IMPROVING THE ABILITY IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS THROUGH BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUE
Anni Alimatul Azizah, Desnila Sahara
Department of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, State Institute of Islamic Studies of Metro
Anniazizah035@gmail.com, Saharadesnila76@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The implementation of brainstorming technique in the writing classes was believed to be effective to improve students’ ability in writing descriptive texts. Brainstorming technique helped the students to generate ideas and organize them into paragraphs. They could manage the time for writing more effectively and perform the writing task more maximally. The students also perceived that brainstorming technique helps them to improve their writing ability. This implies that the implementation of brainstorming technique in the writing instructions gives positive effects on improving students’ performance and achievement in writing descriptive text. In reference to the result of the study, brainstorming could improve the students’ ability in writing descriptive texts in terms of encouraging the students to start with writing. Brainstorming facilitates the students to activate their prior knowledge before they practice their writings. It helps them generate ideas more effectively and release their anxiety that cause the writer’s block. By using the technique, the students could feel at ease in performing the writing task.
Keywords: Brainstorming Technique, Writing Skill, Writing Descriptive Text, Descriptive Text
I. INTRODUCTION
A. WRITING
Bello states that writing enhances language acquisition as learners experiment with words, sentences, and other elements of writing to communicate their idea effectively, and to reinforce the grammar and vocabulary they are learning in class.[1]
According to Nunan, writing can be defined by a series of contrast. The first, writing is both a physical and a mental act. At the most basic level, writing is the physical act of committing words or ideas to some medium. On the other hand, writing is the mental work of investing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to a reader. The second, its purpose is both to express and impress.[2]
According to Elbow (in Brown) writing is a transaction with words whereby you free yourself from what you presently think, feel, and perceive.[3]
Moreover, Ghaith state that writing is a complex process that allows writers to explore thoughts and ideas, and make them visible and concrete.[4]
From the descriptions above, it can be concluded that writing is a process of organizing ideas in which the writer is demanded to perform creativity in using the language skills to produce a written text.
B. DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
Emilia state that descriptive text is a kind of text that has a purpose to give the information about something or someone.[5] In Descriptive text, writers describe person, object, appearances, landscape or phenomenon naturally so they can make the reader imagine and feel it.[6]
Wardiman, et. al. specify the generic structure of descriptive text into two part which are introduction and description. Introduction is the part of paragraph that introduces the character, while description is the part of paragraph that describes the character.[7]
According to Oshima and Hogue, descriptive writing appeals to the senses, so it tells how something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and/ or sounds.[8]
The generic structures of a descriptive text are as follows: (1) identification: an introduction to the subject of the description; (2) description of features: describe the characteristic features of the subject.[9]
While the language features of a descriptive text are follows: (1) use of particular nouns; (2) use of detailed noun groups to provide information about the subject; (3) use of a variety of types of adjectives; (4) use of relating verbs to provide information about the subject; (5) use of thinking and feeling verbs to express the writer’s personal view about the subject or to give an insight into the subject’s thoughts and feelings; (6) use of action verbs to describe the subject’s behavior; (7) use of adverbials to provide more information about this behavior; (8) use of similes, metaphors and other types of figurative language, particularly in literary descriptions.[10]
C. BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUE
1. Definition Brainstorming Technique
According to Blanchard and Root, Brainstorming is a quick way to generate a lot of ideas on a subject. The purpose is to make a list of as many as ideas as possible without worrying about how will use them.[11]
Beacon learning center proposes a similar definition on its website, it describes brainstorming as a prewriting technique of focusing on a particular subject or topic and freely jotting down any and all ideas which come to your mind without limiting or censoring information – if it comes to mind, write it down! Ideas may be single words, phrases, ideas, details, examples, descriptions, feelings, people, situations, etc.[12]
While Ghaith, in his article, states that brainstorming is similar to free writing in that you write down everything you can think of without considering whether it is valid, good or usable. The difference between free writing and brainstorming is that free writing takes on a format that looks something like a paragraph, while brainstorming usually result in a list of words and phrases.[13]
From the ideas previously, the writer conclude that brainstorming is a useful technique that can be applied in prewriting stage to encourage students to generate ideas on a certain topic they are about to write.
2. Basic Rules in Brainstorming Technique
There are four basic rules in Brainstorming, namely:
a. Focus on quantity
The assumption that applies here is that the more ideas produced, the greater the chance to produce radical and effective solutions.
b. Withhold criticism
In Brainstorming, criticism of ideas that emerge will be delayed. Assessment is done at the end of the session, this is to make students feel free to come up with various ideas during the learning process.
c. Welcome unusual ideas
Unusual ideas appear to be welcomed warmly. It could be that this unusual idea is a problem solution that will provide a good perspective for the future.
d. Combine and improve ideas
Good ideas can be combined into a better idea.[14]
3. The Steps of Brainstorming Technique
Brainstorming technique provides a classroom activity to support the planning stage of writing process. The purpose is to help students to generate ideas and organize their thought on a topic to write about by making a list of ideas that come to minds without any pressure to be “brilliant”.[15] Blanchard and Root, mention the steps of brainstorming.
a. Begin with a broad topic.
b. Write down as many as ideas about topic as you can in 5 minutes.
c. Add more items to your list by answering the question what, how, when, where, why, and who.
d. Group similar items on the list together
e. Cross out items that do not belong[16]
There are also some rules to be followed in doing a brainstorming activity. Oshima and Hogue propose the rules of brainstorming as follows:
a. Write down your general subject or specific topic.
b. Make a list of everything that comes to your mind about it.
c. Use words, phrases, and/or sentences. Don’t worry about the order of ideas, mechanics, grammar, or spelling.
d. Just keep writing down whatever comes to your mind until you run out of ideas. Because you are only brainstorming, don’t be concerned if you repeat several ideas.[17]
By following the steps and rules of brainstorming, students will find it easier to write paragraphs. Many writers prefer brainstorming because the resulting list is easy to work with in terms of separating ideas. With little effort, they have an informal outline that can guid them in organizing their draft. Brainstorming can be done individually or in group.
4. The Advantages of Brainstorming
According to the handout from The Writing Center, brainstorming can help a writer to choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential. This technique is useful whether writers are starting with too much information or not enough. When they’ve got nothing, they might need a storm to approach when they feel “blank” about the topic, devoid of inspiration, full of anxiety about the topic, or just too tired to craft an orderly outline. In this case, brainstorming stirs up the dust, whips some air into our stilled pools of thought, and gets the breeze of inspiration moving again. While, when they’ve got too much, there are times when they have too much chaos in their brain and need to bring in some conscious order. In this case, brainstorming forces the mental chaos and random thoughts to rain out onto the page, giving them some concrete words or schemas that they can then arrange according to their logical relations.[18]
Brainstorming activity can be done individually or in group. The implementation of group brainstorming in the writing class provides some advantages to the students. The advantages are presented as below.
a. It is stimulating and provides a varied instructional approach.
It generates enthusiasm and eagerness to join in by its open invitation to participate and its rapid, free-wheeling approach.
b. It is highly motivating.
Students who usually allow their verbal, articulate classmates to dominate question-and-answer periods get the urge to participate. They are not "put down" or degraded for "wrong answers" and feel a real sense of contribution as their suggestions are noted on the project sheets. On the other hand, those who dominate traditional classroom situations are also stimulated to get their ideas out and on the record.
c. It increases "task focus."
The brainstorming group is kept on target with very little pressure from the group leader because of the structure and ground rules. Editorializing, personal commentary, rejoinders, eloquent speeches, and the other destructive activities of committees are eliminated in this process.
d. It promotes spontaneity and creativity.
The members of the group begin to link ideas and "bounce suggestions off the group" in a sounding-board procedure that gathers momentum as the session continues. Mental power is fully unleashed in this positive atmosphere.
e. It is efficient and productive.
Scores of ideas and suggestions or problems and obstacles can be listed in a few minutes. Parallel suggestions and obstacles lead the group toward sound "next steps."
f. It involves participants in the ownership of ideas.
The participants feel greater kinship for their product as they assume group ownership of their ideas and suggestions. Problem solving is made much easier when communal commitment is guaranteed.
g. It provides a permanent record and aids in developing solutions to problems.
The results of the sessions can easily be reproduced or reused to design alternate procedures and programs for solving problems or meeting objectives. The production of the group takes on value as a permanent evaluation record and as testimony to individual and group effort.[19]
It can be concluded that brainstorming brings some benefits in writing. The technique facilitates the students to generate ideas effectively by giving them opportunity to explore their prior knowledge about particular subjects. It would help the students to overcome the problem related to the writer’s block that usually faced by the students in the early stage of writing.
5. Disadvantages of Brainstorming Technique
Besides having many advantages, the Brainstorming method also has weaknesses. The following are the disadvantages of the Brainstorming method proposed by Sudjana, as follows:
a. Students who lack attention and lack the courage to express their opinions will feel compelled to convey their thoughts.
b. Easy answers tend to be easy regardless of chain opinions.
c. Students tend to assume that all their opinions are accepted,
d. Requires further evaluation to determine the priority of opinions conveyed,
e. Children who are not always left behind,
f. Sometimes talk is only monopolized by smart kids.[20]
While according to Roestiyah, the disadvantages of the Brainstorming method are as follows:
a. Teachers don't give students enough time to think well,
b. Less intelligent children always miss,
c. The teacher only accommodates opinions never formulating conclusions,
d. Does not guarantee the results of problem solving,
e. Problems can develop in unexpected directions.[21]
One thing is natural if in the implementation of learning using certain methods there are advantages and disadvantages in it. Brainstorming learning methods have advantages, namely there is a stage of identifying needs, sources, and possible obstacles in learning. In the implementation of each student with the application of this method can be more motivated motivation to take lessons, so that lessons are felt to be more meaningful. To overcome the weaknesses in the application of this method, it takes a skill from the teacher in terms of asking or managing the class so that the activities can be felt more optimally. In this study, for example, it is done with the appearance of the media as much as possible so that the opinions that are available are not far from the focus of the problem presented.
II. DISCUSSION
Writing is a process of organizing ideas in which the writer is demanded to perform creativity in using the language skills to produce a written text. It is a complex cognitive activity in which the writer is required to demonstrate control of a number of variables simultaneously. At the sentence level those include control of content, format, sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, and letter formation. Beyond the sentence, the writer must be able to structure and integrate information into cohesive and coherent paragraphs and texts. Further, writing in a new language would a more complex activity since writers have to deal with the differences beetween the first language writing and the targeted language writing. The new language has different use of its language features. Therefore, in writing english, EFL students often influenced by the use of language features in their first language writing. It leads the students to make errors in their targeted language writing.
Moreover, in writing a certain type of text, writers have to deal with certain language features. In writing descriptive texs, the writers deal with details and characteristic features of a person, thing, or place. Therefore, writers need a good vocabulary mastery in order to be able to describe someone or something clearly. With that poor vocabulary mastery, students often have problem in choosing the appropriate words to provide information about the subject.
Those elements of writing can be developed with practice. The ability to write the better sentence or choose the better word does not come from a book, but with experience. To help the students improving their writing ability, the teacher should implement strategies in the writing instructions and provide the students with appropriate trainings. Besides, the students also need to train their selves to develop their writing skills.
Since writing is a very complex cognitive activity, students find it complicated to master writing. They consider writing as a daunting task. It makes them less interested in learning writing. Without interest and motivation, students may spend long hours in the classroom with poor achievement. The students’ negative attitude toward writing might cause anxiety that develop the writers’ block. It would make them hesitate to start writing. Besides, the students also face difficulty in generating and organizing their ideas. They often spend much time in getting ideas yet they still don’t know how to start their writing. They also confuse to decide what to write first and what to write next.
Regarding to those issues, the writing instructions should provide the students with appropriate materials and activities to encourage the students’ learning. Implementing brainstorming technique could be suitable for that situation. Brainstorming can be a quick way to generate a lot of ideas on a subject.
There are three stages in writing. They are prewriting, drafting, and revising. For each stage, students should be provided with suggestions of the kinds of classroom activities that support the learning of specific writing skill. In planning (prewriting) stage, teachers can help students generate ideas through such activities as brainstorming, clustering, and rapid free writing. Brainstorming technique provides a classroom activity to support the planning stage of writing process. The purpose is to help students to generate ideas and organize their thought on a topic to write about by making a list of ideas that come to minds without any pressure to be “brilliant”. By using brainstorming technique, students will find it easier to write paragraphs.
The implementation of brainstorming technique was aimed at solving the problems raised in the field. In this case, the activity was designed to improve the students’ ability in writing descriptive texts.
Brainstorming was chosen because of the structures of the activity which was appropriate to be implemented in the teaching and learning process of writing. Brainstorming technique could be done in large groups, small groups, and individually. Doing brainstorming in group is enjoyable, exciting, and competitive. It could be used to gain the students’ enthusiasm and engagement in writing activity that very useful for overcoming their anxiety about writing. Moreover, brainstorming technique could help writers choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen their understanding of the topic’s potential. It is useful whether writers have too few ideas, or too many. It could help writers to organize their thoughts. The implementation of brainstorming technique in writing activity was expected to help the students generating and organizing ideas. It enables the students to write more effectively.
III. CONCLUSION
The Brainstorming technique itself is a technique or teaching carried out by the teacher in the class. It is by throwing a problem into the class by the teacher, and then students answer or express opinions or comments so that the problem might develop into a new problem, or it could be interpreted as a way to get lots of ideas from a group of people in a short time.
The implementation of this method the teacher's task is to provide problems that are able to stimulate students' minds, so that they can respond, and the teacher may not comment that the student's opinion is right or wrong. While the role of students in this brainstorming method is to have the provision of knowledge to respond to problems, express opinions, ask questions, or raise new problems through the process of imagination that they have. They learn and practice formulating their opinions with good language and sentences, so that they can get the right conclusions after learning.
Brainstorming technique has the advantage of, among others, draining everything that is thought by students in responding to the problems posed by the teacher to him and to obtain various possible solutions to a problem. However, the disadvantages of this method are, among others, that students tend to assume that all their opinions will be accepted and the teacher also feels less in giving enough time for students to think well.
IV. REFERENCES
Alwasilah, A. Pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif. Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya. 2007.
Bello, T. Writing Topics for Adult ESL Students. Paper presented at the 31st Annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language Convention, Orlando, FI, USA. 1997.
Blanchard, K. & Root, C. Ready to Write: A first Composition Text (Third Edition). New York: Pearson Education, Inc. 2003.
Brown, H. D. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd Edition). New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 2001.
Emilia, E. Teaching writing: Developing critical learners. Bandung: Rizqi Press, 2010
Ghazi, Ghaith.Writing.http:/www.uhu.es/antonia.dominguez/virtualwriting/writing.html. 2002.
Ibnian, Salem. Brainstorming and Essay Writing in EFL Class, Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3. Finland: Academy Publisher. 2001.
Kholoud Hussein Amoush. Brainstorming Appoach, Journal 0f Educationand Practice Vol.6, No.35, University of Jordan : 2015
Nunan, David. Practical English Language Teaching (First Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2003.
Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. Introduction to Academic Writing (2nd Edition). New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 1997.
Rao, Z. Training in Brainstorming and Developing Writing Skills. ELT Journal Volume 61/2. Oxford University Press. 2007.
Roestiyah. Strategi Belajar Mengajar. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta. 2001.
Sudjana, D. Metode & Metode Pembelajaran Partisipatif. Bandung: Falah Production. 2001.
Tribble, Christopher. Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1996.
Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth. Brainstorming. A Handout by The Writing Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill : 2002
Wardiman, et al. Descriptive Text in Teaching English. 2010
Widiari, N.P.A.A, Improving writing skill through brainstorming technique of tenth grade students of SMAN 1 Abiansemal In Academic Year 2010/2011. Denpasar: Mahasaraswati. Denpasar : Unpublished Thesis. 2011.
Zemach, D. E. & Rumisek, L. A. Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay. Macmillan: Cambridge University Press. 2005.
[1] Bello, T, Writing Topics for Adult ESL Students. (Orlando, FI, USA : Paper presented at the 31st Annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Language Convention, 1997) P. 44
[2] Nunan, David, Practical English Language Teaching (First Edition), (New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2003) P. 88
[3] Brown, H. D, Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd Edition). (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2001) P.342
[4] Ghazi, Ghaith, Writing, (http:/www.uhu.es/antonia.dominguez/virtualwriting/writing.htm, 2002) P. 37
[5] Emilia, E, Teaching writing: Developing critical learners, ( Bandung: Rizqi Press, 2010) P.53
[6] Alwasilah, A, Pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif, (Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya, 2002) P.121
[7] Wardiman, et al, Descriptive Text in Teaching English, (2010) P. 78
[8] Oshima, A. & Hogue, A, Introduction to Academic Writing (2nd Edition). (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 1997) P.50
[9] Zemach, D. E. & Rumisek, L. A, Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, (Macmillan: Cambridge University Press, 2005) P 76
[10] Tribble, Christopher, Writing. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) P.23
[11] Blanchard, K. & Root, C, Ready to Write: A first Composition Text (Third Edition), (New York: Pearson Education, Inc, 2003) P.41
[12] Ibnian, Salem, Brainstorming and Essay Writing in EFL Class, Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3. (Finland: Academy Publisher, 2001) P.7
[13] Ghazi, Ghaith, Writing, (http:/www.uhu.es/antonia.dominguez/virtualwriting/writing.html, 2002) P.97
[14] Widiari, N.P.A.A, Improving writing skill through brainstorming technique of tenth grade students of SMAN 1 Abiansemal In Academic Year 2010/2011. Denpasar: Mahasaraswati, (Denpasar : Unpublished Thesis, 2011)
[15] Kholoud Hussein Amoush, Brainstorming Appoach, Journal 0f Educationand Practice Vol.6, No.35, (University of Jordan : 2015)
[16] Blanchard, K. & Root, C, Ready to Write: A first Composition Text (Third Edition), (New York: Pearson Education, Inc, 2003) P.41
[17] Oshima, A. & Hogue, A, Introduction to Academic Writing (2nd Edition). (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 1997) P.68.
[18] Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth, Brainstorming. A Handout by The Writing Center, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill : 2002)
[19] Rao, Z, Training in Brainstorming and Developing Writing Skills. ELT Journal Volume 61/2. (Oxford University Press, 2007)
[20] Sudjana, D, Metode & Metode Pembelajaran Partisipatif, (Bandung: Falah Production, 2001) P.88
[21] Roestiyah, Strategi Belajar Mengajar, (Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 2001) P.74-75
