Mnemonics in Teaching Tenses

A lot of English learners who have learned English for several meetings frequent face a problem in understanding English tenses. Some students usually get difficulty in understanding the concept of the tenses itself, whereas others easily understand English tenses but they usually forget the concept several meetings later, particularly when a teacher gives them an assignment about tenses discussed, many students still make many mistakes in doing tenses test.

Many teachers have applied many methods in teaching grammar. One of the techniques that Many teachers applied is memorizing tenses. An English teacher explains the students the pattern of one of the tenses then they ask the students to memorize the pattern. Simple present tense, for example, a teacher explain the pattern of the tenses s + V/vs + O/C for positive, S + do/does + not + V + O/C for negative, Do/Does + S + V + O/C?. The teacher then asks them to memorize the pattern. When the students are able to recall the pattern, many teachers who apply this technique consider the students have mastered the tenses. This technique is actually successful in teaching English tenses for memorizing the pattern of the tenses in short term. In fact, many students who are able to memorize the pattern usually forget when the teacher asks them to recall the pattern a week later. Many students usually make mistakes when a teacher gives them assignment or teste about simple present tense although they have been able to memorize the pattern itself.

The students need a creative technique that is able to help them to understand the concept of tenses in long term. They need a strategy to make them easy doing every question of tenses assignment. In other words, they need technique that help them to recall the concept the tenses when it is needed, particularly in doing assignment.

One of the techniques that I ever applied in teaching tenses in mnemonics technique. In applying this technique, I made the complicated simple present tenses into the simple and easy pattern. I tried to activate the natural function of students’ brain in storing new information. I changed the abstract simple present tense pattern into a simple pattern that can be visualized by the brain.  Here is the illustration the changing of the pattern:

Old fashioned pattern	Mnemonics Technique
I,you,we,they+ V + O/C She, he, it + Vs + O/C I, you, we, they + do + not + V + O/C She, he, it + does + not + V + O/C Do + I, you, we, they + V + O/C? Does + she, he, it + V + O/C?	Kalau PERTAMA pakai DASi BIASA aja Donk! Pertama : kata kerja bentuk 1 DAS dan DO : digunakan untuk negatif and pertanyaan BIAS : Simple present tense maknanya kebiasaan

When applying this technique, it does not that a teacher explains the mnemonics pattern then the students are able to memorize and understand the pattern. The teacher should also explain every small part of the mnemonics pattern of simple present tense, such as what does verb 1 mean, how to use DO and DOES in negative and interrogative, and so on. The advantages of this techniques are helping the students to understand the concept of simple present tense in fun and simple way and facilitating them to store the concept of simple present tense in a long term.

In conclusion, we are able to ride bicycle or motorcycle because practise it more and more. In other words, every technique of understanding tenses will be success when the students practise it more as well.