Designing a set of supplementary english materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary to the first grade autistic students of Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta.

(1)

DESIGNING A SET OF SUPPLEMENTARY ENGLISH

MATERIALS USING PICTURES AS THE MEDIA TO TEACH

VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST GRADE AUTISTIC STUDENTS

OF

SEKOLAH LANJUTAN AUTIS FREDOFIOS YOGYAKARTA

A Final Paper

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree

in English Language Education

Bernadeth Christina K Student Number: 001214045

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

(2)

A Final Paper on

DESIGNING A SET OF SUPPLEMENTARY ENGLISH

MATERIALS USING PICTURES AS THE MEDIA TO TEACH

VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST GRADE AUTISTIC STUDENTS

OF

SEKOLAH LANJUTAN AUTIS FREDOFIOS YOGYAKARTA

Bernadeth Christina K Student Number: 001214045

Approved by:

Drs. J.B Gunawan, M.A.

July 2, 2007 Major Sponsor

(3)

Statements of Work s Originality

I honestly declare that the final paper I wrote does not contain the works or parts of the works of other people, except cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, July 2, 2007 The writer,

(4)

There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to In my room, in my room

In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears In my room, in my room

Do my dreaming and my scheming Lie awake and pray

Do my crying and my sighing Laugh at yesterday

Now it's dark and I'm alone But I won't be afraid

In my room, in my room (Beach Boys in my room)

I dedicated this work to:

The One

The Loved Ones:

Mama, Papa, Abang, Adek

Nyon, Inyo and Myself

(5)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work is not the end; it’s the beginning of my next journey. For those who are always by my side and accompany me through the hard days, I would like to say thousands of gratitude.

This paper would not come to an end without the guidance from Mr. J.B. Gunawan, M.A. His suggestions and patience have led me to accomplish this final work.

I also owe everything to my parents,L. Karbana and Leni Veronica, for their greatest love which always brightens up my days and guide my life. We have succeeded to pass all the obstacles, and I promise I will pay all the tears, sweats and everything you both already given me. I also send my thanks to my annoying brother,

Stefanus Karl Christian, and my sister, Anasthasia Christie Marilyn, for worshipping the ground I walk on although I am horrible to them both.

My deepest gratitude goes to my better half, M. Dion Wicaksono, for he completes me with his lingering love, and also to Nirvino, my wet-smell-lovely puppy, for always being such a clown and a funny company through the good times and bad.

I also send my gratitude to my soul sister,Kristina Pia Yeyek Stiani, for all the laughter and tears we share together, and Swantoro s family; Om Babe, Tante Mak e,Mas Ajik andPeantul, for being my wonderful family.

My special gratitude is given to my wonderful friends, Galuh, for helping me through the hard time in finishing this work, Mas Didik, Rizky, Tekek, Bayu,

Tommy-Ibu-Egan, Tiok Begeng, Yunus, Catax, Albert Mbrot and Bruno with

Beyond Any Recognition for the good times we spend together; I wish all the best for them.

(6)

And my greatest gratitude goes to Jesus Christ, who is always the One in my life. I doubt if I could have carried everything off without His help. His remarkable hands always guide me in living my life.

Yogyakarta, July 2, 2007

(7)

Page

PAGE OF TITLE ... i

PAGE OF APPROVAL ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK S ORIGINALITY ... iii

PAGE OF DEDICATION ... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vii

LIST OF TABLES ... viii

LIST OF FIGURES ... ix

ABSTRACT ... x

ABSTRAK ... xi

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION... 1

CHAPTER II : THEORITICAL REVIEW A. Teaching Vocabulary ... 5

1. Meaning... 5

2. The importance of vocabulary ... 6

3. The procedure of teaching vocabulary ... 6

B. Pictures as the Media ... 8

1. The nature of pictures ... 8

2. Pictures as the media to teach vocabulary ... 9

3. Types of pictures ... 10

4. Advantages of using pictures as the media ... 11

C. The Characteristics of Autistic Students ... 13

1. The types of Autism Spectrum Disorder ... 13

(8)

3. The effects in education ... 17

D. Instructional Material Design ... 19

1. Yalden’s Instructional Model... 19

2. Kemp’s Instructional Model ... 20

CHAPTER III : DISCUSSION A. The Writer’s Design Model ... 22

B. The Elaboration of the Writer’s Design Model ... 25

C. Materials Presentation ... 37

CHAPTER IV : CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS... 40

REFERENCES ... 44

APPENDICES 1. List of interview question for need survey ... 45

2. Lesson Plan ... 47

(9)

LIST OF TABLES

Page Table 1. The Writer’s Topics and Titles ... 30 Table 2. The General Purposes ... 31 Table 3. The Learning Objectives ... 33

LIST OF FIGURES

Page Figure 1. Stages in Language Program Development ... 19 Figure 2. Kemp’s Instructional Design Model ... 21 Figure 3. The Writer’s Design Model ... 24

(10)

ABSTRACT

Christina, Bernadeth. 2007. Designing a Set of Supplementary English Materials Using Pictures as The Media to Teach Vocabulary to The First Grade Autistic Students of Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios, Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

A set of supplementary English materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary was designed to help the autistic students learn vocabulary easily. In designing the supplementary English materials, two problems were formulated: (1) how is a set of supplementary English materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary to the first grade autistic students designed?, (2) what does a set of supplementary English materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary to the first grade autistic students look like?. Six steps of designing the materials were carried out to answer the first question in the problem formulation and a set of supplementary English materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary to the first grade autistic students was designed and presented to answer the second question.

In designing the materials, the writer elaborated six steps that were adapted from Kemp’s and Yalden’s instructional design models as the major answer to the first question in the problem formulation. The steps are the following 1) Analyzing the learner’s needs 2) Considering goals, topics and general purposes 3) Identifying the important characteristics of the learners 4) Specifying the learning objectives 5) Selecting teaching and learning activities and resources, and 6) Evaluating and revising the program.

There are eight units developed in this study to help the students to master English vocabulary which can support them to develop their English skills especially reading and writing skills. Principally, each unit consists of six parts, namely See Me!, Read It!, Name Me!, Learn It!, Do It!, and Let’s Play! which were designed based on the theories stated in Theoritical Review. The presentation of those three units is the answer to the second question in the problem formulation.

(11)

ABSTRAK

Christina, Bernadeth. 2007. Designing a Set of Supplementary English Materials Using Pictures as The Media to Teach Vocabulary to The First Grade Autistic Students of Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios, Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Penyusunan materi pelengkap yang menggunakan gambar sebagai media pengajaran kosakata Bahasa Inggris bertujuan untuk membantu para siswa autis agar dapat memperkaya perbendaharaan kosakata Bahasa Inggris. Dalam proses mendesain materi pelengkap pelajaran kosakata tersebut, penulis telah merumuskan dua pertanyaan yang terdapat dalam perumusan masalah, yaitu: (1) bagaimana materi pelengkap yang menggunakan gambar sebagai media pengajaran kosakata Bahasa Inggris tersebut disusun?, (2) seperti apakah bentuk materi pelengkap yang menggunakan gambar sebagai media pengajaran kosakata Bahasa Inggris bagi siswa kelas 1 di Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta?. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan pertama, penulis memaparkan enam langkah yang dipakai dalam menyusun materi pelengkap tersebut, sementara untuk pertanyaan kedua, penulis menyertakan desain materi pelengkap yang telah disusun.

Sebagai jawaban utama dari perumusan masalah yang pertama, penulis memakai metode enam langkah yang diambil dari model instruksional dari Kemp dan Yalden, yaitu: 1) Menganalisa kebutuhan siswa 2) Mempertimbangkan sasaran, topik dan tujuan umum 3) Mengidentifikasi karakteristik khusus yang dimiliki siswa 4) Menetapkan tujuan pembelajaran 5) Memilih aktifitas belajar dan pembelajaran 6) Mengevaluasi dan merevisi materi.

Dalam studi ini dikembangkan delapan unit pengajaran kosakata Bahasa Inggris yang bertujuan untuk membantu siswa autis dalam mengembangkan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris, khususnya membaca dan menulis. Pada umumnya, setiap unit terdiri dari enam bagian, masing-masing adalah See Me!, Read It!, Name Me!, Learn It!, Do It!, serta Let’s Play! yang disusun berdasarkan teori pada Landasan Teori. Tiga unit yang mewakili dari keseluruhan materi telah disusun sebagai jawaban untuk pertanyaan kedua dalam perumusan masalah.

(12)

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

In Indonesia, education for the disabled students, especially for the autistic students has been neglected. It is shown from the educational system in Indonesia that there are no special curriculums to formulate the best strategies and materials for those autistic students who, due to their disability, need special strategies in order to develop their main areas of human development: speech,communication,and social interaction.

The autistic students have equal opportunity as ordinary students in terms of education. Based on the philosophy of equal educational opportunity, the disabled students have the same opportunity to implement through individual planning to promote appropriate learning, achievement, and social normalization (Stephen, 1988:1).

There is an important key to help the autistic students to develop their skills. The key is to provide them equal educational opportunity by placing them in the educational environment that best fits their needs.

Based on the Curriculum of 2006, the autistic students are classified as the students of SMPLB C1. They can also be classified as “Tunagrahita sedang” (mildly retarded). This becomes a problem since the autistic students have different characteristics from the “Tunagrahita” (retarded) students in terms of intelligence. The main characteristic of “Tunagrahita” (retarded) students is they have an IQ under

(13)

80, which makes them intelligently incapable of learning. On the other hand, autistic students have an IQ above 80 but they have weaknesses in social aspects, which makes them find difficulty learning in an ordinary way.

Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta is one of the high schools for autistic students in Indonesia which tries to give the best education environment to those autistic students. This school provides the students with the materials which are designed by the teachers.

English is one of the subjects that are taught in Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta since Curriculum of 2006 states that English becomes the obligatory subject that has to be taught in special schools. English also needs to be taught in this school to give the autistic students the same opportunity as ordinary students to develop their knowledge and ability where English is needed. Considering the characteristics of the autistic students that they can hardly understand verbal communication, the school emphasizes on the reading and writing skills. There is a problem that eludes the students’ development of reading and writing skills, that is the lack of English vocabulary mastery of the students.

This situation brings the consideration to the writer to help the autistic students to learn English, especially its vocabulary as one of the important elements in language. Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. As Steven Stahl (2005) puts it, "Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world." If someone does not know the basic vocabulary in a certain language, it will be difficult

(14)

for him to communicate with other people and understand the language both oral and written.

In this final paper, the writer would like to present vocabulary materials as a supplement for the autistic students to learn the four language skills, especially reading and writing. The supplementary materials are some extra learning activities which are conducted by means of pictures to teach vocabulary. The supplementary designed materials are needed to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery. As Keidler (1963: 21) states vocabulary as: a stock of words in a language that can support the learners to learn the skill of the language, the supplementary materials will be appropriate for the students to facilitate and support them to learn the English skills. By learning the vocabulary, the students will be able to comprehend the reading materials and they can also write fluently in English. Therefore, this final paper aims to design a set of supplementary English materials to teach vocabulary using pictures as the media that best fits the autistic students’ characteristics and needs.

The participants of the study are the first grade students of Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta whose age span from 10-14. The study is conducted to find the information which is used as an input which later will be formulated into supplementary materials concerning teaching English vocabulary to autistic students.

The materials should be easy to understand by the autistic students and practical for the teachers. For this consideration, the use of pictures is inevitable, because most of the autistic students have difficulty understanding verbal explanations and

(15)

instructions. The effort to make them understand is making them close to the reality. A picture is one of the media that can help them understand what the teacher says because a picture is one recognized way of representing a real situation (Kreidler, 1).

This study aims at designing a set of appropriate and well-constructed supplementary English materials to teach vocabulary using pictures as the media to the first grade autistic students ofSekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta.

Based on the background above, the problems which will be discussed in this study can be formulated in two questions. Firstly, how is a set of supplementary English materials using pictures as the media to teach vocabulary to the first grade autistic students ofSekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta

designed?, and secondly, what does the designed set of materials look like?

This study is expected to give a brief description of designing the supplementary English vocabulary materials using pictures for the first grade autistic students which can help the students to easily learn to use English as a second language in a practical way.

Moreover, it will give the consideration and solution for the teachers who find difficulties in designing English vocabulary materials for the autistic students and provide them with supplementary materials that can be used as alternative materials to develop the students’ vocabulary mastery.

(16)

Information about autism is of benefit to everyone. The common person needs to learn more about autism, in order to recognize and appreciate relationships with the people with autism.

(17)

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

This chapter deals with some theories that become the bases for the discussion. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss four basic theories of the study, so that the problems stated in the previous chapter have strong theoretical principles. The theories are teaching vocabulary, pictures as the media, the characteristics of autistic students, and the instructional material design.

A. Teaching Vocabulary

‘The vocabulary is the range of word that can support the students to learn other aspects of language’ (Burton, 1982: 98). The students can manipulate the stock of their vocabulary to perform in the language, either to express their idea or to comprehend new information accurately. The teaching of vocabulary is considered important because it is the basic in teaching other aspects of language. Therefore, vocabulary should be taught before other aspects.

This section discusses the meaning, the importance of vocabulary, and the procedures in teaching vocabulary.

1. Meaning

Based on the mening of vocabulary stated in the definition of term, Keidler (1963: 21) defines vocabulary as: a stock of words in a language that can support the students to learn the skill of the language.

(18)

The definition above means that vocabulary, as one of language elements, is a useful means to facilitate and support the students in learning the skills of the language. Burton (1982: 98) states that the larger of vocabulary, the better will be ones’ performance in all aspects of English language work.

2. The importance of vocabulary

Based on the meaning of vocabulary, it can be said that vocabulary can support students to learn the English skills. A large vocabulary helps the students to express their ideas, precisely, vividly (Burton, 1982: 88), because vocabulary really supports students to learn the skills of the target language.

By having much stock of words, the students will be able to comprehend the article or text-books; they can also communicate and write fluently in any other languages. Further, Naggy and Herman state that individuals who know many word meanings know much about the world in general (Mc. Keown, 1987: 4).

Considering the importance of vocabulary role in students’ learning, the mastery of this element should be ensured and developed. It is not done, the vocabulary mastery of the students will be very limited and as the consequence they will find difficulties in learning a language.

3. The procedure of teaching vocabulary

In the past, vocabulary was taught mostly by translation: either a list of words with their translation of the material containing new words at the end (Lado, 1964: 120). However, the teaching process above does not really fit to be applied today since in the principle of teaching it is experiencing that is stressed.

(19)

Experiences have been very influential as guide for teaching, but the students will easily forget what the teacher explain if they only sit and hear.

Based on the guideline above, the steps of teaching vocabulary are formulated as follow:

a. Hearing the word

Teacher pronounces the word and lets the students hear it in isolation and in a sentence. Slow pronunciation, breaking the word into parts and building up to the whole word will help them to recognize the word.

b. Pronouncing the word

The students pronounce the word in order to help them remember the word longer and identify it more readily when they hear or see it. A few more repetitions of mispronunciation and the students will not make the mistake like habit.

c. Grasping the meaning

The next step is getting the meaning to the class. Picture of many kinds have been successfully used to show the meaning of words and utterances. They are particularly effective to cue the meaning-stimulus. Pictures can be used to illustrate the meaning of the words and later to practice their recall by covering the words and remembering them with the pictures as the only stimuli. It means that the students can recognize and identify the things easily since they have ever seen them in the picture.

(20)

d. Illustrative sentence

It is done by putting the word in sentences in order to illustrate the range and variations of position.

e. Practicing from meaning to expression

After knowing certain words, the students are asked to practice the use of the words to reinforce the trace and turn those words into habit. Pictures, realia, and dramatization can be used as stimuli.

f. Writing the word

This activity will help students to remember the spelling of the word that they have heard and pronounced.

B. Pictures as the Media

The effectiveness of picture in language teaching has been universally acknowledged. Pictures do not only stimulate the students to practice the language skills but also make the learning enjoyable. This section discusses the nature of pictures, pictures as the media to teach vocabulary, types of pictures, and the advantages for both teacher and students of using pictures as the media.

1. The nature of pictures

Pictures, stated by Heinich (1982: 84) as photographic representations of people, places, and things are available in most subject areas and all levels from Kindergarten to adult. It is also suggested that pictures should be used at all levels starting with the beginning level of English and continuing as long as the students studies the language. Pictures can be used as a means to channel a message or

(21)

information from the source to the receiver (Trisisca, 1996: 24). Pictures are a kind of language to communicate. They are visual language that is expressed by signs and symbols.

Sometimes students get difficulties in understanding verbal explanation or instruction. The effort to make them understand is making them close to the reality. Picture is one of the media that can help them understand what the teacher says because pictures are one recognized way of representing a real situation (Kreidler, 1).

Moreover, one picture is worth than a thousand words. Skillful uses of pictures has resulted successful training which proves that teaching may be done much more effectively by pictures than by words alone (Haos, 1946: 1).

2. Pictures as the media to teach vocabulary

Pictures as the media means pictures here may be used by students for individual study, for utilization in study centers and exhibits, and for projection onto a screen when groups of students need to look at and study one or several pictures at the same time (LaMond, 1981: 6).

Two reasons for using pictures as the media in teaching learning are that pictures are easily available and they are inexpensive (Mc. Keown, 1949: 137). Pictures are so abundant and cheap, that no teacher has to waste time in preparing them. Ideas for getting visual media are everywhere: in magazines, newspaper, brochures, and labels. However, not all pictures can be used in teaching vocabulary. The selection of the pictures should be related to the objectives of teaching vocabulary.

(22)

The requirements of good pictures for teaching vocabulary (Trisisca, 1996: 25-27) are:

a. Simple

Simple pictures are useful and can be a good media as far as they can clarify the explanation. Simple and attractive pictures are useful than the beautiful pictures.

b. Have no ambiguity

The point of the picture must be clearly in meaning. The illustration of the picture must represent the meaning that is going to be described.

c. Must be in accordance with the students level

The pictures used should be appropriate to the students’ knowledge of English. If the picture shown is too difficult to understand, the students will be frustrated and will not want to learn.

d. The size of the picture

The size of the picture depends on the class. The purpose of this consideration is each student is able to see all the necessary details in the picture clearly. If the picture includes only one object or action, it can be smaller than a picture that includes more objects or actions.

3. Types of pictures

There are many types of pictures for teaching-learning processes. Here the writer follows the classification offered by Kreidler (Kreidler,:_:21-15)

(23)

a. Context-oriented picture

Context here refers to the general condition in which an event or action takes place. Context-oriented picture depicts a situation or topic that includes several people and actions such as birthday or beach scene. It may be drawn by hand or people or cut from magazines. Colored pictures are preferable, but not necessary.

b. Structured-oriented picture

Structure here refers to anything formed of many parts. Structured-oriented picture depicts one person, or one object like a man or a girl. It should be simple, without distracting background or captions. Individual picture cards can be cut from magazines illustrations or they can be drawn.

4. Advantages of using pictures as the media

Both the teacher and students can get advantages from pictures (Gerlach, 1980-277). There are some advantages that the teacher can get by using picture as the media. Picture helps the teacher in teaching-learning processes, especially in teaching vocabulary by:

a. Helping them to create the situations outside the classroom.

Any action can be demonstrated in a classroom, such as closing the door, opening the windows, or meeting a friend. Many objects can be brought into the classroom: toys, books, clock, etc. but not all actions can be easily demonstrated in class, for example catching a bus, shopping in a market, and so on. That is why we need a picture to represent the situation that we are going to explain.

(24)

b. Helping them to expose reality to what might be understood verbally by the students.

It is not always possible to explain something, because we will lose the time to explain, but not all the students can get what we have already explained. They are still hard to get the point until the teacher shows picture of the situation or action that tried to explain in words.

c. Helping them to discuss more than one subject or point

By showing the picture the teacher can discuss the meaning of the picture, the article, or the form in English words.

d. Pictures make the teaching-learning processes more interesting

There is an attention-getting factor associated with the picture that the students pay attention on the topic. They experience a new method in learning something not merely by listening to the teacher or by reading books. They invite to get involve because through pictures they feel closer to the reality.

There are also some advantages that the students can get by using picture as the media. Picture helps the student in learning vocabulary by:

a. Imagining the object

Students will get a great deal of information at a glance in pictures (Lado, 1974: 194). When the students are given a series of pictures, they can absorb the information without any difficulties. They can also imagine the words that are difficult to learn by just taking from textbook or dictionary.

(25)

b. Learn new words easily

The new words learnt will be easier to remember if they have seen the pictures. It means that the picture is shown first before the students pronounce and write the word. Another day when the teacher represents something by showing the picture, the students will recognize the picture, understand and remember it.

c. Express ideas easily

Expressing idea is a difficult thing in learning language. Pictures may aid the students in this case, because they can arrange what they want to say. If they forget what they will say, they can take the picture and they will remember again.

C. The Characteristics of Autistic Students

In designing the materials, it is very important to know the characteristics of the students. By knowing the characteristics of the target students, the design materials are expected to be appropriate with the students’ needs and can help the students to develop their skills in the teaching-learning process.

Having such consideration, knowing the characteristics of autistic students is very crucial. The autistic students have special characteristics which are different from the ordinary students. In this section, the writer would like to discuss about the types of Autistm Spectrum Disorders, the main characteristics of autistic students and the effects in education.

(26)

Autistic is a person who suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder which is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior.

Autistic people can be classified into several types based on their special characteristics. In this study, the writer uses three types of autism which represent the main characteristics of the respondents of the study.

a. Early Infantile Autism

Early Infantile Autism is a term used to describe a particular developmental trajectory of autistic. The main characteristic of Early Infantile Autism is they never experience typical neurological development. Certain autistic symptoms are present from birth, but the most obvious symptoms are only detectable at an age when the child would be expected to start speaking. Most children suffer from this kind of autistic will ultimately develop very limited or delayed speech.

b. Asperger Syndrome

Asperger Syndrome is characterized by defiencies in social and communication skills. Students with Asperger Syndrome may have normal or superior intelligence and standard language development. Asperger Syndrome is often not identified in early childhood but after puberty or when they are adults.

Students with Asperger Syndrome may show advanced abilities for their age in language, reading, mathematics, or music, but these talents may be counterbalanced by appreciable delays in the development of other cognitive functions, such as

(27)

Echolalia (the repetition or echoing of verbal utterances made by another person), andPalilalia (the repetition of one’s own words).

Students with Asperger Syndrome can involve an intense and obsessive level of focus on things of interest. In pursuit of these interests, Asperger Syndrome students often manifest extremely sophisticated reasoning, an almost obsessive focus, and remarkably good memory.

c. PDD- NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorders- Not Otherwise Specified) PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorders-Not Otherwise Specified) refers to the psychological and behavioral developmental disorders encompassing many areas of functioning: language and communication, self-help skills, motor coordination, and scholastic achievement.

People with PDD-NOS vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. Some people do not speak at all, others apeak limited phrases or conversations, and some have relatively normal language development. Repetitive play skills and limited social skills are generally evident as well. Unusual responses to sensory information such as loud noises and lights are also common. However, PDD-NOSs are correlated with poverty, suicides, crimes, and a variety of medical problems.

2. The Specific Characteristics of Autistic Students

Based on Dr. Temple Grandin’s “Autism and Visual Thought” in

http://www.autisminfo.com/, there are some specific characteristics of autistic students as follows:

(28)

- repetition of words (echolalia) in place of normal verbal communication. - hand leading to communicate in place of verbal requests.

- poor use and understanding of nonverbal communication (facial expression and body language)

- taking things literally

- being questioned, may or will have a delayed reaction - odd or monotonous prosody of speech.

b. Difficulty relating to other children and adults: - absence of eye contact.

- lack of interest in other children and what the other children are doing. - no response when name is called.

- avoidance of physical contact.

- indifference to others in distress or pain. c. Odd behavior:

- self-stimulation, spinning, rocking, hand flapping, etc. - inappropriate laughter for no apparent reason.

- inappropriate attachment to objects.

- repetitive odd play for extended periods of time. - insistence on routine and sameness

- difficulty dealing with interruption or routine schedule and change - possible self injurious or aggressive behavior toward others.

(29)

d. Sensory challenges:

- Hyper (over) or Hypo (under) sensitivity of the five senses. - abnormal responses to the senses.

- a lack of response to pain or an overreaction to something seemingly minor.

e. Social impairment:

- lack of observed desire for friendship. - poor ability to make friends.

- social awkwardness.

- indifferent to the feelings of others.

f. Imaginative impairment and repetitive adherence: - concrete and literal use of language

- poor understanding of abstract thought, metaphors and symbolism - preference for routine

- absorption in detail; inability to understand meaning or the whole of a concept.

g. Sensory integration disfunction

- Hyper- or Hyposensitivity of the various senses. - peculiar clothing and food preferences

- self-stimulating mannerisms

(30)

3. The Effects in Education

The unusual characteristics of the autistic students set them apart from the everyday normal students. Because they have trouble understanding people’s thoughts and feelings, they have trouble understanding what their teacher may be telling them. They do not understand that special expressions and vocal variations hold meanings and may misinterpret what emotion their teacher is displaying. This inability to fully understand the world around them makes education stressful. Teachers need to be aware of the students’ disorder so that teachers are able to help the students get the best out of the lesson being taught.

Some students learn better with visual aids as they are better able to understand material presented this way. Because of this, many teachers create visual schedules for their autistic students. This allows the students to know what is going on throughout the day, so they know what to prepare for and what activity they will be doing next. Some autistic students have trouble going from one activity to the next, so this visual schedule can help to reduce stress.

Research has shown that working in pairs may be beneficial to autistic students. Autistic students have problems in school not only with language and communication, but with socialization as well. By allowing them to work in pairs they can make friends, which in turn can help them cope with the problems that arise. By doing so they can become more integrated into the mainstream environment of the classroom.

(31)

A teacher’s aide can also be useful to the students. The aide is able to give more elaborate directions that the teacher may not have time to explain to the autistic students. The aide can also facilitate the autistic students in such a way as to allow them to stay at a similar level to the rest of the class. This allows a partially one-on-one lesson so that the student is still able to stay in a normal classroom but be given the extra help that they need.

The effective aide that the teacher can use are pictures. Since the autistic students have difficulties in understanding verbal communication, the use of pictures can help the students in understanding the teacher’s explanation and instruction of the materials given.

D. Instructional Material Design

In designing vocabulary instructional material, a system of instructional program design needs to be followed. This section covers the model of instructional design that can be used in designing supplementary vocabulary material for the first grade autistic students ofSekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta. Here are two instructional design models presented in order to help the writer to observe the instructional program more clearly.

1. Yalden s Instructional Model

Yalden in her book Communicative Syllabus: Evolution Design and

Implementation(1983: 88-89) states steps in creating an instructional design 1. Needs survey

(32)

3. Selection and development of syllabus type 4. Production of a proto syllabus

5. Production of a pedagogical syllabus

6. Development and implementation of classroom procedures 7. Evaluation

Figure 1. Stages in Language Program Development (Yalden, 1983)

2. Kemp s Instructional Model

According to Kemp (1977), the instructional design plan is designed to answer three questions which may be considered the essential elements of instructional technology. The questions are:

1. What must be learned? (objective)

2. What procedures and resources will work best to teach the desired learning levels? (activities and resources)

3. How will we know when the required learning has taken place? (evaluation) The eight steps in developing an instructional design:

Part 1 : Consider goals, and then list topics, stating the general purposes for teaching each topic.

Needs Survey Description of Purpose Selection and development of syllabus type Production of a proto syllabus Production of pedagogical syllabus Development and implementation of classroom procedures Evaluation

(33)

Part 2 : Identify the important characteristics of the learners for whom the instructional is to be designed.

Part 3 : Specify the learning objectives to be achieved in terms of measurable student behavioral outcomes.

Part 4 : List the subject content to support each objective.

Part 5 : Develop pre-assessment to determine the student’s background and present level of knowledge about the topic.

Part 6 : Select teaching/learning activities and instructional resources that will treat the subject content so learners will accomplish the objectives.

Part 7 : Coordinate such support services as budget, personnel, facilities, equipment and schedules to carry out the instructional plan.

Part 8 : Evaluate learners’ learning in terms of their accomplishment of objective, with a view to revising and reevaluating any phrases of the plan that need improvement.

Figure 2. Kemp s Instructional Design Model (Kemp, 1977: 9) Revision

Evaluation

Support Services

Teaching /Learning Activities

Pre-assessment

Subject Contents Learning Objectives

Learner’s Characteristics Goal and Topics

(34)

CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION

This chapter provides the discussion which exposes how to design the appropriate supplementary material to teach English vocabulary using pictures to the first grade of autistic students ofSekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta. This chapter is divided into three parts. The first is developing the writer’s design model, the second is the elaboration of the writer’s design model, and the last is the presentation of materials design.

A. The Writer s Design Model

There are many techniques and models in teaching - learning English. A good instructional design must be simple, applicable, and effective in achieving the purpose of instruction. In designing the materials, the writer uses the combination of Yalden’s and Kemp’s instructional materials design and presents it as the writer’s design model.

1. Analyzing the learner s need

The first step is adopted from Yalden’s model (Yalden, 1987: 101). A study on needs of the learners is conducted to find out the significant needs of the autistic students of learning English. The interviews are conducted to the English teacher in

Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta in order to find out the materials used, the problems in designing the materials, and the problems in delivering the materials to the students. The writer also observes the class situation when the teacher is

(35)

conducting the teaching-learning process in order to find out the appropriate techniques to teach vocabulary to the autistic students in such class condition and the students with all their weaknesses.

2. Considering goals, topics and general purposes

This step is adopted from Kemp’s model (Kemp, 1977: 40). It is said that identification of instructional goal is the first point of the instructional design for the goal directs the whole system. The result of identifying the instructional goals will show the minimum requirements of English ability the students supposed to have. The identification includes goals, list of topics, and general purposes for teaching each topic.

3. Identifying the important characteristics of the learner.

This step is adopted from Kemp’s model (Kemp, 1977: 40), which is very important for the teacher to know the important characteristics of the students to conduct the appropriate teaching material. It is needed to know the students’ factor that will affect plans for their learning. Since the autistic students have some weaknesses in social communication, the material will be emphasize on the non-verbal material and must be appropriate with the students’ needs.

4. Specifying the learning objectives

The model of objective formulation is adopted from Kemp’s model (Kemp: 1977). In this step, General Instructional Objectives that consist of the general purposes of the English course are presented as specific as possible so that the teacher know exactly what should be done to achieve the objective of the course.

(36)

5. Selecting teaching and learning activities and resources

It is important to select the most efficient and effective methods and materials to provide teaching activities, students learning activities and instructional materials which are appropriate for the students to accomplish the objectives.

6. Evaluating and revising the program

The last step is evaluating design materials in order to lead instructional designer material to make the final version of the designed material. In this final paper the writer does not use the evaluation and revision stage because this paper is aimed only to suggest the suitable materials from the writer’s point of view.

Figure 3. The Writer s Design Model

Analyzing the Learners’ Need

Considering Goals, Topics and General Purposes

Identifying the important characteristics of the learner

Specifying the Learning Objectives

Selecting Teaching and Learning Activities and Resources

(37)

B. The Elaboration of the Writer s Design Model

This part presents the process of material design by elaborating the writer’s design model, which consists of six stages. The results are as follow:

1. Analyzing the learner s need

A needs survey was conducted to obtain the data of the students’ needs. The results of needs survey became the basis to determine what kind of materials should be provided. The needs survey was carried out by conducting observation of the English teaching-learning activity for the first grade autistic students of Sekolah Lanjutan Autis Fredofios Yogyakarta and some interviews with the English teacher.

The observation was conducted on September 4, 2006 when the teacher was conducting English teaching-learning activity. The writer observed the activity outside the classroom because the autistic students will be disturbed if there is a strange person or something unusual or different from their routine activity or situation.

The writer observed that the students understood the teacher’s explanation and instruction in Indonesian but they had difficulty understanding the explanation and instruction in English. The teacher had to speak loudly and clearly in delivering the materials in order to get the students’ attention. The teacher also had to make large and clear handwritings on the board.

Concerning the characteristics of the autistic students that they tend to have their own activity and to be get bored easily with a certain activity, the teacher has to

(38)

give interesting materials and using interesting media. The uses of pictures are very effective to get the students’ interest. The teacher uses some pictures and sticks them on the board and the students also have the handouts of the materials.

The writer also conducted several interviews with the English teacher. There were some items which were asked to the teacher. Those items contained three general parts of questions. The first part was asking about the students’ specific characteristics and their interest in learning English at school. The second part was asking about situation of the teaching-learning activity, the materials and media used and the problems in designing the materials and in delivering the materials to the students. The last part was related to the teacher’s suggestion on the designing supplementary vocabulary materials which were appropriate for the students.

The detailed information about the result of the interview can be seen below: a. The autistic students have different characteristic from ordinary students. They

tend to have their own activity, easily to get bored with a certain activity, be disturbed if there are some activities that are new for them, and refuse difficult instruction by excessively active (hyperactive) or passive (hypoactive). Basically, the students have the standard intelligence rate which enables them to learn the subjects being taught in school, especially English.

The students have a strong interest in learning English; in fact, English is one of their favorite subjects. It is shown in their activity outside classroom in which they tend to mention some objects using English. They also like to ask the

(39)

teacher about the English expressions or words of some objects or activities which they do not know yet. It brings the consideration to the teacher to design the interesting materials for the students to develop their knowledge in English, especially its vocabulary. Most of the students like to write about their experience and they have motivation to write it in English. Considering this situation, the students need to develop their English vocabulary mastery which can help them to write English sentences or even a composition.

b. Generally, the autistic students have the standard intelligence rate and they are capable of learning some subjects, but they have unstable emotion which can affect their interest in learning certain subjects. Concerning those characteristics, the English teacher usually uses some realia in delivering the materials in order to get the students’ interest. Another characteristic of the students is that they have strong memories. This is very helpful and beneficial for both the teacher and the students. The teacher only has to explain once or twice and the students will remember the teacher’s explanation which will help the students in doing the exercises and the evaluation.

In the teaching-learning process, the teacher designs the material by collecting the materials from some sources. The teacher usually gets the materials from English for Junior High School’s books or creates the materials which are appropriate with the students’ needs, interest and characteristics. Based on the teacher’s experience in presenting the materials for the students, the students

(40)

have high motivation in learning topics about transportation, public places, hobby, experiences, and their daily activities.

In delivering the materials, the teacher uses some realia in order to help the teacher to get the students’ interest and motivation to learn. The use of pictures is very important since the autistic students are interested in concrete things and pictures can help them to get close to the reality.

c. The students need supplementary vocabulary materials to increase their English vocabulary that can help them learn English skills especially reading and writing. The autistic students also need English vocabulary mastery to develop their knowledge in knowing and understanding some objects or expressions where English is used in their daily life in the society. However, the materials should be developed based on some consideration. The materials should be appropriate with the students’ needs, interest and characteristics, and also simplicity, so that the activities can support the students in learning English. The teacher gave some suggestions for the writer in designing the appropriate and interesting materials for the autistic students. The suggestions are the following:

- The use of pictures is very effective to help the students get the understanding of the materials.

(41)

- The instruction and explanation should use both Indonesian and English. - The students have high interest and motivation in certain topics, such as,

traveling, transportation, public places, hobby, experiences, and daily life. - The skills that become the target of the English teaching-learning are

reading and writing.

- The materials should be appropriate with the students’ need, characteristics, and interest, and also can help them to develop their knowledge in knowing and understanding some objects or expression where English is used in their daily life in the society.

2. Considering Goals, Topics and General Purposes

The step is aimed to determine the intended goals of instructional materials design. After stating the goals, the topics should be listed as the scope of the course and the basic needs for the instruction. The topic should express the general purposes as what learners generally expect to learn as a result of instruction.

Based on the result of analyzing the learner’s need, the writer would like to present eight topics that meet the students’ need, interest, and characteristics. The topics and the titles are presented in the table below.

(42)

Table 1. The Writer s Topics and Titles

UNIT TOPIC TITLE

1. Transportation On the Bus

2. Public Places Where are you?

3. At school My School

4. At the market I like Shopping

5. At the post office Sending Letters

6. At the station On the Train

7. At the airport Let’s Fly

8. Favorite places My Favorite Place

The Goals

At the end of the program:

1. the learners are able to know and master the vocabulary items of certain topics to help them to develop their reading and writing skills.

2. the learners are able to apply their knowledge in their daily life in a practical way.

The goals stated above will be formulated as the standard of competences in the Lesson Plans.

(43)

Table 2. The General Purposes

TOPIC GENERAL PURPOSES

Transportation - The students are able to mention some transportation facilities. - The students are able to find the main topic and answer

questions based on the reading text.

- The students are able to understand the use ofto be.

Public Places - The students are able to mention the name of some public places.