Encouraging Students to Speak through the
Use of Interesting Media
Bambang Widi Pratolo
The
main problem faced by the teachers of English in Indonesia is how to make students
want to speak in English and enjoy it. Many teachers have tried strategies such
as reminding them about the importance of English, giving them
rewards, etc. but the students still feel reluctant to speak the language. If
they want to speak it, it is because they have to do it, not because they
really want to. This is one of the reasons why the students’ speaking skill is
not a good as their mastery of the English grammar. To solve this problem,
teachers need to find ways to make students want and feel encouraged to speak
English. One of the ways that teachers can do this is by using interesting
teaching materials which can be found from books that are currently available. These
ready-to-use materials are usually based on certain grammatical items. Teachers
need to be creative in producing and manipulating the materials so that the
students can enjoy practising their English.
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Pratolo, B. W. (2002, April). Encouraging students to speak through the use of Interesting
Media. Paper presented at the 37th RELC
International Seminar, Singapore.
Website:
www.geocities.com/eltindonesia
Email:
eltindonesia@yahoo.com