Article : Using Talking Chips Technique in Teaching Speaking

Muhammad Rifa’i

Abstract

This paper discusses the activeness of the students in teaching speaking through Talking Chips technique. Talking Chips technique is a technique used to make students active in teaching speaking. The students’ problems like inhibition, nothing to say, low or uneven participation, and mother-tongue-use are hoped to be solved by applying this technique. The writer chooses this technique to make the students interested and active in speaking. Finally, it is expected that the students can speak fluently and accurately.

Keywords: Talking Chips, speaking, teaching

Introduction

Rahma (2013) argued that these days, it is obvious that English is a foreign and second language which is used as the international communication. It is important to be taught whether as a Foreign or Second language. “Speaking is usually considered as the core skill in foreign language learning and it is what learners want to be able to do” (Broady, 2005, as cited in Rahmah, 2014).

As an international language, English has also to be learned, and English has also to be mastered by people in this globalization era.  Having good speaking skill in English has been used as a compulsory requirement to apply and to be accepted for a job in big companies. In addition, by mastering this language, people can have great opportunity to gain much more knowledge from other people around the world. Arbain (2014) included that, “communicating probably occurs among people in the world to share information, ideas, or feeling.”

As a foreign language or second language, English learners usually have difficulties in mastering it especially in speaking. According to Ur (2003, as cited in Rohadi, 2013) that stated that, “there are four problems faced by the learners in speaking activities. The problems include inhibition, nothing to say, low or uneven participation, and mother-tongue use”. To know the way to solve problems above, Thornbury (2006, as cited in Arsyad, 2014) stated that speaking is not different from another skill. It is like driving and playing musical instrument. If we always practice it, we will be easier to communicate in this language.

Based on the problems above, the writer attempts to use Talking Chips technique in teaching speaking in order the learners can speak fluently and accurately. Writer believes that Talking Chips technique will make the learners active in speaking class.

Discussion

What is Talking Chips Technique?

According to Gray, inspired by Reeves’s (2010, as cited in Herianto, 2013) explained that talking chips technique is a technique to make the students have opportunity to speak. It means that, not only one or two students in the class who will dominate the speaking class activity, but all students have chance to speak. More definition stated by Hilson (2010, as cited in Herianto, 2013) that elaborated that, “talking chips is the strategies guarantees equal participation in discussion groups. Each group member receives the same member of poker chips (or any other markers, such as index cards)”.

From several definitions above, the writer comes to a conclusion that Talking Chips technique is a technique which is applied by the teacher in teaching speaking. This technique is very effective to be used to make the students active in teaching speaking. In addition, this technique tries not to make the speaking activity in the class dominated by a student only.

Why Talking Chips Technique is appropriate in teaching speaking?

            In this article, the writer tries to take up Talking Chips technique to improve students’ speaking ability. The use of Talking Chips technique will be very helpful to improve students’ speaking ability because Talking Chips technique is one of teaching techniques that can make the students’ speaking skill improve. It can improve students’ speaking ability because the teacher can monitor the students to be active in the class, not only a student that dominates the speaking activity in the class. In addition, this technique forces the students to be active in the speaking activity in the class.

How to implement Talking Chips technique?

            In applying Talking Chips technique, teachers should know the steps and procedures to apply this technique in the teaching speaking. According to Kagan (1992, as cited in Herianto, 2013) that clarified that first, the teacher gives each student chips. Second, a chip has to be put on the middle of the table every the student wants to speak. Third, a student cannot speak anymore when he/she has put all the chips on the middle of the table till other students’ chips are also put on the middle of the table. Last, the teacher will give the students chips again to continue the discussion.

Previous studies

            First study conducted by Syafryadin whose article entitled “The Use of Talking Chips Technique in Improving Students’ Speaking Achievement”. He implemented talking chips technique to the grade X in one of senior high schools in Bandung in year 2013. On the implementation of this technique, the researcher conducted three cycles in the class, and each cycle really gained good improvement towards students’ speaking ability. Before the researcher applied this technique to the students, the researcher first reviewed about present tense. Then researcher started applying this technique in the class. In every cycle, the students’ got improvement even though they still had problems on the speaking. The problems can be lessened from the first cycle to the third cycle. To show the last result of the researcher after implementing this technique, the writer wants to include the result in score on every cycle done in the class. In cycle one, the mean score of fluency was 61.1 and 62.81 for accuracy. In cycle 2, the mean score of students in fluency was 67.207 and accuracy was 68.05. In cycle 3, the mean score of fluency was 71.451 and accuracy was 74.69.

Second previous study conducted by Hardiyanti, Rochsantiningsih, and Setyaningsih whose article under title Using Talking Chips to Improve Students’ Participation in EFL Classroom. They implemented this technique in State Senior High School 5 Surakarta at class X-5 in the academic year of 2012/2013. The researchers implemented and finished the teaching activity in five (5) meetings. The researchers also included game activity in the class to make the students active and participate in the teaching speaking. To know the result of the implementation done by them, the researchers try to include the improvement gained by the students by comparing the pre-observation and post-observation on the fifth meeting toward the implementing talking chips technique. Natural desire to participate, this aspect improves from 54.2% to 83.3% on the post-observation. Confidence, this aspect improves from 63.3% to 88.3% on the post observation. Enjoying discussion, it improves from 68.3% to 90.8% on the post-observation. Spontaneity, it improves from 38.3% to 53.3% on the post-observation. Focus, it achieves from 68.3% to 82.5% on the post-observation. This result can be concluded that talking chips technique really helps the improvement of students’ speaking ability.

   

Conclusion

Now the writer tries to conclude that using Talking Chips technique is one of techniques in teaching a foreign language to improve students’ speaking skill, and it can be used to make the teaching and learning process effective and all students’ can actively participate in the class. By applying this technique, the students can gain much improvement in their speaking skill. This proof can be seen from the two previous studies result taken and explained by the writer in the discussion section. In the end of this article, it is expected that English learners can improve their speaking skill through this technique applied in the class. In addition, the students are hoped that they can speak fluently, and they can speak accurately after the teacher applies this technique in the teaching speaking. 

Reference

Arbain, M. (2014). A descriptive study on the teaching of speaking skill at the eleventh grade of SMAN 4 Banjarmasin. Language-Edu Journal of English Teaching and

Learning, 3(1), 59-67.

Arsyad, M. (2014). Problems and solutions in developing speaking skill by the students of Midwifery Academic Study of Banua Bina Husada Banjarbaru. Language-Edu Journal of English Teaching and Learning, 3(1), 67-73.

Hardiyanti, F., Rochsantiningsih, D., & Setyaningsih, E. (2013). Using Talking Chips to improve students’ participation in EFL classroom. Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia.  

Herianto, R. (2013). Teaching speaking by using combining Scripting and Talking Chips strategy at junior high school (Unpublished thesis). (STKIP) PGRI Sumatera Barat, Sumatra Barat.

Rahmah, M. (2014). The effectiveness of unscripted role play on teaching speaking skill at English intensive class in State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. Language-Edu Journal of English Teaching and Learning, 3(3), 222-227.

Rohadi, I. (2013). The effectiveness of role play on speaking ability of the seventh grade students of MTsN Kediri II Kediri. Language-Edu Journal of English Teaching and Learning, 2(3), 451-458.

Syafryadin. (2013). The use of Talking Chips technique in improving students’ Speaking achievement (Unpublished thesis). Indonesia University of Education, Indonesia.