classroom interaction.‖
11
However, it is not easy for the students to learn it. Apart from learning prescribed instructional materials which possibly make their
speaking skill better, they also need more practices not only inside the classroom through all classroom languages in formal environment but also outside the
classroom with supporting environment provided by the institution where they learn it in informal environment.
Speaking is affected by exposures, formal environment and informal environment, in different ways. The former occurs when the students consciously
learn such a skill in the classroom through the instructional materials which the teacher is presenting.
12
The students go through with what the teacher asks them to do. Sometimes, the students also do various text-related tasks.
Grauberg points out ―Speaking in the classroom thus has two functions: one is to learn the language, the other is to use it as people do in real life.‖
13
It means that the students not only learn speaking consciously in the classroom but also use
it as many people do in real life in communication. Furthermore, Grauberg confirms that:
Speaking to learn can turn into speaking to communicate when the teacher can tap into two of pupils natural desires: to be sociable with friends through
talk and games, and to express themselves. When the class is broken down into pairs or groups of friends, one of the essential features of real-life use,
interaction, has been introduced. When situations in the foreign country are simulated that pupils accept as likely or at least possible, a credible purpose is
given to their exchanges. Speaking becomes even closer to reality when it is accepted that pupils remain conscious of their normal environment and wish
to express their own views or talk about their own experiences.
14
Therefore, in teaching speaking, the teacher might use various activities to dig the students‘ natural desire to perform their speaking ability through games, talks,
groups, or conversations. The teacher might also ask the students to express their
11
H. Douglas Brown, Teaching by Princples: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, New York: Pearson Education, 2001, p. 294.
12
Yener Gulmez, Tej. B. Shresta, The Relative Effectiveness of Formal and Informal Exposure in ESL Development, CNAS Journal, Vol. 20, no.1 January 1993, pp. 77
—90.
13
Walter Grauberg, The Elements Of Foreign Language Teaching, Frankfurt: Multilingual Matters, 1997, p. 201.
14
Ibid., p. 202
feeling about certain things or experiences related to them because placing them in such an emotional condition can make them produce effective speaking as Turk
states ―Providing the right emotional conditions is an important factor in effective speaking.‖
15
In the other side, the latter occurs when the students acquire the target language by doing communication with their surrounding unconsciously.
Even though they do not really good at speaking the target language, but at least they could interact with people around them meaningfully. That is why the
students who acquire speaking skill and get sufficient exposure from informal environment tend to have better communicative oral performance than those who
learn it at the classroom or formal school. To sum up, speaking is the oral skill which is vast majority of people
communication and is a means of communication that connect people interactively in oral communication. Most of people will be in situation where
they are asked to speak face to face with their society. Speaking can be formal and informal activity. It is formal when people speak to those who have higher status
and it is informal when people speak to their family or friends.
2. Level of Speaking
Ridd ell states ―A class which is in some way mixed ability – and the bigger
the class the more likely this is – will always be more difficult to teach. What you
should avoid, if possible, is effectively teaching separate groups within the class, with diff
erent tasks, etc.‖
16
When teachers have to deal with a big number of students in the class, they will deal to the fact that they have to break their focus
apart. The teachers need to focus on managing the class and the teaching and learning process at the same time as well.
Furthermore, labeling the students level of ability is necessary as Riddell confirms ―It is important, then, to remember that such labels are more guides to
the general and approximate level of students in a class, and that students may be
15
Turk, op. cit., p. 29.
16
David Riddell, Teach EFL, London: Hodder, 2014, p. 254.
better at one asp ect of the language e.g. speaking than another e.g. grammar.‖
17
It means that it will be much easier to teach the class with the students who have the same level of ability than the class with those mixed-ability students.
Therefore, to separate the students based on their level of ability by labeling their level is necessary since not only will it give more benefits to the teacher to teach
but will it also ease the teacher to manage the class. Riddell divides the level of students‘ ability to six labels. The labels are defined as follow:
a. Beginner
18
Riddell describes that the students in this level of ability should be able to do or know: the alphabet, tell the time, give simple information about himselfherself,
ask other people for simple information about himselfherself, communicate in simple terms in everyday places, e.g. ask for directions, order a meal, make
suggestions, buy items in a shop, listen to and understand simple, natural speech and conversation, and complete simple tasks, read some authentic texts such as
timetables or brochures and find the information they need, do simple writing tasks such as taking or leaving a message.
b. Elementary
19
Riddell confirms that the students who finish elementary course should be able to do or know: talk about past time, make future plans or arrangements,
describe people using simple adjectives, describe places using simple adjectives, express his her hopes or intentions, ask people to do something for them
cope in simple social situations e.g. talk about the weather, describe simple physical
problems, give advice, listen to natural speech and conversation, and understand the gist of what is being said, use authentic newspapers and find specific
information required, write simple letters and be able to link ideas together.
17
Ibid., p. 254.
18
Ibid., p. 255.
19
Ibid.
c. Pre-intermediate
20
Riddell describes that the students in this level of ability should be able to do or know: talk about more abstract ideas, participate in discussions and be able to
interrupt politely, and take turns in communicating, give a logical argument to support a view, converse with relative ease in everyday social situations, use
formal and informal English in appropriate social situations, help people with problems by making suggestions and giving advice, listen to natural speech and
conversation and begin to understand nuances and subtleties, read most authentic texts and books for pleasure, write letters, both formal and informal.
d. Intermediate
21
Riddell confirms that the students who finish intermediate course should be able to do or know: express her or his opinion, agree or disagree with other
people‘s opinions, express how he or she is feeling and their general emotions, use conventional social language in greeting and welcoming people, talk about
hypothetical situations in the past and present, talk about past habits, speculate about the present and future, listen to natural speech and conversation, and
understand detail, read authentic texts such as newspapers and magazines and understand the general meaning, write letters to friends.
e. Upper intermediate
22
Riddell describes that the students in this level of ability should be able to do or know: use all the main structures and tenses in English with a high degree of
accuracy, begin to express sarcasm and irony, use appropriate speech in a wide range of social situations, understand and express humors, argue an opinion with
confidance, follow lectures and other monologues and be able to take notes, read most authentic texts and be able to understand them with relative ease, write
letters, compositions, reports, summaries.
20
Ibid., p. 256.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid., p. 257.
f. Advanced
23
Riddell confirms that the students who finish advanced course should be able to do or know: express himself herself easily, integrate well with people whose
first language is English, vary stress and intonation to affect meaning, follow and understand most forms of entertainment, use a vocabulary of about 3,000 words,
study for a high-level qualification in English.
B. Teaching Speaking
1. Nature of Teaching Speaking
In general, teaching is not easy for everyone. It needs formal training to be professional teacher who can understand and adapt every dynamic changing
which might become influences to the learning-teaching process. Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro, Norman define
―Teaching is a complex activity, and yet most of us have not received formal training in pedagogy. Furthermore,
teaching is a highly contextualized activity because it is shaped by the students we have, advancements in our respective fields, changes in technology, and so on.
Therefore, our teaching must constantly adapt to changing parameters.‖
24
Furthermore, teaching speaking is a process where a teacher helps the students to provide and to facilitate them to obtain the learning goal which is the
needs to improve their performance in speaking skill. The teacher might encourage the students‘ desire in learning speaking skill during the teaching and
learning process to help them obtain their goal. In addition, to help the students learn particular things regarding their
performance in speaking skill, the teacher could make certain interventions such as making the students practice to speak English and giving them feedback on it.
Ambrose et al. state that: Together, then, practice and feedback can work together such that students
are continuing to work toward a focused goal and incorporating feedback ...
23
Ibid.
24
Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, Marsha C. Lovett, Michele DiPietro, Marie K. Norman, How Learning Works, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010, p. 218.
