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WHY DONT WE ADOPT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL

FOR INDONESIAN FIELD EXPERIENCE PRACTICE?

Widya Ratna Kusumaningrum

widyaratnakusumaningrum@gmail.com

FITK IAIN Walisongo

Jl. Prof. Dr. Hamka Ngaliyan Semarang 50185

ABSTRACT

Popular known as PPL stands for Praktik Pengalaman Lapangan, the pre-

service teacher education program in Indonesia is at critical condition, as it is seen from

the pre-service teachers mastery content knowledge, inquiry, collaboration/ partnership, and accountability. By using a comparative study, I give direct comparison

PPL to PDS. PDS or Professional Development School is a program facilitates the pre-

service teacher candidates to have teaching experience and develop their

professionalism. I try to uncover the principles of PPL and PDS and exemplify how

these principles are implemented in practices. In this paper, I propose a new PPL model

by evaluating the PPL practice, adopting PDS principles and restructuring toward PPL

model in order to improve teaching quality in Indonesia.

Keywords: pre-service teachers, teaching experience, profesionalism

INTRODUCTION

Pre-service teachers are long-term investments and assets in educational

context.These pre-service teachers through specific program are prepared to be

professional teachers to respond poor quality in education. They function as agents of

change in society to reform education. In the forthcoming years, they occupy

themselves as teachers and fill the retired teacher positions. They hold great

responsibilityin education. Thus, they are asked to widen their knowledge, skills and

abilities by conducting field experiences.

In Indonesia, the responsibility of pre-service teacher education program fells on

the university policy. Universities with education program both states and private

universities determine their own policy. It remains true that they need to accomplish

field experiences. Pre-service teachers will be set in schools for several months and do

teaching practice in the assigned schools. However, the program is not as simple as

place pre-service teacher in schools. There are many unsolved problems that have little

attention that will be discussed later.

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Responding to the issues, I propose a model by adopting PDS (Professional

Development School) approach that has been implemented widely in the United States.

In general, PDS approach has ideal characteristics of teacher education programs,

embodies strong policy, which creates relation between universities and schools and

grows the professionalism of pre-service teachers. Thus, in this paper I am going to

discuss the principles and practices of PDS in comparison to PPL stands for

PraktikPengalaman Lapangan for a typical field experience practice, and depict a

proposed a new model of PPL with adopting PDS characteristics.

DISCUSSSION

Professional Development School (PDS)

Professional Development School (PDS) has been initiated by the Holmes Group

in 1986 (Boyle-Baise, 2008, p.316). PDS itself, aims to provide a new model of teacher

education by serving as exemplars of practice, builders of knowledge, and bridging for

communicating professional understandings among teacher educators, novices, and

veteran teachers (Linda Darling-Hammond, 2005, p.1). As a pre-service teacher training

program, PDS is seen as a program focuses on the academic achievement and has a

clear direction in which the model demands the pre-service teachers to act and behave

as professionals. PDS offers good mentality forpre-service teachers in which PDS tries

to change the mindset not just as teachers but also as professionals.This professionalism

notion is clear seen from PDS principles when they are implemented in the real

practices.

Principles of PDS

There are four principles stick on PDS including mastery content knowledge,

learning through inquiry, collaboration/partnership, and accountability for students

learning (Boyle and Baise, 2008, p. 316). First, mastery content knowledge is

compulsory for teachers.This becomes fundamental since what if pre-service teachers

do not really understand about the content and the materials, what will they do? And

how do they conduct the instruction? Will it run smoothly? Will their pupils gain

something from their classes?Just like a key that enable us to open the door, mastery the

contenthelps pre-service teachers to start having quality in giving instruction in the

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classroom.Second, learning through inquiry gives more benefits forpre-service teachers.

Inquiry or research enables these pre-service teachers to see the weaknesses of their

teaching and help them to reflect and enhance the quality in teaching. Just like an eight

in numerical order, they do a daily inquiry to understand their teaching style which

strategies, methods, approaches fits for students.Third is collaboration or partnership.

Schools and universities attempt to maintain the collaboration by being symbiotic.They

create a bridge in which it enablespre-service teachers do the field experiences.

Universities benefit since they have a place to train the students in the real condition,

while schools can improve the schools system including academic stuff. Accountability

is associated with teachersresponsibility to promote students motivation to learn and to

have good academic achievement. In this view,the principlesenable pre-service teachers

to see what the future education demands them.

Practices of PDS

In practice, PDS demands pre-service teachers to devote their time at least one

year academic or two semesters to do internship. From a very beginning, the practices

of PDS demand pre-service teacher candidates to master the content knowledge. It is

proven with the starting process where all pre-service teacher candidates apply jobs in

the assigned schools. They need to make application letter such as transcripts, letter of

recommendation, standardized test score. If they meet the school standards, they will be

interviewed and do microteaching in front of a school team, college faculty and

students. Then, on the final day, this team decides whether the teacher can teach there or

not (Miller & Silvernail, 2005, p.37).

Boyle-Baise (2008, p.317) reports that PDS teachers perform well and achieve

competent level while non-PDS candidates who perform at a minimum satisfactory

level. It is because the PDS program has intensive supervision and partnership. Take a

look at the supervision of practice in Wells Junior High School as an example (Miller &

Silvernail, 2005, p.39). All interns will receive regular coaching from a cooperating

teacher and they will be supervised weekly. Not to mention, the school also facilitates

the interns with the videotaped observation conference. In this conference, the pre-

service teachers and their cooperating teachers are asked to give comments and analysis

of the teaching under supervisor guidance. Pre-service teachers need to show their

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accountability in front of the supervisor, whether the teaching processes adopt learning

through inquiry principle or not.

Another example is from the PDS program from Trinity University. As Linda-

Hammond helped by Julia Koppich report (2006, pp.152-185), Trinity students learn to

teach from the mentor by attending the mentors classes and teaching under the

watchful eye of the mentors. The students not only need to go to the assigned PDS

School five days a week, but also they are required to attend one evening courseat

Trinity. The course is for discussing the problems they encounter during the teaching

activity. Alike the aforementioned example, Trinity students, mentor and faculty will

meet once a month at Trinity to discuss the teaching processes in a month in order to

find the answer of educational problems.

These two examples are able to explain how universities implement core

principles, which enable the pre-service teachers, instruct the class well. Then, no doubt

if in the future the students who are taught by these PDS students will have better

academic achievement.

Field Experience Practice (PPL)

In Indonesia, pre-serviceteacher training programs are commonly called as PPL

(Field Experience Practice). Universities with college of education have the authority to

set pre-service teacher candidate in some schools.In many cases, PPL offers three-

months or field experiences for pre-service teachers. The candidate comes usually after

a semester starts or in the middle of school calendar. Three or four students from the

same educational background are placed in one school together with students from

another faculty. Alike PDS, the practices of PPL also follow certain principles, which

are tried to implement in the real practices.

Principles of PPL

Every year, universities publish manual or handbook of PPL. In principle, the

book suggests that PPL activities include: peer-teaching, orientation, observation,

teaching practice, administration practice, counseling practice, and other intra and extra-

curriculum in school (Unnes, 2013, p.7). It means that during PPL activities, a

coordinating teacher will coach them and a lecturer will guide during the processes.

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Take Unnes, one of state university, as the example. The PPL manual published by

Unnes encompasses eleven chapters and twenty-three articles (2013). It covers from

generalto specific principles such the requirements for being an intern, and the

mechanism of the PPL. It maybe good, but, as long as I concern, the manual gives little

attentionon the quality of the pre-service teachers such their mastery content learning,

how will they conduct the teaching through inquiry, egalitarian partnership, and

accountability.

Practices of PPL

Being PPL internsis not very hard. It is an automatic step if students have already

taken 110 credit points and passed microteaching course (Unnes, 2013, p.13). The first

requirement i.e. 110 credit points. Students who are already in sixth semester will have

at least 110 credit points. While passing microteaching course is not a big problem.

Students are needed to prepare 15-20 minutes teaching in front of a coordinating

lecturer and some friends who is going to do microteaching as well. The grade that a

student will get is tend to be subjective. It means it is hard to minimize the hello

effect, or the more you know the coordinating lecturer, the higher score you will get.

Not to mention, many problems are unidentified. For example, it will be difficult to

know their mastery on content knowledge and instruction ability. In another word, it

will be uneasy to recognize teacher readiness to teach.

Adopting PDS principles forA New PPL Model

I come to an idea that PDS is problem solving forPPL model. Having so many

unsolved problems, I argue and agree if pre-service teachers training programs need to

adopt the PDSs principles including mastery content knowledge, learning through

inquiry, egalitarian partnership, and accountability as follows.

Mastery content knowledge. In line with the implementation of PDS in the US,

our government under ministry of education needs to takes control by determining

standard of the mastery content knowledge that is followed by universities. Universities

are allowed to create their own assessment, both written and microteaching assessment.

It is because pre-service teacher candidates have big responsibility for the future of

Indonesia. They will educate young generation or they contribute to create the human

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resources. If this nation wants to have better future, they really need to control it. Only

those who are able to accomplish the requirements are allowed to teach, but who are not

meet, they can take the next test. The test, itself, covers content knowledge and

pedagogical competence in the form of written test and microteaching test. PPL

candidates, who pass the test, then are obligated to apply teaching jobs as interns in

assigned schools by making application letter and submit the curriculum vitae. It is

suggested that the step does not stop here. It should be continued by conducting

interviews and microteaching in front of coordinating teachers, headmaster, and

supervisors in order to let the school choose the PPL interns.

Learning Through Inquiry. This principle is amazing idea for me. I have already

known that the PDS has this principle. In Indonesia, coordinating teacher, supervisor,

lecturer do not encourage us to act as inquirers. PPL projects should focus on the

collaborative inquiry as a vehicle for developing teachers and for enhancing students

achievement.I strongly agree if the pre-service teachers together with schools teachers

conduct a research in any problems they encounter in classroom activities.It is a chance

especially for less-experienced pre-service teachers tolearn research from schools

teachers.They plan, act, observe and reflect. With knowing their weaknesses, they will

try new techniques or strategies and reflect whether the techniqueshave significant

improvement or not.

Collaboration/Partnership.In Indonesia, many universities entwine relation with

schools. But, there is only one drawbacks of the implementation PPL, i.e.one-way

relationship. I feel that the collaboration in Indonesia merely tend to be domination

model (Eisler, 2009, p.135) in which universities are in the upper level and the schools

are in the lower level. Universities tend to have dominant power than schools. It is of

course not good idea, in which it raises non-egalitarian relationship. I assume that it will

be good if the collaboration that happens between universities and schools in Indonesia

in are partnership model with non-hierarchical system.

Accountability.Pre-service teachers are accountable forstudents academic

achievements. Pre-service teachers should see how parents demand schools teachers to

be responsible for their students achievement. Teachers are directly accountable with to

students parents and community (WorldBank, 2010, p.12) especially in the national

exit examination. Pre-service teacher should help schools teachers to foster students to

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pass the minimum score that has been determined by the government. They are

monitored by society and if they fail in making students pass the exam, they were

labeled as non-qualified teachers.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, pre-service teacher training program in Indonesia is at a critical

condition and need to be renewed. By adopting the PDS principles and imitating the

practices, government, universities and schools are trying to revive the condition of PPL

program. I do believe that we start to change the principles of PPL program soon, we

can improve the quality of pre-service teachers and produced qualified teachers for the

future.

References

Boyle-Baise, M. & Mclntyre, DJ. (2008).What kind of experience? Preparing teachers

in PDS or community settings. In M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser & JD

Mclentrye (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring

questions in changing context (pp.307-329). New York: Routledge.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2005). Developing professional development schools: Early

lessons, challenge, and promise. In L. Darling-Hammond (Ed), Professional

development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp. 1-27). New York:

Teacher College Press.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2006).Powerful Teacher Education. San Francisco, CA:

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Eisler, R. (2009). Education for a partnership world: Building cultures of piece. In H.S.

Shapiro (Ed.), Education and hope in troubled times (pp. 259-271).New York:

Routledge.

Miller, L & Silversnail, DL. (2005). Wells Junior High School: Evolution of a

professional development school. In L. Darling-Hammond (Ed), Professional

development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp. 28-49). New York:

Teacher College Press.

Unnes. (2013). Pedoman PPL Universitas Negeri Semarang. Semarang: Unnes Press.

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World Bank and Indonesian Ministry of National Education. (2008). Transforming

Indonesias Teaching Force.Washington, DC :World Bank.