Effectiveness of using Brainstorming to Improve Students’ Writing Skill.

Effectiveness of using Brainstorming to Improve Students’ Writing Skill.

Abstract

The purpose of this academic paper is to give significant information about the Effectiveness using Brainstorming to improve students writing comprehension skill. Writing is one of  skill that creates language products other than speaking. The language products produced after writing are conveying the intent and purpose in a text, such as letters, poems, novels and other language products. In writing skill is a capability that is quite complicated because in writing English we must know the grammar and the arrangement of the words if one writes grammar or so on, then the meaning contained. Apart from that, students can use Brainstorming techniques in writing. The study revealed that at the 5% and 1% of significant level, there was a very statistically significant difference on students’ writing achievement both for the bright and poor students between the students who wrote a time order paragraph using brainstorming technique and those who wrote a time order paragraph without using brainstorming technique.

Keywords : Writing, Comprehension, , Information, Brainstorming.

Introduction 

            Harmer (2004) states that writing encourages students to focus on accurate language use.  It is because students consider the language use when the students engage in their writing  process.  This  activity  will  provoke  language  development  because  the students resolve problems what writing puts in students’ minds. it  can  be  stated  that  writing  skill is  a  complex  activity  in  producing  a  qualified  writing.  The  complex  activity consists  of  stages  as  the  steps  in  writing.  To  improve  students’  writing  skill,  the teaching  and  learning  process  of  writing  needs  to  be  done  well  with  developed input and effective activities. As a result, teachers need to consider the teaching of writing skill well based on their student’s needs, ability and capacity. Sometimes, students have difficulty in writing because they usually use Indonesian language  then use English language when they write which is a second language for them. in this case it is what makes students lazy or there is no desire in writing. That’s way Brainstorming strategy is one of the most important strategies in provoking creativity and solving problems in the educational, commercial, industrial and political fields. Brainstorming strategy was introduced by Alex Osborn, an American advertisement company manager in 1938 as results of his inconvenience of traditional business meetings. Brainstorming is a method students can use to generate ideas for writing a paper. In the process of brainstorming should suspend any concerns about staying organized. The goal is to pour our thoughts onto paper without worrying about whether they make sense or how they fit together (Fleming, 2014). In order to improve students' writing skills teachers must know what effectiveness is in using brainstorming

Effectiveness of using Brainstorming

Gebhard (2000; 226) stated: Once popular activity is called ‘brainstorming,’ in which a topic is introduced by the teacher or students, after which students call out ideas associated with the topic while the teacher (or a student or two) write the ideas on the board. Although there is no right or wrong association in this activity, some EFL/ESL students will shy away from calling out their ideas. As such, some teachers have students brainstorm first in small groups, then as a whole class. There are study recommended using the method of brainstorming in teaching different materials, and training teachers to use brainstorming method.

Maghsoudi and  Haririan (2013) revealed  that the instruction of brainstorm strategy had a positive effect on EFL learners’ writing achievements. It also made them more active, which might make them responsible for their own learning and likely to learn better.

Rohmah (2013) found that RRB (Round Robin Brainstorming) is more effective to teach speaking. It could be seen from the students’ attitude during the implementation of  RRB. The students in Experimental Group were more active, comfortable, and felt enthusiastic during teaching learning process. Beside that the result of the test also supports the differences of the groups. The differences could be seen from the students mean score from post test. The mean in Experiment Group is 7.860 and in Control Group is 5.597. It is can be concluded that RRB is more effective to teach speaking.

Conclusion 

            In conclusion, the use of technique to improve students writing comprehension is needed. One of the techniques is Brainstorming. Brainstorming is a method students can use to generate ideas for writing a paper. Through Brainstorming it can very useful for students to write down their ideas, and effect they writing comprehension.

References 

Harmer.J.2004. How to Teach Writing. Edinburgh Gaze: Pearson Education Limited.

Fleming, Grace. Brainstorming Techniques For Left Brains and Right Brains

Gebhard, J.G. 2000. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language: A Teacher SelfDevelopment and Methodology Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Maghsoudi, Mojtaba and  Javad Haririan . 2013. The impact of brainstorming strategies Iranian EFL  learners' writing skill regarding their social class status. International Journal of Language and Linguistics. Special Issue: Language Teaching and Learning Key Principles.(LTLKP). Vol. 1, No. 1, 2013, pp. 60-67. Published online December 30,

Rohmah, Fathimah Abdilmughni Kharisma. 2013.The Effectiveness of Round Robin Brainstorming To Teach Speaking / (An Experimental Study At The Tenth Grade Students Of Man Klaten In 2012/2013 Academic Year) Http://Garden.IainSurakarta.Ac.Id/Seg.Php?A=Detil&Id=2622, accessed on 01 April 2014.

Prayogo Pangestu

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