Playing Scrabble should the Best Way to Improve Students’ Vocabularies

            Learning English is not easy as because it is different from Indonesian language, which is easy and simple. There are many differences between those languages such as words, vocabularies, pattern, and so on. These basic problem has been major problematic for Indonesian in learning English. Almost 70% people or student in Indonesia cannot understand English well because they thing English is complicated language.  Because of that, the governments try to find ways to solve such problem, which are train English teachers to be more competence. Teachers must be able to control and manage teaching learning process in class. The most important factors depend on the basic technique are used by the teacher. A good method can be useless in the hands of a teacher who does not know how to use it while a good teacher can be successful with a poor method. Consider to this situation, the teachers should apply more than one method to develop students’ English skills in order to improve their ability. Teachers should know how to be a good facilitator in creating and building an effective class. For instance, by provide an interesting media, such as a scrabble. Thus, scrabble can be use as media to increase students’ vocabularies. Learning vocabularies by using scrabble as teaching and learning media is the best way to improve students’ vocabularies in three aspects; they will get new words, it probably trigger chain reaction, and by knowing many vocabularies it helps students in listening, reading, speaking and writing English.

            The first is that by playing scrabble the students will get new vocabularies. To illustrate, scrabble was design for two to four players in which they have to put the tiles vertically or horizontally but not diagonally and the words have to readable in such ways. Every player has seven tiles on their hand that contain words and they have to place it, which continues the other player’s words, and it must define in standard dictionary. While waiting for their turn, students will think a possible word using their tiles. Later on after they place it the other player check the word in dictionary in order to know whether it is exist or not, then they will get some points if it is exist. It is impossible for them to get more than 10 new words in a game because all of the players have to set the tiles become words so that they probably remember the new words from their friends.This kind of thing probably enhances students’ willingness to learn English, especially vocabularies. By playing such board game, the students will do two activities; think about the words and open the dictionary. These tow activities are a good step for students because at first they seldom to open their dictionary. A common method in class makes them feel bored; perhaps they will sleep in classor does not pay attention to teacher. I hope that by applying scrabble as teaching and learning media can help students who lack of vocabularies. On the other hand, some people might disagree because playing scrabble does not improve students’ vocabularies. It is possible for students to put the same word as they put yesterday so that it does not contribute well. In addition, they just want to play the game not to learn something. Moreover, perhaps they put common words that they already know. They have good attempt toward scrabble but they just waste their time whereas they can do something else to improve their English skills.

            The second is that by playing scrabble probably trigger chain reaction; know how to use dictionary, spell the words, and its meaning. Students have to check other players’ word in dictionary to clarify opponents’ words whether it is exist or not. In this part, students try to use dictionary that they rarely use. It really helps students because dictionaries provide sufficient information about the words such as its pronunciation, meaning, synonym, part of speech and so on. Thus, it can decrease students’ problem in acquiring new words because one of students’ problem is they knew the things but they do not know what it is called. Besides that, students know how to pronounce the words by read its pronunciation even its intonation and stress mark in every word. In addition, they will know its meaning from dictionary so that chain reaction itself gives good impacts towards students in gaining vocabularies. However, people think that it is better to join an English course than playing scrabble. Students will get better knowledge in learning English with trustworthy mentor that gives them more than vocabularies. It is not true that joining an English course is boring activity because many students think that learning English in a course is the same as school. However, every mentor in a course has different idea and method in order to improve students’ vocabularies for example using cards or crossword or even they divided into group then they have to answer the missing words. Means that, students gets new vocabularies in different ways that is not monotones. If teachers in school use scrabble continuously, students would be bored and they do not have any interest in playing scrabble.

The last is that by knowing many vocabularies from scrabble it help students in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English. After they get new words, they can apply it on their English task without any repetition. Students can make a good paragraph by using synonym of the words that makes varieties sentences. Moreover, by knowing many words it helps them in listening English conversations. It also affected students’ speaking skill because they know how to pronounce the word correctly. Probably, they could speak English fluently. Besides that, most of English task is to find the main idea from the text. It is easy for the students to comprehend it because they know the meaning of the word. Therefore, students can get better achievement than before because of new vocabularies. In Australia people think playing scrabble is very effective to improve skill in English, almost 30% children in Australia have scrabble for play or for study with the same time and they can include they family or their friend to enjoy play scrabble together.

            In conclusion, playing scrabble can be the solution for students who reluctant to study English in class. Improving vocabularies is the main purposes of scrabble so that students will get many advantages. I think it is good for teacher to put on this method to avoid boring class that most of students do not pay attention to them. Therefore, by applying a little thing could bring effective ways of leaning.

By:  Yuda Eko P

Academic Argumentative