Teacher, not curriculum, matters

A. Chaedar Alwasilah, Bandung | Opinion | Sat, January 05 2013, 8:04 AM

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Paper Edition | Page: 6

The imminent introduction of a new curriculum in 2013 will not provide any guarantees for resolving the current problems in education in the nation. A new curriculum is always a good notion. However, drawbacks invariably stem from implementation. Thus, what is urgent is not to change the curriculum, but to implement it.

Curriculum implementation means simply putting into effect the curriculum as intended, including a system to appraise its effectiveness. An appraisal process provides feedback for the development process, where the data is utilized for curriculum improvement. The educational curriculum needs continuous improvement, not continuous change.

Curriculum improvement is not necessarily sequential; oftentimes it occurs in parallel as well as in tandem. It is usually begun in a certain area of the curriculum on a trial-and-error basis as an alternative to present practices. Evaluative data is useful for seeing the curriculum in action and is valuable for improving it.

The 2013 curriculum, as Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh has said, is an improvement over the 2004 and 2006 curriculums, which have been said to be competence-based and school-based respectively. Meanwhile, teachers are still learning how to put into action the 2006 curriculum.

Regrettably, most teachers and the public in general are not informed about what essentially went wrong with the 2006 curriculum. The government should have publicized the evaluative data to identify which aspects of the curriculum were problematic. Such data would have made the curriculum change more sensible.

Organizations such as teacher professional development networks (MGMP) should produce best practices that enrich not only the immediate community, but the profession as a whole. MGMP-based programs seem to be more context-specific, teacher-generated, and immediate-needs-driven.

It is a disservice to the MGMP community when we fail to probe the effectiveness of MGMP-established programs and overlook their results. Such a mechanism utilizes the continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers.

Curriculum improvement, rather than curriculum change, is focused on certain problematic aspects. Thus, curriculum improvement is more economic and problem-based. To repeat, what is essential for teachers is CPD, namely a career-long process in which teachers fine-tune their teaching to meet student needs. The major benefactor of CPD is the student. CPD directly tackles teachers’ teaching styles — the patterns of decisions to optimize student learning.

Considering the huge number of teachers, the obstacle of CPD is the inaccessibility of professional development opportunities. Professional development opportunities seldom reach teachers in need. Only around 1 million out of 2.9 million teachers have currently been certified.

However, a recent study by the World Bank on the impact of teacher certifications revealed that certification has improved teacher living standards but failed to upgrade teaching performance. They have failed to motivate students to learn. Obviously it is the teacher that matters most, not the curriculum.

Any of the following could explain why the current government-initiated PLPGs (mandatory teacher professional development programs) have failed to upgrade teacher professionalism.

First, not all teachers are talented and devoted individuals who have a commitment to teaching. The recruitment undertaken by teacher training institutions fails to differentiate teaching-talented prospective teachers from non-talented ones.

Second, teachers differ from one another in terms of their theoretical and professional knowledge and the stages they are at in their careers. At present there are 10 state teacher training universities and dozens of public and private FKIPs (teacher training colleges). All these teacher training institutions vary in terms of resources, and this could explain the disparity in quality of their graduates.

Third, the professional program is not necessarily tailored to teacher needs and motivations, so they do not develop ownership of it. Some teachers do not have good mastery of content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge or contextual knowledge. Thus the content should be tailored accordingly.

Fourth, some teachers regard professional development simply as an administrative duty, rather than as a career-long endeavor. Once the program is completed, teachers go back to their old way of teaching. True CPD is aimed at determining the factors that contribute to the success of all students and teachers.

Fifth, the professional development program is detached from the entire school culture and climate. The CPD program will have an effect on student learning if it involves knowledge about teaching and learning in the school involved. The success of a CPD program is not measured by the completion of individual factors in the programs.

The effect of CPD program is pervasive through an examination of how factors and stakeholders interact with one another. Professional development should be embedded in their daily schedule. In short, CPD should be schools-based.

To be effective, the professional development should be developed by fulfilling the criteria suggested by Díaz-Maggioli in his book Teacher-centered Professional Development (2004) as follows: (1)collaborative decision-making, (2) a growth-driven approach, (3) collective construction of programs, (4) inquiry-based ideas, (5) tailor-made techniques, (6) varied and timely delivery methods, (7) adequate support systems, (8) context-specific programs, (9) proactive assessment, and (10) adult-centered instruction.

The enactment of a new curriculum has always been greeted with doubt and cynicism. It is the teachers who will be held liable when it fails to function as expected. It is time to change the paradigm from government-initiated and top-down curriculum change to the teacher-centered and school-based continuous professional development as a part of curriculum improvement, rather than curriculum change.

The writer is a professor at the Indonesian Educational University (UPI) in Bandung.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

My wishes for you in 2013 :

Great start for January, Love for February, Peace for March, No worries for April, Fun for May, Joy for June to November, 

Happiness for December, 

Have a lucky and wonderful 2013

Minister mulls longer school hours to protect children

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Wed, September 19 2012, 4:17 PM

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Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh. (JP/R Berto Wedhatama)

Can longer school hours protect children? The Education and Culture Ministry thinks so, and plans to extend school hours, similar to the practice of several private schools.

“The outside world potentially introduces children to negative things that eventually damage educational values instilled in school,” Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh said on Tuesday in Jakarta, as quoted bykompas.com.

Pointing out that students were left unsupervised by busy parents, he said classes at public elementary schools would be extended from 26 to 30 hours per week.

The nation’s public schools implement shorter school days compared to several private institutions.

To accommodate the new school hours, the ministry is drafting a revised curriculum to implemented in 2013.

Education expert Arief Rahman supported the plan, saying that additional courses would “protect some children from falling prey to bad influences.”

“However, the extra courses have to keep children happy, otherwise it will be a counterproductive policy,” he told The Jakarta Post Digital on Wednesday.

Raihan Iskandar, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission X on education and youth affairs, suggested the minister improve the quality of educators before implementing the plan.

“The program will be useless if it is not supported with improvements in the quality of teachers,” he said. (yps/iwa)

Volunteers aim to Balinese teach children English

BY AGNES WINARTI ON 2012-09-18

Volunteers are taking part in empowering more Balinese school students to master speaking English through the island’s first English-language festival, YouthSpeak Fun Day, hosted by The Jakarta Post Foundation.

“I believe education is the key for empowerment. And I also believe the ability to speak English, as one of the most common languages spoken internationally, will greatly benefit the children of Bali. I’m living here and as an Englishnspeaker I hope to contribute to that. It’s something I can give back while I’m here as an expat living in Bali,” member of Bali Pink Ribbon committee Nickie Edwards told Bali Daily on Monday.

“If I can help to make even one child feel more comfortable practicing English, I’m willing and happy to do that,” said Edwards, a Jamaican-born expat who has been living on the Island of the Gods for the past three years.

Around 10 to 20 volunteers from the Bali Pink Ribbon community and the Bali International Women’s Association (BIWA), to name a few, have, since last week, been introducing the three-day festival to students at various senior high schools in Denpasar.

The YouthSpeak Fun Day event will kick off its preliminary rounds at SMKN 3 on Jl. Tirtanadi 2 on Thursday and Friday, while the final round will be showcased at the Bali Art Center on Jl. Nusa Indah on Saturday. The festival is co-organized by The Jakarta Post Foundation, the Education and Culture Ministry, Denpasar Mayoralty and Chevron, the second-largest US oil company.

“The English ability of most Balinese here is very basic, but I believe the Balinese would love to be able to do much better. However, one of the things that gets in the way for them is that they get a little embarrassed at not speaking very well,” said Edwards.

Themed “Bridge to the future”, the festival carries the motto “Speak English no matter what”.

Member of both BIWA and the Bali Pink Ribbon, Fiftin Rorimpandei, similarly acknowledged that despite better opportunities for children nowadays to learn English compared to in the olden days, some still lack access to quality education. “We can’t argue that there’s a disparity of opportunity for students in state-owned schools compared to those in private schools.”

“In Bali, English is quite a familiar language, even to parking attendants, domestic helpers and shop attendants. Last week, during the school visits, most of the students were familiar with the language, but some were still reluctant and shy to use it.”

“Thus, through this festival, I want to encourage these children to be brave enough to make mistakes in using their English. It’s better to make mistakes and be corrected than to never know what is right,” said Fiftin, who originates from Manado, North Sulawesi, and has been residing in Bali for 14 years.

“I really hope that English will be the language of the day throughout the festival,” said Fiftin, as she encouraged both participants and visitors to brace themselves to practice English in small things, for example, when purchasing things at the snack and beverage booths.

The festival features activities that will motivate children to become accustomed to using English as their second language, as well as appreciating English literature through competitions, such as debate, spelling bee, writing, news reading, song lyrics and photography; games like cupid pen, poster making and scrabble; as well as school performances, such as singing and operetta. There will be a special performance on the day by national band Naïf.

BIWA vice-president Mayke Boestami Anderson expressed her association’s enthusiasm to fully support the festival by supplying more volunteers for the D-Day of the event. “We will be sure to deploy our ‘troops of volunteers’ to help act as the festival’s native-speaker judges, and other things, as needed,” said Mayke, who has called Bali her home for the past 35 years.

“In general, as a person coming from Jakarta, I see that the Balinese have a higher ability to adapt to foreign languages compared to people from other major cities [in Indonesia], despite the thick local accents and sometimes misspelling. That sort of confidence is a good thing,” said Mayke.

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Can we still trust alternative medicines?

Tommy Dharmawan, Jakarta | Opinion | Sat, September 15 2012, 2:18 PM

Paper Edition | Page: 7

In Indonesia, many alternative medicines are not fully regulated and monitored. This allows for uncertainty regarding the efficacy and safety of such products. Many alternative medicines are not supported by evidence-based research.

Furthermore, manufacturers of alternative medicines exaggerate their healing properties by making promotional advertisements filled only with comments from satisfied customers rather than proper research data.

Indonesians have seen plenty of examples within the past few months, with television channels broadcasting advertisements about traditional Chinese medicine.

In one of the advertisements, an alternative clinic states that their traditional medicine can cure diabetes. Since when could diabetes be cured?

Diabetes is a degenerative disease that cannot be cured. It can only be controlled within normal levels with lifestyle changes and medication. So, it does not make sense when this traditional Chinese medicine clinic states that diabetes can be cured by only three visits to the clinic.

This problem is not only limited to Indonesia. Several international organizations have already made statements about traditional medicine.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in an attempt to promote the highest attainable health standards, stated that each country had an obligation to stop traditional preventive care, healing practices and medicines, from marketing unsafe drugs and from applying coercive medical treatments.

Believing it to be cheaper than modern medicine is one of the reasons people go for traditional and alternative medicine. Many people, especially the impoverished, think that alternative medicine is inexpensive.

That point of view, however, is completely wrong. Many traditional Chinese medical fees are more expensive than doctors’ fees. People pay millions of rupiah but are not cured of their ailments. Furthermore, they risk their lives by consuming unsafe medicines.

In terms of promotion, many government regulations have been abandoned by traditional medicine manufacturers.

According to Health Minister Regulation No. 1787/2010 on Health Care Advertising and Publicity, testimonials from patients are prohibited in advertisements.

 In reality, though, many traditional medicines used patients’ testimonials for promotional enhancement. Moreover, the Consumer Protection Law states that people have the right to be given accurate information about a product.

But, we can see that some advertisements for traditional medicine are less than honest. If a traditional clinic is proved to be dishonest, its owner will be fined around Rp 2 billion (US$210,416) or sentenced to up to five years in jail.

World Health Organization (WHO) data from 2005 stated that 80 percent of the world’s population still used traditional medicines.

The 2010 Indonesia National Economic Social Survey similarly revealed that the number of Indonesians who preferred alternative medicine had increased rapidly. Many Indonesians believe in the efficacy of their traditional herbal medicine or jamu. From common colds to impotency, people will go to jamu stalls to drink herbal medicine.

Some of the traditional herbal medicine producers have improved their production systems by including evidence-based research on their products.

They have also set up modern and hygienic facilities to produce their herbal medicines. Although we often hear and read news about fake herbal medicines that contain hazardous chemicals, the big herbal medicine companies tend to comply with safety regulations.

In 2009, the WHO recommended that countries add traditional medicine into their respective national health systems.

The Indonesian government also encourages public hospitals to incorporate alternative and traditional medicines, such as acupuncture and jamu, into their health care services. State universities have also collaborated with herbal medicine producers on some basic efficacy research about jamu.

Earlier in 2008, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared jamu the brand of Indonesian herbal medicine.

With the government committed to only regulating evidence-based herbal medicines, manufacturers should accept if the efficacy of their products does not live up to their promotion.

Many scientists believe that traditional medicine works only as a placebo on the human body, which means it does not actually heal the body. It merely offers a degree of comfort to those who consume it.

While access to health care is a basic human right, so it is the government’s responsibility to supervise the practice of traditional and alternative medicine.

The government, especially the Health Ministry and the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency should protect society from the perilous effects of traditional treatments that are toxic to humans through strict regulations and monitoring. If traditional medicine manufacturers cannot prove that their products are safe, the government should close their factories.

The government should also promote the wider distribution of professional health workers. With more health workers spread equally throughout the country, people can go to the right place and gain a better understanding of a particular disease and the safe medicine to treat it.

The government should further ensure that medical treatment in public hospitals is free for those on low incomes, so that they are not encouraged to seek out unproven traditional medicines.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) should rebuke television stations that broadcast traditional medicine advertisements that could mislead consumers. Health organizations, such as the Indonesian Medical Association (IMA) should promote evidence-based medicine to society, so that people will only trust medicine that has been proven to work through research.

They can also organize talk shows or advertising campaigns on television, radio, in print media and on social media sites about the danger of untested medicines.

Finally, we want safe drugs — including traditional and alternative medicines — for all. This can happen if traditional medicines are subjected to scientific research and government monitoring and regulation.

The writer, a medical doctor, lives in Jakarta.

MORE THAN WORDS

More Than Words lyrics
Songwriters: Cherone, Gary; Bettencourt, Nuno;

Saying "I love you"
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew how easy
It would be to show me how you feel

More than words
Is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already known

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real

What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying "I love you"
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
More than words
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

Now but I've tried to talk to you
And make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands
And touch me
Hold me close, don't ever let me go

More than words
Is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already known

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real

What would you say if I took those words away
When you couldn't make things new
Just by saying "I love you"

laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

More than words
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

More than words
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

More than words
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

More than words
laletaraera . . . . raera . . . raera

More than words

these lyrics are last corrected by JuliesCannine

SEMPURNA

Kau begitu sempurna

Dimataku kau begitu indah
Kau membuat diriku akan slalu memujimu

Disetiap langkahku
Kukan slalu memikirkan dirimu
Tak bisa kubayangkan hidupku tanpa cintamu

Janganlah kau tinggalkan diriku
Takkan mampu menghadapi semua
Hanya bersamamu ku akan bisa

[Reff:]
Kau adalah darahku
Kau adalah jantungku
Kau adalah hidupku
Lengkapi diriku
Oh sayangku, kau begitu
Sempurna... Sempurna...

Kau genggam tanganku
Saat diriku lemah dan terjatuh
Kau bisikkan kata dan hapus semua sesalku

Janganlah kau tinggalkan diriku
Takkan mampu menghadapi semua
Hanya bersamamu ku akan bisa

[Reff:]
Kau adalah darahku
Kau adalah jantungku
Kau adalah hidupku
Lengkapi diriku
Oh sayangku, kau begitu
Sempurna... Sempurna...

Kau genggam tanganku
Saat diriku lemah dan terjatuh
Kau bisikkan kata dan hapus semua sesalku