Developing critical thinkers able to thrive in the real world

T. Sima Gunawan ,  Contributor ,  The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 05/02/2008 1:45 PM  |  Focus

Diligence and obedience. These are the qualities that make a good student, right? Not really.

Many of us might have grown up in a time when we were told we must be diligent and do whatever the teacher tells us.

Lively debate was taboo. We were trapped by an "eastern value" teaching us not to argue with our teachers, but rather adhere to the "the teacher can do no wrong" adage.

This has deeply affected the country's education system with many students being passive learners, lacking criticism.

But things are gradually changing. While students should be disciplined and show respect toward teachers, many educators now believe these qualities are not enough to make a good student.

"They should also be critical thinkers. They should be able to communicate well and to work collaboratively with other people," Richard Henry, executive principal of Global Jaya School, said.

The Global Jaya School is a national school located in Tangerang, on Jakarta's outskirts. The school has an international curriculum and is of international standard.

At the school, students are the center of learning. The teachers teach them not for the sake of the teaching, but to make the students active learners. Or, as Henry puts it, they are expected to become long-term learners.

Students should be actively engaged in inquiry by learning so they become long-term learners, he said.

As the center of learning, students are part of the inquiry -- they want to know "why" and how to get the answer.

Through the community service program, Global Jaya School also teaches students to be aware of their surroundings, to be aware that they are part of a community comprised of different people from all walks of life. Furthermore, they may identify problems within their neighborhood and help find and implement solutions. This will provide them with the skills to deal with the real world outside school.

The program was implemented three or four years ago and is compulsory for all junior and senior high school students.

"Some students work in an orphanage house or a local library, some teach English in the community," Henry said, citing examples of community service.

Despite the fact that it is a good program with lots of benefits, some students are reluctant to participate. Most students come from well-to-do families and some might get "spoiled" with the facilities provided by their parents and are not familiar with real life in their surroundings.

When a student does not want to participate, the school discusses the issue with them, giving them options. But it is ultimately the students who have the final say about what they do.

Just like other schools all over the world, Global Jaya School has experienced difficult students. To handle the students, the school has a student support service team providing personal counseling and career advice.

Established in 1995, Global Jaya School aims at providing quality education for Indonesian and expatriate students so that they become active leaders in their local communities and effective global citizens.

It has an international curriculum using the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) framework.

The national curriculum is blended into this framework to ensure all students develop an understanding of local cultures and take pride in Indonesia's heritage.

"Our biggest challenge is to develop a bilingual curriculum," Henry said.

Global Jaya is a bilingual school, using both English and Indonesian. English is used in math, science and English classes.

The use of English, however, is not rigid. If a teacher can speak Indonesian, they may use the language to explain certain things, depending on the situation. In some cases students might understand better if they learn in their mother tongue.

The school has about 20 expatriate and 80 Indonesian teachers for the kindergarten, primary, middle school and senior school, with a teacher-student ratio of 1:6. Each class has a maximum number of 24 students.

Global Jaya School, which charges Rp 500,000 for the enrollment booklet and registration fee, has impressive facilities such as a library with more than 22,000 resources, including electronic journals and other web-based materials.

In fact, it is a WiFi zone. Students can bring along their personal laptops and access the Internet anywhere in the school, at anytime. The Internet not only serves as a source of information, but also a communication tool for students and teachers.

"The classroom is the world," said Henry.

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