PURWOREJO: Teacher and Student Reflections

The MBE program has been running for four months in the schools, and it is six months since the MBE program first started in Purworejo district. The first SBM, Community Participation and PAKEM training has been conducted in the 20 MBE target schools. Each of the schools has implemented the results of the training and the follow-up plans they made during the training, even though not all the objectives have been achieved. However, the process is continuing to try to achieve the best results.

Improvement and change have happened since the training. Each school is working towards meeting the indicators of successful implementation of SBM, Community Participation and PAKEM. As part of their SBM and Community Participation programs, the schools have transparently displayed their school plans and budgets that they have made together with their committees.

Here is a comment from Mr. Tri Hastono, S.Pd (English teacher at SMP 13 Kutoharjo): "With PAKEM there are automatically lots of very positive changes in the students compared to before. The participation of their communities has resulted in funding support, and material and non-material assistance. They have established parents' groups, even though not all the parents' groups have been particularly active.

Learning using PAKEM methods has begun to be evident in the target schools. It is evident because of the increased activity of both the teachers and the students during lessons. For instance: the teacher doesn't just sit or stand at the front of classroom and speak and students are no longer just copying everything from blackboard. The following are comments from the teachers and students regarding the PAKEM method learning:

"Since the PAKEM method of learning has been implemented in the school many things changed, students are more confident, active, and their creativity has increased. Because the students' arrival times are displayed they compete to come earlier.

The thing that I felt most, and really shows the change, is in the students' writing. They write much more in their own words. And the thing I like most is that after the students' work has been displayed they can evaluate both their friends and their own works. But an issue is that the classroom is becoming too busy, and because of their new confidence and daring, sometimes when they are in front of the class they don't even know what they should be talking about".
That is the comment from Ibu MM. Mujiyem, grade 5 teacher of SDN2 Kutoharjo.

Here is a comment from Mr. Tri Hastono, S.Pd (English teacher at SMP 13 Kutoharjo): "With PAKEM there are automatically lots of very positive changes in the students compared to before. Students are more communicative because there are frequent interactions during lessons - both between the students and between the students and teacher.

Children are more confident to express their own opinions. They are more creative, work harder and create good outputs. And most importantly they are more enthusiastic during lessons."

Here are some reflections from a number of students at SMPN 13 Purworejo:

Sri Rahayu, grade 8B: "My opinion regarding the PAKEM system of learning is that the learning is more enjoyable compared to the previous methods. My recommendation: all lessons at this junior secondary school should use PAKEM. My impression is that the learning activities outside the classroom are very enjoyable because they provide me with the opportunity to see things beyond the classroom and learn new things, I no longer feel like a frog in coconut shell."

The reflections of a grade 7D student during at Mathematics lesson was as follows: "The lesson was very enjoyable because it was like playing a game, I like learning this way. The lesson was fun, but the bell rang and I had not completed my task."

A reflection written by Maulana Muklas: "The students really enjoy the PAKEM system of learning social studies and are very happy, especially during activities outside the classroom. In this way learning has become an activity where students are able to express their opinions and clarify their thoughts."

There is a change in atmosphere at SDN 1 Kutoarjo which is located in the Kutoarjo town near the sub-district education office. At this school, the students' work is not only displayed inside the classrooms but also on the outside. Because of its strategic location with the classrooms near the road, the students' work is displayed outside where parents who drop off their children every morning can see it.

Many of the parents don't go straight home, instead they look at the students' work. Besides this, they can also see the school plan and budget on display.

Early Years Facilitators face Students at Unnes

On the 24 December 2005, 3 early years facilitators from Cen-tral Java (Asih Jar-yani, Yuli Suprihati-ningsih, and Suparni ) were invited to meet primary school stu-dent (PGSD) teachers and their lecturers at the State University of Semarang (Unnes). This activity was organized as part of cooperation between the Diploma 2 Program at Unnes and MBE Central Java.

At the end of the activity the facilitators expressed their satisfaction because they were able to help the students scan the curriculum, make plans, and model some real lessons. The lecturers and students expressed their satisfaction because by being able to see the modeling of learning for the early years and they felt they had gained a broader perspective.