TIF reflection

What has creating the lesson plan and presentation for The Island Foundation taught you about the way children learn best?

Since trying to create a lesson plan for kids age 7 to 9, It has made me realize how hard it is and how many factors you have to consider. We learned from TIF that they believe student-centered learning is when children learn best. Children are more engaged in their learning instead of just being told what to do, as in the future you won’t be told what to do, but instead asked how to do it. They also try to implement the 21st Century Skills (Confidence, Collaboration, Critical Thinking) as they believe these are fundamental skills that will be needed for them to express their creativity and share it with others in the future.

What connections can you draw between Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and/or Vygotsky’s social learning theory and the way you have constructed your lesson? Consider what you have been learning in Integrated Humanities.

Piaget believed that the way someone learned and gained skills/knowledge depended on completing cognitive development stages, which he believed everyone did at a certain age. For our lesson plan, we are focusing on ages 7 – 9 yeard old, so we asked an ES teacher what ages 7 – 9 would act like and how good are they at what, etc. We try to make our plan good for a specific age as each age, as Piaget says, thinks and learns differently in each stage. Vygotsky believed that a child learns best when they discuss their ideas with others. He believes teachers shouldn’t teach, but instead, guide the knowledge which leads to the child getting new ideas and thoughts. Our lesson plan is mostly student-centered. We teach the basics about Songkets and then we let the kids make a poster about any colours or symbols they want, they can even make new ones to express their creativity.

Why is this approach to learning important for meeting Indonesia’s development needs? Refer back to the Catalysing Productive Livelihood report from earlier in the unit. I have attached this again in case you can’t find it from an earlier post

“Only 32% of high achieving students in Indonesia consider teaching a desirable career”. This is because the teachers don’t have the right skills to learn and be the best to the kids. Which is why TIF is trying to teach teachers how to implement 21st-century skills, how to act with kids, etc. to help the kids to reach their full potentail and maybe even inspire them to give back and become a teacher as well.

“9.3% of secondary school vocational graduates are unemployed in Indonesia”. Even with their education, people are still unemployed. Teaching them 21st-century skills will help people adapt easier to the real world and get a job much easier.

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