Using Cue
Cards in Speaking
Definition of Cue Cards
Media are
one of important
things in teaching
and learning process.
Cue cards are
one of media
in teaching. An
array of definition
of cue cards has
been given by
experts in the
field of English
teaching (Mora, 1994; Harmer,
2007; Bazo, 2007).
The definition of
cue cards in
the research hasbeen drawn from their work.
Mora (1994) states that cue card is
“a card with picture and it has cue words to help the students initiate
conversation”. From the definition
above, cue words in
cue cards help
the students describe
something or someone
in the picture orally.
Furthermore, Bazo
(2007) adds that
cue cards are
small cards with photos
or pictures stuck
onto them. Cue
cards can also
be used in
simplen activities
such as students work in pairs.
From the definitions given above,
it can be concluded that cue cards can
be one of
alternative media in
teaching learning process.
Cue card is a
picture on which has word on it as cue in learning. In addition, cue card can be used in pair
work or group work.
The
Procedure of Cue Card
Cue cards
have characteristics and
different uses in
teaching and learning process.
According to Bazo
(2007), cue cards
can be implemented in some
activities in teaching and learning process.
First, this
activity is “guessing
the picture”. The
teacher prepares one envelope
(20 cards), then
the teacher gives
the students guidance
as to the sort
of questions they
should ask and
the students work
in pairs. Each pair chooses an
envelope and puts their cards on the table, looking at them
very carefully. Then
they turn the
cards face down,
and shuffle them. The first
students take a card and look
at it, without showing it to his or her partner. The partner has to
guess which picture it is by asking
questions, e.g: “Is it animal?” The winner is the one who guesses the most
pictures.
Second, this
activity is “do
you remember”. The
teacher prepares an envelope
(10 cards). The
students work in
pair and follow
the instructions from the
teacher. Put the
cue cards on
the table. Look
at the pictures for
two minutes. The
first student holds ten cue
cards and the second student try to remember all the
cards. Every time students’ number
2 gets
the right answer,
he or she
wins a point and the
card is put on
the table. If this student makes a mistake, he or she loses a point. The
student can then swaps
roles and repeat
the activity with
a different set
of cue cards. The winner is the
one who gets the most points.
Third, this
activity is “fast”.
The teacher prepares
20 cards. This activity can be carried out in pairs or
small groups. The students take the cards and place them face down in a heap.
They take it in turns to pick up a
card, look at
it, and say
the appropriate word
in English. Any
student who makes a mistake or waits more than three seconds before
speaking is given a point. The winner is the student with fewest points.
Additionally, Mora
(1994) suggested about
using cue cards
to foster speaking and
writing. One card
per group and
each card should have
one word on
it. The students
are organized into
groups and each group receives a card. The teacher tells
the students that they are to think of
possible places where
they might find
the items listed
under the question. They should
be asked to tackle the items one by one. The group that supplies the most
answers to each of the items is the winner.
In the context of the research, the students are organized into some
groups and each
group is given
cue card. The
students have to describe
something or someone
in detail based
on cue card
that is given
by the teacher.
