2 Listing
Through this technique, students are guided to form a sequenced text based on the lists of ideas. Oshima and Hogue 1998:4 mention the step
of listing. First, writers write the topic at the top of the paper and make a list of the words or phrases that appears on their minds. Second, writers
start a new list to write the chosen topics. Third, the writers look at the second list and decide to write about the instruction given by circling the
related ideas.
Figure 1. An Example of Listing
3 Clustering
According to Oshima and Hogue 1998:8, clustering begins with a key word or central idea placed in the center of paper or whiteboard, then the
students to write down all of their opinions and ideas about the subject matter using words or phrases. Students can explore ideas about the
subject matters by sharing their cluster patterns with other in the class.
Figure 2. An Example of Clustering
4 Free- writing
According to Oshima and Hogue 1998:6, the main idea of this technique is that students write freely about a topic for a specified period of time
until they run out of ideas. It is easier for students to start free writing if teachers provide opening clause or sentence. Palmer et al 1994: 55 states
that free writing helps students begin to write easily and with pleasure; it is a technique to help them comfortable in their writing.
In conclusion, the techniques explained above contains activities in which students can employ in each stage of writing. Furthermore, teachers can
implement strategies by applying those techniques in a sequence. PWIM is an
example of inquiry-oriented language arts strategy that consists techniques such as brainstorming, listing, clustering, and free-writing to achieve the objectives in the
teaching and learning process of writing. The further descriptions of PWIM are discussed in the following section.
3. PWIM Picture Word Inductive Model
a. Definitions
PWIM is introduced by Emily Calhoun, a popular teaching techniques author, in 1999. According to Calhoun 1999:21, PWIM is an inquiry-oriented
inductive language arts strategy that uses pictures containing familiar objects and actions to lead students in acquiring words to improve their vocabulary mastery,
to discover phonetic and structural principles, and to observe and analyze text in their study of reading and writing. PWIM contains writing techniques such as
brainstorming, listing, clustering, and free-writing. Teachers apply those techniques in a sequence step.
PWIM uses picture word chart as media. Students have to find words by identifying it. They write words around the pictures. As words are written
surrounding the pictures, the chart can be used as an illustrated dictionary to facilitate students’ writing process.
PWIM is an integrated technique which is designed to maintain students’ ability to think inductively. According to Nunan 1991:156, inductive learning
provides experience in which the students are not taught about grammar or other type of rules explicitly but they discover rules from their experience using
language. This theory is in line with PWIM in which the students read text books
as the resource of learning to write sentences. They can learn from the texts on how to generate sentences and how to use grammatical rules and other language
features to create a piece of writing. Moreover, the inductive learning in PWIM also involves phonetic analysis in which the students identify the letters of words
by analyzing on spelling and phonetic structure. According to Jiang 2011, PWIM technique reflects Bruner’s tenets that
are the role of structure in learning, the spiral curriculum, and discovery learning. In theory of the role structure of learning, PWIM helps learners to have transition
period between old and new knowledge. In the theory of the spiral curriculum, PWIM involves cycling and recycling through the various instructional activities.
In theory of discovery learning, PWIM principle is required learners to remember knowledge that they discover through the pictures and activities.
In conclusion, PWIM, as an integrated writing technique, is essential for the ongoing English teaching and learning process, since it enables students to
improve their vocabulary mastery, to empower students from passive learning into active learning by applying the provided writing activities, and to help students
write up paragraphs step by step by planning, drafting, revising, and publishing.
b. The Steps of Creating PWIM
According to Calhoun 1999, there are ten steps in creating PWIM. The steps can be modified based on the context and the students’ need. The steps are:
1 Select pictures
Teachers display pictures related to the topic to stimulate students in brainstorming ideas. This activity provides the students opportunity to
develop their ideas. Large pictures can be presented in a classroom
in order the whole class see the pictures well.
2 Ask students to identify and label what they see in the pictures.
This second step of PWIM includes clustering technique. Students
are asked to draw a line from identified object in the pictures. The words or
phrases are put on the paper or board in a pattern which connects
to key words in each picture. The examples of activities in clustering
technique are writing words in a group of noun that tell about characters of the story, writing
words in a group of adjective that describe the characters, and writing words in a group of verb that tell what the
characters did in the story
Figure 3. An example of Picture Word Chart
3 Read and review the picture word chart.
The students are guided to read all the words in the picture word chart.
Teachers and students spell aloud the words correctly and they pronounce them many times to memorize words. Listing technique is
used in this step in which the students list words and phrases that come to their
mind about the story without considering the grammatical
rules. It helps students to form a good sequenced text based on the list of ideas.
4 Lead students into creating title for the picture word chart.
Teachers ask students to think about information on the pictures and ask them about what they want to say about the pictures. The students can
look at title in the text book as an example how to arrange a good title. 5
Generate all the collected words or phrase into sentences, and arrange sentences into paragraphs
The technique which is used in this step is free-writing. In this technique, the students generate words, sentences, and paragraphs to express their
ideas. The words and phrases that have been written in previous step aim to help students to write easily and make them being comfortable in
writing process. 6
Read and review the sentences and paragraphs. The students checked their writing whether it has been qualified as a good
text or not. The reviewing process includes checking the purpose
of writing and the generic structure of the texts. Teachers can present some
students’ final drafts to give examples on how to edit and revise the language use and mechanics in their writing.
