Pedagogical Contents
After a week of observing one of the science classes, and by going around the school during class hours, here are the things that I have observed on the pedagogical contents of the school.
Teaching Methods
The teachers in SMPN 11 uses a varied array of teaching methods, depending on the subject that they are teaching. As I am a science major, I will share more about the teaching methdos of the teacher who we had observed, Bu Rika, during our stay in SMPN 11.
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Bu Rika taught the conceptual parts of the subject IPA the time that we observed her. She was teaching the theories and principles, which are more in line with physics. But we observed that
she used different methods, which on my opinion, were effective in transferring the knowledge to the students.
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She used varied teaching methods. She did not do pure discussion of concepts, but rather, she made her teaching interactive and student centered. She used the discovery approach, but with different methods. First, when she taught lessons involving calculations, she used the drill method, wherein she asked the students to solve problems on the board and on their own. In explaining the concepts, she did not just state the theory or the law or the principle, but rather, she simulated the concept using household items, which the students enjoyed.
Learning Materials and Innovation
There are varied materials available for teaching in this school. Aside from the traditional whiteboard, there are other materials that the teacher, Bu Rika used in her discussions. As a teacher teaching science, she must use different materials to explain the concepts or the topics. And she did that in the class. She used varied materials, such as household items, to explain the concepts she was teaching (density, she used cooking oil, water, other household items). In this way, the learners noticed the connection and application of the concepts of science in everyday life.
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One innovation that I observed from her was that she used the household items in explaining the concept. Science concepts could be better understood when they are simulated so that the learners could see with their own eyes how these concepts are in real life. But it is not necessary that these concepts are to be taught using laboratory apparatus and other technical and scientific equipment. Rooting it to one of the competencies, applying the factual concepts to real life, the use of everyday objects or household items was a good strategy in connecting the concepts to real life.
Sources of Learning and Technology
The teachers in SMPN 11 uses varied sources for their teachings. Some uses the teacher's book as their main source of information when they are teaching and supplement it by doing additional reading using other reference books and using online sources.
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My cooperating teacher, Bu Maya, told me not to rely on the books she gave (the learner's material and the teacher's book). She told me to use the internet as my reference so that I will get more information. Because the information in the books are so limited and are compressed (aside from being in Bahasa, which I translated using Google Translate for me to understand the concepts written there).
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There were also some technologies available in SMPN 11. There's an in-focus (LCD Projector), loudspeaker, and others. These technologies were used to enhance the learning of the students, to assist the transfer of knowledge. But, most of the time, the teachers just use the whiteboard as their teaching material.
In science class, the authentic assessment they do is for the students to do a practical demonstration of the concepts they have learned. In their books, there are experiments that the students must do to check their understanding of the concepts that they have learned during the discussions.
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One of the examples of these performance is for them to measure the respiratory volumes and capacity of the students. Their task is to create their DIY spirometer, and for them to measure the volume of their exhalation.
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Other teachers require their students to create a portfolio of all the things that they did for the semester, while others require their students to do a final performance, summarizing all the contents that they have learned for a year.
