Gone are the Days of One-Way Learning in SMPN 2 Grobogan

ALL these years Drs. Gati Wibowo, Principal of SMPN 2 Grobogan, was most comfortable doing one-way teaching. Teaching was easier for him as little preparation was needed and teacher was the one in control throughout the process, while students only needed to sit and listen. "That was how I did it. I was satisfied enough with the fact that lesson was delivered as expected, all materials were taught and it finished on time. However, I started to wonder if my students understood any of what I taught them," said Mr. Gati.

In one-way teaching, teachers are active while students become the passive audience. There is no discussion, no response from students, no creative thinking, no student interaction. Students often end up forgetting the material after each lesson. But following his involvement in DBE3 training and after applying cooperative learning in his class, students were more enthusiastic, interaction between students and teacher took place and students were able to work in groups.

Students exchanged their ideas during group work and this in turn made them more open to differences, especially when it comes to working together to finish a given task. "When observing my students working in groups to discuss 'shopping at the supermarket', I saw students were able to explain the benefit of shopping at the supermarket.

They conclude that by shopping at the supermarket, we are able to get many goods of different prices, sizes, and kinds that suit our needs and budget. This means that students can apply what they learned during the lesson in their daily lives. This was better than just lecturing them about shopping at the supermarket," said Pak Gati.

Students are happy to know that their hard work is appreciated by other students. Students are not afraid to ask for more information regarding the lesson. Students are pleased to work together to solve problems presented during the lesson.

One-way learning forces students to become fixated on their teacher's way of thinking. But following DBE3 training students were asked to think more creatively and critically. Pak Gati added "I encouraged all the teachers in my school to do the same. Gone are the days of one-way learning in SMPN 2 Grobogan. Dialogue between teachers and students is encouraged."