Archive for category: EDUCATION

Bima Baihaqi Candra MAN 2 Kota Malang

The pandemic has taken a toll on most country’s states of education. In Indonesia, millions of children are forced to adapt to online learning. Approximately 60 million primary to secondary students must study at home and rely on gadgets to enable their education since the government announced that schools are closed indefinitely. From early 2020 till this very day, most schools are practicing online learning. Previously, however, some schools have tried to establish offline learning for a short period. Schools have returned to the digital learning method due to the increasing number of covid and the reports of new variants. The implemented digital curriculum has become the norm of learning in this pandemic in Indonesia. From homework, presentation to school events have adapted to a digital structure. The transition to online learning was sudden and unprepared; however, it could produce maximum results with the proper actions. Online learning has several advantages and disadvantages; likewise, its counterpart both exceeds each other in different features, and below are the aspects in which both excel on their respective elements.

           The appearance of online learning provides mobility and flexibility, in which teachers and students can set their own learning pace. Schools now can set schedules per their needs. Some Indonesian schools now adopt shortened programs compared to the usual, leaving the students with more free time that students can utilize for self-improvement or family bonding activities. With the geographic restrictions lifted by online learning, schools can reach out to a more extensive range of students. Moreover, online learning can be archived with the recording feature, allowing the materials to be viewed later on by the students for future references at a time of their convenience.

           Online learning also provides affordability. Before the digital era, Indonesian schools primarily relied on hard copy materials for the learning process. Students must purchase hard copy materials such as books or worksheets known as UKBM at the local bookstore or the school’s cooperative at a relatively low price. However, in an online environment, education materials are available anywhere. From websites to social media posts, study materials are inclusive as ever these days. With the hard materials replaced, students and teachers are at ease since studying materials can be delivered within a single click. Establishing online learning also eliminates the cost of transportation meals, not to mention the hard copy materials, therefore creating a paperless learning environment, bringing economic affordability while also being beneficial to the environment.

           Despite the advantages mentioned above, online learning still possesses several disadvantages in Indonesia. The country is still experiencing learning loss due to the nonoptimal realization of online learning. Learning loss is a condition in which a country’s education is degrading. The World Bank data stated that as a result of the pandemic, the country (Indonesia) has lost about a half year of learning. Online learning has yet to be realized optimally, primarily in rural areas where educational facilities are limited. Rural education aside, these are the negative traits of online learning common in many Indonesian students.

           The flexibility that online learning provides is often taken for granted by both students and teachers. From the student’s perspective, students and teachers can take online learning anywhere as long as they have an internet connection. In previous times when offline schools still existed, to undergo a vacation, a permit must be submitted and signed by the teachers. Recently, however, for students to ask permission to be dismissed from online learning is just within a click. As a result, many students can be absent without a specific permit from the school. On the other hand, from a teacher’s perspective, it is more or less the same as the students, and it is affecting the quality of the learning process in which it is producing less optimal results due to unfocused lectures.

           It is undeniable that online learning’s affordability has helped the citizens financially. However, the downsides are that the technology that online learning requires is considered relatively expensive in Indonesia, mostly in rural areas. Rural areas lack proper facilities and funding, and as a result, online learning is unable to be conducted optimally. Therefore, rural areas are constantly experiencing learning loss due to the government’s latest policy to close schools.

          In addition to its affordability, whereas students can get materials digitally, we can infer that in this pandemic, students must be in front of a gadget to participate in online learning for long periods. The LED on devices emits blue light radiation, potentially harmful to eye health. Most online schools have shortened the study schedule to give students a rest from harmful radiation from their phones. However, knowing the characteristic of Indonesian adolescents, they would most likely keep using their phones to surf social media or enjoy digital entertainment, thus increasing blue light exposure, which affects their eye health.

           Lastly, but the most critical aspect of learning itself, the presence of a teacher is essentially the most contributing factor to a country’s educational development. The process of online learning eliminates the real-time chemistry between students and teachers. Chemistry is essential as it strengthens the bond and increases the study spirit of the students, therefore enabling students to produce optimal results. Whereas in online learning, the conversation between teachers and students feels awkward and silent. Students require real-time interaction to build chemistry and to understand the subjects thoroughly. It provides them productivity support and learning with satisfaction, and later on nurtures their problem solving and critical thinking skills, which online learning has yet to offer.

           From the aforementioned points comparing online and offline learning, we can infer that offline learning offers better benefits for the country’s future. Online learning will surely be the norm of education in the future, and it can be conducted optimally with a better system and the proper equipment and primed planning. However, offline learning has again been put on hold with the current situation in which the pandemic is rising with new variants in several significant provinces. Therefore, regardless of the learning method, as fellow students, we can only do our best while hoping for the pandemic to rest.

References

Ferdy-Ramesyah. (2020) https://kumparan.com/ferdy-ramesyah/pisa-skor-pendidikan-indonesia-masih-di-bawah-rata-rata-dunia-1usItNpTYEW

Vania Rossa- Dini Efendi (2020) https://www.suara.com/health/2020/12/16/141248/akibat-pandemi-40-persen-pelajar-indonesia-kehilangan-motivasi-belajar

Dr. Sudipto Pakrasi (2019) https://www.medanta.org/patient-education-blog/health-hazards-of-electronic-devices-for-kids-eye-health/

Short Biography

Greetings reader and judges, my name is Bima Baihaqi Candra. I come from Tangerang but lives in Surabaya, I am currently a sophomore at MAN 2 Kota Malang.  I enjoy writing as one of my hobbies besides playing music (Piano & Violin) and sports. By participating in this competition, I hope to increase my experience in writing whilst nurturing my writing and english skills.

 Learning has become one of our responsibilities since the first time we came into this world. In this era, learning becomes one of the things that is so important to do. Because as we have known, there are a lot of tricky things in this world which always give negative impacts on others. Since it is now the time of the pandemic, some schools from over the world must learn from home or have online classes. This must be a new thing for some people who always have face-to-face classes before COVID-19 exists.

              Both online learning and offline learning have positive and negative impacts. Lessons in face-to-face classes are more understandable than in online classes. Besides that, offline classes ease us to interact with the teacher properly and directly. However, offline learning is more tiring than online learning because it needs a lot of energy to do extra things that we don’t need to do in online classes, such as going to school by transportation. While in online classes, we save a lot of time because we don’t need to spend our time on things that we need to do in offline classes, such as going to school, heading out to the canteen, and going home.

              Based on a survey done by Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia (KPAI), 78% of students want to go back to face-to-face classes. The reason why the students prefer face-to-face classes is 57% because of the difficulties to understand some subjects, and some activities that cannot be done in an online class. This must be one of the most stressful things during online classes. Because once we get stuck in a matter, then it will make us stressed and bring us down. This reason will surely affect our overall life because we will not be able to concentrate on other activities. Besides that, we feel the simple tasks become more difficult than they used to be.

              When I was in an online class, I thought the offline class would be more effective than the online one. But when I had my first day being in offline class, I found it so hard because my school is a boarding school and I need to meet a lot of people every single day which is not easy. This is such an issue for those who have social anxiety or panic attacks while being surrounded by many people, including me. I was not able to focus on my class that I ended up missing the explanation that my teacher gave. I had no idea how to adapt to this situation and I almost gave up on this school. As the time went on, I realized that the hardship I faced was just a part of my journey and it was not as hard as my expectation, and from this experience, I learn that society is not as good as I thought, there are so many characters that I need to face, new friends, and new things. Since then, I have always tried to accept that I will always not be in a comfortable zone. Sooner or later, I will have to face this kind of situation and accept society for the way it is and learn from it.

              Since it is pandemic, it is not really safe to have offline classes even when we do a shifting system because we cannot guarantee that they don’t do anything that can get them infected with COVID-19. As we can see there are still many people who still care less about keeping their distance from each other, not washing their hands, or not even wearing their mask. This surely will be dangerous because they might get infected with COVID-19 without realizing it, and if that happens, then that person automatically will impact other people too, either in her home or in her school. In terms of safety, online learning is safer than offline learning. However, in terms of effectiveness, offline learning is more effective than online learning and I think offline learning gives more benefits than online learning does.

Why do I say so?

              Even though it is hard to have face-to-face classes, we will eventually get used to it. At the first time, most of us might think that having face-to-face class is so hard which makes us doubt to not be able to face this situation, but I believe that this is the process of adapting and dealing with the things we once thought we would never be able to do. Dealing with society is not that easy but we cannot change all the things that we cannot adapt to, all we can do is to accept the situation and do our best. We can never escape from the difficult situation, we can only learn to live through it.

              In offline classes, we will have so many activities in the class which make us more confident of facing some things. Such as speaking in front of many people, interacting with people directly, and making a friend with them. However, the most prominent weakness that has been shown is in managing time. We must feel so tired after going home from school which causes us to put off doing the things that we could actually finish them that moment.

              Even though offline classes give more benefits than online classes do, it doesn’t mean that online classes don’t give any benefits. When the teacher is explaining something in an online class, we can record it as a preparation for the exams that will be conducted in the last term. Compared to offline classes, online classes give us more free time than offline classes do. Besides that, we can manage time well, and get enough rest. However, if it is online, willy-nilly we need technology both for studying and communicating with each other. This technology such as a phone, a laptop is not always working well. In another word, sometimes the connection is so bad that we end up missing the lesson. Besides, we sometimes cannot hear what the teacher is saying because of the bad connection. Also, recording assignment is so stressful, especially when the storage of our phone accidentally runs out when we almost finish it.

              For the above reasons, I fervently believe that even though we get more free time in online learning, offline learning is more effective than online learning. Offline learning teaches us how to be brave and face society. In offline classes, we need to be an attentive person because we cannot really search anything up on the internet. It also teaches us how to be disciplined by going to school in time, having lunch in time, praying in time, etc. Even though it is hard at first, I believe that we will be able to face and go through this situation. This is how we learn to see the real side of life, never be as good as we think. That is how life looks like, we need to go through many hard times and face many things to become a successful person. This journey may have lots of twists and turns, but all we have to do is to get along with the ride and learn how it works for us. We will figure things out along the way.

Reference:

https://nasional.kontan.co.id/news/survei-kpai-78-siswa-menginginkan-pembelajaran-tatap-muka

Name: Amalia Aswandi

Age: 16 years old

Birthdate: November 30^th, 2005

Address: Prumnas wekke’e blok C angsa 1 street number 6

School: SMAN 5 PAREPARE

Written by Aureliana Ditasari, Nida Fauziah, and Rifka Indah Nizar

On this day, who doesn’t like watching movies? People nowadays are likely to be obsessed with movies. We may find out a lot through watching movies without even realizing it, as long as we manage them effectively. Many people use movies to get rid of negative thoughts or recharge their batteries. Watching movies is fun, especially if we watch movies either with our friends or with family, but did you know that the simple activity that we take for granted could significantly affect our development? Movies are a way to have fun and provide many positive benefits. Here are the top five benefits of watching movies!

1. Foreign-language movies can help us learn a new language

Do any of you enjoy watching movies in languages other than your native? Movies from Korea, Japan, China, Turkey, Arabic, or many more. Are you aware that watching movies with different language backgrounds will gradually give you some of the vocabularies that frequently appear in the movie’s dialogue? Even if we still watch those movies with subtitles, this is one of the advantages of watching movies in languages besides our native language. Sometimes, the brain may unconsciously repeat familiar vocabulary to recognize its meaning or even pronounce it correctly.

For example, we watch movies from western countries,. Fluency in English is crucial for some people, particularly those who did not grow up in a country where English was their first language. Can we merely watch movies to enhance our language skills? How do we do that?

We are not only practicing our listening and speaking skills when watching movies. The brain will effortlessly replicate the dialogue in English movies since almost everyone is familiar with English, an international language. As a result, it is not surprising that we can unconsciously string together a sentence in English during dialogue or find out the meaning of a word just by thinking about it, like in movies we have watched.

In some cases, people may even master a new language only by watching movies. They will be able to watch the movie without having to read subtitles. Maybe not everyone will understand the complicated grammar or the uncommon vocabulary of the country. However, understanding the context of their language, in general, will increase our knowledge beyond our first and second languages. Using subtitles will allow you to understand the content. Concentrate on the key words and take notes as needed to help you remember. As a result, you will retain the information for a long time.

2. Movies benefit us in learning about new cultures

History buffs have plenty of options when it comes to movies. It can show us new things about the culture that we probably did not know. We gain many things, such as a country’s history or a new culture, and then we realize some influential figures in the world. Educating ourselves on a country’s history may instill a sense of nationalism in us. It is the same when we watch historical movies from other countries. We may learn a lot from an excellent historical movie by understanding essential issues and events. Not only that, but historical movies are also valuable in the classroom, as teachers may show them to their pupils so that they can better acquire or understand history courses.

3. Movies could provide both enjoyment and stress reduction

Many people find watching movies both entertaining and a way to reduce stress. Watching movies can make us forget our problems is an alternative to anxiety loss. As previously said, watching movies can have a positive emotional impact. Movies can calm us down and soothe us. We reduce the stress within us by lowering worry, and even watching a movie may turn all negative thoughts into the better, as long as it is enjoyable.

4. Movies help us to get motivation

Have you ever read a movie quote over and over again? It indicates the movie has encouraged you to feel more positive and inspired. We may learn a lot by watching movies. Movies may motivate us to make positive changes in our lives, and movies’ strong characters can inspire us to do the same. The benefit of watching movies can increase self-motivation to be solid and inflexible in dealing with all the problems. Even though it is just a movie, we can acquire this psychological influence in our life.

5. Watching movies can help us gain more insight and understanding

Beyond entertainment, movies can likely provide insight into people, with different genres presenting them with many new insights. Watching movies from other countries tells us much about each country’s culture and national values. Watching movies can also give a different view to each viewer from the beginning of the story itself. Each movie’s plot or characters will provide us with a different perspective than anyone else. It gives us insight into things we did not know before without recognizing them.

There are so many benefits that we can get from watching movies. We need to turn our simple hobby into something productive so that our efforts will not be vain. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s find more good movies and reach your goals!

What is implicit bias?

Implicit bias is a subconscious subjective view of a particular group. It arises due to the existence of stereotypes against a specific group that we have seen ourselves or we got it from the media or other people. Implicit bias is often difficult to detect because we tend to perceive certain stereotypes as normal.

It is also essential for educators to understand implicit bias because what teachers share will influence students’ implicit bias. One example is that we often give English sentence templates to students without realizing that there are stereotypes in it. Here are some sample sentences:

• My father goes to the office on weekdays.
• My sweeps the floor every morning.
• Ani can make delicious cake.
• Budi is a good football player.

Do you think the sentences above are odd?

If you don’t think there’s anything strange about the sentences above, you most likely have an implicit bias regarding gender. The sentences above represent gender stereotypes: women do housework and cook, while men work and do physical exercise.

Why does implicit bias have a bad effect?

If the teachers are not aware of the stereotypes they convey to the students, then they will consider it as a normal thing. For example, the teachers will transfer the implicit bias related to gender above to the students through sample sentences used as English learning materials without any filtering. Therefore how to detect implicit bias and avoid stereotyping in the classroom?

A way to detect implicit bias is through educating ourselves and enriching knowledge by learning anything from various points of view. Therefore, we will no longer understand something from a side only. In addition, we should provide a variety of example sentences and texts for students in order to reduce any stereotypes. Here are some alternative examples of reducing implicit bias:

• My father often cooks dinner for us in the evening.
• My mother is currently working as CEO in a start-up company.
• Ani has just graduated from industrial engineering school.
• Budi likes making flower arrangements in his spare time.

So that’s implicit bias and its negative effects. Therefore, please educate yourself and don’t be easily influenced by other people’s implicit biases.