GANIS SUHESTI (0713042030)

TEACHER TALK
(An Analysis of Teacher Talk in a Kindergarten)
By
GANIS SUHESTI
0713042030


I. INTRODUCTION

This paper contains analysis of two recordings about the teaching learning process in a kindergarten. The name of the kindergarten is Taman Kanak-Kanak Bintang Ceria. It is located in Jalan Bumi Manti IV lk II no 07, Kampung Baru, Kedaton, Bandar Lampung.
I did these recording on Thursday, 4 November 2010 at 07.30-10.00 AM. In this kindergarten there are two female teachers; one is the head of the kindergarten and the other one is a student of STKIP PGRI Bandar Lampung. She is doing such kind of research in the kindergarten. They teach in turns but most of the teaching is done by the major teacher.
The students are come from different ethnics; most of them are Lampungnese and the rest is Javanese. The number of the students is ten. It consists of four female students and six male students. But, not all of the students are active in the teaching learning process. There is one female student who does not follow the class activity. She just wants to play many kinds of toys and media of teaching such as balloon, pictures, dolls, etc by herself.
The situation of the class is very interesting. Its classroom is very beautiful; it is managed in good order and full of colours. The tables and the chairs are in much kind of colours. Besides that, the classroom wall is full of colourful pictures that contain of teaching and learning materials. The interesting situation also can be seen from the teacher and students interaction. When the teachers are teaching, most of the students pay attention on them and they are active in following the class. This class is not too crowded because the teachers are able to manage the class well and the students will do whatever asked by the teacher to them to do. it can be said that this class is very conducive to have teaching and learning process.
In this case, the writer will analyze Teacher Talk. It is the language used by teacher to the students in the class. Teacher Talk is very important topic to be discussed because “Teacher Talk can have a tremendous impact on the success of interactions they have with students.” -- Parrish p.17. There are some questions arise about the Teacher Talk; how do teachers talk? What do they do while they are talking to their classes? When they talk, do they engage the attention of the class, present them with comprehensible input and also allow them to interrupt, comment, and ask for clarification, and so on? Is the teacher checking on comprehension as she or he talks? If so, what kinds of comprehension-checks are they using? Those will be discussed by analyzing the two recordings by getting the script of the teachers and students talk during the process of teaching and learning in Taman Kanak-Kanak Bintang Ceria.

II. FRAME OF THEORIES

A. Teacher Talk
Teacher talk is another variant of foreigner talk in an educational setting. It is the language that teachers use in class. “Teacher Talk can have a tremendous impact on the success of interactions they have with students.” -- Parrish p.17.

B. Characteristics of Teacher Talk
Wong-Fillmore (1985) suggests that there are some characteristics of teacher talk that might work as input. The characteristics are:
 The talk has clear separation of languages (no alteration or mixing)
 The talk emphasize on comprehension, it focuses on communication by : a) use of demonstration, enactment to convey meaning, b)new information presented in context of known information, c) heavy message redundancy.
 The language used is entirely grammatical, appropriate to the activity by: a) using simple structure, avoiding complex structures, b) repeating the use of some sentence patterns or routines, c) using repetitiveness, using paraphrase for variation.
 The talk use tailoring of elicitation questions to allow for different levels of participation from students.
 The talk has richness of language use, going beyond books, playfulness.

C. Input and Intake
Learners' most direct source of information about the target language is the target language itself. When they come into direct contact with the target language, this is referred to as "input." When learners process that language in a way that can contribute to learning, this is referred to as "intake."
Generally speaking, the amount of input learners take in is one of the most important factors affecting their learning. However, it must be at a level that is comprehensible to them. In his Monitor Theory, Krashen advanced the concept that language input should be at the "i+1" level, just beyond what the learner can fully understand; this input is comprehensible, but contains structures that are not yet fully understood. This has been criticized on the basis that there is no clear definition of i+1, and that factors other than structural difficulty (such as interest or presentation) can affect whether input is actually turned into intake.


D. Categories of Teacher Talk
According to Parrish (2004) teacher language or “teacher talk” falls into these categories:
• Warm-up chats
Warm-up chats may not be appropriate for pre-beginning level learners. Take care not to expect “chatting” in English until learners have adequate proficiency.
 Simplify warm-up language. For example: Can anyone tell me about the weather this past weekend? vs. How was the weather Saturday?
 Use previously learned structures and vocabulary in warm-up questions to review and practice known language.
 Use planned, practical warm-up questions and write them in lesson plans to insure simplicity.
 Ask individual learners to begin warm-up chats using their own questions.
 Warm-up doesn’t have to begin with a question, try an activity that is easy to demonstrate.
 Try to omit open-ended questions that begin with difficult language such as, who can tell me… or can anyone tell me about…

• Direct Instruction

 When new language (vocabulary or structures) is presented use visuals or gestures to convey meaning.
 A teacher’s voice is her essential realia. As with any effective realia it must be comprehensible and authentic. Use authentic pronunciation. We can slow our language without making it
 Unreal.
 Because speaking slower and louder doesn’t equal perfect pronunciation, speak at normal tone when introducing new vocabulary or structures.
 Keep modeling simple and clear. Don’t overload the chalkboard with too much or disorganized text.
 Don’t overload learners; strike a balance between elements that are familiar and mastered and those that are new. One could spend 2 full hours teaching names of body parts, is this beneficial for learners?
 Don’t fall into a vocabulary rut; many learners feel that teachers spend more time on words than how they are used.
 Maximize learner involvement by getting them to determine meaning of vocabulary items rather than by countless repetitions.
 Input theory suggests that speed, difficulty, visual clues, gestures and cultural dynamics can surface affective filters (barriers or blocks to learning).
• Giving Directions

o Demonstrate or do an example with one learner rather than explaining how to complete a task.
o The fewer words, the better.
o Use zero language when possible, just point and/or model a
o task or activity.
o Identify steps to an activity and demonstrate each step, one at a time. Steps can be given in one or two word verbs.
o Use level-appropriate grammar and vocabulary in the language of directions. For low beginning which direction line is more appropriate? What do you see in the picture on page 27? or What’s in the picture? or What’s this? When in doubt, check course syllabus for targeted grammar or vocabulary for each level.
o Teach simple classroom imperatives using visuals – repeat, read, write, listen, point etc. Post the visuals around room for continued use and add new words as they are introduced.
o Sketch the activity procedures on the board, labeling students and materials, using numbers and arrows as appropriate.
o Teach clarification phrases such as: Please repeat. Or I don’t understand. Or please speak slowly. These phrases can be posted on classroom walls so that students can continually refer to them.
• Giving Feedback
 Be honest.
 Be positive but don’t offer empty praise. Tell why learner performance was “good”.
 Use nonverbal feedback i.e., a smile, a gesture, a motion.
 If incorrect pronunciation or form is used in a learner response to a question, model the correction instead of talking about it.
 Celebrate success, individually and as a group.
 Teach vocabulary appropriate for teacher feedback such as good, excellent, need practice, okay etc. Use pictures to portray meaning of the targeted feedback.
 Try not to compare one learner to another.
 Comment on the parts of a learner’s response that was good and suggest improvements on parts that need improvement. Your pronunciation is good. Let’s work on grammar.
• Making Transitions

 Transition slowly, allow for quiet times – silence.
 Show learners when you are transitioning using a large posted picture outline
 Watch for learners who aren’t ready to move on and when appropriate, ask if learners are ready to transition.
 Teach transition words through modeling and/or pointing to icons on textbook pages. First, listen. Next, read.
 If the “agenda” for the night is posted or reviewed, make note when one activity is complete and another begins.

• Checking understandings

 Ask learners to complete a task that demonstrates understanding. It’s hot in here. Please open the window.
 Use YES/NO or +/- cards or 1 finger = yes, 2 fingers = no.
 Ask learners to paraphrase or restate.
 Ask a question that demonstrates understanding i.e.,
 Don’t always expect learners to volunteer answers to your questions. Use questioning techniques that are not intimidating.
 Allow for plenty of “wait time”. It can take many seconds (10-15) to retrieve the information from our memories and then produce a response.
 Some students may come from cultures where students do not question teachers. Teach phrases asking for clarification, repetition, or simplification i.e., “Excuse me. Please repeat.”
 Remember that questions must be comprehensible themselves, use learned language to form questions.

E. Traditional and Trendy Teacher Talk and Praising

Geoff Boarton gives example of traditional teacher talk: Right everyone, stop talking and look this way. This is more polite and good teacher talk. In the other hand, trendy-teacher speak: Hey guys, let’s just chill, yeah? It sounds not polite and tends to be bad teacher talk for students.
Furthermore, in praising a student would you use …‘Safe’ terms: Very good, Great, Brilliant, Well done, Excellent, Superb, and Terrific. While in ‘Sad’ terms are: Cool, Wicked, Chill, Funky, kosha, Pukka, Well good, lush, Sweet, and Crucial.

Geoff Boarton said: this is classic teacher talk – clear, repetitive, highly explicit and reassuring to most listeners.

It is also, like most teacher talk, full of questions. Teachers use questions like chefs use olive oil. They are a core ingredient of our language. Sometimes questions are genuinely exploratory (“Which other capital city has subway systems like this?”), occasionally open-ended (“What do you think?”), and – most controversially – a form of social control: “Peter, why aren’t you listening?”

Teacher talk is also full of imperative verb forms – commands and orders that we’d rarely think to use in everyday life. “Right, sit down! Get your books out! Leanne pays attention!”

F. Input Modification
Modifications by native speakers occur at level of linguistic and interaction. Modifications are made by native speakers to show that there are attempts done to make the nonnative speakers understand the message and maintain their conversation with the native speakers. The types of modifications are:
 Modifications in speech rate, intonation, and speech sound articulation
Pica (1994) states that two features had been of special interest in research on rate of speech: reduced number of words per minute and increased length of pause. Both areas were sensitive to learner proficiency.
 Modifications of morphology and syntax
This modification shows an attempt that is made by native speakers to make their utterance easier for non native speakers to comprehend the message delivered to them.
 Modifications in vocabulary
According to Chaudron (1988) the most common measure used to investigate vocabulary modifications is the ratio of number of different words to number of words produced (smaller the ratio, the less diverse).
 Modifications of discourse
This modification is also called interactional modification (see Braidi, 1995).
Hatch (1978) has proposed taxonomy of interactional moves. This taxonomy includes comprehension checks (to see if the listener has understood), clarification request (for more information or explanation) exact self-repetition, exact other repetition, restatement (or semantic self-repetition) by the speaker, other statement (semantic other-repetition), expansion of native speaker statement), and topic switches.



III. CONTENT

A. Scripts of the Recordings

a) Script of the First Record

Teacher : satu,, ,dua,,, bersama-sama,,, tepuk satu,,,!!!
Students : (tepuk tangan)
Teacher : emang Ramzi telinganya dua belas,,, tepuk satu,,,!!!
Students : ya,,, ya,,,,,, ya,,,,
Teacher : tepuk dua,,,!
Students : (tepuk tangan sambil berhitung) satu, dua , tiga , empat, lima,,,
Teacher : siapa yg mau main plastisin?
Students : saya,,, saya,,,
Teacher : hitung dulu alfabetnya yok!!! A, B, C,
Teacher &students : D,E, F, G,H, I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z…
Teacher : gimana nyanyinya?
Teacher&students: (bernyanyi) A, B, C, D,E, F, G,H, I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z…
Teacher : ya,,, nah,,, nanti kita mau main plastisin,,, nah,,, anak-anak nanti dibagikan plastisin,,, ya,,, terus kita buat….
Students : lilin,,,, lilin,,,
Teacher : ya,,,, siapa yang mau main plastisin?
Students : saya,,, saya,,, saya,,, saya mau yang merrah,,,
Teacher : iya,,,jadi ,,, ….. jangan ngobrol Riko,,,,!!!
Students : iya bu guru,,, bergantian,,,
Teacher : iya,, bergantian,,, kita buat panjang seperti ini,,, ya,,,nanti dibuat seperti angka sembilan,,, iya,,, dibuat kayak begini aja kayak huruf W,,, tu,,, seperti ini,,, kita tutup,,, ini kan lurus ya,,, nah,,,nanti jadinya seperti ii,,, ini,,,,,
Students :bu guru,,, kata ibu aku,,, pas ibu aku beli,,, di sekolahan kakak aku,,, plastisinnya ga bisa dipake lho,,,,
Teacher : kenapa?
Students :ga tau,,,
Teacher : iya,,, karena belum bisa menggunakan,,, kannya,,, kalo anak- anak udah sekolah udah bias,,, pasti tahu plastisin ini buat apa,,, untuk mainan buat apa?
Students :aku tahu,,,,
Teacher :untuk apa?untuk bentuk apa Nikita?
Students :bunga,,, gambar,,,,
Teacher :iya bentuk gambar atau bunga bisa,,, bentuk pohon bissa,,, daun,,,
Student : bola api,,,
Teacher :kalo bola api kayak mana ya,,, ??? udah,,,,
Students :udah,,,,
Teacher :dah,,, nanti kita bentuk seperti huruf apa ya ini?
Students : G,,,
Teacher :G,,, apa???
Students :G,,,
Teacher : ya ibu kasih plastisinnya nanti anak-anak membuat bola dulu,,,
Students : bu guru,,,, aq bu guru,,, saya bu guru,,,, aq mau yang merah bu,,, aq yang biru bu,,,
Teacher : coba diambil sedikit,,, diambil sedikit,,,
Students :aq bu guru,,, saya bu guru,,,
Teacher : Neng,,, diambil sedikit,,, coba yang besar itu dibagi dua,,,
Students :bulet-bulet,,,, bulet-bulet,,,
Teacher : dibagi dua,,,
Students :bola-bola,,, bola-bola,,,
Teacher : iya dibagi dua,,, kamu gak tau dibagi dua,,,
Students :merah,,,gimana?
Teacher :dipotong,,,,
Students :dipotong gini,,,???
Teacher :heeh,,, dibagi dua,,,
Students :gini??
Teacher : kamu anak ragil ya,,, makanya punya adik,,, biar bisa bagi,,,
Students :kayak gini bu guru,,,
Teacher : iya,,, dibulat-bulat dulu,,, dibikin bulet dulu,,,trus kita buat lonjong,,,
Students : hihi,,, hihihi,,,,
Teacher :yok,,,
Students :kayak gini,,,
Teacher : ya betul,,, ya,,, sekarang kalo udah jadi panjang seperti ini,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher : iya,,, dibentuk huruf G,,,
Students :segini bu guru,,,
Teacher : ya,,, ya,,,
Students :gini bu,,,dah jadi,,,
Teacher :iya,,,
Students :jadi!!!! Jadi!!!!
Teacher : dibentuk huruf G,,,
Students :ya,,, aq buatnya kayak gini,,,,
Teacher : hayyo mana,,,
Students :ini bu,,,,
Teacher :Putri,,, kalo kamu buat huruf G ga keliatan Put,,, panjangan,,, kakinya dibuat agak panjang,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher : iya agak panjang,,,
Students :yeee,,,, yeee,,,,
Teacher : kakinya agak panjang,,,


b). Script of the Second Record
Teacher : ini C,,,
Students :C,,,
Teacher : kalo yang ijo,,,, ini D,,,
Students :D,,,
Teacher : ini,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :ini,,
Students :B,,,
Teacher : oh ya,,,, ini B,,,
Students :E,,,
Teacher : E,,, kemudian ini,,,
Students :S,,,
Teacher :S dari kulkas,,, coba,,, apa,,,
Students :F,,,
Teacher :apa?
Students :F,,,
Teacher : kemudian,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher : iya,,, siapa yang ga kenal huruf G? Riko kenal gak?
Students :kenal bu,,,
Teacher :coba tulis di udara,,, lihat ini gambarnya,,, hayyo,,,
Students :gini,,,
Teacher : gambarnya gimana ya,,, satu,, dua, tiga,,, ( sambil menggambarkan di udara).
Students : gini bu,,, satu,,, dua,,, tiga,,,
Teacher : coba,,,
Students :kan gini ibu guru,,, trus gini,,,
Teacher :ya,,,
Students :gini,,,
Teacher :ya,,, ya,,, sekarang,,, dengarkan,,, ibu mau beri tugas nanti anak-anak menulis huruf G,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :apa ini Ramzi?

Students :G,,,
Teacher :apa?
Students :G,,,
Teacher :Putri,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :apa?
Students :G,,,
Teacher :Rio,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :Nita,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :Panji,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :ga boleh gigit jari nak,,, ayo,,, apa,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :ini apa hayyo,,, ini apa Leon,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :heeh,,, ini,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :G,,, kemudian ini,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :apa? Hey,,, ayo,,, biar ga bintang satu lagi,,, ayo,,,
Students :G,,,
Teacher :sekali lagi,,, apa? Students :G,,,
Teacher : ya,,, sekarang kumpulkan,,, putar kursinya menghadap ke meja,,,
Students : (anak-anak memutar kursinya menghadap ke meja)
Teacher :yang bekerja tangan,,, tidak bersuara,,, ayo,,,
Students :aku bu,,, aku bu,,,,,
Teacher : (sambil memberikan pensil dan buku)
Students : punyaku panjang,,, panjanng,,, ada penghapusnya,,, punyaku juga,,,
Teacher :mau pake pensil apa ga?
Students :mau,,,
Teacher : kalo ga mau pake pensil udah,,, nulisnya ga usah pake pensil,,,
Students :punyamu lebih panjang,,, panjangan,,,
Teacher :sama saja,,,
Students :punyaku panjang,,,
Teacher :sama saja,,, nanti kalo ga ada penulisnya mau nulis pake apa,,, udah,,,, ini pegang,,,
Students : (siswa mulai menulis huruf G)
Teacher :yang bekerja tangannya,,,
Students :bu guru yang kayak gini kan,,,
Teacher :iya,,, lihat contohnya,,,
Students :bu guru yang kayak gini kan???
Teacher :dicoba,,, ya,,,
Students :hihi,,, hi,,,
Teacher : yang huruf G,,, tadi kan udah latihan kita panggil huruf G,,, sekarang dicoba buat,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher :luruskan-luruskan,,, yang rapi coba,,,
Students :gini,,,
Teacher :ya,,, jangan mengkol-mengkol,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher :iya,,,
Students :bu guru,,, yang kayak gini?
Teacher :itu apa itu? Gini,,, satu, dua, tiga,,, coba,,,
Students : (mulai menulis)
Teacher :udah ya,,, ini pake ini,,,
Students :ini bu guru,,,
Teacher :iya,,, bagus bener,, ayo gini,,, ini tarik,,, trus ada lehernya ayo,,,
Students : (sambil menulis)
Teacher :udah jangan kayak gitu,,, ayo,,, iya,,,
Students :ya bu,,,
Teacher :ayo sekarang Putri,,, ayo,,,
Students :ngantuk bu,,,
Teacher :jangan dikit-dikit ngantuk,,, nanti kamu ga bisa,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher :ini ke bawah ya,,, lihat contoh,,,
Students :gini bu,,,
Teacher :dicoba dulu,,,
Students :bu guru,,,
Teacher : iya-iya,,,
Students :panjangan punyaku,,,
Teacher :jangan panjang-panjangan,,, sama saja,,,
Students :udah bu,,,
Teacher :Intan udah,,,
Students :udah bu,,,
Teacher :coba,,, coba,,, lihat,,, kamu bissa,,, Cuma ini kok ga rapi ini,,
Students :gimana bu,,,
Teacher :coba luruskan,,, trus melingkar,,,
Students :iya bu,,,
Teacher :iya coba terus,,,
Students :gini-gini,,,
Teacher :iya trus,,, yang bekerja sekarang tangannya,,,

B. Discussion
Based on the recordings, the writer finds some characteristics of teacher talk used by teacher in teaching students in the kindergarten and the teachers also modify the input. Those are the teacher always repeats what she says to the students in order to make them understand what she is explaining. One of the examples of this repetition can be seen from the first paragraph; (Teacher: coba diambil sedikit… diambil sedikit…). This is done by the teacher to make the students understand by themselves what they should do with the utterance said. This will be done until the students understand.
Besides that, the teacher talk use demonstration in the communication with the students. This is done to make the students convey the meaning of what she says. This demonstration example is in the second recording; (Teacher: iya,,, siapa yang ga kenal huruf G? Riko kenal gak?, Teacher: coba tulis di udara,,, lihat ini gambarnya,,, hayyo,,,) and there are more demonstration examples in the scripts.
The other language used by teacher is that the teacher explained the material very clearly. The example of this teacher talk is " gambarnya gimana ya,,, satu,, dua, tiga,,, ( sambil menggambarkan di udara). In this case, the teacher explained by giving the real example. This aims the students will get the point of the material.
The teacher also uses simple sentence when she is explaining something. The example is “iya,,, dibentuk huruf G,,,”, “dibikin bulet dulu,,,trus kita buat lonjong,,,”. If the teacher give complex sentence to students when she is explaining something, it will make the students confuse.
Teacher Talk is also full of questions. These questions are asked to students to explore students understanding about something. For example of this is “untuk apa?untuk bentuk apa Nikita?”, “dah,,, nanti kita bentuk seperti huruf apa ya ini?”. By giving questions, it will make students think about what have been asked.
Furthermore, the teacher talk is also full of imperative verb forms. This can be seen in this example “Neng,,, diambil sedikit!!! coba yang besar itu dibagi dua!!!”, “yang huruf G,,, tadi kan udah latihan kita panggil huruf G,,, sekarang dicoba buat,,,”,” luruskan-luruskan,,, yang rapi coba,,,”, “ya,,, jangan mengkol-mengkol,,,”. Those are done to make students able to do something in the right way. The teacher also pays attention on the students’ attitude; if students make negative attitude, she asks them to do the better and the best one. The examples are “jangan dikit-dikit ngantuk,,, nanti kamu ga bisa,,,”, “iya,,,jadi ,,, ….. jangan ngobrol Riko,,,,!!!”, ‘ga boleh gigit jari nak,,, ayo,,, apa,,,”.

The teacher talk uses reassuring system. In this case, the teacher will ask the same question in order to reassure them whether they have understood or not. The examples in the recordings are “untuk apa?untuk bentuk apa Nikita?”, “dah,,, nanti kita bentuk seperti huruf apa ya ini?”, “sekali lagi,,, apa?”.

The teacher used her honesty to reflect the students. If the results of the students did is right, not complex, or even wrong, she ask the students the truth. If they are wrong and she shows how the correct one will be. The example of this teacher talk “coba,,, coba,,, lihat,,, kamu bissa,,, cumin kok ga rapi ini,,”, “iya,,, bagus bener,, ayo gini,,, ini tarik,,, trus ada lehernya ayo,,,”, “ya betul,,, ya,,, sekarang kalo udah jadi panjang seperti ini,,,”.

The teacher talk is also giving praising to the students. It can be gifts, or higher level or score, or by in the saying good, excellent, smart, etc. in the recordings, the praising given are “iya,,, bagus bener”, “coba,,, coba,,, lihat,,, kamu bissa,,, pinter”. By doing this, the students will be very happy and more active.

Unfortunately, the teacher talk has combined with utterance that is not good and suitable for children. The teacher has talked this statement “emang Ramzi telinganya dua belas,,, tepuk satu,,,!!!”. This sounds so bad. It will make the student shame and do not want to learn anymore. Good and professional teacher should avoid statements that can underestimate their students and even they can imitate the bad statements that teacher talk.

IV. CONCLUSION

Teacher talk is another variant of foreigner talk in an educational setting. It is the language that teachers use in class. “Teacher Talk can have a tremendous impact on the success of interactions they have with students.”

Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that there are many types or characteristics of teacher talk used by the teacher of Taman Kanak-Kanak Bintang Ceria and also they make modification input to make the students understand what they are explaining. Those are about the using of repetition, demonstrations, clear explanation, simple sentence, full of questions, full of imperative verb forms, reassuring system, honesty, praising, and the last one is mixing of bad statement.

Most of the teacher talks are good in the succeeding teaching learning process in the kindergarten except the last one; mixing of bad statement. The students who have this kind of statement will be shy and hard to learn because of it. So, as good and professional kindergarten teacher, we should teach in the right way by avoiding to talk inappropriate statements that will make them down and make them imitate what teacher talk.