CCU 6

Citation: Cakir, Ismail. (2006). Developing cultural awareness in foreign language teaching, turkish online journal of distance education, 7(3): 154-162. 

The main purpose of this article journal has been to provide necessary information for the foreign language teachers and learners so that they can establish a good connection with the target language and its culture. Based on this article journal, I got some information that I might be useful later.

Developing cultural-awareness in Engling as Foreign Language classroom is important because every culture has its own cultural norms for conversation and these norms differ from one culture to another, some of the norms can be completely different and conflict with other cultures’ norms. Consequently, communication problems may arise among speakers who do not know or share the norms of other culture.

To avoid or solve the communication problems in the target language in the EFL classrooms, the students have to know and understand the culture of the target language and the teacher should be more understand to the students’ weaknesses so that they will not lose their motivation.

In developing cultural awareness in the classroom, the teacher should help the students differenciate between the cultural norms, beliefs, or habits of the majority within the speech community and the individual or group deviations from some of these norms. The students should be able to discuus their own culture with their foreign-speaking friends at the same time that they are provided with a real experiential content. Language teaching is a long process in which performance is not absolute so that the teacher should not expect that all of the students will acquire perfect native like behaviour.

CAR 6

Citation:

Fallahi, Carolyn R. Fallahi., and  Haney, Joseph D. (2007). Using Debate In Helping Students Discuss Controversial Topics, Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 4(10):83-88.

After I read this article journal, the main purpose of this article journal is to help students discuss controversial topics using debate. As we have already know, we usually feel shy and do not want to discuss about controversial issues, like sexual, racism, poverty, and other controversial issues. However, through debate technique, students are able to be an open-minded and critical thinker that debating those kind of issues is no longer a taboo, but something that we have to solve.  The athmosphere during the classroom also getting better compared to the traditional discussion. The students enjoyed the debate and believed that it helped them discuss sensitive or controversial topics more easily. Half of the students who participated in the debate believed that being an effective speaker and working with their teammates led to a feeling of empowerment.

Personally, I think that debate technique is a valuable technique for increasing classroom discussion of controversial topics. The debate assignments created a great deal of anticipation and excitement among the students. It also improve students’ critical thinking, speaking skill, and participation during the classroom activity.

CCU 5

Citation: Fadeeva., and Kalinin. (2012). The importance of cross-cultural Understanding for EFL students: 144-152.

 

Actually, this article journal is a bit difficult to understand because the researcher did not devided the introduction, literature review, data analysis, result and discussion in a different part. All of those points written in the same part, so I have to find which one is introduction, literature review, data analysis, result and discussion all by myself. However, still I got some new information related to cross-cultura understanding.

Based on this article journal, I learnt that cross-cultural understanding is an important skill to have in order make a good relationship with other people around the world. When we communicate with other people, it is not only require a good speaking skill, but also we need to understand their culture as well, so that we will not making mistake when we communicate with other people with different culture. In other words, Successful cross-cultural communication assumes knowledge of a foreign language and foreign culture. because of that reason, teaching cross-cultural understanding in ESL students is really needed because they come from different background and different culture.

When I become a teacher or a university lecturer someday, I’ll teach my students about cross-cultural understanding because they have to know culture from different country so that when they go abroad, study abroad or just have friends from other country, they will manage to communicate with them without saying or doing something unappropriately that will hurt their feeling.

CAR 5

Citation:

Masikem.,  Soetjipto, Budi Eko., &  Sumarmi. (2016). The Implementation of Cooperative Learning Model Talking Chips and Quick on the Draw to Enhance Motivation and Social Studies Learning Outcome. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 6(3), 33-39.

The main purpose of this research journal is to analize the implementation of Talking Chips learning model combined with Quick on the Draw in enhancing motivation and students’ learning outcomes in Social Studies. The researchers observe that students are not motivated during the classroom activities, they often feel sleepy and bored. Only some students who are participate actively in the class, the others just sit and passively join the classroom activities.

The researchers used talking chips and quick on the draw method because it envolve students’ activities. In this reseacrh journal, the researchers explained about the method in detail so that I can get information that might be useful for my action research proposal. The way the researchers conducted the research, especially about talking chips and quick on the draw techniques, are well-explained.

Basically, talking chips is a technique which the teacher give the students the same portion to speak during the group discussion. They will not allowed to speak before all members of the group talking. So that it will solve the problem if there are one or two students dominates the discussion group. The use of talking chips is useful to develop students’ participation in the classroom because they got equal chance to speak during the classroom activities. Students are excited to join the learning process because this method is different from their daily activities that make them not bored.

When I become a teacher, someday, I will definitely use talking chips as one of my method in my classroom, especially in a group discussion, to promote students’ speaking ability. Also, I will use Quick on the draw to increase students’ motivation and team work because combining these two method proven to enhance motivation and students’ learning outcomes.