Curriculum reform in Indonesian Primary Education

Weningtyas Parama Iswari

Noor Rachmawaty

Makassar State University

Curriculum reform in Indonesia Outline of Presentation

National Curriculum

Teachers

External Factors

Internal Factors

Classroom

Reasons for change

- Scientific Approach -Thematic/ Integrative presentation of the content - 12 year compulsory education - Longer school hours - Moral values as additional competence for all subjects

Future Competences

21st Century Skills

(e.g. communication, critical thinking, tolerance)

Negative phenomena

(e.g. drugs, corruption, plagiarism, cheating,)

Public Perception towards educational

condition

(e.g. focus on cognitive aspect, over workload, lack

of character building)

Future Challenges

(e.g. globalization, environmental issues, IT

advances)

Scientific Approach

General Definition

• An approach to activities that share the goal of discovering knowledge

Indonesian Context

• Observing, Questioning, Associating, Experimenting, Networking

Potential problems

• Teachers’ resistance

• Teachers’ creativity

• Unequal educational facilities across the country (Machmud, 2011)

Graduate standard

Example of competence standard

Core Competence Basic Competence

- Comprehending and implementing religious practices students believe in - Comprehending, applying and analyzing factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge

- To be appreciative of the opportunity to learn a foreign language, as realized in learning spirit. - Comprehending the objective structure and linguistics elements of spoken and written text

Attitude Skill Knowledge

For example: Religious Self esteem Responsible

For example: Critical Effective and Creative in both abstract and concrete domain

For example: Knowledgeable in science, IT, Arts, Culture, Human rights, Nation, Citizenship and civilization

The Implementation of the 2013 Curriculum in the Classroom

Classroom

Curriculum

Teacher

External Factor

Internal Factor

Teachers’ Qualification (Teaching certificate, Teacher Law 2005)

• 4 year Bachelor degree

- Portfolio: or - 90 hours of training cited from Supriyatna (2010)

Potential Problem: No system to regularly improve teachers’ performance after passing certification

Factors that influence teachers’ teaching practices

Teacher

External Factors: -Professional Development -Supervision

Internal Factors:

- Beliefs - Motivation - Professional Competences

External Factors

External Factors Problems

Professional Development

Pre-service teacher training •Lack of coordination with schools

In-service teacher training •Limited coverage •Expensive •Ineffective (compact program) •Unsustainable

MGMP (Subject Teacher Forum)

•Low frequency of meetings •Unattractive activities

External Factors

External Factors Problems

Supervision Main duty: • Academic and Managerial supervision • Monitoring and Evaluation

Unsatisfied academic and managerial supervision caused by : •High workload •Unsatisfactory Recruitment

Required Competence: • Personality • Managerial supervision • Academic supervision • Educational Evaluation • Research and Development • Social

Internal Factors: Teachers’ beliefs

Teachers’

beliefs

Classroom Practice

Successful Implementation new curriculum

Reality: 40% adopters (greater understanding of curriculum and rationale for its change) 60% non-adopters (lack of engagement with the pedagogy and curriculum issues). Questions : Do teachers have enough knowledge about the new curriculum? Do teachers know their role in order to implement the new curriculum successfully?

Internal Factors: Professional Competencies

The EFL professional competencies

• command of English • knowledge of relevant

disciplines • the ability to teach • responsibility as professional (Madya 1997 cited in Madya 2003)

Reality • Lack teaching competencies

• Average mark for NCT was 42/100- 98.3% registered teachers sat the test (Cited from Jakarta Globe, March 19, 2012)

• Average mark of NCT for English teachers: 34

Responses from teachers: 1. Validity issue on the NCT 2. Technical problems

Have they taken some action for their own personal development? reflection on their own teaching practice, Reading publications, sharing experiences with other teachers

Internal Factors: Teachers’ Motivation

Successful implementation of curriculum

Work Performance

Extrinsic & Intrinsic motivation

Classroom

Assessment School time

Size

Learning Activities

Text book

Students

Facility and infrastructure

The Implementation of EFL Curriculum in the Classroom

Teacher

Classroom

Curriculum

External Factor

Internal Factor

Points to ponder…

• Can the 2013 curriculum improve the teaching practice in Indonesian curriculum?

• Do the determined core competence, basic competence and teaching method meet the students’ needs and characteristics?

• Are teachers of English aware of their own capability and role as English teachers in the frame of implementing the national curriculum?

References

Basalama, Nonny. 2010. English teachers in Indonesian senior high schools in Gorontalo: A qualitative study of professional formation, identity and practice. (Unpublished Thesis Victoria University). vuir.vu.edu.au/16041/1/Nonny_Basalama_Thesis.pdf (Retrieved on 13 October 2013).

Jakarta Globe. 2013. Indonesian Teachers Score Low on Competency Test: Big Surprise? www.thejakartaglobe.com/archive/indonesian-teachers-score-low-on-competency-test-big-surprise/

(Retrieved on 14 October 2013). Kristono. 2008. Konferensi Internasional Ketujuh, Mutu dan Kualifikasi Guru Bahasa Inggris di Indonesia. http://www.itb.ac.id/news/itb_berita_2032.pdf

Kuzborska, Irena. 2011. Links between teachers’ beliefs and practices and research on reading. Reading in Foreign Language Volume 23, No.1. pp.102-128. Lie, Anita. 2007. Education Policy and EFL Curriculum in Indonesia: Between the commitment to competence and the quest for higher test scores. TEFLIN

Journal, Volume 18, Number 1. http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/viewFile/113/102 (Retrieved on 13 October 2013). Madya, Suwarsih. 2003. Education Reform and its Implication for EFL Teachers Competencies. TEFLIN Journal Vol. 14 No. 1.

journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/viewArticle/65 /19 (Retrieved on 13 October 2013). Machmud, Karmila. 2011. The Integration of Technology in a Decentralized Curriculum: The Case of English as Foreign Language (EFL) Instruction in

Gorontalo, Indonesia. etd.ohiolink.edu/ap:10:P10_ETD_SUBID:61743 Supriatna, Asep. 2010. Indonesia’s Issues and Challenges on Teacher Profesional Development. Paper presented on Programme on Zambia Experience

Sharing Seminr osted by IDEC/JICA. http://aadcice.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/e/publications/sosho4_2-04.pdf (Retrieved on 13 October 2013). Suslu, Sebnem. 2006. Motivation of ESL Teachers. The Internet TESL Journal. http://iteslj.org/Articles/Suslu-TeacherMotivation.html (Retrieved on 13

October 2013). Tempo online. http://www.tempo.co/read/news/2012/08/05/079421508/Kemampuan-Guru-Bahasa-Inggris-SMP-Memprihatinkan Zulfikar, Teuku. 2009. The Making of Indonesian Education: An overview on Empowering Indonesian Teachers. Journal of Indonesian Social Sciences and Humanities Vol. 2,

pp. 13–39

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