Educational Article
English Educational Article in response to an educational related news article in Indonesia
THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF TEACHING APPROACHES AND TEACHING STYLES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS (REPELLING THE ILLITERATE)
Lintang Puspitasari
College Students
Education Dept. of English, STKIP
PGRI PASURUAN
Abstract
A good
education is arguably the most important service that a government can provide
to its citizens. Ironically, Indonesia is one of those countries that cannot do
the job properly. This very problem of the education in Indonesia can be easily
found in the most recent news on TV, newspapers, internet etc. In regard to
this, this paper aims to analyze the educational problems of Indonesia focusing
on the teaching approaches and teaching styles towards elementary school
students. This is in response to the distressing found news that has been
tossing around the country about elementary schools graduates that happened to
be illiterate, they cannot read nor can they write. In other words, this paper
is also aiming to solve the mentioned problems.
Key Words: Teaching Approaches, Teaching Styles, Elementary
School Students, Educational Problems in Indonesia
Background
Education is
important in life. Eleanor Roosevelt famously said that education is essential
to good citizenship and that education is important to life because it enables
people to contribute to their community and their country. That is, a good
education is arguably the most important service that a government can provide
to its citizens. Ironically unfortunate, Indonesia seems to be moving away from
the ideal of producing and owning an informed, curious, and knowledgeable
populace. This really is a serious problem a country can bear. The problem has
been around for way too long and it does not seem to get any better. In fact,
one constantly hears the refrain that the Indonesian workforce is
uncompetitive, even in the Southeast Asian region, but this is entirely the
fault of an education system that is outdated and failing the very people it is
meant to empower.
This very
problem of the education in Indonesia can be easily found in the most recent
news. There is tons of news spreading around the society and there is this one
heartbreaking and distressing news’ that have caught public’s attention which
is about elementary school students, the students of elementary schools in
Timika, Papua to be exact, saying that the graduates of elementary schools are
found to be illiterate, they cannot read nor can they write. Technology has
been expanding just like how the era has been too, this is 2016, instead of
showing any improvements, the education in Indonesia only seems to be losing
its ground. There must have been the cause of such terribly distressing case which
the entire of it surely lays on the educational system of Indonesia itself. Being
wide awoken by this distressing news is what has caught the attention and the
interest of the authors to talk about the education problem in Indonesia especially
the problem that lays on the young generation of Indonesia, which is the
elementary schools students, focusing on the teaching approaches and teaching
styles towards elementary school students.
Problem
UNESCO
director, general Irina Bokova in a press has ever stated that “The world has
made tremendous progress towards Education for All” but the fact that it seems
to be the otherwise in Indonesia is one thing to be concerned of. Furthermore, the
problem to be concerned of is the fact that elementary schools graduates are
found to be illiterate, they cannot read nor can they write. From the article,
it seems that the causes of the problem
lay on a lot of factors, they are from the educational services in every
school such as the absence of teachers in class, the presence of careless
teachers to lazy teachers, lazy students, another factor is from the chief of
educational department that has given less attention to educational
institutions especially those which locations are in inland and coastal areas,
the presence of inactive schools in such locations also becomes the problem.
Furthermore, if being analyzed closely, the other cause of such problem can
also lay on the teaching approaches and teaching styles used by the teachers to
the targeted learners. That is the question that is left is what is actually
the teaching approach and teaching style that should be used by teachers
especially the elementary school teachers?
Finding
From
the problem stated above, there are some findings found related to the problem.
According to the article, it seems that the causes of the problem lay on a lot
of factors. Furthermore, the authors believe that they are more to the factors
than what is revealed in the article. If being analyzed closely, the cause of
such problem can also lay on the teaching approaches and teaching styles used
by the teachers to the targeted learners. There must be something that cannot
be reached by the teachers that have made their elementary students to be
illiterate. Teachers are supposed to be able to make their students to be
literate especially after they have graduated from schools. The unreached goal
can come from the way the teachers deliver the materials. This means the
problem is on the teaching approaches and teaching styles.
Discussion
Elementary education is important for children
for it is the first stage of formal education a child receives. Then again, it
is never an easy or simple task in teaching children. Hence, teachers who
handle elementary schools should really be competent teachers who do know about
what they do. There are many definitions of learning, one of those
is by Schuck D (2000) stating that learning involves the acquisition and
modification of knowledge, skills, strategies, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.
There are many processes involved in
learning. Most learning theories concentrate on the significance for the way
that learning is delivered. Moreover, the change of teaching focus from
teacher-centered instruction to student-centered instruction gives way to the
emergence of various teaching approaches aiming at how students should learn. Teaching
approach is like a description of how teachers go about teaching their
students.
According to Fachrurrazy (2014),
among the so many teaching approaches, the very current teaching approaches are
Constructive Approach, Contextual Approach, Quantum Teaching and Learning,
Cooperative Learning, and various instructional models. These approaches and
models began to emerge in the last decade of the 20th century, and
were claimed to be applicable to various subject matters. Moreover, there is
this other approach called Responsive Classroom Approach that since
the 1990s it has emerged as a nationally renowned method of teaching (NEFC,
2016). Teachers
are supposed to be very familiar with these approaches especially the teachers
who are pure graduates of educational departments.
Teaching approaches
are one of basic knowledge that should not only be mastered by teachers but
also known on how to apply them and actually apply them
in the teaching and learning process. By saying that teachers should master
these approaches means that teachers are really familiar with them that they
can choose one that is most suitable with the class they handle. In choosing one
approach that is most suitable, teachers must be well aware of the class they
handle in order to see the kinds of students they handle and the probable
approach that can be used in the teaching and learning process for those kinds
of students. That is to say, if a teacher fails in mastering the approaches
then the vertical line would be them failing in trying to reach their goal as a
teacher in the class they handle. As in the case revealed in the mentioned
article about elementary school graduates that cannot read and write, such
problem can be the impact of incompetent teachers in that area. This is even
claimed by the article itself that basically says such case can happen from a
lot of factors which come from the educational services in schools, some of
which are the presence of careless teachers to lazy teachers.
These kinds of characters are no way to be of those competent teachers’. Furthermore,
these kinds of incompetent teachers can lead to many things but the goods. As
in what happened in Timika, Papua, these teachers had led their students to be
illiterate, that cannot be any more tragic and distressing than that.
On the
other side, the article also reveals that the chief of
educational department has given less attention to educational institutions
especially those which locations are in inland and coastal areas. These
elementary schools in Papua are of those which locations are in inland and coastal
areas and this explains a lot on why these schools have these kinds of
incompetent teachers. There should be a relationship, a strong bond, between
the educational department and every educational institution with no exception.
Making sure of schools owning competent teachers is that one important job of Educational
department. Moreover, it is educational institutions’ job to make sure that the
teachers they have are of those really competent teachers that actually know
all the things about teaching and learning process from the teaching approaches
to the teaching styles.
When
speaking about elementary school students, a teacher really needs to use an
appropriate teaching approach. Lessons in the elementary classroom need to be structured
differently from those in the middle school or high school classroom. Furthermore,
the Responsive
Classroom approach is an innovative way of teaching developed
by the Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC). Dr. Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, who
led the Social and Emotional Learning Study, or SALS, found that the Responsive
Classroom approach had a noticeable impact on the academic and social skills of
students. There is indeed no best teaching approach but the responsive
classroom approach seems to be appropriate with the kinds of students found in
Indonesia especially in Papua. This is due to the fact that the elementary
schools students in Papua or elementary schools students in general are
unfortunately found to be lazy for classes but excited enough to go to school
to play with their peers. In other words, these kinds of students need a more
joyful learning environment instead of a serious one. That is, responsive
classroom approach which one of its important intentions is to built strong and
safe environment for the teaching and learning process can be the appropriate
approach to use.
There
are teaching approaches and there are also teaching styles. The two are equally
important especially in the teaching and learning process done to elementary
schools students. Teachers need to
master the both of them or else, there will be an imbalance. Teaching
approaches and teaching styles are not two exact same things. Teaching styles
which also refers to teaching method comprises the principles and the methods used
for instruction. Moreover, the difference between teaching approaches and
teaching styles is that the teaching approach is like the form or way teachers
teach, how teachers do it, while teaching styles is what kind of activities
teachers used in order to teach.
The
most effective teachers vary their teaching styles depending on the nature of
the subject matter, the phase of the course, and other factors such as the
influence of the aptitude and enthusiasm of the students. A teacher needs to use appropriate teaching style just
like they have to use appropriate teaching approach when teaching elementary
students. According to Carstairs (2016), the most popular teaching
styles used in the elementary classroom are demonstration, hands on, the
traditional lecture, collaboration, and hands off.
Many
times teachers rely on demonstration to help their students comprehend material.
This is due to the fact that elementary students need supported practice and
always would. Furthermore, elementary students generally learn best with
hands-on methods. For instance, students will most likely have difficulty
understanding the concept of multiplication if it is just explained to them. Then,
a standard, formal way of teaching is the traditional lecture method. In this
method, the teacher assumes the role of an expert and provides facts to the
students. Moreover, in Collaboration, teachers can create an activity and then
encourage their students to work together either in a group or with a partner. Finally,
Hands-off is the style of teaching where teachers give their students only
minimal instructions. This one approach works best for students in their later
years of elementary school.
Looking
back into the case revealed in the mentioned article before, the fact that
elementary schools graduates happen to be illiterate can be the cause of the
teachers’ failure in applying their chosen teaching approach and style, if
there is even any though. The article basically reveals that there are careless
and lazy teachers in the concerned areas, these kinds of teachers have all the
possibility of not mastering the knowledge of any real teacher has. Moreover,
the fact that the chief of educational department is said to have given less
attention to the concerned areas is like a confirmation to the possibility of
the presence of these incompetent teachers in the concerned areas. Therefore, with
this case having gone to public, the educational department must do something
in the concern of not only the existence of competent teachers but also making
sure that the knowledge of teaching approaches and styles are possessed by
every teacher. They need to take into action immediately to fix the distressing
problem before everything becomes too late.
Conclusion
Teaching
approaches and teaching styles are considered to be very important for every
teacher to master. Having to lack this knowledge can only lead to
disadvantaging the students. The case that happened in Timika, Papua can be an
example for everyone concerned. Off all the many problems on education can have,
Indonesia bears a distressing one, elementary schools graduates being
illiterate. And among the many factors for such problem is the lack of
incompetent teachers that should not even exist in the first place. Incompetent
teachers in Papua have led the young generation to be nothing sort of
illiterate. Making sure that students are literate is the absolute goal of
elementary schools teachers. And when they have failed to do so, something went
really wrong on the concern that the teachers could not manage to deliver their
best in the teaching and learning process. Moreover, in the teaching and
learning process, teachers need to know what teaching approach and style they
should use that are most appropriate and suitable with the class they handle.
That is, the authors believe that such case of students being illiterate is the
impact of incompetent teachers who lack knowledge of teaching approaches and
teaching styles among the many other factors discussed above.
Teaching
approaches and teaching styles are one of basic knowledge that should not only
be mastered by teachers but also known on how to apply them and actually apply
them in the teaching and learning process. In choosing one approach that is
most suitable, teachers must be well aware of the class they handle in order to
see the kinds of students they handle and the probable approach that can be
used in the teaching and learning process for those kinds of students. There
are a lot of kinds of teaching approaches and teaching styles,
and no one is better than the others because it is about choosing the most suitable
and appropriate one. However, in handling elementary schools students, teachers
can take responsive classroom approach and the teaching styles revealed by
Carstairs (2016) into consideration for they are said to be the most common and
suitable approach and style used for elementary schools students.
Suggestion
Any
case about educational problems should really be taken seriously. Especially,
the case that happened in Indonesia about elementary schools graduates that are
tragically found to be illiterate. The cause of such terribly distressing case
must surely lay on the educational system of Indonesia itself. Hence, Indonesian
needs to revolutionize their educational system for good, for the future of
Indonesia. Indonesia must invest more in
education. The Indonesians obviously won’t see any improvements in the near
future on their education if nothing is set and done. There must be something
to be done to make a change such as fixing up the educational departments and
their relationship with educational institutions. Indonesia can try even if it
is just from the simplest and smallest step, even if it will take years to
really get the improvements the people have been craving for all this time but
at least, that simple and small step can be the first step in securing the
country’s educational system and the country’s long-term competitiveness and
standing.
References
Carstairs, James. 2016. Most
Common Teaching Styles. (Online)
Fachrurrazy. 2014. Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Teachers in Indonesia.
Malang :
State
University of Malang Press
Jakarta
Globe. 2016. Education
Report Shows Indonesia Losing Ground. (Online)
(http://JakartaGlobe.com/education-report-shows-Indonesia-losing-ground.html)
JAMK. 2016. Approaches to Learning. (Online)
(http://jamk..com/approaches-to-learning.html)
JPNN.
2016. Lulusan SD Belum Bisa Baca Tulis, Ketua DPRD Geram. (Online)
(http://jpnn.com/lulusan-SD-belum-bisa-baca-tulis.html)
NEFC. 2016. The
Responsive Classroom Approach. (Online)
The Article
The Original Article (In
Indonesian)
Jumat, 01 Juli 2016 , 20:30:00
Lulusan SD Belum Bisa
Baca Tulis, Ketua DPRD Geram
Siswa SD. Ilustrasi
Foto: dok.JPNN.com
Ketua
DPRD Mimika, Papua, Elminus B Mom, geram menyikapi laporan adanya murid lulusan
Sekolah Dasar (SD) di daerah tersebut tapi belum bisa membaca dan menulis.
Dia
mengingatkan, temuan ini harus menjadi perhatian serius Dinas Pendidikan
Kabupatan Mimika.
“Adanya
murid yang tidak lulus ini guru-guru perlu sadari. Kenapa sampai mereka tidak
tahu membaca dan menulis,” kata Elminus di kantor DPRD, seperti diberitakan
Radar Timika (Jawa Pos Group).
Menurut
Elminus, Dinas Pendidikan Dasar kedepan harus betul-betul melakukan pengawasan
dan monitoring layanan pendidikan di setiap sekolah. Lebih khusus adanya
kevakuman sejumlah sekolah di pedalaman dan pesisir.
“Kepala
dinas pendidikan harus melihat keberadaan guru-guru terutama di pedalaman dan pesisir. Karena
kalau begini, anak-anak kita ini yang dirugikan,” kata dia.
Dia
juga menyebut ada beberapa sekolah di pedalaman yang bahkan sangat jarang
melaksanakan proses belajar mengajar. Hal ini disebabkan rendahnya kesadaran
pendidikan masyarakat, diperparah kurangnya konsistensi guru memberikan layanan
pendidikan di sana.
“Siapa
yang salah, karena di sekolah kadang tidak ada guru, atau guru masa bodoh,
apalagi di pedalaman. Murid malas tahu, lalu tiba ujian mereka ikut. Tapi
akhirnya, kasih lulus begitu saja padahal tidak ada pengetahuan sama sekali,”
bebernya.
Sebelumnya,
Tim seleksi murid baru di SMP Negeri II Mimika menolak 15 pendaftar lulusan
Sekolah Dasar (SD) lantaran diketahui sama sekali belum tahu baca tulis. Hal
miris ini terungkap saat Komisi C DPRD Mimika melakukan monitoring pekan lalu.
Para
wakil rakyat menilai hal ini merupakan tamparan keras bagi Dinas Pendidikan
Dasar atas realita kwalitas pendidikan yang masih sangat rendah. Padahal,
pemerintah telah mengalokasikan anggaran cukup besar untuk pendidikan di
Mimika. ka melakukan monitoring pekan lalu.
The Translated Article
(In English)
Friday, July 1, 2016, 8.3 PM
Elementary School
Graduates Are Illiterate, Parliament’s Chairman is Furious.
Elementary School
Students. Illustration Pic: doc.JPNN.com
TIMIKA
- Chairman of Mimika Parliament, Papua, Elminus B Mom, is furious addressing
reports of students graduating from elementary schools in the concerned area
but have not been able to read and write.
He
warned, these findings should be a serious concern of Mimika Regency of Educational
Department ( Dinas Pendidikan Kabupaten Mimika.)
"The
presence of students who do not pass is needed to be aware of by teachers. How
come they not know on how to read and write, "said Elminus in Parliament's
office, as reported by Radar Timika (Jawa Pos Group).
According
Elminus, Basic Education Department really needs to carry out surveillance and
monitoring of education services at each school. More specifically is about a
number of inactive schools in inland and coastal areas.
"The
chief of educational department must know the conditions of the teachers,
especially in inland and coastal areas. Due to this extent, our children are the
one being disadvantaged, "he said.
He
also mentioned that there are several schools in the inland areas that happen
to be very rare in implementing teaching and learning process. This is due to the
low awareness of education from public, this is then compounded by the lack of
consistent teachers in providing educational services there.
"Who
is wrong? Because sometimes there is no teachers in schools, or the existence
of careless and lazy teachers, especially in the inland areas. The students are
lazy to study and know things, and then suddenly they take an exam. However,
they pass the exam when there is no knowledge at all, "he explained.
Previously,
the selection team of new students at SMPN II Mimika rejected 15 registrants, graduates
of elementary schools, because they happened to be illiterate, cannot read nor
can they write. This distressing case was revealed during the monitoring done
by the Parliament Commission C Mimika last week.
The
people's representatives assess this is a hard blow for the Department of Basic
Education on the reality of the quality of education that is still very low. In
fact, the government has allocated a large budget for education in Mimika.
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