Our Teachers: Encourage Better Teaching

The government has allocated 20% from the national expenditure in order to improve the quality our education. It has been taken upon considering that education is taking so important role in the future of the nation. It is expected that all efforts to enhance the quality of the national education will be no longer facing a classic reason: a limitation of budget. Will this increase of budgeting guarantee the improvement of the quality of our education?

Funding is the barrier that has caused the quality of our education left behind if it is compared with those from other countries. Due to this reason, since 2008 the government has claimed a budget for education 20% of the national expenditure. Considering the significance of the national education, most people agree to this policy. The question is now whether with this increased budget the government can improve the quality of the national education.

Now, let’s have a closer look to the fact. Soon after the government increased the budget, the first thing considered as the most crucial is to increase the salary. Since then, salary has been the largest component of the budget, and the education development program only has the rest amount that is certain to be inadequate. With this shortage of the amount, the measures of improvement that we can immediately see is the expansion of the classrooms, laboratories, textbooks, libraries and other education equipment. All of these facilities are of course important to encourage intelligent students, but it is not the most prominent factor.

The more important things are actually the presence of qualified teachers, learning-teaching method development and scientific research. Anyhow, these factors have been so far placed to be at the second priority. Here, we are trying to discuss one of the three factors: encourage better teaching.

To perform a good teaching, teachers should have a good knowledge of the contents and skill in teaching methodology. Skillful teacher will be able to apply the most appropriate teaching method, which leads the instructional most effective. A number of techniques that can empower teachers have been developed, among others, by Thomas L. Good of Arizona University and Jere E. Brophy of Michigan State University. Two methods considered to be effective in improving teacher’s knowledge of pedagogy are appreciation and power sharing.

Appreciation is the teachers’ ability to appreciate the students’ works, whilst, power sharing means their willingness of not to dominate the classroom. The appreciation approach to students will have different nature for different level of education. In Elementary and secondary students, certification or prize may be suitable for students who excel. The approach will be different for high education. In university, a professor may express his appreciation by giving his personal supervision and guidance to prominent students. An appreciation is like a small reward given to students for their success or achievement. Appreciation will boost self-confidence and self-esteem of students, which finally improve their academic performance.

Power sharing means the willingness of the teachers to reduce their domination of the classroom. Teachers should be acted as the facilitator for their students and do not center ‘the truth’ to them selves. It must be shared with their students. Teachers should hear and give a chance to students to have their own ideas about certain issues. Teachers should acknowledge their students’ own perception. Teaching should not be longer as teacher-centered approach, but it should have been altered to student-centered approach.

It is also necessary for teachers to encourage themselves for a self-development that can be acquired by reflective teaching. Self-development has gained popularity recently in teaching education due to its effectiveness in boosting the teachers’ abilities. Reflective teaching may be practiced through self-video recording, peer conference or journal keeping.

Self-video recording is a method where teachers record their teaching and play it later for their self analyzing, observation and self-critique. Peer conference is where a teacher invites her colleague while teaching so that his peer can give feedback for improvement of teaching. Another way of self-development is by reflective journal. By keeping his journal for this teaching, teachers can focus and determine their teaching goals. Another advantage of this journal is that they can review and evaluate their teaching experiences, make necessary revision and improvement for the future.

The problem is that, at least up to the time being, for most of teachers are still reluctant to self-criticism. It is still hard to criticize themselves for their self-improvement. Anyhow, it should be socialized to them that it is one of easy ways of self-improvement. They should be encouraged that they bear difficult tasks, as with their hand they shape the nation.

Bravo Indonesian teachers!

Mojokerto, 19 June 2009

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English for Young Learners (2)

Kali ini kita akan membahas bagaimana mengungkapkan kegiatan kita yang sedang kita lakukan. Misalnya saja saat ini kamu yang sedang membaca tulisan ini ingin mengatakan: ‘Sekarang aku sedang membaca artikel Bahasa Inggris di sebuah website’. Maka, dalam Bahasa Inggris-nya kamu bisa bilang: ‘Now, I am reading an English article in a website’. Kalau kita perhatikan kata kerja (verb) ‘membaca’ yang dalam kamus itu ‘write’, bentuknya kemudian menjadi am + reading. Dalam tata bahasa bentuk kata kerja yang demikian disebut Present Continuous Tense. Mari kita pelajari lebih lanjut tentang bentuk kata kerja dan penggunaan tense ini.

Present Continuous Tense

Bentuk kata kerja dengan present continuous tense ini mempunyai pola seperti ini

to be + kata kerja bentuk ing.

To be terdiri dari: am, is, are, was, were.
Penggunaanya dalam kalimat seperti berikut ini:

I am singing.
You are working.
He is sleeping.
She is crying.
It is raining.
You are all kidding.
We are swimming.
They are talking.

Contoh lain:

Saya sedang menulis surat untuk adikku perempuan – I am writing a letter to my younger sister.

Martina sedang membaca puisi di depan kelas – Martina is reading poetry in front of the class.

Pak Raden sedang mencuci mobilnya dengan air – Mr. Raden is washing his car with water.

Kami sedang memanjat gunung Merbabu – We are climbing Mount Merbabu.

Penggunaan present continuous tense:

1. Untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang sedang terjadi pada saat pelaku berbicara

I am reading an English article. ( saat ini sedang membaca)

2. Untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang masih berlangung, tetapi tidak harus terjadi saat ada pembicaraan.

I am writing a short story. (pada saat pembicaraa belum tentu sedang menulis, tapi proyek menulisnya memang belum selesai, masih berlangsung)

3. Untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang sedang berlangsung ketika suatu peristiwa terjadi

When I come in to the class, she is crying in the corner. (ketika saya masuk kelas, ia sedang menangis di sudut ruangan, menangisnya terjadi duluan)

Past Continuous Tense

Sekalian saja, ayo kita pelajari bagaimana kalau kita ingin mengungkapkan peristiwa yang sedang terjadi tapi waktunya sudah lewat, bukan saat ini. Misalnya: ‘Jam 7.00 kemarin, aku sedang menyanyi’. Itu gampang saja. Gantilah to be am dengan bentuk lampaunya, yaitu was, sehingga kalimatnya menjadi: At 7.00 o’clock,  I was singing yesterday.

Untuk kalimat yang subject-nya I, you, we, they, tidak menggunakan was, tetapi menggunakan were. Were ini adalah bentuk lampau dari are.

I was singing.
You were working.
He was sleeping.
She was crying.
It was raining.
You were all kidding.
We were swimming.
They were talking.

Penggunaan Past Continuous Tense:

Kapan tenses ini digunakan? Kita bisa menggunakan past continuous tense untuk hal-hal berikut:

1. untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang sedang terjadi pada waktu yang sudah lewat, jadi bukan saat pembicaraan terjadi.

I was listening to the radio all day long. (mungkin mendengarkannya seharian itu kemarin, bukan hari ini)

2. Untuk melukiskan peristiwa yang sedang terjadi diwaktu lampu, ketika peristiwa yang lain terjadi

Ina was finishing the exercises when he suddenly knocked the door. (sedang menyelesaikan latihan- mungkin kemarin- ketika ia mengetuk pintu.


Coba kita ambil cerita dari pelajaran yang kemarin, dan kita kembangkan dengan menambahkan beberapa kalimat yang menggunakan present continuous tense dan past continuous tense biar lebih menarik.


I get up at 5.30 o’clock every day, but I wake up early this morning. It is 5.00 o’clock in the morning now. I open the window and the stars are still shinning. Not like the stars, the moon is getting fade. As usual, I clean the bedroom and then I take a bath. I don’t forget to brush the teeth. While I am taking a bath, my mother is preparing my breakfast. It takes around 10 minutes to get dressed. I usually have breakfast at 06.00. If I am in hurry, just take a slice of bread and drink a glass of water.

I go to school at 06.30. I often take the same route to go to school. There was an accident in this street yesterday. When I passed this location, people were crowding here. But there are no more people now.

There are many things to do in school. I learn to read, write, draw and sing. I listen to the teacher when she explains the lessons. Sometimes, she does not allow us to write anything while she is explaining the difficult subject. I go home at 12.00 and arrive at home at 13.00. After I take a rest for a few minutes, I have lunch. In the evening, I help my mother, study and watch the television. I go to bed at 21.00. When I went to bed yesterday, my mother was still watching the television and my father was reading a news paper. Tonight, they went to bed earlier.

Dari cerita yang semula pendek dan sederhana karena hanya menggunakan simple present tense, kini kita telah menambahkan beberapa kalimat dengan menggunakan present continuous tense dan past continuous tense. Ceritanya menjadi lebih menarik bukan? Itu artinya dengan mempelajari bagian ini kamu lebih pinter dari pada saat kamu mempelajari pelajaran pertama. Kamu bisa lihat sendiri kan kalau semakin banyak latihan kamu semakin pinter?

Tugas kamu sekarang adalah mempelajari dan berlatih membuat kalimat, bicara, atau membuat cerita dengan acuan apa yang kita pelajari dalam pelajaran 1 dan ke-2.
Untuk sementara pelajaran kita sampai di sini dulu biar tidak terlalu banyak. Kita akan menyambungnya dengan pelajaran yang lain lagi, supaya kamu makin pinter.

(Bersambung……)

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