last
chapter which the teacher should be taken is by reviewing the lesson. In this
case, the teacher can review what the lesson has been given and explain to the
students the correct answers. The remaining twenty five minutes can be divided
into; ten minutes for explaining the correct answers, ten minutes to evaluate
the students’ work, and the last ten minutes to review the lesson. Those three
last chapters in evaluating should be done in order so that the early purpose
can be accomplished.
In short, to increase students’ understanding in the
usage of tenses, there are several steps which should be carried out, three of
which are: preparation, implementation, and evaluation. After reading those
steps above, we can infer that actually tenses and grammar will be very
interesting if teachers know how to package them into the interesting teaching
models. This teaching method have to be well-prepared and done in order based
on the time allocation to accomplish the early purpose which is increasing
students’ understanding in the usage of tenses. Thus, teaching English through
pictures no longer can be implemented in Playgroups or Primary Schools, but
also in the higher grade. Hopefully, this English teaching method can break the
thoughts that grammar especially tenses is difficult to understand.
Asizah
Nurrahma S
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