Friday, July 30, 2010 03:21 AM
Follow us on
Follow us on
UNNOTICED: Contract teachers hold a mass prayer in front of the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta in this May photo. The teachers rallied, urging the government to improve their welfare and promote them to civil servants. (JP/J. Adiguna)
Teachers are unsung heroes who build the country with their tireless efforts and dedication but yet they often receive criticism for their teaching methods.
Students and parents say that some teachers do not interact with the students inside or outside the classrooms and are too rigid with the curriculum.
In response to the criticism, many teachers have tried to move away from out-dated teaching methods and encourage their students to be more actively involved in the learning process.
"We are moving away from the old, authoritarian model to a more democratic way of teaching," Benny, a gym teacher at state high school SMAN 3 in Depok, south of Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post during the United Schools Program graduation day last week.
The event was organized by the Sampoerna Foundation at the school in celebration of National Teachers' Day held Nov. 25.
Principals of 22 public high schools from Aceh to Manado, North Sulawesi -- participants in the program -- attended the event.
The United School Program aims to improve the quality of public schools across Indonesia in order to create centers of education excellence.
Benny, who is also a favorite teacher among the students, said the best way to instruct was to get the teachers and students to work together in solving problems instead of one-way lecturing.
"The new method of teaching places teachers as the students' partner instead of at the center of the whole learning process," Benny said.
The teaching methods attend to the students' psychological conditions, said Achmadi, Principal.
"The teachers should be able to act as a friend to the students in order to reduce the gap in the teacher-student relationship," he said.
These new methods have proven to boost the school's achievement.
"In a period of three years, the school has moved from the 23rd position to the third best in West Java based on academic achievement, and is the best public school in Depok," Achmadi said.
According to National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) data from 2005-2008, the school's passing percentage of the national exam is 100 percent, with an average rate of natural science improved from 7.86 to 8.14, and the rate for social sciences improved from 7.86 to 8.48.
"With the improvement, we're aiming to become an international based pioneer school (RSBI)," Achmadi added.
Among the requirements to be considered as a RSBI, the school must have an outstanding academic achievement while the teachers and the students must be fluent in English.
Almost the whole event was presented in English, including the opening speech by the school principal, the hosting students, the closing thank you speeches (which were in seven languages) and a tour of the school when students and guests interacted in English.
The students of SMAN 3 Depok said they have felt the positive impact from the improvement in the teachers' methods of instruction and are proud of their school's achievements.
"Now the teachers act more as facilitators to student activities which make us more independent," said Firzie Budiono Ravasia, a 12th-grade natural science student at the school.
The class has become more interactive and is engaged in more practice than just in textbook theories, he said.
The teachers now use games to explain the lessons and mind mapping methods which uses more graphics and colors, said student Dea Adlina.
"Now the class is more interesting and fun, which makes it easier to keep up with the lessons," said Anes Yolanda, another student.
Despite improvements in the teaching methods, most of the students felt that they still needed to take a pre-university course.
"The lessons from school are not enough to prepare us for the national exam and the university enrollment test," said Sayu Zhukrhuffa, a 12th-grade social science student.
She said sometimes it was hard for her to understand what the teachers were saying because the classrooms were too noisy and hot.
Unlike the school, the course boasts air conditioned classrooms with smaller numbers of students which made it easier for her to study. (fmb)
