Pedagogical Content

Teaching Methods

When I worked at SMP 1 Surakarta, an Indonesian school, I got to observe and eventually teach for Grade 9. One big difference from schools in the Philippines was how they showed presentations: Indonesia used projectors for presentations with a square format, while we used flat-screen TVs to project our presentations. The teachers at SMP 1 had combined their teaching styles, sometimes leading the class and sometimes letting the students take charge in learning the topic themselves. This was because of a new curriculum that encouraged more student-focused learning called the Independent Curriculum.

My supervising teachers, Pak Edi (Sir Edi) and Bu Yayuk (Ma'am Yayuk), were seasoned educators who stressed the importance of repetition and scaffolding in teaching. Since English is taught as a foreign language in Indonesia, their method involved a lot of switching between English and Bahasa Indonesia. They also made sure to include plenty of examples and spoke slowly to help students understand. While some students could speak English in class, others needed a translator to ask or answer questions.

Teaching Materials and Techniques

SMP 1 is a public junior high school, which means that the students must use state-issued book in accordance to their new curriculum. The books are state-mandated as all the public schools are same assessments during the exam period. Although the lessons and the books are standardized, the new Independent Curriculum allows the teachers to have more innovation and creativity in making the lesson plans fit more to the needs and wants of the children while also allowing supplementary methods outside of the textbook. I was able to utilize this through traditional materials and my own way of conducting a lesson through fun games in accordance to the original content of the textbook.

Comparing Philippines and Indonesia in terms of the English subject, Indonesia focuses on practical grammar because English is considered a foreign language. This is seen especially since my lesson was a lot more difficult to execute due to it being more grammar based (Present Perfect Tense). In contrast, because the Philippines has English as second language, we have a better understanding of the language, therefore we have more complex lessons with a focus on literature.

Learning Environment and Technology

SMP 1 Negeri Surakarta has plenty of facilities that facilitated student learning and provided plenty of support on the needs of the students. The classroom was equipped with a white board, a computer to present the lessons, and a projector for the presentation of the teacher to be seen from the back of the class.

After touring around the school, SMP 1 Negeri Surakarta had a sports facility, a diverse canteen lineup, a library for study, well-maintained classrooms, and a computer lab. The school was well equipped to handle any and all resources that the students may need for their learning journey in junior high school. This school really focuses on helping students grow into good people. They teach important things like discipline, respect, and how to do well in schoolwork, so students are ready for life after graduation.

Authentic English Assessments

Relating Language to Daily Life

From what I have observed and tried to implement is that the English lessons taught in class are usually formed into normal conversation or lesson on how to be more physically fit, academically aware, and more through integrated life lessons.

Oral Presentations and Repetition

One of the things I learned was that when teaching English to the students, the teachers would often get them to repeat after them and speak as much as possible, often encouraging recitation a lot. I was able to learn from that and implemented that into my lessons so that the students would also have an idea on how to read/say the English words.

From worksheets to activities, we do our best to motivate the students to want to recite.

Bulan Bahasa: English Games

Bulan Bahasa was an event to get students to learn more of the English language through challenging games. "Bulan Bahasa" is also translated as Language Month! There were two activities done: vocabulary relay and guess the vocabulary word. We were lucky enough to participate as timekeepers and as judges for checking the English words written if they were spelled correctly or not.

Other Activities Observed Throughout SMP 1

Friday Events

Every Friday, SMP 1 would have an event introduced by the school. Each event is an abbreviation of a combination of Indonesian words!

Jummantra

(Jumat Main Tradisional)

Jummantra roughly translates to English as "Friday of Traditional Play"

Every first Friday of the month, the students are to be invited to play traditional Indonesian games. The games I was introduced were: Bola Bekel, which was similar to a game of Jacks with a need for good hand-eye coordination; and Egrang, which is a long bamboo stick with footing for the people to ride it.

Although I wasn't able to participate much myself, it was fun to play Bola Bekel with the other SMP 1 teachers who were way better than me.

Jumanari

(Jumat Seni dan Tradisi)

Jumanari roughly translates to English as "Friday Arts and Tradition".

This is an event where students are encouraged to particicpate in traditional Indonesian dances. It is required for the students to wear traditional attire and any props that may be needed for the cultural dance. We were allowed to participate as well later on in our program.

Sabarjum

(Sarapan Bareng Hari Jumat)

Sabarjum roughly translates to English as "Breakfast Together on Friday"

This is an event where the students are all gathered up in the school yard to eat breakfast together alongside all the other grade levels.

After asking around, I was told that this was an initiative by SMP 1 to promote healthy eating habits among students and prosper communications with one another. While the communal breakfast is ongoing, some students would volunteer to dance or sing in either a traditional/modern dance or a traditional/modern singing.

I was able to participate in this event with my co-delegate Guia as a cultural exchange of talent where we first had to practice diligently to perfect the dance for the whole school and afterwards sing a traditional Philippine song for the students and teachers to hear!

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Scouts and Flag Ceremonies

Every monday morning, SMP 1 would have an hour long flag ceremony that includes proper marching of the scouts in addressing the students of the school, the principal giving a morning address, and a proper scout flag ceremony where every student can be heard loudly singing the national anthem. They also, at this point, give awards to the students who have won competitions for SMP 1 as well!

From being a part of the ceremony and experiencing it firsthand, I admire the love and pride that Indonesia has for their country.

In the Philippines, we would often only need half an hour where we sing the national anthem, make the Philippine oath, sing the school hymn/s, and make some announcements about the school.

Student Awards and Recognition

After the flag ceremony, the faculty members, especially the Principal would give each student who has won an award from either inside or outside of the school.

Each time an award is given, it is also posted on their Instagram to commemorate their achievement online.

Not only does this make students have motivation for their academics and competitions, but it truly recognizes each students' efforts an acknowledges them as much as they possibly can.

Pancasila Student Profile (Profil Pelajar Pancasila; P Lima)

In Indonesia, P Lima (P5) refers to the Pancasila Student Profile (Profil Pelajar Pancasila) implemented in schools. For SMP 1, they implemented a two week event where students were to do vlogs, attend seminars, and so physical activities. For the time we were there, the theme was social and environmental responsibility. We saw the students attend a seminar where they learned how to make a plastic brick using bottles they have in their house with a special guest that specialized in how to make those and also a physical cleaning of trash throughout SMP 1 to teach them the importance of saving the environment.

SMP 1 has shown me how the P Lima framework defines the key values and qualities that Indonesian students are encouraged to develop during their time in school.

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