Pedagogical Contents

a. teaching methods of my cooperating teacher

Ma'am Habasiah, S.Pd., M.Pd. is one of the faculty members of the Science Department of SMP Negeri 1 Kendari. For my one-month practicum at the school, she served as my main cooperating teacher. She is teaching science for grades 8 and 9. Specifically for classes 8.5, 8.7, 9.2, 9.5, and 9.6.

During her classroom sessions, I have observed that she always begins with greetings followed by prayer and asking the students about how they are for that day. Afterward, she gives the question of the day that the students will need to answer as they move along with the session. During her discussions, Ma'am Habasiah uses real-life examples because, in this way, the students can relate more to her topic. After the discussion, she let the students do group activities. While the students are doing their activity, she roams around the classroom to check whether they need help or not. After many minutes, she will let the students present their work in front of the class. Consequently, Ma'am Habasiah asks for some reflection from her students before giving the concluding statement for the discussion. She ends her session with some reminders and a prayer.

When it comes to classroom instructions, I find Ma'am Habasiah's methods to be excellent because students can really follow what she is discussing in front of them. However, when it comes to classroom management, I find it slightly lacking because, during group activities and presentations, there are times when she can't control the noise of the students. But despite that, overall, I have learned various methods from my cooperating teacher.

B. learning materials and innovation

Ma'am Habasiah, Sp.Pd., M.Pd., and other science teachers in SMP Negeri 1 Kendari use various learning materials and innovations to support the learning of the students. Ma'am Habasiah uses PowerPoint presentations, projectors, worksheets, and realias to explain the different concepts.

Another notable science teacher that I observed throughout my practicum period was Sir Paruddin S.Pd., M.Pd., most commonly known as Sir Oji. In his classroom, he uses various techniques to make learning more fun for the students. He uses relaxing background music during activities to enhance the brain function of the students. He also distributes sticky notes where the students will write the answers to his question or reflection, after which they will paste them on the whiteboard. According to him, this will let the students, especially those who are not fond of reciting, be more comfortable sharing their ideas.

But, despite the different teaching styles of the teachers that I have observed, all of them always remind me that inside the classroom, always put the students first—that no matter how perfect your materials are, if the students do not understand any of them, then all your efforts will be wasted.

c. Sources of learning and technology used by the teachers

In SMP Negeri 1 Kendari, there are several materials and learning sources that teachers use to improve the learning of students. These include the following: books, magazines, whiteboards, projectors, television, 3D models, laboratory tools and equipment, computers, sports materials, and others.

The books and magazines can be found in the school library; each teacher has a projector in the faculty which they can use in their lessons; the televisions are found in some classrooms, the whiteboards can be found in all classrooms, the 3D models, laboratory tools and equipment, and other science materials can be found in the science laboratory; the computers are in the computer laboratory and even in the library, and the sports materials can be borrowed from the physical education teacher.

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d. authentic assessment used by the teachers

There are different authentic assessments that Ma'am Habasiah, my cooperating teacher, employs inside the classroom. She uses diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to measure and evaluate the learning of her students. Specifically, she uses worksheets, especially for laboratory activities, reflections, group and individual presentations, and an observation sheet where she records the attitudes of the students inside the classroom. And among the different assessment tools that she uses inside the classroom, she is fond of using group activities because according to Ma'am Habasiah, through group activities, not only do the students develop collaborative skills but also critical thinking skills.

1. Compared to the workloads of teachers in the Philippines, teachers in SMP Negeri 1 Kendari have lighter loads because they only have 2-4 classes every day.
2. The teachers are only discussing for about 15-20 minutes inside the classroom, and the remaining time is allotted for different activities.
3. The teachers in SMP Negeri 1 Kendari are slowly integrating game-based activities to let the students feel fun and excitement inside the classroom.

e. other observations