Jigsaw Reading for Young Learners - A Way to Enhance Cooperation

Jigsaw Reading for young learners? Is it possible?
Of course it is. Only, the teacher needs to prepare more, and needs energy along the activity to control and give support to the students.






First we divide a reading text into some parts, in accordance with the number of students in the group. Then we post all the parts on the wall, one is a distant away from the other.
We divide the students in groups and assign numbers within the group (or they choose who wants to be number 1, 2, etc.
Then each is assigned to read one part of the reading (on the wall), and return to the group to retell what he/she has read in turn. Then, after everyone get his/her part, another group task can be or should be assigned to assess the reading gist.

Scrap Book - Introducing Writing to Young Learners

Scrap Book is a media for teaching writing to young learners.
One page at a time, and only one or sentences, prompted with picture(s).




After learning a certain topic/theme, students are guided to express their personal attachment to the topic in writing, as simple as "My name is Dendy but my Mom calls me Prince". The one-page masterpiece is loosly bound with strings or ribbon to be added with another piece on another topic. By the end of the term, students, teachers and parents can use the scrap book as a base of evaluating the students' progress. And...in many workshops with teachers and students...they found this activities engaging and...fun.

From KOLITA 8 Atmajaya Jakarta

Sitting among those researchers, made me wonder. How could they thought of those things that did not make sense for me? The explanation of the 'behind the tone and choices of words of Anggodo's phone communication. I was puzzled the whole session.
I am from the practical side, so those analizing mind is not mine.

One other participants asked me about what I learned from the forum. A lot. I saw their 'abstract beauty' powerpoint and felt so wanting to shout that I was bothered with their quality of powerpoint. I also learned how bored listeners/participants could be, attending such a boring presentation. And last but not least, I learned that sometimes scholars were analizing topics/things that were very low in the social usability.

I closed the conference with practical tips in teaching young learners through songs.

Tragedy of the National Exam

My heart was reaching out to those teenagers getting so emotional I saw on TV the whole day, Monday, April 26, 2010. They were part of the 10-- % highschool students who did not pass the National Exam, way exceeding the percentage the year before. Some were fainted not being able to accept the result, some were in trance, some others were crying histerically.

As a mother, I dared not even imagine how broken their moms' hearts were. As a teacher, I was really dumbfounded, and as a teacher trainer I could not accept the reality either.

National Exam has always be a heatening debate. From year to year. And yet, seeing at the news, there was no comment from the policy makers at all. One newspaper casted: Gov Needs to be Honest. Honest about what? I am in doubt.Where were they? They were not even around when the mess happened. And yet, they were everywhere on the screen before the exam days...assuring things....

In some more days, the result for the junior high students will be announced. Will the same scene happen? And next week, the National Exam for the Elementary School students will take place. They are so young....too young to bear the torture...