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TEACHING PRODUCTIVE SKILL

ISMUL AZZAM SADDI


1252040019

ENGLISH EDUCATION
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MAKASSAR
2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to be grateful to Allah SWT for His never-ending
compassion and blessing, for His great guidelines and also for strengthen me so
that I can complete my paper which entitled Teaching Productive Skills.
I am grateful to Prof. Dr. Baso Jabu, M.Hum., for the guidance when I
did this paper. I would like to devout my deep thankfulness to my parents. Thanks
for the prayers, support and love.
Finally, I apologize if there is mistaken in writing this paper, so hopefully
any suggestions and critics are needed from the reader in order that, this
assignment could be useful for us in the future.

Makassar, October 20th 2015

Ismul Azzam Saddi

TABLE OF CONTENT
Acknowledgement ................................................................................................ i
Table of content .................................................................................................... ii
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1
DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 3
A Definition of Teaching .............................................................................. 3
B Definition of Productive Skill ................................................................... 3
C Teaching Writing ...................................................................................... 3
D Teaching Speaking .................................................................................... 5
E Teaching Productive Skills ....................................................................... 9
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................11
References ............................................................................................................12

TEACHING PRODUCTIVE SKILL


Ismul Azzam Saddi
ABSTRACT
Speaking and writing are called Productive Skills because they involve
language production. The purpose of teaching productive skills in fact, the
purpose of language teaching itself- is to enable students to communicate. In this
work the nature of teaching productive skills is going to be analyzed to discuss the
importance of communication activities in the language classroom. They are
crucial as the teacher gives students the opportunity to practice real-life activities in
classroom. We can also use them as a 'barometer' to check how much your students
have learned.
Key word: Teaching, Productive Skills.

INTRODUCTION
There are four basic skills in any language; receptive skills- reading and
listening, and productive skills- speaking and writing. All are equally important
and whenever possible we should try to incorporate all of them into our lessons if
we want to have a balanced approach. Often we will want to focus more on one
particular skill but still bring others in to create an integrated skills lesson
(Abbott, 1985:86).
This paper focuses on Productive Skills; speaking and writing. While
speaking and writing are substantially different in many ways, they both are used
for the same purpose- to communicate. They are crucial as the teacher gives
students the opportunity to practice real-life activities in classroom. We can also use
them as a 'barometer' to check how much your students have learned.
In many ways writing is the most neglected skill in the TEFL world
"Teaching English as a Foreign Language", as many teachers don't like to see the
classroom hours devoted to what is often 'quiet time'. Writing, therefore, is often
relegated to homework, which in turn is frequently not done so the skill is never
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developed. It is true that most students prefer to focus on their speaking skills but
this doesn't mean that writing should be ignored. In many ways writing is the
more difficult skill, requiring a greater degree of accuracy. When speaking, any
misunderstanding can be cleared up 'on the spot', whereas this is not possible in
writing. Speaking, on the other hand, requires a greater degree of fluency as the
speaker will rarely have time to think and plan an answer (Nunan, 1991:56).
Teaching speaking is learning English purely for academic reasons and does
not intend to communicate in English, which is quite rare. Seeing speaking skills
development gives learners a real sense of progress and boosts their confidence
(Brown, 1983).
Teaching writing is important because written communication is a basic life
skill. Students may need to take notes, fill in forms, and write letters, reports and
stories (Heaton, 1991). Many need to fill in detailed questionnaires relating to
health, education and employment. The amount of time we spend on teaching
writing will naturally depend on students needs.
So, this paper provides the aspect writing and speaking skills, the stage of
teaching productive skills, and the example activities of teaching productive skills.

DISCUSSION
A. Definition of Teaching
Teaching is the actions of educating or instructing; actions that impart
knowledge or skill. Teaching is a systematic presentation of facts, ideas, skills,
attitude, and techniques to manage, motivate, and facilitate students to learn.
Teaching is directing, guiding, inspiring, and transferring virtues (Gebhard, 1996).
B. Definition of Productive Skill
Speaking and writing are called Productive Skills because they involve
language production. The purpose of teaching productive skills in fact, the
purpose of language teaching itself- is to enable students to communicate. In this
work the nature of teaching productive skills is going to be analyzed to discuss the
importance of communication activities in the language classroom.
C. Teaching Writing
1) The stages of a successful writing lesson
Try to include written tasks in all lessons, whether teaching grammar,
vocabulary or communication skills. It's a good idea to practice all the four skills in
a lesson (OMalley, 1996). Once in a while, give more focus to the written skills
-i.e. whole lesson can become a preparation for a written activity. The actual
writing part can be so time-consuming that sometimes we may want to leave it for
homework. Written tasks performed in class can be made more interactive by
getting students to write in pairs. Get one person to write with a pen and the other to
help their partner correct mistakes and provide him or her with ideas.

Take a look at these ten steps to a successful writing lesson;


1. Introduce the topic and ask students to discuss it in small groups, followed by

feedback and discussion with the whole class.


2. Assign the writing task.
3. Ask students to consider who will be the target reader and to focus on the
purpose of the task.
4. Use language models to illustrate the appropriate form (e.g. other written
texts, examples on board).
5. Brainstorm ideas in groups, after which the teacher or a student writes them
up on the board. Students select which ones to use.
6. Elicit how to put the ideas into a logical sequence and edit.
7. Construct a text in small groups.
8. Prepare a rough draft either individually, in groups or with the whole class.
9. Ask students to tell the teacher if they want you to repeat anything. (This is
more effective than saying Does anyone not understand?).
10. The final written task may be given for homework.
2) Types of writing activities
Now take a look at the following writing activities for the classroom (Campbell,
1993).
Letters
Getting students to make complaints, thank, ask for and give information or
advice, prepare job applications.
Creative writing
Using pictures or beginning a story and ask students to finish it. Or using a
personal situation where the student was happy, sad, surprised, shocked, etc
Diary
Ask students to keep a diary.
Discursive essays
Students need to present an argument, state points for and against in a
logical way, and write a conclusive paragraph.
Instructions

It might be a recipe, directions, changing a wheel, cooking a meal, making a


cup of tea, repairing something or applying for a visa.
Dictation
A dictation can have a calming effect on young learners. It is also useful for
teachers who have limited resources and need to dictate a text for a reading
skills lesson. Alternatively, teacher could ask students to dictate to each
other and to focus also on pronunciation and listening skills. Dictations are
good for spelling as there is no direct link in English between the way words
are written and the way they sound.
Here are some extra ideas for different levels of learner:
Beginners/elementary :
a. Descriptions (home, family members and friends, your job, a place
etc.);
b. Short biography of self, family member or famous person;
c. Emails to a pen friend.
Intermediate (ideas from the previous list can be used as well) :
1. Problem pages;
2. Magazine interviews;
3. Advertisements;
4. Quizzes and puzzles;
5. Film and book reviews.
Advanced (ideas from the previous lists can be used as well)
1. Letters to the editor;
2. Essays/Articles arguing and defending a point of view;
3. Research papers.
D. Teaching Speaking
1) The importance of student talking time (STT)

Establishing the right balance between teacher talking time (TTT) and
student talking time (STT) is essential in any language classroom. Students certainly
gain a great deal from Teacher Talking Time (TTT). They can improve their
pronunciation as they grow accustomed to new sounds, intonation and stress
patterns. It is also essential to help develop their listening skills (Harmer, 2007:7).
Nonetheless, it's crucial for students to do more talking than the teacher. Why is
this?
One reason is because being able to use English to communicate right from
the start is highly engaging and motivating to students. Students enjoy speaking and
it is usually the top priority for them.
Speaking activities help the rapport, group dynamics and atmosphere in class.
Furthermore, they require students to draw upon what they already know in order to
express their ideas. In this way they are always reviewing previous knowledge and
putting it into practice with the new information still being assimilated. Finally,
speaking is useful for the teacher as it's a good indication of the students' strengths
and weaknesses.
2) How to maximize STT
Take a look at the following ways of maximizing student-talking time:
Before the lesson

Decide on our aims: what we want to do and why.

Try to predict any problems the students might have.

Work out how long the activity will take and tailor to the time available.

Prepare any necessary materials.

Work out our instructions.

During the activity

Try to arouse the students' interest through relating the topic to the students
interests and experience.

Leave any structure or vocabulary students may need on the board for
reference.

Make sure that students know the aim of the activity by giving clear
instruction and checking understanding.

Make sure students have enough time to prepare.

Make the activity more a 'process' rather than a 'product'.

Monitor the activity with no interruption except to provide help and


encouragement if necessary.

Evaluate the activity and the students' performance to give feedback.

Wait until after the activity has finished before correcting.

After the activity

Provide feedback

Include how well the class communicated. Focus more on what they were
able to do rather than on what they couldn't do.

Sometimes we can record the activity for discussion afterwards. Focus more
on the possible improvements rather than the mistakes.

Correcting errors - make it a class activity by putting errors that we have


noted down during the class on the board. Ask the students to discuss in pairs
what is wrong with the sentences and how to correct them.

3) Types of speaking activities


Here are some popular types of speaking activities (Lynch, 1996):

Information gaps
Where two students have different information and have to work together to
solve a problem, e.g. Spot the difference: students have similar pictures with a
number of differences. They ask and answer questions to find out what the
differences are.

Surveys and questionnaires


Students prepare questions on topics such as cinema, sleep, free time

activities, likes and dislikes and conduct a survey by interviewing each other
and compiling information.

Discussions
Students could discuss about a problem. Elicit keywords, collocations and
structures which can be used when discussing this topic and write them on the
board. Encourage other students to agree or disagree with the speakers and
give their reasons. If everybody seems to agree with a speakers point of view,
act as an opposition, i.e. give reasons why the speaker may not be quite right
and ask the class what they think. Students may be reluctant to give their
opinion in front of the whole class, particularly if they need time to think
about their ideas. This is usually true with students of lower levels or those
with little experience of open discussion (they may be more used to
grammar/writing-oriented tasks). If so, give students time to discuss the topic
in a wheel shape arrangement first. It will give them confidence to speak to
the class later.

Debates
For a debate, let students work in groups preparing arguments in favor of and
against certain propositions, so that, when the debate starts, the panelspeakers produce well-rehearsed arguments, whereas others in the audience
contribute their own (less scripted) thoughts on the subject. Usually there are
two opposing points of view in a debate, although sometimes there is a third
point of view which is a compromise between the two. After the group work,
split the class into two or three groups and let each group make their
proposition and counter-proposition respectively, followed by a session where
each group asks and answers the other groups questions.

Role-plays
Role plays demand a certain amount of organization. Before the role-play
remember to do the following:
1. Set a clear scenario which is conducive to interaction, i.e. students can
identify with the characters and will probably know what to say as one of

the characters.
2. Define the roles clearly; you may want to give students sticky labels with
brief descriptions of their characters.
3. Give students time to think about what they're going to say.

E. Teaching Productive Skills


The teacher must creative to build lesson plan that include speaking and
writing skills in their teaching practice.
1) The reasons why we should teach productive skills.
When we communicate, we often use more than a single language skill.
The language skills might be used in the following situations. Can you think of a
one-skill situation, a two-skill situation, a three-skill situation and a four-skill
situation. We use four skills in real communication as integrated.
There are many situations in which we use more than one language skill.
For this reason, it is valuable to teach productive skills. Realistic communication
is the aim of the communicative approach and many researchers believe that
handling realistic communication is an integral part of essential conditions for
language learning. Productive skills emphasises the focus on realistic language
and can therefore lead to the students all-round development of communicative
competence in English.
2) The implications for teaching
a. Focus on discourse
As we noted earlier, integration of the four skills is concerned with
realistic communication. This means that we are teaching at the discourse level,
not just at the level of sentences or individual words and phrases. Discourse is
a whole unit of communicative text, either spoken or written. So we need to be
aware of the discourse features of a text and to be able to make students aware
of them.
Discourse features include aspects such as:

the way that the text is organised


its layout (for written text)
the style of the language (formal or informal?)
the register (the vocabulary that is commonly found in such discourse).
b. Adjusting the textbook contents
Although many modem textbooks have some integration of the four skills,
we may still need to make some changes to the contents.
This could involve changing the order of the contents. If the discourse of
the writing activity is closely related to the reading passage, but is placed in a
different part of the unit in the textbook, we could focus on the writing straight
after we finish the reading passage.
For simple integration, we can design a listening or reading
comprehension activity that becomes a plan for speaking or writing.
c. Adjusting the timetable
In some schools, a whole lesson is given to teaching one skill. For
example, there is a listening lesson one day, a reading lesson another day,
and so on. Sometimes this is encouraged by the arrangement of materials in the
textbook. We have to make the timetable arrangements more flexible so that we
can integrate the skills better.

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CONCLUSION
Speaking and writing are called Productive Skills because they involve
language production. The purpose of teaching productive skills in fact, the
purpose of language teaching itself- is to enable students to communicate. In this
work the nature of teaching productive skills is going to be analyzed to discuss the
importance of communication activities in the language classroom.
Writing

is

system

for

thinking

processes

and

interpersonal

communication put on paper. The teacher also should take a look at steps to a
successful writing lesson; introduce the topic, assign the writing task, the purpose
of the task, use language models, brainstorm ideas in groups, ask students to put the
ideas into a logical sequence, ask students to tell the teacher if they want you to
repeat anything and written task may be given for homework. Here the following
writing activities for the classroom; letters, creative writing, diary, discursive essays,
instructions, and dictation.
Speaking is considered by learners as one of the most difficult skills as it
involves real-time processing and they can build up confidence through practice.
Here are some popular types of speaking activities; information gaps, surveys and
questionnaires, discussions, debates, and role-plays.

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References
Abbott, G. & P. Wingard. (1985). The Teaching of English as an International
Language: A Practical Guide. Great Britain.
Brown ,G and Yule, G (1983). Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge.
Campbell, Russell N and William E ruther ford. 1993. Technique in Teaching
Writing , 0xford University press.
Gebhard, Jerry G. 1996. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language. A
teacher Self-Development and Methodology Guide. USA: The
University of Michigan Press.
Harmer, Jeremy . (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching Fourth
Edition. Essex, England: Pearson Education Ltd.
Heaton, J.B. 1991. Writing English Language Tests. New York: Longman.
Lynch, T. (1996). Communication in the Classroom. Oxford.
Nunan, D. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology. Prentice Hall.
OMalley, A. 1996. Techniques in Teaching Writing. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.

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