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PROBOLINGGO: Effective Group Work
Operations with Whole Numbers: Developing Student Competencies
Lessons where children work in groups is nothing new in MBE partner schools. But there is a need to examine closely current practices in using group work. The focus is more often on the activities to be performed rather than on developing competencies.
The development of competencies depends on the tasks which are given by the teachers and the activities of the children. Evidence of the development of these competencies is a product which reflects the use of the competencies.
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The students of grade 4 at SD Bremi 1 in Krucil Subdistrict showed a good example of how group work can develop students' competencies in operations with whole numbers.
At the start of the lesson the students were asked to work out individually some simple questions such as 9 + (-5). They worked them out by drawing a number line.
The children were asked to discuss with members of the group whether they got the same or different results.
Then each student was asked to write in their own words why the answers were the same or different.
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The teacher helping a student who is finding difficulties with her work.
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Below: this is the work of Galih and Yuliatin. They wrote that 9 + (-5) can be drawn in two ways on the number line, but each way gives the same result. Galih even discovered the term, "commutative" to do with adding these whole numbers. Extraordinary!!
MAGELANG: Innovation Using Games
Touring Island Cultures
In learning using PAKEM children enjoy learning through play. This is what happened in the class of Bpk Ary Budi Sanyoto, a teacher at SDN Tidar 1, Magelang. He was teaching social studies about "The variety of ethnic groups and culture in Indonesia". The lesson he developed used a game "Touring island cultures".
This game he used as a teaching aid was inspired by the RAMSAR game, introduced by AQUA, and had numbers on it to denote the provinces of Indonesia.
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Each number had questions for the students to answer about the natural resources and the variety of cultures, such as customs, stories and folk legends, kinds of houses and traditional dress, names of arts and dances, songs and traditional musical instruments, special foods and even the names of ethnic groups and regional weapons.
The questions were made up by the students themselves. They got the ideas for the questions from a variety of sources, including library, text and general knowledge books. The game is played by four students with one student acting as a leader and peer tutor for the others.
The children throw the dice and move their counter according to the number on the dice. Then they have to answer the questions, which is read out by the leader of the game according to the number they have landed on. If the student cannot answer the question, the other students get a chance to answer.
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Left: Gresela, a grade 5 student at SDN Tilar 1, placing her counter.
Right: Bpk Ari's creation has added to the trophies at SDN Tilar 1, Magelang
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There are also good luck and punishment cards. These cards ensure that the game is dynamic, enjoyable and full of surprises. Each student that answers a question correctly is awarded ten points and is an allowed another turn. The student with the highest score is declared the winner and can become the leader of the group.
Through games like this the students find it easier to learn about and understand the various cultures of the Indonesian provinces. In August 2006 this game also helped Bpk Ari Budi Sanyoto to become the winner of the Teacher Creativity Competition for Social Studies in Magelang.
SUKOHARJO: Model of a Volcano as a Learning Resource
Mount Merapi in Magelang, which erup-ted recently, does not just bring bad lack. It also enriches learning resources. It was not just a matter of learning about the eruption of Mount Merapi, but also explaining to the stu-dents that this is a natural phenomena that can occur at any time and has no connections with mysticism, which many people in the media and in everyday life think it has.
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The grade 5 students at SDN Pucangan 4 Kartasura, writing down their observations about Mount Merapi.
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