Teaching Speaking by Using Board Games

2.5 Teaching Speaking by Using Board Games

A teacher needs to be creative in increasing the students’ interest and motivation in language teaching and learning process. That is why, the teachers should give variation in teaching. Variation is one of many factors that is very important in teaching and learning process to gain the students’ interest and motivation in learning. By giving variation in teaching, the students will not feel bored in teaching and learning process. One of the variations that can be applied is using games. It is supported by Suyanto and Rachmajanti 2003:49 stating that language games are intended to be given for variation to facilitate teaching and learning process. Further, games benefit much for both the teacher and the students in achieving the goal of the language teaching and learning process. Games are also appropriate to be implemented in speaking in the classrooms since games, especially traditional language games are effective because the learners are so involved in playing games that they do not realize that they are practicing language items or functions Byrne, 1986:100. In this research, the games implemented in teaching speaking were Board Games and the material taught were recount texts. The procedures of teaching speaking using Board Games were adapted from Teschen et al. 2000. The procedures were as follows.

1. Assembling the material

The teacher divided the class into some groups consisting of 6 students. The Board Games consisting of 3 layers was given to each group. Each player in each group got a thumbtack that had different colors. Each player’s thumbtack was put on the square marked “Start”. A dice was also provided in this games as the material in playing “What Did You Do Yesterday?” games.

2. Understanding the goal of the games

The teacher informed the way and the rules how to play the games. Besides, the teacher also informed the goal of the games, especially the winner referring to the player that could answer the exercises given well. In this research, a set of Board Games consisting of 3 layers in which each layer had the exercise to do. Further, each player had to travel the board by moving across the board from the square marked “Start” to the last square marked “Finish”. The players could travel the board by taking turns in rolling the dice provided. The number on the dice determined how many steps they had to go.

3. Commencing playing

Before playing this games, all players in each group rolled the dice to decide which player would start the first, the second, and so forth. It depended on the number of the dice got by the player so, the greater number got by the player, the earlier turned to play.

4. Completing the games

In this research, each player competed to be the winner by doing each exercise given. The first player rolled the dice, then moved his thumbtack in “Start” square to another square as many as the number of the dice shown. If the square landed contained a picture clue, it means he had to do the exercises given in each layer. Having finished with the first player, the game could be played by the second player in the group, and so forth. In this research, the students faced 3 layers. At the end, the students were expected to perform a recount text about the picture clue got consisting of approximately 10 sentences. The maximum time was 2 minutes. The teacher could stop the player if the time allocation given was over.

2.6 The Previous Research Findings