Why Writing is Easy

Writing is one of the major skills in English. The same as speaking, writing is an active skill which requires learners to produce what they have in mind. However, this can lead the learners to the real problem of writing. According to Stephen King, a writer of A Memoir of the Craft, the scariest moment of writing is always just before starting. Learners are usually difficult to start writing with any kind of reasons. They easily give up, then instantly declare that writing is difficult. The learners say it because they perhaps don’t practice on writing regularly, or they don’t find any tips to write easier. They may even dislike writing at all. These learners do not realize that writing is not as difficult as they say. Writing is easy, like Gene Fowler said, all the learners do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on their forehead.

The first thing that learners can do with writing is that they can produce whatever their thoughts are. What they are thinking, experiencing, or observing, can be noted in form of writings. All they have to do is just preparing the writing tools and sit. As Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” This may sound very simple, but this is the fact. Learners actually do not need to think twice to start writing, because writing is a kind of brainstorming the ideas. So, they just need to write whatever in their mind on pieces of papers.

Besides, writing doesn’t require too much attention on the theme that is going to be discussed. A quotation by C.S. Lewis said that learners can make anything by writing. It means that they who want to write something do not need to take time to think what the best theme to write. Students are free to choose the theme for their writings. This is related to the previous paragraph, where learners are also free to produce whatever in their mind. If they can realize this, it is sure that the learners will easily start writing without taking much time on the theme.

The other thing that make writing easy is that learners can revise what they have written. Writing allows them to do revising at the end of their writings. Unlike speaking, writing is a skill that provides learners to re-edit what they have produced. This is good because learners sometimes meet the reality which is in contrast to their writings. Revising is needed to correct the mistakes so the result of writings can be better and issued publicly.

Moreover, learners can do writing wherever and whenever they want. Writing is an activity which can be done in every situation. Learners can do writing at home, in an office, at school, even in a garden. Writing is not the same as the other skills which require the doers to meet the appropriate place and time. Wherever they are, people can actually write something in order to record what they have seen. Time also does not make it difficult because writing is an activity which gives people every single minute to do that.

In brief, writing is not that difficult like people say. Writing is easy as it can help people to produce whatever comes to their mind. This leads to the freedom of people to choose whatever topic they want to discuss. Writing allows people to tell the world their results of experience, observation, or even self-introspection. More than that, writing can be done wherever and whenever people want. People can do writing in every situation. As long as they have a desire to write, producing what they have in their mind in form of writings would not be so troubled.

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Enhancing Students' Language Learning Through Language Learning Strategies

Learning is a kind of activity which is done by every student. Learning activity can refer to all subjects, including English. Learning English for Indonesian students has become a big and also problematic challenge since it was introduced in Curriculum 1994. During the last two decades, many educational actors like curriculum developers and teachers intend to embed English as one of the alternative languages that students can use. But then, not so many teachers are well-trained to be an English teacher. They are trapped in a frame of content which is already set in the textbooks. This is, of course, giving students such a boring experience and making them like a stationary learner. Yet, students should not think as the way the teachers think. They can enhance their learning through several language learning strategies that fit their own learning style.

The first language learning strategies that students can use to enhance their learning is cognitive strategies. These strategies enable learner to manipulate the language material in direct ways. Students can use these strategies to form and revise internal mental models and receive and produce messages in the target language. Cognitive strategies help students to do a problem-solving that requires direct analysis, transformation, or synthesis of the materials. Rubin (1987) identified 6 main cognitive learning strategies contributing directly to language learning, they are clarification/verification, guessing/inductive inferencing, deductive reasoning, practice, memorization, and monitoring.

Besides cognitive learning strategies, students can also use metacognitive learning strategies. O’Malley et al. (1985) define metacognitive as an expression to indicate an executive function, strategies which involve planning for learning, thinking about the learning process as it is taking place, observing of one’s production of comprehension, correcting own mistakes, and evaluating learning after an activity is completed. In short, students can use these strategies to oversee, regulate or self-direct language learning. They involve various processes as planning, prioritizing, setting goals, and self-management.

After the cognitive and metacognitive strategies, there is another learning strategies that can improve students’ language learning. That is memory-related strategies; aid in entering information into long-term memory and retrieving information when needed for communication. Memory-related strategies also entails the mental processes for storing new information in the memory (Oxford, 1990) and for retrieving them when needed. These strategies consist of four sets that include: A. Creating mental linkages, B. Applying images and sounds, C. Reviewing well, and D. Employing action. By these strategies, students can link one language item or concept with another without too much deep understanding. They can implement these strategies in form of grouping, imagery and associating.

The next strategies for enhancing students’ language learning is the compensatory learning strategies. Compensatory strategies are needed to overcome any gaps in knowledge of the language (Oxford, 1990). These strategies enable students to use the language either in speaking or writing despite knowledge gaps. The examples of these strategies are guessing from the context in listening and reading, using synonyms and “talking around” the missing word to aid speaking and writing and strictly for speaking, and using gestures or pause words.

In fact, students can also enhance their own language learning using the affective learning strategies. Affective learning strategies enable students to control feelings, motivations, and attitudes related to language learning. In other words, these strategies assist students to manage their emotions, self-encouragement, and behaviors associated with learning. They can be achieved through lowering anxiety, encouraging oneself, and taking emotional temperature. For example, students may have negative feelings about native speakers of the target language. Good students try to create associations of positive affect towards the target language and its speaker as well as towards the learning activities involved.

Social learning strategies are the last language learning strategies that can help students to improve their learning. Language is a form of social behavior and learning it should involve other people. Social learning strategies facilitate this meaning through interaction with others, often in a discourse situation (Oxford, 1990). By these strategies, students are given the opportunities to be exposed to and practice their knowledge. More than that, social learning strategies help the students work with others and understand the target culture as well as the language. They can apply these learning strategies in form of asking questions, cooperating, empathizing and becoming culturally aware with others.

In brief, students can choose one or more learning strategies that is relevant to their learning context. However, all learning strategies mentioned above may have shortcomings for some cases. Therefore, students, guided by the parents and teachers, should identify their own characteristics of learning in order to decide which one of the learning strategies that work best to them. Furthermore, the role of language instructors is needed to incorporate language learning strategies into their teaching methods and approaches and encourage the students to use the strategies as frequently as possible. So, students will be encouraged to learn the target language and use language learning strategies to improve their language skills.

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The Importance of Experience in Mastering English

Mastering English is sometimes very difficult. The writer has already learnt English for about 15 years. But when the writer speaks in English, she still can’t tell a person what she wants to say fluently. The writer should be able to speak English very well by now. In this essay, she’s going to consider her current skills and motivation for learning English and discuss what she wants to do to improve her English skills.

The writer started to like English when she was still in the young age. There was a person who introduced English to her. She is the writer’s mother; a woman who let her know first about the very simple English words. Although she is not an English teacher nor a native speaker, she was proudly taught the writer some vocabularies which are commonly used to call the family members. Then the writer practiced such vocabularies like mother or father to call her parents. It was a great starting of learning English for her.

The first time the writer met “English” formally is when she was in elementary school. The writer learnt the very simple things like numbers and alphabets. Then she got interested in English more and more since she learnt it from her mother as well. The writer felt that she wanted to speak English more. So, she began to interact to her friends using the vocabularies in order to memorize them. The writer also practiced at home and study over the lesson again.

In her middle school, the writer began her journey of mastering English through joining some English courses. The reason why she took some English courses was that she wanted to study English not only in her school but also out of school. The writer really got inspired with a quotation from one of the linguistics philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. He said that the limits of his language are the limits of his world. Therefore, the writer wanted to keep this statement and try it out in her English learning experience.

By improving her English skills through joining some English courses, the writer then tried to compete in some English competitions. She has joined English Story Telling Competition, English Speech Contest, and even ASEAN Scout Jamboree in Jakarta. These experience made the writer become motivated to learn English more. She was also very thankful to her English teacher who has given her such knowledge and motivation. Without his guidance and encouragement, the writer perhaps did not have much confidence to join in such competitions.

In brief, learning English has changed the writer’s self a lot. Starting from learning English in her family, then in elementary school, until middle school, she has had a lot of experience. These experience may be really benefited for her college life. Moreover, the writer is now studying in English department. So, it should be easier for her to adapt to the environment.

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