Reading to Develop Writing Skill for Children

Reading to Develop Writing Skill for Children
Maria Oktaviarini
081214005
oktaviarinim@yahoo.com
Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta

There are many problems that teachers usually find when they are teaching in the class. One of them is how to teach writing subject to the children. Many children in class who are lazy or can not do writing. The teachers have tried to give motivation for them to write but sometimes it does not work. From this essay, I will explain that reading is the most effective way to develop writing skill for children.
In class, teacher usualy teach reading and writing separately. That is why many students that do not know that both of this subjects have a relationship. In fact, these two subjects may give effect and support to each other, reading affects writing and writing affects reading.

Writing difficulties that may found in children

Every parent in the world of course does not want if their child has writing disability. Parents always do many kinds of way to make their chidren are able to write. They take their children to kindergarten then continue to elementary school. If their children have joined in school, now parents do not need to be worry about their children in reading and writing skill because their duty have been helping by the teacher at school. But it is does not mean that parents duty here completely done, they still keep in help their children to study at home.
Well, for children, they always think about playing around with their toys, dolls and their friend. Study is a boring activity for them. Most of them do not want to study without any monitor from their teacher and parents. Like what have told before that this problem become duty of teacher and parents to motivate their children to study, at least learn to read and to write.
There are some ways for teacher or parents to solve this problem. Teaher may teach children by started from introducing them to the letters in alphabet. After that teacher may teach their children in the first grade to read, from the simple and short word then to the longer one. Next, the introducing from word to wrd to the student continues to sentences level. Teacher may started to teach them to read a simple sentences that is just consists of three words to then they develop the level to sentences that are consists of minimum five words. Then at home, parents may motivate their children to read by giving them a book. Book here of course need to be appropriated to the children, need to choose the genre of book that is suitable for children. Parents need to give them a simple book and there are many interesting pictures in it. The book that is concern here is story book such as fabel, fairytale, or folktale. The children like kind of book like this, so they will not feel bored during they read these books.
At school, after shildren learn to read and knoe the alphabet, teacher then teach them about how to write it. Teacher give the student a paper that is having an example of the letter then the student just need to follow the example in practice to write the letter. They learn to write from A to Z. By this way, children are able to know about how is to read a leeter and how to write it. After they learn to read and write a letter, teacher may have to move to write a word. For example, the teachers give the children a paper that has several model examples of words written there and the task of the children is to write by copying or imitating the words on the paper that has given to them.
After the children studied at school that is about learn to read and write letters and words, now is the turn of parents to teach their children to learn about it. Firstly, they ask their children to read the story book by spelling the word slowly. Next, parents may give them a simple question from the book that they have read together. The questions may vary, for example the name of the character on the story or the placaes that is included in every event in the story. Then the answer of the question that is given is writen by the children. In doing this, parents need to guide their children to write. By doing this activity, little bit their children will be able to read and write words.

The Relationship between Reading and Writing

Many people that read extensively can write better. Like many writers in our country, they are able to be a writer because they have read many kinds of book. So, some of them become science book writers and many of them that are become a story or novel writers.
From simple explanation above, that reading activity in every different genre of book can help people to explore their mind or thinking and express it to their writing. “There is a widely held belief that in order to be a good writer a student needs to be read a lot” (Hedge, 1981:11). Then from reading, students learn many things that help them to make stories. Since writing is transmitting knowledge in print, we must learn something before we can write about it. Therefor, reading has big affect in writing.
Students who are good in writing tend to read more books than students who are less capable as writers. This statement does not only proof when the student makes a kind of text, but when they have a test or exam. If the question model that given by the teacher is essay model, it is very helpful for the student that have read the material before than they are who do not read the material. For the students that have read the material, the test will be easy to pass. They can write information that they got and build a new idea. But the test will be difficult for they are did not study. So, that why many people who says that we read is to learn.
Reading in vary of genre can help children to study the structure of text and learn the language that they are able to tranfer to their writing. For example, at school if the teacher gives the students or children a narative text, they may read and learn that in this kind of text, the writer wrote about a story oe experience in the past and use past tense. Then the teacher asks them to write a narative text about their experience. By doing this activity, the children will explore their mind and transmite it to their writing.
Sometimes need to the teacher and parents that allow their children to choose the book that they are willing to read. But sometimes the teacher and parents do not give chance to the children to write what the things that they are wiiling to write. So, sometimes need to children to have a freedom to write every thing they are wants to. This way will help children to develop their ideas, do not block them. Because reading in pleasure will develop writing competence.
So, from this description, we may see that reading skill very helpful to develop the writing skill. Because without reading any book or text we are not able to develop or idea and will find difficulties to find a suitable word in order to make a sentence in writing.

Reference

Brummit, joelle. The relationship between reading and writing. Retrieved September 20, 2010 from
http://www.languagetutoring.co.uk/reading-and-writing-the-relationship.html,retrieved September 20, 2010.

http://www.heddatan.com/the-role-of-reading-in-teaching-writing.html. Retrieved September 20, 2010.

Helping Students to Develop Topic and Content for Effective English Writing

Helping Students to Develop Topic and Content for Effective English Writing
Maria Oktaviarini
081214005
oktaviarinim@yahoo.com
Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta


A. Abstract
There are four important skills that are learning in English teaching. One of them is writing. In writing we have to think about what and how we build one topic to be a big discourse that is readable. This is one problem that face by many students in the senior high school. Many students in senior high school and in the college who get difficulties in develop their topic and to build a good content in their English writing. So, from this essay, we will see how to solve this problem.

B. Introduction
In our life we usually found that many students think that there are some subjects in the school are very terrible. English is one of them. And we are able to see their burden is when their teacher asked them to do their writing task. A long writing task for senior high school, like they write five paragraphs that their teacher wanted and it consists of one paragraph as introduction, three paragraphs as the content and one paragraph as the conclusion or closing, and then some page of paper writing, at least three pages for college student. There are some difficulties that students found their writing. These difficulties are about build the topics, ideas and develop good content in their writing.
This essay sees that writing problem is a matter that static faced by the students and in fact, we may see in around us. According to Sarah Warshauer (1992) this problem is not only faced by students who do not use English as first language. So, we may conclude that students abroad also find this problem.

C. Building The Topic with Main Map
When students are going to write a paper they should fine an interesting idea, because a paper with interesting idea will persuade the reader to read their paper. Then after the students have already found the idea, they should build it to be a or many paragraph. There is a way to help them to develop its. They may use main map. This way is commonly used to help a writer.
Main map or spidergram is a strategy to make notes on the topic. By this structured way, we are going to shows the relationship of ideas, as opposed to an unstructured strategy, such as brainstorming, in which the learners make notes at random on paper. By having some words that have relationship with the topic, it may help students to make their simple draft first, while for building longer paragraph.
Commonly, students are given a topic to write on by their teacher. However, with certain classes, students may prefer to nominate the topic themselves. But in senior high school, teacher gave some topics to the students to choose. Then the teacher asked them to choose one of them and make a paper that is usually consist of five paragraph, an introduction paragraph, three main paragraphs and one conclusion. In the college, the students got freedom to choose their own topic. Then they build it at least three pages. But sometimes there are some lecturers that asked them to write in a certain topic.
The mind map strategy can be used to explore almost any topic. This is one of the advantages using main mapping. We may explore our topic with everything that is related to it. We will really to make a main idea for each paragraph. After we finish the main idea, then student may start in build a paragraph.

D. Some factors that students need to concern in writing
“When you have to write a good paper for the English class, it is your teacher who is going to review it first. If you are smart, you would know what your teacher expects from you to give a good rating to your English paper” (C.V. Rajan). In writing paper, students need to make a draft first with a topic and the main idea for each paragraph. Then still there are some others things that need to concern. For the first is that student need to aware with their spelling and grammar. Some students are usually using abbreviation in their writing. As in formal writing that abbreviation is do not exists. So the students to decrease it by write in a good structure. Sometimes, students write “i” for “I” then OMG for oh my God, these are example the abbreviation.
Then students need to aware to structure, length and the format of the text they are going to write. Always, that every text is started by introduction, and then it followed by the main content and closed by the conclusion. Students have to always remember these structures because there is no text without introduction or conclusion. If students make text without these two things, the readers then will be confused. For every main idea, student may build as one paragraph that is consists of at least five sentences. So from the main idea that the made, they may see how many paragraph that will they create. Next, a good formatting in make paper gives students more value in making a good readable text. The important thing in this case is how is the students in build the paper or make a good English paper to present their ideas in neatly formatted style.
The next thin is the content itself, when someone read something, it means that he or she need something to know, they need something to learn. So, here is the challenge for every student that the content of an English paper is only simple, sometimes need to give more explanation. Because of that, to make a good English paper, students need to make researches on something. They may look up in the internet to find much important information that is very support to their writing. They may go to the library to find some books that help them in make their paper. So, after get some resources, hopefully students may create a good content for their English paper.

E. What teacher need to do to the students
To help students in improving their skill in develop their topic and content in English writing, teacher may do some things. Teachers may give them prompt writing for a weekly assignment. Just give some hour to the students to choose or find their topic first. If they are focus on you, they will find it faster. Then after they find the topic, asked them to make the drafts first then you may revised their draft after they are finish to make it. After you revised the draft of your students, do not forget to give them feedback, so they know what should the write.
Then teachers should give some advices to the students, to do not do plagiarism. So, help them to make quotation or to paraphrase the sentence. Because in the writing English paper is very difficult to avoid plagiarism. If the teacher is smart, they will always know which one is the pure student creation and which one is using plagiarism. They will know it by the style that usually used by the students are will very different with the text that is created by experts. Because, the choosing of word of student will look very different with the experts have.

F. Conclusion
So, for the conclusion, to help the learners to develop their topics and the content in English writing is by do some things. Teachers may give some students many practices in English writing paper. Teachers need to help student to find an appropriate topic for their paper. Guide them to find any sources that may support their English paper. Always teach them to build text in the good structure that is always consists of introduction, content and the conclusion.
For the students, do not worry in build the topic and the content. You may make a main map to help you and you may go searching in the website or find some book in the library. Do not worry to ask some advices to your teacher, to get their feedback in purpose to help you to build your text. And do not forget to make good content that present useful information for the reader.

References

Byrom, josh. How to write a good paper for your English class. Retrieved on November 6, 2010 from <>

Freedman, Sarah W. and Hechinger F. Writing Matter. Retrieved on November 6, 2010, from <> retrieved November 6, 2010.

Rajan, C. V . How to write a good paper for your English class. Retrieved on November 6, 2010 from <

A Comparison of Two Theories of Language Teaching: Mentalism and Cognitive Code

A Comparison of Two Theories of Language Teaching:

Mentalism and Cognitive Code

Maria Oktaviarini

Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta

A. Abstract

In language teaching, teacher should have an aproach to going on their activity in class. They should becareful to choose the right aproach in teaching activity because their choice on the aproach may affect the learners in the way they learn. Not only give effect on the way they learn, it’s also give effect on the way they solve their problem in study some certain subject. This discuss is about comparison between mentalism and cognitive code theories in learning English as second language. In this journal will discuss that cognitive code is help better for the learners.

B. Introduction

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The first point for all language teaching should be an undersatanding of how people learn. But as the matter of the fact of ‘learning’ factor are the last to be considered. Learning factors, if considered at all, are incorporated only after the language base has been analysed and systematised (Munby, 1978 p. 217).

Language is able just be properly understood as a reflection of processes thought of human being. Language learning is determined by the way which the mind in observes, organises and stores the information. So, the understanding of the structure and the processes of the mind is where the successful language learning and teaching key lies, not in the analysis of the nature of language. There are many of us that are known too little about how people learn. We must try and base what we do in the classroom on sound principles of learning if we are expect to improve the techniques, methods and content of language teaching.

If we are know the importance of each for language teaching, it is best for us to think about the theories related to language and learning separately. As with language decription, we will descibe the main developments in theories of the way of learners learn and relate each to the needs of the learners and the teacher.

Language teaching here is focus on teaching English as second language. But first we may know first the defference between English as the first language and English as the second language. There are some terms which is relating to these two kinds English for. We can see the difference in a table below:

English as first language

Native language

Mother tongue

Primary language

Stronger language

English as second language

Non-native language

Foreign language

Secondary language

Weaker language

Those kinds of term are always relative to a person or a group of persons. They show the subjective relationship between a languange and an individual or group.

Like I have said before that in determine the theories that we are going to use in language teaching, we should know the importance of the language for and the needs of the learners. Then, in this occasion we will discuss about the comparison between cognitive code ang the mentalism theories in learning English as the second language. And also in this journal will discuss that cognitive code is help better for the learners.

C.The Similarity between mentalism and Cognitive Code Theory

Mentalism theory: thinking as rule-governed activity. This theory has higher level than the previous theory that is behaviourism. Behaviourism: learning is habit formation. In behaviourism theory, the learners is study by remambering the matery of the subject discussion that is learn in class or like mention the step of grammar or another example is mention the word that is found repeating on the tape recorder. But types of study like this make the student bored and make they dismiss their intuition.

Chomsky is the one that is opposing the behaviourism theory. He thought that how the mind was able to transfer what was learnt in one stimulus-response sequence to other novel situation if the learners use the behaviourism theory. Chomsky dismissed the generalisation idea as unworkable, because it simply could not explain how from a finite range of experience, the human mind was able to cope with an infinite range of possible situation (Hutchinson and Walters 1987: 42). He concludes that thinking must be rule-governed: a finite, and fairly small, set of rules enable the mind to deal with the potentially in finite range of experiences it may encounter. The mind here works by formulate a hypothesis of their experience. Then, the mind is not only use in respon the stimulus but also it uses the individual stimuli in order to find the underlying patern or system. This work of mind also find in the work of the cognitive code theory. The mind is work to find the hypothesis. The mind is work to think about the problem of the sugbject that the learners lean.

D. The Difference between the Mentalism and the Cognitive Code Theories

Both of these theory is use mind not only to do simple proccess like just remembering the patern of a certain grammar, but mind is use to think to find a hypothesis of the experience of the learners after learning something or tho thing the problem that is deal with the subject material that they are learn.

Although they have a similarity it do not mean that between these theories do not have difference. One thing that mentalism do not have is solving problem. In cognitive code, learning, then, is a process in which the learners actively try to make sense of data, and learning can be said to have taken place when the learner has managed to impose some sort of meaningful interpretation or pattern on the data (Hutchinson and Walter 1987: 43). In more simple sentence, it means that the learners learn by thinking about and trying to make sense of what they see, feel and hear.

Here they do not only use their mind to think about the hypothesis or the problem, but they are try to break or solve the problem or to find the factors that is affect or relate to the hypothesis.

E. Conclusion

From this discussion we may see that the learners will more to be able to develope their knowledge and their skill if the teacher uses the cognitive code theory in the way they are teaching in the class. Teacher not only teach them to think simple like if they use behaviourism theory, but they will think harder and full of critisism. They may find a good lesson from their experiance in learning something. Make a hypothesis and try to find the problem solving of the problem that they face during they learn certain subject in learning English as the second language. One example is to find the main idea of the paragraph from the text that teacher given to them. So, cognitive code theory is really helpful for the learners in learning English as the second language.

References

Burden, Paul R. Byrd, David M. 1999. Methods for Effective Teaching. 2nd edition. United States of Amecica: A Viacom Company

Hutchinson, Tom and Water, Alan. 2000. English for Specific Purpose: a learning-centred approach. Australia: Cambrige University Press

Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press

Suharno. Cognitivism and Its Implication in the Second Language Learning. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from