MAGETAN: Professional Groups Receive Training

SBM and community participation training took place in Magetan district on 7 March in the education office hall and in Maospati sub-district in the teachers' resource center at SDN Malang. The Head of the Education Office for Magetan, Bpk Drs. Soetikno, MM, who opened the training at both places, hoped to the participants would increase their understanding and share their knowledge and apply these in the schools.

Various professional groups from within parents groups joined in these activities as resource people. The participation of these profe-ssional groups showed their concern for raising the quality of education in Magetan district. The professions included doctors, lawyers and educators.

A Snapshot of Parents Group Activities

The cooperation between teachers, parents and professional groups works well and should be encouraged. It is hoped that the role of each of these groups can make a contribution to an good education. Learning resources will not be limited to the teacher and books but will include professional people as resource persons to enrich the knowledge of students.

Above: (left to right) Ibu Sri Winarsih, grade 1 teacher at SDN Magetan 1 and district facilitator. Students' parents don't want to be left behind in this new model of education; Dr. Dyana Etikawati, one of the organizers of the grade 1 parents group, enthusiastic-ally helps put up a class display.

Above: The parents group at SDN Magetan 1, inspired by MBE, undertakes a variety of activities. These are some of the ways in which they support the children's learning in class:

• Organizing the classrooms
• Displaying pictures as learning resources
• Making display boards and bookcases for the class libraries

• Putting up white boards in place of blackboards

• Making a rota to help in class

• Making portfolios of children's work.

Magetan Sub-District - Partner of the Mass Media

Bpk Drs. Siran, MM, the Head of the Magetan Sub-District Education Office, has developed a partnership with the mass media in order to increase the motivation of schools, especially MBE schools in order to improve the quality of education.

In each edition of the local newspaper there is a least one story about an MBE school and its strengths. This is aimed at sharing experiences and overcoming the deficiencies of the various schools, as well as disseminating the MBE program at sub-district and district level and to other districts.

PACITAN: SDN Ploso 2 Flooded With Visitors

MBE school ... that's what teachers from other schools say about SDN Ploso 2. Even though it is situated on the edge of town and used to be considered inferior, this did not stop the school principal and teachers from making progress. On the contrary it made everyone in the school stop to think. Since the MBE was rolled out by the district education office, their commitment has increased.

They have assiduously followed every training. An important area of their attention has been improving the quality of lessons and im-proving manage-ment. Whereas before teachers spent most of the lesson lecturing and the children listening, this is no longer the case since they took part in PAKEM training.

Lessons now give children the opportunity to do things not just memorize concepts. Silent reading, although only for 3 minutes, is one of the innovations which has been introduced and takes place every day after the first break.

One day a supervisor was visiting the school at the silent reading time and he was ignored. The supervisor was confused, until someone explained to him about the silent reading activity which is designed to get children used to reading.

When the bell to start the reading session sounds, even the children who are doing sport run to get their reading material. Often the children run to the school walls which are full of displays. Silent reading isn't just for the students. The teachers and school principal are expected to take part as well.