Accordingly, the readers will get no information upon the sentence. It will be much better if the statement becomes “You missed the first scene.”
e. Mechanics
The term mechanics in writing can refer to conventions or what Bratcher and Ryan 2004:26 prefer to define as
“for grammatical correctness in writing.” The correctness is dealing with punctuation and spelling. Both of them are very
important in helping the reader understand the meaning of what the writer writes. The use of bad punctuation will end up with altering the intended meaning in a
passage. Meanwhile, “poor spelling can make meaning ambiguous and can be irritating to read.” Fairbairn and Winch, 1996:100.
2.5 Visual Media in ELT
By the time, man has been intervened by the use of visual representation of reality to deliver information. Nowadays, this phenomenon still happens in which
people “live in highly visual world, dominated by visual message” Domin, 2014:1. In everyday life, people employ the use of eyes more than other senses.
Seeing commercial break, watching movies, reading news on the electronic media are the examples of the use of visual activities in daily life. A number of
information carried by the media is in the form of pictures. Pictures which are provided with information arouse the interpretation and also possess all important
features which will be effective aid for English language teaching. Visual media which contain messages help add elements of reality for the
students in teaching learning activities. According to Ansley cited in Sa’diyah,
2014: 166, “educational experiences that involve the learner physically and give
concrete examples are retained longer than abstract experiences such as listening to a lecture.” Through visual media such as picture, videos, maps, diagrams and
photographs complex ideas can be conveyed at a glance and can give more meaningful message.
In teaching a language, visual media serve all types of learning style, even though it works in distinct ways. Each student has different physical perception of
what is seen as “allowing a greater range of responses to any given visual”
Canning, 2001:5. However, it is not a big deal; because the student may be able to interpret what they see and what Canning
2001:5 says “relate it to language in two distinct ways. The two ways are elaborated by Canning 2001:5. First, they
may use top down visuals to test ideas against facts or solve specific problems. Secondly, the learner may use bottom up visuals to scan and organize information
with the use of graphics. Moreover, it is based on a fact that biologically “the eye is not separated
from the brain” Canning, 2001:5. Both of these parts exist in the same organ and work together as receptor and processor tool.
Accordingly, this is not a mistake of taking advantage of the presence of visual media in supporting the English teaching and learning process. Visual
media have many different forms. Billows as cited in Domin, 2014:2 divides visual media into three main groups:
a. 2-dimensional media include wide variety of pictures and drawings, such
as all kind of pictures, postcards, posters and magazines, maps and plans, tables, charts, diagrams, photographs, mind maps and time lines, picture
stories, cartoons and comic strips, film, video, television, cinema and OHP transparencies and slides.
b. 3-dimensional media cover mimes, gestures, facial expression, acting a
situation, and puppets.
c.
Other visual media refer almost everything presents information visually and is used in teaching process. These are realia such as a calendar, a
clock, a mirror, toys and art: paintings, albums of photographs, and sculptures. Billows as cited in Domin, 2014:2
All of the media are beneficial for teaching learning process. It can be used in many various activities in supporting English language teaching. Meanwhile, this
research uses photographs as 2-dimensional media which present information visually. It is chosen because it is appropriate to help students in writing a recount
paragraph.
2.6 Photographs as Visual Media in ELT
