Article : Using Talking Chips Technique in Teaching

Speaking

Muhammad Rifai

Abstract
This
paper
discusses
the activeness of the students in
teaching
speaking through TalkingChips
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-tongueuse 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 mothertongue 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 Reevess (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
postobservation. 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 postobservation. 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
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