Definition of Snowball Throwing
Method
According to Firdaus (2010:3), snowball throwing is methods
which make students enjoy and can decrease worry in learning speaking. It
encourages creative thinking. Students can increase their speaking ability by
using a new language and being motivated students for learning.
In addition, he described that snowball throwing
encourages the students’ active speaking participation in the classroom,
because this method contains a rich communication where students must be
active. Snowball throwing also has capability to increase self-confidence of
hesitant students, because in snowball throwing activities, the students will
have different role and have to speak, which means they do not have to take the
same responsibilities.
Widodo (2009) recommends that snowball throwing
method could train students to think more to received messages from others, and
gave that message to friends in one group. These questions used by paper than
press it be a paper ball and throw the ball to other students. Students who get
the paper ball than open it and answer the questions.
So, it is appropriate to use snowball throwing in
increasing the students’ self- confidence in speaking.
Procedures in Using Snowball
Throwing Method
Asmani (2011: 47) gives the procedures in using
snowball throwing. They are:
1.
The teacher
gives the materials based on the basic competence.
2.
The teacher
makes some groups and gives the explanation about the materials to the moderator.
3.
The each
moderator back to their groups, then they explain again what teacher explained
before to their friends based on their each group.
4.
Then, each
student has given a work paper to write one question involve the material that
moderator of each group had explain it.
5.
A question paper
then made it like a ball and throws it from a student to another for ± 15
minutes.
6.
After that, each
student will get a snowball paper then the student is given an opportunity to
answer the question from the question paper as by turns.
7.
Teacher makes
evaluation about the materials.
8.
Teacher closes
the teaching and learning process.
Techniques and Application in Using
Snowball Throwing Method
Farrel and Jacobs (2010) described that snowball
throwing is a useful cooperative learning method because each member works
alone first and then presents to the group, thus students are discouraged from
either doing nothing or, the opposite, attempting to dominate the group.
Whereas, Kearney (1993) in Farrell and Jacobs (2010)
gave that snowball is actually two techniques in one: forward snowball and
reverse snowball. Forward snowball involves students in working together to
generate ideas, and in reverse snowball, students choose from among the ideas
their group has generated. Forward snowball is used for brainstorming and
highlights the benefit of heterogeneity because it is good for gathering as
many ideas or as much information as possible.
Forward Snowball is also useful for teambuilding
(creating bonds among group members) because it provides dramatic proof that
two (or more) heads really are better than one. Within second language teaching
such as English as Second Language (ESL) class. And reverse snowball could work
as follows each group member list four examples of good writing in particular
text. By step 3 of reverse snowball, they try to agree on the best examples of
good writing in the text and prepare to explain their choice.
Based on above
statements, the researcher can conclude that snowball throwing
can increase students’ speaking skill because it make students enjoy with throw
the snowball question. This method is also giving high motivation to the
students to speak through give and answer questions by them each other.
The process of learning that could increase the
activities in asking questions systematically related the problems based on
level curriculum education unit is asking question. By asking, students had
discovered materials teacher have not yet explains. By the systematically
questions, students tries to arrange sentences be right based on English rules.
Based on the Jurnal Pendidikan Penabur-No.13/Tahun ke-8/ Desember 2008, many
students still can not give a connect question when the subject was underway.
They also cannot complete to arrange a good question.
Snowball throwing method is one of the asking
techniques modification that emphasize to arrange questions skill and it made
in an interesting game, that is throwing the snowball. And the inside of
snowball is question that students have to throw the snowball to other students
and the other students have to answer it. This method needs students’ skill
that’s very easy and all of students can make it where they give question based
on material.
Widodo (2008) explained that snowball throwing
method is a method used to increase a subject topic. This method is always used
by several groups and it consists of five to eight students that have ability
to make question in a paper made such a ball. Then, the ball is throwing to
other groups to receive by answer that question.
Based on above explanation, snowball
throwing encourages the students’ active speaking participation in the
classroom, because this method contains a rich communication where students
must be active. Snowball throwing also has capability to increase
self-confidence of hesitant students, because in snowball throwing activities,
the students will have different role and have to speak, which means they do
not have to take the same responsibilities. Snowball throwing as a
model of teaching are hoped can increase students’ speaking skill, because of
this model is also give high motivation to the students to speak through give
and answer questions by them each other.
The Strength and Weakness of Snowball Throwing
Method
Widodo (2008) gave the strength and the weakness of
snowball throwing method. Snowball throwing method could give an opportunity to
students in a group to make a systematically question. Beside that, it can
increase students brave to give question to others student or teacher. It also
teaches students to answer a question from other students goodly. Snowball
throwing method can stimulating students to give question based on topic of the
subject when subject was underway. Then, it can least students afraid when they
ask something to their friend and teaches students to practice their mental.
Last, by using this method students can give information each other. The weaknesses
of this method are the knowledge is not spread everywhere and it is not
effective.
All of the methods and models of teaching has
capability to increase and improve subject material. But beside of it, it also
had the weakness. So that, as a teacher we also has to create all of item
needed in the class in order to develop teaching and learning activities.