Five Steps to Unlock the Students' Thinking
( By Hamdani, S.Ag., M.Pd )
Every student entering into the classroom has a diverse competence of thinking. Some of them have quick thinking, and the others may be have low thinking. The students who have high competence of thinking usually do not have any problems when their teachers tell them to think or solve the problem. However, for the students who have low competence of thinking are on the contrary.
Teaching the students to think or solve thing or problem is not easy, and it needs a long process and patience. Therefore, the teachers should carry out these five steps to motivate and unlock the students' thinking, namely:
1. Use the Stimuli
Stimuli are a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue, and the stimuli also can be used to awaken the learners' reaction of thinking. The stimuli can come from the events or condition available around our environment, like the flood, mountain eruption, traffic jam, and many other resources.
The stimuli in the process of learning or the development of Students' thinking are very urgent; therefore, the teachers in teaching or delivering the materials should use stimuli, because the students' motivation, concentration, and desires to learn usually will enhance if their teachers use stimuli.
However, the teachers should remember that the stimuli should be new. Since, the old stimuli will make the students boring and unattractive. Consequently, the the process of teaching and learning activity can't be conducted successfully.
2.Give the Chance to the Students to Express their Opinion
The students' difficulties expressing their thought or opinion are not caused by their disability; however, they have never been given the opportunities to express their thought. Even, the teachers often look down on their students, and say something rudely, disrespectfully or impolitely, like "how stupid you are!".
The teachers' rude attitude or behaviour, and statement will be large burdens not only for the teachers but also for the students. The teacher will have difficulties approaching students, and the students' motivation, confidence or bravery in learning will reduce. Besides, the students not only hate but also stay away from the teachers. So, the condition or relation between teachers and students will create new problem in the teaching and learning activity. Therefore, the teachers should alter their attitude, behaviour, statement, and their mindset in advance if they want success in teaching.
There are two teachers' mindsets that can make the process of teaching and learning succeed or fail , namely the fixed mindset and growth mindset. The fixed mindset usually is belonged by the teachers who always look down on their students, and never give the chance to their students to express the opinion. They regard their students can't undertake the task successfully. They never strive for their students' success; however, they just make decision based on their assumption that the students' failure are because of their fault and ignorance.
The teachers who possess the fixed mindset will hinder the students' progress, and destroy their future. They never realize that the success and failure of students in learning in the classroom are their responsibility; therefore, they should change mindset in advance because they are the agents of the changes.
Talking about the teachers as the agent of change is a very attractive item, because the "agent of changes" deals with the growth mindset. The teachers who have growth mindset always think about their students and they hope their students become successful persons and have bright future.
The growth mindset are usually possessed by the qualified and expert teachers. Since, the the qualified and expert teachers will have good concept about their students' education, achievement and success. Gayle H. Gregory stated that the qualities and expertise of teachers have a great impact on students success. The teacher does not indeed make a huge difference by attending to a variety of high impact strategies and continuing to develop the knowledge, skills, and disposition that make a difference in student learning and achievement.
3. Don't look Down on the Students' Competence.
Competence can be understood as skill and knowledge belonged by someone to do things. According to Robert A. Roe (2001), Competence is defined as the ability to adequately perform a task, duty or role. Competence integrates knowledge, skills, personal values and attitudes. Competence builds on knowledge and skills and is acquired through work experience and learning by doing. Dobson (2003:8) states that competency is defined in terms of what a person is required to do (performance), under what conditions it is to be done (conditions) and how well it is to be done (standards).
Based on the definitions above, we can state that each student who enters into the classroom has diverse competences, and the differences should be realized by all of the teachers when teaching. The students that have high skill, knowledge and intelligence, of course, they can carry out the task or activities successfully. On the contrary, the students who have low intelligence, of course, they will undertake the task or activities poorly. Therefore, the teachers should respect and give opportunities to the students to express their potency or opinion in learning based on their own skill.
4. The Teachers should be able to Create a Discussion class.
One of the passive classes or passive students when learning in the classroom is because of the teachers' disability creating the discussion class. The discussion class is very urgent way to develop and grow the students' potency or competence in thinking. They can deliver or express their thought or opinion and share experience to their friends. However, most of the teachers still use conventional approach or method.
In the conventional approach and method, the teachers feel and regard themselves as the cleverest persons in the classroom. They are more active than their students, and they are as if they were the cleverest people. Besides, they never give chance to their students to argue, or express the opinion. They only hope their students sit and listen to their teachers calmly.
Therefore, creating the discussion class should be conducted by all of the teachers to develop, awaken, and unlock the students' thinking and motivation. Since, the discussion class is a part of the model of learning using a scientific approach.
5. Utilizing IT and Digital Media in the Learning Process
In the digital era, the utilization of IT and Digital world in the teaching and learning activity is very urgent. Since, the IT and digital media not only can facilitate the teachers to present the materials, enhance the students' motivation but also develop the students' thinking in learning. In addition, the IT and digital media can be used as the sources of learning in which the teachers can look for the material of teaching, like a text or picture, etc. The text, picture or events taking place around us can be used as sources of learning that can stimulate the students to develop their thinking.
Talking about the stimuli that used by the teachers must be attractive for the students, because the attractive stimuli not only can awaken the students' learning motivation but also unlock the students' potential and thinking. Therefore, the teacher should look for interesting learning media, texts, pictures and the other events taking place around us.
The students' activeness and achievement rely on the the teachers; therefore, the teachers should be be rich in experiences, method of learning, and should master IT and Digital world.
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