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Puppets can encourage your students to experiment more with the language and have a go when they may have otherwise remained silent. In the classrooms
students are not comfortable and feel hesitant to speak English because they are not sure of the words. So as Ozdeniz 2000, Para. 9 states, when a child speaks through
the puppet, it is not the child who is perceived as making errors but the puppet, and children find this liberating.
The strategies the teacher uses can be fun and enjoyable, and at the same time achieve academic goals. Teachers should choose activities that enhance students
learning, and avoid ones that are a waste of teachers’ and students’ time. Good Brophy 2000, p. 30 state that learning should be fun and motivation problems
appear because the teacher somehow has converted an inherently enjoyable activity into drudgery. It can therefore be concluded that interesting and fun strategies can be
used to promote speaking in the classroom. According to Brown 2001, if strategies are intrinsically motivating and appeal to students’ goals and interests then it can have
a positive impact on their speaking skills.
c. Advantage of using English Songs
There are many reasons that language teachers could use songs as part of their repertoire of classroom teaching. Songs provide vocabulary, grammar, cultural
aspects and are fun for students. They can provide valuable practice for speaking, listening and language practice inside and outside of the classroom but what is really
interesting is how to motivate the development of skills for the progressive development of the use of English.
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Read 2006 also states similar reasons for using songs with children in a class:
1 They are memorable
2 They provide enjoyable repetition practice
3 They provide a variety and change of pace
4 They promote class identity
5 They reinforce rhythm and pronunciation
6 They integrate with other class activities
7 They integrate with topic work
8 They provide opportunities for movements drama
9 They take English out of the classroom
10 They develop listening skills 11 They provide integrated practice of all 4 skills
12 They build confidence and sense of success As mentioned above, teachers and students find singing songs entertaining
and relaxing. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. Learning and memorization are accelerated because both the left and right sides of the brain are
active at the same time. According to several authors these are some of the most common reasons why
teachers should incorporate songs in English lessons,
1 Environment : Songs and music can be used to relax the learning
environment. According to Stanowski 2002, they provide a non-threatening atmosphere for students who are tense or nervous when they are speaking
English in the classroom. Stanowski, 2002
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2 Cultural: Through songs, cultural themes are presented effectively
Stanowski, 2002
3 Vocabulary : Because of their meaningful context, songs are good for
introducing vocabulary. They provide a natural situation in which the new words can be practiced and they have very popular words and expressions.
Salah, 2001
4 Grammar : Songs have common structures that students can easily learn by
listening to them. In a song, we can find verb tenses, prepositions, and collocations. There are many chances to find songs that contain the structures
students are learning Griffe, 2001
5 Pronunciation: Teachers can present pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and
intonation in a creative way through songs. They are a good model to imitate. Griffe, 2001 The only way to get a good pronunciation is through practice.
Students have a variety of songs to choose from for pronunciation practice.
6 Memorization: Students learn patterns and language in chunks by reading
and hearing the song Griffe, 2001. Students practice structures, vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation unconsciously. Songs remain in the students´
minds for a long time. Carrier, 2002
7 Motivation: If teachers bring something that interest students, they are more
likely to feel more cooperative and participative in the classroom. Griffe, 2001.
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Not all songs are suitable for teaching English, especially for children. Vernon 2010 states that the teacher should use appropriate songs which are sung by the
native speaker. Appropriate means match with the topics. Then he also states that the songs should not be too fast and difficult. The students will lose their interest in
listening to the songs since they cannot follow the songs. Lastly, the songs should repeat the same words all the time. Repetition can be extremely helpful in learning
new language.
d. Advantages of using Puppet
