A Really Good Madrasah at the Foot of Mount Merapi

INITIALLY, MTsN Cepogo was a private-owned MTs called MTs Agama Islam, which was established in 1952. The school then became a state MTs in 1997. Being located at the foot of Merapi volcano – about 15 kilometers from Boyolali – has not made MTsN Cepogo lose its interest in continuously improving its learning quality.

“I started to work at MTsN Cepogo in 2006, the year in which DBE3 started its programs in our school. The training and support programs of DBE3, especially the unconventional learning methods, are in line with our program which focuses on joyful learning,” commented Drs. Nur Hudaya Solichin, the school principal of MTsN Cepogo.

Young teachers at MTsN Cepogo are the main assets for the school, especially in making positive changes in teaching methods. When we go round the school we find that each classroom has its own varied seating arrangements. There is also students’ work displayed on the walls and a spacious garden which is often used for learning.

Everyday you can hear the voices of the children learning around the school yard. “Our opinions are appreciated. That makes us motivated to learn better,” said Nur Arifiani, a 9th grade student.

As a school which wants to become an ICT-based school, MTsN Cepogo has installed an internet connection and conducted the Intel Teach Getting Started training for all of its teachers.

MTsN Cepogo also invited the privately owned madrasahs which belong to the local Madrasah network to participate in the training. Pak Nur said that all the teachers in MTsN Cepogo should be able to use computers in their lessons.

Students Expressing their Opinions

It started when SMPN 1 Grobogan became a partner school of DBE3. Since then its teachers have been participating in a variety of training to improve their capacity. As a result, teachers of SMPN 1 Grobogan now understand how to design better lessons.

They give opportunities for students to express their ideas and present their opinions in the classrooms using active learning. They also value students’ work by displaying it on the classroom walls. SMPN 1 Grobogan has created a favorable environment for learning. Often, discussions on lessons take place during break times.

These discussions involve both teachers and students, often cross subject boundaries and are continued in the subject teachers’ working groups within the school (school MGMP). This supportive environment encourages students to be confident in expressing their opinions.