TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Independent learning allows children to pursue own talents, interests
Education professionals have recently recognized that a one-size-fits-all curriculum serves neither students nor the teachers in scholastic terms.
Change Size
E
ducation professionals have recently recognized that a one-size-fits-all curriculum serves neither students nor the teachers in scholastic terms. Each individual student has his or her own interests and talents and it is important for educators to encourage them to engage in an independent and exploratory manner of learning, which is essential for the students to identify and pursue their ever-evolving interests and talents.
The idea of independent learning, in which students tailor their learning styles to their own talents and interests, has also become mainstream at a policy level in Indonesia, particularly with the Education and Culture Ministry’s Merdeka Belajar (Freedom in Learning) initiative. The initiative has encouraged educational institutions from primary education up to the university level.
If we look at examples from practitioners, the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), for one, is always striving to inculcate these traits in students all through its education programs, covering the kindergarten level straight through the Grade 12 level. The independent learning program particularly seeks to help students develop and stretch their talents, while exploring the divergence and convergence of their interests in a process facilitated by their teachers.
According to JIS Head of School Tarek Razik, the role of educators in supporting students’ independent learning journey lies in their provision of a safe, nurturing environment in which students can pursue their own intellectual and creative interests. This safe environment, he said, was essential to encourage each child to think critically and independently, while cultivating a love of lifelong learning and internal motivation.
Examples on how students are trained to take charge of their own learning in pursuit of their own talents and interests at JIS can be seen in all its campuses, namely the JIS Early Years in Pondok Indah, the Elementary School in Pondok Indah and Pattimura as well as Middle School and High School in Cilandak--all in South Jakarta. We will illustrate how.
Climbing the educational ladders
“Children are competent learners with an innate curiosity about the world, so even as early as kindergarten, JIS students are provided multiple opportunities to explore and engage in their natural curiosities; they are prompted to ask questions and reach logical conclusions,” said Razik. Exposing students to various subjects, as well as fields of interest, has become essential so they can compare and contrast these things in order to find their true learning path.
All throughout, they are guided and observed by experienced educators as they make supported, independent decisions. These may range from setting up their own home learning spaces, planning then carrying out service-learning initiatives, and choosing electives that will allow them to pursue their interests, to tailoring their own preparatory program for university consisting of International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
These independent learning activities, which have been fostered by JIS among its students even before the pandemic, has proven to be effective at this time, when students have to conduct remote learning for a prolonged time.
As students progress through the grade levels at JIS, they are given access to a broader, more diverse range of choices and responsibilities. An important part of the JIS Middle School is that students are exposed to a variety of experiences and are encouraged to try something new. By the time they reach Grade Nine, the start of high school, they are prepared to thrive in the adult world, gaining even greater independence and facing more responsibilities as self-regulated individuals.
JIS High School Vice Principal Ryan Campbell described the basic philosophy behind it as preparing students for success by treating them as if they were already successful young adults. This is essential to give students enough self-esteem to embark on their own independent learning journey, while asking for help when necessary.
“They are given increasing independence through our Honor Pass system, emphasis on self-advocacy, and a vast amount of course options to choose from,” he elaborated.
Honor Pass is a 75-minute block of free time students have every other day outside of break time, in which they can meet with teachers, work on projects with classmates, visit the library, or simply relax between classes.
Both a right and a privilege, Honor Pass is meant to strengthen students’ time-management skills and is considered an essential part of the JIS High School experience.The Honor Pass also meant to give students time to develop their socioemotional skills by interacting with fellow campus dwellers.
In Grade 11 and 12, the veritable menu of courses for them to choose from is expanded yet again as part of the academically rigorous IB and AP programs. Recognized internationally, both offer specified subjects that allow participants to focus on developing the skills and knowledge they’ll need for whatever field of study they decide to pursue after graduation. The AP coursework is also available to Grade 10 students, one of the few schools in Indonesia where this is an option.
“This carefully structured pathway toward university means that as a student progresses through high school, they are in turn growing as an independent individual,” Campbell said. “This increased freedom comes alongside increased responsibility and we find that our emphasis on service learning and thinking of others is another vital part of helping students develop the maturity they will need for success at university and in adult life.”
For students, this extensive approach is undeniably challenging, but the agency they have over their own learning makes their experience all the more satisfying. JIS Class of 2020 graduate Farheen, for example, felt that by simply asking her what she wanted, JIS gave her “a voice I never knew I had.”
“JIS’s inquiry-based and student-driven approach to learning has taught me how to truly stand on my own two feet, instead of being dependent on my teachers for information and additional resources,” she said.
“I’ve discovered the intricate balance between being resourceful and asking for support, a combination I know will be super handy at university. I hope to use this newfound confidence and empowerment to make a difference in my new home.”
By the way, “home” for Farheen is currently the University of Pennsylvania, where she is pursuing a dual degree at the Ivy League College of Arts and Sciences, and Wharton School of Business. She is one of six students in her class to be accepted into Ivy League universities. Other JIS graduates have moved on to attend such prestigious institutions as Harvard, University of Cambridge, Cornell, Seoul National University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Stanford, University of Toronto, and Boston University.
“We are a very fortunate and well-resourced school [that] treats every student uniquely. And by the time students are ready to apply to university, they have had every opportunity to identify and apply to the course that suits their individual profiles,” Campbell added. “It is all of these things and a lot more that mean when our young Dragons walk across the hallowed JIS graduation stage, we know that they are ready to stretch their wings and fly successfully through university and life beyond.”
We can see that independent learning helps students to go through their inquiry-based education more effectively by optimizing the talents and interests they already have. Furthermore, by tailoring their studies to their interests, the students will be much happier in the process as well, which will hopefully bring them the joy of lifelong exploration and self-reinvention, in whichever fields they happen to choose.
