Applying in Indirect Strategy

ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING STREATEGIES

APPLYING INDIRECT STRATEGIES TO THE FOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS

Lecturer : Syaprizal, M.Pd

Compiled By

1)      Weni Agustina    

2)      Milva Winda Selvianti   

3)      Ika Agus Rizkiani          

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

INSTITUTE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS OF REPUBLICS OF INDONESIA

(STKIP PGRI LUBUKLINGGAU)

2016

APPLYING INDIRECT STRATEGIES TO THE FOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS

       I.            Introduction

Indirect strategies works best when used in combination with direct strategies. Direct strategies involves the language directly, while indirect strategies provide indirect support for language learning through: focusing, planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, controlling anxiety, increasing cooperation and empathy and other means.

1.             Meta Cognitive Strategies

"Metacognitive" means beyond, beside, or with the cognitive. There­fore, metacognitive strategies are actions which go beyond purely cognitive devices, and which provide a way for learners to coordinate their own learning process. Metacognitive strategies include three strategy sets: Cen­tering Your Learning, Arranging and Planning Your Learning, and Eval­uating Your Learning. Ten strategies form these three groups, the acronym for which is CAPE (see Figure 4.2). Remember these strategy sets by saying, "Metacognitive strategies make language learners more CAPE-able."

A.   Centering your learning

This set of three strategies helps learners to converge their attention and energies on certain language tasks, activities, skills, or materials. Use of these strategies provides a focus for language learning.

1)             Overviewing and linking with already known material

Overviewing comprehensively a key concept, principle, or set of materials in an upcoming language activity and associating it with what is already known. This strategy can be accomplished in many different ways, but it is often helpful to follow three steps: learning why the activity is being done, building the needed vocabulary, and making the associations.

2)             Paying attention

Deciding in advance to pay attention in general to a language learning task and to ignore distractors (by directed attention), and/or to pay attention to specific aspects of the language or to situational details (by selective atten­tion).

3)             Delaying speech production to focus on listening

Deciding in advance to delay speech production in the new language either totally or partially, until listening comprehension skills are better de­veloped. Some language theorists encourage a "silent period" of delayed speech as part of the curriculum, but there is debate as to whether all students require this

2.             Affective Strategies

The term affective refers to emotions, attitudes, motivations, and val­ues. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the affective factors influencing language learning. Language learners can gain control over these factors through affective strategies. As shown in Figure 4.3, three main sets of affective strategies exist: Lowering Your Anxiety, Encouraging Yourself, and Taking Your Emotional Temperature (10 strategies in all). The acronym LET comes from the first letter of each one of these strategy sets—"affective strategies help language learners LET their hair down!"

A.     Lowering Your Anxiety

Three anxiety-reducing strategies are listed here. Each has a physical component and a mental component.

1)             Using Progressive Relaxation, Deep Breathing, or Meditation

Using the technique of alternately tensing and relaxing all of the major muscle groups in the body, as well as the muscles in the neck and face, in order to relax; or the technique of breathing deeply from the diaphragm; or the technique of meditating by focusing on a mental image or sound.

2)             Using Music

Listening to soothing music, such as a classical concert, as a way to relax.

3)             Using Laughter

Using laughter to relax by watching a funny movie, reading a humorous book, listening to jokes, and so on.

3.             Social Strategies

A.     Asking Questions

This set of strategies include both asking for clarification or verification and asking for correction.

1)             Asking for clarification

Asking for clarification or verification is concerned, it is used when learners are not sure about anything connected with language learning and need to ask somebody for help. Therefore, this strategy is regarded as “asking the speaker to repeat, paraphrase, explain, slow down, or give examples; asking if a specific utterance is correct or if a rule fits a particular case; paraphrasing or repeating to get feedback on whether something is correct” (Oxford 1990: 146). All in all, the strategy of asking for clarification or verification should be emphasized to learners as a useful one and teachers should support learners to use it. Oxford (1990) lists several conversational questions which learners should be aware of and learn.

2)             Asking for correction

The strategy of asking for correction is related to language skills of speaking and writing and is similar to the meta cognitive strategy of self-monitoring in the way that it deals with errors as well. As it was mentioned in the strategy of self-monitoring, correction should be done in a careful way so that learners cannot lose their motivation to speak or write.

Conclusion

            Language learning strategies need to the students to make them become autonomous learners. Students should be encouraged to to become independent learners and responsible for their own learning in improving their English skills. The strategy is to be implemented are: (a) memory trategies (b) cognitive strategies (c) compensation strategies (d) metacognitive strategies (e) affective strategies (f) social strategies.