Instructional Media in Teaching
English to Young Learner’s
by
Shinta
Yuliantari
Abstract
This research
investigated the use of instructional media by the teachers in teaching English
to young learners; the problems that they encounter in using instructional
media; also problem solving of the media utilization challenges. The result of
the study indicates that there are five types of instructional media which are
generally used by the teachers, comprising: (1) boards; (2) realia; (3)
pictures; and (4) books. Each of them is used in various ways. The teachers
faced challenges in both process of selecting and using instructional media.
The strategy used to solve the problems during selection process was utilizing
available media. Meanwhile, to overcome the problem during the use of
instructional media were by requesting technician help, borrowing instructional
media supply from other class and preparing back-up instructional media.
Introduction
In teaching English to young learners teacher deal with children whore characteristics are different from adult learner.
Teaching English to young learners is way to introduce it to young student.
While children may not have an understanding of why its important to learn a second languange there are many
reasen to answer the question “ why teach English to young learners? ” for
instance creating a fun and positive learning
environment can equipt kids with strong foundation for succses in more
advanced courses later in their academic careers.
Knowing
children characteristic in an essential requirement for the teacher in creating
effective instruction. In the relation to this
instuction should be built on experiences should also to be considered
in choosing teaching method , media and assesment. Beside knowing characteristic , using
appropriate instructional media is one of the key principles in creating
effective instructure. Instructional it self is all material thats can be used
by teacher to conduct teaching learning activities
an support students.
The way YELLs (young
English language learners) process information in their native language (L1) as well as in the
foreign language (L2) differs from adults. From an early age, children first
begin to sort out words involving concrete objects. When introduced into the L2
classroom, they “need very concrete vocabulary that connects with objects they
can handle or see” (Cameron 2001: 81). In contrast, adult learners are able to
cope with abstract ideas (ibid).
YELLs do not comprehend abstract ideas such as grammar. Any attempt
to explain these abstract concepts at an early age will likely serve only to
confuse YELLs. In order to avoid dealing with abstract ideas, Cameron (2001:
53) recommends dealing with topics children find familiar, such as family and
friends or school life. YELLs work to develop a clear mental image using the
language they are given in the L1 as well as the L2. One way of doing this is
through their use of Instructional Media.
This is likely because the children easy getting bored so teacher should have many tricks to teach them. Instructional
media itself is defined by Scanlan as all materials that can be used by the
teachers to conduct teaching learning activities and support students in
reaching instructional objectives.
In this stage we
hope that student can learn english easily by various type of teaching method.
The YYELs can studied L2 quickly , get every point in each chapter without
force them. And also make a happy studied environment. It’s common for
kids to be uninterested in setting goals, and even more uninterested in
pursuing them to fruition. You can try to change that by making the process
more fun with instructional media. Media
increase students’ responsibility to control their own learning.
As educators, our
aim is to get students energized and engaged in the hands-on learning process. Learning
is a process to acquire knowledge. It needs hard work and sometimes will make YELLs frustrated
and get bored, so that they lose their attention to a lesson. In
this case, the use of media in teaching- learning process is needed to attract YELLs
attention and to make teaching- learning activities more interesting and also
effective. We can increase our crativity by make many media such as
: realia, picture, boards, over head projector , flipcard and many others.
Review
The
early years are recognized as the foundation years for children’s development.
In particular, the first six years are crucial for young children in developing
their first language and cultural identity, and it is during these early years
that children build up their knowledge of the world around them. For children
from language backgrounds other than English, the language or languages of the
home that has been used since birth are the basis for developing meaningful
relationships and learning about meaningful communication and interaction (Siraj-Blatchford
and Clarke, 2000).
Young learners, those attending preschool and
kindergarten, will not have any personal reason for studying English. At this point in their lives, they may not know
or comprehend how important these classes can be. They might view your classes
as simply another fun daily activity and that is just fine. Even at this early
age, you can encourage them to develop an interest in
learning English which will stay with them long after they have
finished your classes. That is, until you run up against some of the struggles
that are unique to teaching children because they certainly do exist. Language by
nature is very abstract and intangible. Children, on the other hand, are very
literal and concrete.
Some young learners
have their own characteristic. There are some of their generally characteristic
that teachers and parents should know:
a)
Physical
side
·
The
physical world of young children is dominant.
·
Their
understanding comes through hands, eyes, and ears.
·
They
perform physical activity in many ways: such as coloring, drawing, and
writing.
·
They are at the developing stage
(Critical Period).
b)
Social side
·
They
are happy playing and working in the company of others (Sitting with others
encourages co-operation) (Philips). Young learners learn best when they learn through games. Let games be an
essential part of your teaching.
·
They
are aware of themselves in relation to others.
c)
Psychological side
They have short concentration span. So teachers
should vary their techniques to break the boredom. They should give varied
activities as handwriting, songs, games etc. They are
very active. Try to ask them to play games, role play dialogues and involve
them in competitions.
d)
Other characteristic
·
Their
first language is not fully developed.
·
They
need to develop their native language (s).
·
They
don’t need linguistic knowledge.
·
They
learn language for communication (how), not the rules (what).
Principle of teaching English to Young Learners
·
Children actively try to
construct meaning
·
Children need space for
language growht
·
Language in use carries
cues to meaning that may be noticed
·
Developments can be seen
as internalising from social interaction
·
Childrens foreign languagr
learning depends on what they experience
Besides knowing children characteristics, using appropriate
instructional media is one of the key principles in creating effective
instruction (Reiser & Dick, 1996).
Instructional media itself is defined by Scanlan as all materials that
can be used by the teachers to conduct teaching learning activities and support
students in reaching instructional objectives.
Harmer (2007) states that there are several types of instructional
media that can be used by teachers:
• The
students themselves
The students are the most
useful resources in the classroom‖ (Harmer, 2007: 176). By using the students
themselves, teacher can do many things in the classroom
• Realia
Realia is defined by Nunan (1999: p. 313) aobjects and teaching props’
from the world outside the classroom that are used for teaching and learning.
So, it can be inferred that realia is unmodified real things inside or outside
the classroom which is used by the teacher for teaching learning process. Realia can be used as starting point to
introduce the lesson and/or understanding concept of the materi
• Pictures
Pictures or graphic materials refer to non-photographic and two
dimensional‖ materials which is utilized by the teachers to convey messages to
the students. This kind of material includes drawings, charts, graphs, posters,
cartoon, etc.
Pictures are utilized for several purposes. Harmer (2007) explained
that pictures can be used for multiple ways comprising: (1) drilling, (2)
communication, (3) understanding, (4) ornamentation, (5) predicting, and (6)
discussing
• Course
book
Course book is a form of print media. It contains material or verbal
information through print. It can also be used as basic instructional guide by
the teacher.
• Boards
Boards refer to chalkboard/ blackboard, whiteboard and interactive
whiteboard (IWB). Like pictures, boards also are used for several purposes.
Harmer (2007) describes that teachers can use boards as (1) notepad, (2)
explanation aid, (3) picture frame, (4) public workbook, (5) game board, and
(6) noticeboard.
• Overhead
Projector (OHP)
By using overhead projectors, the students can see in front of the
class the material which is writer or drawn in a transparent. The transparent
will be projected by using projectors.
• Flipcharts
Another instructional media that may be used by the teacher is
flipchart. Flipchart is an instructional media which contains big sheets of
paper. It is mostly used to write down some important points in group
discussion (Harmer, 2007).
Several benefits of flipchart are portable, accessible, and easy to
use.
• Computer-based
presentation technology
Harmer (2007) said that this instructional media has two vital
components. They are hardware and software. The hardware needed for this
instructional media are computer and LCD projector. This instructional media
combine both audio and visual material. By using computer-based presentation
technology – or so called multimedia presentation— enable the teacher to convey
much larger information to the students.
There are
several goals using instructional media, such as:
·
Facilitate
the teaching-learning process
·
Improve
the efficiency of the teaching-learning
·
Maintaining
relevance to the learning objectives
·
Help
students concentrate
·
According
to Gagne: Components of learning resources that can stimulate students to learn
·
According
to Briggs: physical spacecraft containing instructional material
·
According
to Schramm: carriers of information technology or instructional message
·
According
to Y. Miarso: Everything that can stimulate students' learning process
·
No doubt
that all the media is necessary for learning. If up to this day there are
teachers who do not use the media, it's just one thing that needs to change
attitude. In selecting instructional media, need to be tailored to the needs,
circumstances and conditions of each.
There are some aventages using media literacy
:
1. Meets the needs of students to be
wise consumers of media, managers of information and responsible producers of
their ideas using the powerful multimedia tools of a global media culture. s
2. Engages students . . . bringing
the world of media into the classroom connects learning with "real
life" and validates their media culture as a rich environment for
learning.
3. Gives students and teachers alike
a common approach to critical thinking that, when internalized, becomes second
nature for life.
4. Provides an opportunity for
integrating all subject areas and creating a common vocabulary that applies
across all disciplines.
5. Helps meet state standards while,
at the same time using fresh contemporary media content which students love.
6. Increases the ability and
proficiency of students to communicate (express) and disseminate their thoughts
and ideas in a wide (and growing) range of print and electronic media forms -
and even international venues.
7. Media literacy's "inquiry
process" transforms teaching and frees the teacher to learn along with
students becoming a "guide on the side" rather than a "sage on
the stage."
8. By focusing on process skills
rather than content knowledge, students gain the ability to analyze any
message in any media and thus are empowered for living all their lives
in a media-saturated culture.
How to Teach English to Children:
A.
Make
it fun
Fun, fun, fun! This is one factor that really
matters to kids. And that goes for kids on the
playground as well as those in the classroom. I’ll never forget what my nephew
said after his first day of kindergarten: “We didn’t learn anything. We just
played!” And though I’m sure his class contained some academics, they were
hidden well beneath a thick layer of fun.
a)
Play game
Games are a great way to make learning
fun.
Not only do games play on the competitive nature of most children, but
games also give them a goal to accomplish. When you win a game, you have really
done something, and you can feel good about your success. But
here are a few games that require little to no preparation, and are super fun
for young students:
·
Simon
Says: The classic Simon Says is great for practicing listening
skills. You can use it to review body parts (“Simon says touch your head“)
or prepositions (“Simon says put your foot on your chair”).
·
Mother
May I: Take your movement games a step further and play Mother May I. Your students
can use all sorts of adjectives to describe the types of steps they would like
to take as they race to the other side of the playing area.
·
Memory: Memory is great for learning
vocabulary. Try putting a vocabulary word on one card and a picture showing the
word on another. Or put synonyms or antonyms on two different cards. Lay all
the cards on the table and have students try to remember where the matches are.
b)
Be creative
Doing the same things in class every day is boring for your
students, and you’re liable to fall asleep on the job, too. So be creative
with your plans. Change things up on a regular basis. Rearrange your students’
seats so they get a different inspirational view from time to time. Give your
students the test before you teach the material, and let them answer the
questions as they learn. Invite guest speakers in whenever you get the chance.
c)
Include art in your class
Kids love to make colorful and exciting things in the classroom. Pablo Picasso observed that “every child is an
artist.” Take advantage of that inborn quality and use art to teach your young
students the English language. Of course you can talk about obvious things like
colors and shapes when you use art, but creative projects have so much more
potential.
Kids
love to make colorful and exciting things in the classroom. Pablo Picasso observed that “every child is an artist.” Take advantage of that
inborn quality and use art to teach your young students the English language.
Of course you can talk about obvious things like colors and shapes when you use
art, but creative projects have so much more potential.
d)
Take your class outside
Have
you ever tried taking a class outside? If not, you’d be surprised at what they
can learn in the great outdoors. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
·
Scavenger
Hunt
·
Treasure
Hunt
·
Make
Signs
B. Make It Active
If
there is one thing kids like more than having fun, it’s moving. In addition,
involving the whole body in language learning is a useful teaching method. The
more language learners move, the better and faster they understand what
you are teaching and the more easily they can retain the information.
Students
move as they learn. They follow instructions, copy your movements and get their
whole bodies involved when they practice language concepts. This is one of the
most effective ways to teach ESL to children. You can use simple items like
flashcards, but you can also be more creative with what you give your students
to handle
C.
Don’t put pressure on your students
One of the most important things to remember
when you teach children is not to put pressure on them. Remember that children
learn some aspects of foreign languages more easily than adults. So no matter
what you do in class, they will already be on the road to fluency in English.
Their natural acquisition process will follow three simple steps. They will
recognize words and grammar when you use them.
You can avoid
putting pressure on students by:
·
Not
correcting every error they make. Focus on what you have recently taught, and correct errors with
those words and structures. But if you haven’t covered a grammar point yet, let
it go. Your students don’t have to have all of English perfect right
away.
·
Modeling
correct language use. When you hear a student say something wrong or use a word
incorrectly, just use it correctly right afterwards. The natural language
learning feedback system in the human brain will notice the difference, and
your students will likely use the language correctly just from hearing it right.
·
Not
giving everything a grade. Sometimes it’s enough to just go over correct answers with your
students or have them discuss their answers together. You don’t have to collect
every paper and mark it up with the mighty red pen.
Because
language is abstract and children are concrete, they may not be able to
articulate grammar and other technical aspects of language, and that’s okay.
Media
education in general, is a teaching and learning tool. Everything that can be
used to stimulate thoughts, feelings, concerns and abilities or skills of
learners so as to facilitate the process of learning. This limitation is quite
broad and includes in-depth understanding of the source, the environment, human
beings and the method used for the purpose of learning / training.
Utilizing the
appropriate instructional media is required because of several benefits. One of
the benefits is to enhance students motivation. By using instructional media e.g. showing pictures and
having the students heard music, the students give more attention to the
teachers, moreover, their curiosity is increasing towards the subject (Reiser
& Dick, 1996). Other benefits are stated by Ruis, et al (2009) comprise (1)
solving lack of experiences problem for the students, (2) reaching everything out
of the class, (3) creating .direct interaction between the students and environment, also (4)
integrating experience from the concrete to the abstract information.
Disscusion
It’s common for kids to be uninterested in setting goals, and even
more uninterested in pursuing them to fruition. You can try to change that by
making the process more fun with instructional media. Mmedia
increase students’ responsibility to control their own learning. There are many media literacy can use but commonly only four types
of instructional media which use by the teachers. They comprise: (1) boards; (2) realia; (3)
pictures and (4) books. Each of those instructional media was used for variety
purposes. The purposes also were taken according to Harmer (2007). To begin
with, boards were generally used as notepad, explanation aid, picture frame and
public workbook. Next is realia. This kind of instructional media was used for
both engaging and eliciting the students in teaching learning activities. Different from realia, pictures had different
purposes in the instructions. Based on
the findings, the pictures were employed by the teachers to drill vocabularies,
present meaning also to discuss the lesson. Last instructional media, which is
book, was utilized by the teachers to do give exercises to the students about
the lesson and to be used as source for the material.
Conclusion
YELLs do not comprehend abstract ideas such as grammar. Any attempt
to explain these abstract concepts at an early age will likely serve only to
confuse YELLs. In order to avoid dealing with abstract ideas, Cameron (2001:
53) recommends dealing with topics children find familiar, such as family and
friends or school life. YELLs work to develop a clear mental image using the
language they are given in the L1 as well as the L2. One way of doing this is
through their use of Instructional Media.
Besides knowing children characteristics, using appropriate
instructional media is one of the key principles in creating effective
instruction (Reiser & Dick, 1996).
Instructional media itself is defined by Scanlan as all materials that
can be used by the teachers to conduct teaching learning activities and support
students in reaching instructional objectives.
Utilizing the appropriate instructional media is required because
of several benefits. One of the benefits is to enhance students‘motivation. By
using instructional media e.g. showing pictures and having the students heard
music, the students give more attention to the teachers, moreover, their curiosity
is increasing towards the subject (Reiser & Dick, 1996). Other benefits are
stated by Ruis, et al (2009) comprise (1) solving lack of experiences problem
for the students, (2) reaching everything out of the class, (3) creating
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Harmer, J.
(2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.).
Cambridge: Pearson Education.
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