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Effective Mentoring for Teachers
By Bambang Ari Sugiharto, English Language Facilitator in Madiun
One of the determining factors in the success of the MBE program in developing PAKEM learning methodologies, is the effectiveness of support that is provided after the training. Continual and intensive mentoring will enable us to overcome problems that inhibit the implementation of the program. On the other hand, without periodic support the effects of the training will disappear. One of the models of support that was tried at Madiun was firstly to gather teachers together from the MBE target schools at an MGMP (Teacher Working Group) meeting.
They met in their subject groups and were then given assistance by the subject facilitators. They discussed making lesson plans for 4 to 5 future lessons. After all the lesson plans had been made they then continued by making work sheets. Of course this can not be achieved within one session, it probably requires three or four sessions.
After a number of lesson plans and work sheets have been produced, the facilitator visits the schools within the next four of five lessons in the subject and provides mentoring support by observing teachers practicing what they have planned beforehand. From this it is hoped that useful, in-depth meaningful discussion will develop.
The writer is certain that using this mode of assistance the collegial relationship between facilitators and teachers can be easily established. In a less conducive situation the teacher may reject support and the changes will be minimal or even on-existent. The only problem is how to find a time when all of the teachers from the MBE target schools can get together.
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Practicing in Indonesian language Studies
By Sri Nawangsari Ida P., Bahasa Indonesia Facilitator in Madiun
The teaching of Indonesian Language in the new curriculum requires that teachers must develop the com-petencies of their students in the four skills of language and liter-ature. A skill will be well developed if it is pract-iced frequently.
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Students writing skills will improve if they write a lot, and they will develop their spoken skills if they speak a lot.
These factors encourage me as an Indonesian Language teacher to encourage my students to keep practicing in order to increase their language competencies.
Practice during lessons
Editing ones own writing or the writing of a friend: Within every lesson plan I include about 5 – 10 minutes for this activity. The aim is that the students will become more accurate in their own writing and be critical of both their own writing and that of others and at the same time make corrections.
Presentations and Comments: This requires that a student is competent in listening to and speaking/commenting spontaneously on what they observe or hear, and at the same time they should suggest a solution to a problem if they are giving criticism. At first it is hard to implement. What often happens is that the students are unable to express themselves well and the discussion deteriorates. If this happens I suggest that the presentation and commenting should not stop.
Give the students some guidance to help them get used to the situation. You should conduct this exercise frequently so that the students get used to it. Keep on trying, the students only need more practice to improve their skills.
Practice outside lesson times
What I have tried is commonly called "breakfast". Everyday I give my students a reading or listening task. They choose the reading sources themselves including articles in magazines, newspapers, or stories they like.
This process can also be conducted using other resources such as television or radio programs. The next morning, between 6.30 – 7.00 a.m., before lesson start, they re-write in their own words what they have read or heard on the paper provided.
After corrections the best pieces of writing are put up on a special display board for "breakfast" and can be read by their classmates. The display is changed every week. I collect the lesser quality submissions and compile them into little books entitled "Breakfast".
I have tried this program for three months. My observations indicate that the students really enjoy reading them, probably because the language is the language of their friends, so it is easier to understand.
Good Luck trying this for yourselves!
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