Edition IV/August 2008
PAGES from ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, UNDIKSHA Headline News
PPL-REAL STUDENTS:
A Hero or Just A Duty?
What will come first in your mind when you hear the word “hero”? There will be thousands of answers to this simple question. This definition may vary based on its contextual use. In education world, hero is defined as an admired person for doing something brave or good because of having quality and skill to make some improvement in education itself. We believe that a teacher is a person who is well-known as a hero without any renown, but is there any same perception for PPL-Real students? Various opinions to say that PPL-Real students become heros both for themselves and the school can be seen as follows.
“Yes, sure!” said Agung Bintang as one of PPL Real students in SMA Baktiyasa Singaraja when she was asked whether she could be a hero or not as the PPL-Real student. She believes that her capability in managing the class is able to change the way in transmitting the lesson. As an illustration, to make the lesson more amusing, she always conduct such kinds of games or riddles that deal with the materials, so indirectly the students will learn by those creative things. As she teaches, she also finds other creative ways in developing the students’ new spirit to learn. One thing to remember, she keeps trying to create a good atmosphere to make the class enjoyable. The first thing that she does in teaching is to motivate the student to learn. It aims to develop students’ self confidence in learning, particularly English. The PPL Real students can become a friend for the students because the topic of their talking is quite the same. Because of that, the students feel closer to the PPL Real Student. They can share anything about the lesson in class or their personal problem which can be shared outside the class. In that time, she can feel that she brings a change to the student and she is proud of her self. Furthermore, there is an additional value about PPL Real students in students’ point of view. Cahyani, a student of LAB SCHOOL, said, “I can catch the point of the lesson faster after being taught by a PPL Real student”. The same thing also happens to her classmates. By being given mnemonic bridge, they can memorize the point of the lesson easily. Also, the students feel more relax in PPL Real student class instead of having their real teacher’s class. It is due to the ice breaker activity in the middle of the lesson, so it keeps their heads fresh.
The last proof comes from the teachers at school. Since the PPL-Real student’s arrival, the teachers’ duty is lighter than before. They can replace the teachers’ job when the teacher cannot attend the class. Besides, with PPL Real student’s success in handling the class, it automatically helps the teacher in changing the students’ habit from paying less attention to be more enthusiastic in joining the class. By having those facts above, it is proven that PPL Real students can be heros both for themselves and the school indeed. Contributed by -Anggraeni, Santi, Susanti-