Rabu, 27 Juni 2012

Enhancing Professional Growth of Pre-service Teachers in Indonesia: An Adoption of the U.S. Professional Development School

1. Introduction
Pre-service teachers are long term investment and asset in educational context. They are prepared to be professional teachers to respond poor quality in education. They function as agent of change in society to reform education better. In the forthcoming years, they occupy themselves as teachers who fill the retired teacher’ positions. They hold great responsibility in which education demands more to solve unanswered problems. They are asked to widen their knowledge, skills and abilities by conducting field experiences. Just like in the US, pre-service teachers in Indonesia also need to accomplish field experiences. Despite of some similarities, field experiences in the US and Indonesia are different in many ways. I assume that field experiences in the US have better perspectives and practices than in Indonesia. The US has implemented Professional Development School (PDS) approach, in which this approach has ideal characteristics of teacher education programs, strong policy which creates relation between universities and schools seen from the worldwide perspective. In this paper, I adopt the PDS model to enhance the pre-service teacher’s professionalism in Indonesia. 

No Child Left Behind: An Act of Good and Bad

Since the federal government issued No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, many pros and cons spread among the nation. This arguable issue, of course, triggers not only the federal concerns but also local and parents. Some may leave question, why should it be nationalized schooling system? What is the aim for having the system? An article of “Power and Control at the State and National Level by Joy Spring” drives me to an idea of ‘A Nation at Risk 1983’ about quality of the educational system’ (Spring, 2008, p.226). I did not understand what the quality of education system that the nation mean until I watched ABC TV video entitled ‘Master Teacher’. Some scenes lead me to questions. How could a grade four student not understand the word ‘out’? How could the girl write ‘betaus’ instead of ‘because’? Indeed, these scenes opened my eyes about the reasons of No Child left Behind. However, some still refute the Act and others show their agreement. By making a clear line on the positive and negative points on funding, academic standard and assessment, I will bring this paper into concise conclusion.

Charter Schools: No One Size Fits All

Since the first time the idea proposed by Ray Budde in 1970, charter schools become hot topic to be discussed. These schools attract parents’ interests. It is fairly easy to understand that parents, who want better life for their kids, feel very ambivalent towards the school choice. Thus, this idea triggers pros and cons spread among the society. By describing positive and negative points on benefits and drawbacks, I will bring this discussion into concise conclusion.

Grammar of Schooling: A Conservative Idea fits for Indonesia

Having glimpse title of an article “Why the Grammar of Schooling Persists by David Tyack & Larry Cuban” questions me why most western people doubt it. I am thinking and contemplating that its system gives more benefits to Indonesia rather than John Dewey’s idea about progressive education. Why I say so?

Local Content Curriculum: Immature program for Teachers

LCC is a way of educational reform. Since its coming the existence of LCC influenced to the teachers’ contribution in the education system. Teachers are not only demanded to revise their teachers’ identity but also need to transform it. I assume that it needs a very hard work and an extra energy to erase the assumption of teachers as civil servants in which they need to be loyal to the country and change the primary duty related to the instruction. I see this as this program is immature for teachers seen from facts about teachers based on my own experiences.

Local Content Curriculum: Why does MOEC Need to Persist it?

Discussing with the colleagues about the Local Content Curriculum (LCC) has brought my thinking to 1994. Released by the MOEC, this program has puzzled teachers. Some maybe refute the curriculum, but I personally support the existence of the curriculum. I will show the reasonable arguments seen from 2 perspectives why I agree that the policy makers continue the notion principles of LCC in current curriculum.

Jumat, 01 Juni 2012

The Ungaran Farm School


SCHOOL PROFILE
  • School Name           :    The Ungaran Farm School
  • Institution type         :    Secondary Vocational School – Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Academic Program :    Agricultural Education
  • Length of Study :    3 years
INTRODUCTION
For many decades, it has been known that Indonesia is one of agrarian country with 70% from 186 million hectares used to the agricultural sector (Widiarta, 2009). It means that agriculture cannot be neglected and its big potency becomes Indonesian people livelihoods. The Indonesian Statistic Central Committee claimed that in 2007 around 42.5% from 95.5 million people work in agricultural sector which doubled than work trade sector at 20.13% and is much higher than industrial and service sector, at 12.46% and 11.90%, respectively (Widiarta, 2009). It can be clearly seen that the agriculture become core sector to support Indonesian living.

It is believed that the proportion of people work in the agricultural sector will yield potencies and be beneficial to support national demands on food. In fact, over a period of ten years, statistics shows that the national food security cannot fulfill its demands within the nation. Government has imported rice and other natural products from Thailand to foster household food consumption. Of course, it will bring drawbacks rather than the positive effects.

As an educational practitioner, I offer a solution to overcome the problems. I have an idea to develop Vocational Educational and Training (VET) school in agricultural sector. I believe that education has its right to educate people how to cultivate their farming land which can produce agricultural and bring back our role as an international leader in food supplier.

Semarang Regency, as well, which administratively borders to Kendal and Temanggung in the west, Salatiga in the south and Semarang city in the north, has one forth around 24.417ha for farm area from the total of Semarang Regency area of 95.02ha (wikipedia). The natural conditions such as air temperature which is relatively cold, fertile ground indicator then positively support my idea to build a vocational school namely, ‘The Ungaran Farm School’.

Twister Tongue (Seri A1)

  1. A big black bear sat on the big black bug.
  2. A big black bear bit a big black bug and the big black bug bled black blood.
  3. A big black bug bit a big black dog on his black nose!
  4. A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back.
  5. A bitter biting bittern, bit a better brother bittern, and the bitter better bittern, bit the biter back. And the bitter bittern, bitten, by the better bitten bittern, said: “I’m a bitter biter bit, alack!”