My 7th Reflection_MMSEL Project

Recovering children’s motivation after the disaster struck

On 17 December 2012 almost all regions of capital of Indonesia got the disaster-stricken. Dam in Latuharhari collapsed-damaged, overflowing in the whole Ciliwung River and the rain did not stop for 3 consecutive days resulted an uneven flooding in large parts of Jakarta. Many people in Jakarta from toddlers to old age evacuated and fled to higher places, leave their property and let it disappear swallowed by water.

One of the victims who feel the impact of the floods is mine. I have to live without light for 3 days and sleeping in the refugee camps. Through this experience I feel how the difficulties of the flood victims live, especially the children that they are supposed to live in more decent places and get access to a decent education.

Based on the situation and conditions of the disaster that happened, my friends and I have the initiative to shift and divert the activities of motivation from that previously we have designed and targeted street children turn out to be victims of child refugees that hampered in gaining access to education during the floods hit.

We did fun activities that the children feel the excitement and enjoyment although living in the camp and was in distress. Once they were having fun, we try to help them to recovering their self-confidence to keep on creativity and outshine regardless of calamity strikes.

I reflect this activity for me that was one of the flood victims and lived in refugee camps. At that time we all desperately need help from others especially for children who lived in refugee camps. They did not go to school and could not feel the joy with their peers because they used to feel the bitterness of the flood victims. In addition, they lack the attention of the people around them, so there is nothing to keep them of being motivated and keep forward in creativity and success.

When the refugees, especially the children get more attention, verily there will be hope for them to keep move forward to reach the goal, maintained their faith or belief and spirit in the midst of disaster

In the unfavorable situation like this a treasure is not a thing that to be thought by the parents but the belief and motivation of their children that supposed to be noted. So, the disaster did not make children become weak and eventually fail and misfortune but it will make them strong and rigid so that they can still to be creative with limitations.

No matter how the hardness of people’s situation toward their condition. If they have strong self- confidence and self-motivation, surely they will keep forward in the midst of adversity and limitations.

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                    M. Ramli

                                                                                                       2010 12 0002 

My 6th Reflection_Aggression&Violence_MMSEL

Persuasive Approach in Handling Bullying

“Teenagers tend to do what is forbidden to show their identity"

            The violent behavior (deviant behavior) conducted by students in the classroom (school context) is part of routine activities that will be faced by teachers during teaching learning process. This is likely to be due to the transition from childhood into adolescence and searching process of self-identity.

            In my point of view, the behavior of deviations that made by students should be responded seriously by teachers but do not too strict. Teachers who are fasislitator in the classroom should provide guidance to students who are in transition seeking self-identity. Teachers may provide guidance to students implicitly so that they are not doing irregularities in the process of finding their identity and in the end they will not be doing the bullying to her friends.

            The question now is. How do teachers lead students that have a chance to act violent behaviour without justifying or labeling them?

            To answer this question, I tend to prioritize the persuasive approach to students that have a chance to act irregularities. The reason is. The students who have the potential of doing the bullying are in phase transition from children to teenagers.

            Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period because a teenager will always try something new to show their identity. In addition, the attitude has particularly teenagers to rebel and will do what is forbidden. Due to that, the teachers must prioritize persuasive approach in giving out directions to them so they do not feel prohibited or restricted.

                                                                                                                    M. Ramli Arrahman

                                                                                                             2010 12 0002

My 5th Reflection_Clasroom management_MMSEL

Classroom management[1] is the techniques to manage the class to help the learning process can be done smoothly and accomplish the objectives of learning. Classroom management consists of matters, they are:

Ø  The physical environment of the classroom (the classroom itself);

The effective classroom created by the room’s physical layout. In this part teachers have the obligation of dealing with seating arrangement, board used management, identify what the classroom should be and find out the solutions of the problems in the classroom itself.

Ø  Teacher’s voice and body language;

Teachers do not have to have a loud voice but they must identify when they be required to use soft voice or loud and identify the body language which can apply in the classroom. Body language helps teachers who have soft voice.

Ø  Teaching under adverse circumstances;

Teachers who teach in large classes and numbers have the defiance, they face with various students who have varying levels of achievement. This circumstance demanded teachers to be objective and do not judge their students who have result under average.

Ø  Teacher’s role and style;

Teachers as the role model in the classroom because students are the shadow of teacher’s manners and style of conversation.

Ø  Creating a positive classroom climate’

To engage all students, teachers should create the atmosphere where learners feel safe, nurtured and comfort with their environment. This positive classroom climate will increase the desire of students to study in the classroom.

                         

These matters show me (as the next generation of teacher) that classroom management is skill which teachers have.

Classroom management is the most important of all for the reason that teachers who only have academic knowledge without skill for classroom management will be ineffective in learning process.

Despite that, the educator who can manage the classroom well will increase the motivation of students in learning process because through classroom management students will feel safe in studying and explain their opinion during learning process.

I think to apply classroom management is not easy but here is my challenge as the actor in the classroom who lead the learning process. One thing that I believe, to be the expert classroom management can be reached by experiences in the real teaching no through the books. Being expert in classroom management without practicing is nothing.

                                                                                                             M. Ramli Arrahman

                                                                                                             2010 12 0002

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[1] Brown, H. Douglas. Teaching by Principles: An interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. London: Longman (2011)