Hafizhudin: Learning Civics is Fun Now!

THE subject of Civics is no longer considered uninteresting to students in SMPN 7 Kota Bogor. Now they know that Civics can be an interesting subject to study, thanks to a new strategy being used by their Civics teacher. One student of SMPN 7 Kota Bogor, Hafizhudin, admitted that now learning Civics is much more interesting and fun.

“I like discussing things with my classmates in the Civics lessons,” he says. When asked why he likes dicsussing things, he replied, “Because I learn to express my thoughts.” Furthermore, Hafizhudin said he liked it better if the lesson was conducted outside the classroom.

“I liked participating in a demonstration,” he says. He explained that his Civics teacher taught him and his friends how to conduct a demonstration to express their opinions. The teacher taught them that a demonstration can take place in a good way. The students learned how to prepare a rally.

Hafizhudin smiling while being being interviewed

With her friends, Anisa (second from the left) surfing cyber space using the Internet service installed at SMPN 7 Bogor.

They had a technical meeting before the rally. When everything was set, they did a practice on the field. “My friends enjoy it when we have outdoor activities. It’s fun,” he adds.

Another student of SMPN 7 Kota Bogor, Anisa, also shared her enthusiasm. “I like learning ICT,” she says. “I like inserting pictures in the text,” she adds. Anisa said that she was familiar with the Internet. “I even check my test scores using the Internet.”

DBE3 prioritized the training of teachers of Civics, English, and ICT in the initial phase. Now DBE3 has focused on the five core curriculum subjects: Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Bahasa Indonesia and English. Bogor has been DBE3 target area since 2007, with four partner schools. Now with six additonal schools, there are 10 DBE3 partner schools in Bogor.

Quratul Aini: I Love to Learn Like This Quratul Aini and her classmates experimenting using simple and cheap materials. CHAIRS are placed on top of desks. A bamboo rod is placed between chairs’ back rests. A string hangs in the middle of the bamboo (see the picture). Students observe the strings to measure the swing of the pendulum. This is an experiment done by Quratul and Aini and her classmates. This student of SMPN 2 Jatibarang said, “I like this kind of learning. I can use learning aids made by simple and cheap materials,” she says. Quratul Aini said that she had never experienced this kind of learning before. “I love to learn like this,” she says.