2. The Characteristics of the Junior High School Students
Piaget cited in Centre for Learning Innovation 2006: 4 states that children’s
thinking are separated in four stages. Based on this theory, the children of age 12 years and over belong to formal operation stage. This is the final stage that
includes the rest of the lives. When children reach the age of 12, they are capable to think abstract and solve problem in their minds. In other words, they are
capable enough to solve complex problems. Mostly junior high school students
’ age is around 12-15 years old, belong to adolescents learners. Harmer 2007: 83 states that those group of adolescent
learners will be excited as long as they are engaged with the learning process. However, there are situations that distracted them. S
tudents’ disruption may be caused by many factors. However, one of the essential factors is the teaching and
learning material that they cannot meet the challenge in the process. In other words, less challenging materials will make them bored. In contrast, if the
materials are far beyond their levels of competence, they will feel frustrated. Therefore, the materials have to be designed at the students’ level. The topics
of the materials should meet student s’ expectation and make them excited. Here,
the teacher’s role is providing relevant and interesting materials that provoke students’ engagement. Teachers need something, such as enjoyable materials, to
engage students in the learning process.
3. Teaching Speaking
Teaching speaking in the classroom means giving the students opportunities to have rehearsal like real-life speaking. While having rehearsal, they will use all
of the language skills they know. This also means that the teacher has an opportunity to give the feedbacks of the learning process. As they keep practicing
the speaking skills, they will automatically use their language without much thinking and doubts. Those are the reason why speaking should be taught as stated
by Harmer 2007: 123. Many activities can be done in the speaking activities. Richards 2008: 29
states the two core issues in teaching speaking which the first issue is what kind of speaking skills the teacher should teach. Meanwhile the second issue of the
teaching speaking is how to choose the right teaching strategies. Both are parts of the planning activities in the teaching speaking. Harmer 2007: 348 furthermore
mentions some speaking activities in his book as follows: a.
Acting from a script In this activity, the students are asked to act out dialogues from plays andor
their course books. This activity can be categorized into two activities, play scripts and acting out the dialogues.
b. Communication games
1 Information-gap games: there are many activities that belong to
information-gap such as solving a puzzle, drawing a picture, putting things in the order, and finding the similarities and differences between pictures.
2 Television and radio games: this kind of game is similar to guessing game
where someone thinks of an object and the others will ask yes-no questions. c.
Discussion Discussion includes formal topics, informal topics, whole-group to small-
group interactions. 1
Buzz group: this kind of discussion is used in a wide range of discussion. For example, students predict the content of a text and have them react to it.
2 Instant comment: this kind of activity allows the teacher to provide sudden
question to the students after showing some kind of photographs or introducing some topics.
3 Formal debates: the students prepare argument to against the other
opponent students. Before the debate start, the students are given time to make the arguments and time for rehearsal, mostly in groups.
4 Unplanned discussion: there are times when some discussions happen in
the middle of lessons but they are unplanned. This activity allows the teachers to provide enjoyable and productive speaking section.
5 Reaching a consensus: this activity encourages the students to make a
decision or a consensus in the end of the discussion. d.
Prepared talks In prepared talk, the students make presentations based on the topics they have
chosen. e.
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