Take a knee and smile

Colonel's strategy victory

Somewhere in Iraq in the early days of US attacks, a group of soldiers went to a local mosque to ask assistance for distribution of supplies to the people in that village. Not knowing of the soldiers’ intention, a mass of people gathered and intended to defend their sacred building and protect their spiritual leaders. Yelling and waving their hands in the air, the villagers then circled the soldiers from several angles. The atmosphere was so tense. One single provocative act might pull the trigger from the soldiers’ automatic rifles and start the killing of unarmed villagers. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hughes reacted in an instant. Unexpectedly, he took the megaphone and calmly said to his men, ‘Soldiers, on your knee.’ That means the soldiers had to kneel on one knee. He shouted at his men to point their rifles to the ground. Then, came that order, ‘Now, smile.’ At this point the tension went down. Some people were still yelling but most of them smiled back at the soldiers. They came closer to the soldiers and even patted their back gently as the US army retreated slowly with smile on their faces.

Holistic staff development

Some challenging notes on holistic staff development.

1. What kind of soil are you bringing to the people around you? Are you a rocky type of person Or are you a fertile soil type of person?
2. If you don't like children and if you don't care about poverty, go work somewhere else. There's the door.
3. Do you bring life to rooms you walk in? Or do you suck life out of rooms?
4. You cannot give what you do not have.

Baca Buku

Tantangannya adalah ...

BACA 200 HALAMAN SETIAP HARI.

Talent

Selecting for talent is the manager's first and most important responsibility. If he fails to find people with the talents he needs, then everything else he does to help them grow will be as wasted as sunshine on barred ground. John Wooden, the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins, puts it more pragmatically.

"No matter how you total success in the coaching profession, it all comes down to a single factor-TALENT. There may be a hundred great coaches of whom you have never heard in basketball, football, or any sport who will probably never receive the acclaim they deserve simply because they have not been blessed with the talent. Although not every coach can win consistently with talent, no coach can win without it."

According to everything we have heard from great managers, the coach is right. But he is also a little humble. What made John Wooden so successful was not just the talents on his teams, but also his ability to create the right kind of environmental to allow those talents to flourish. After all, talent is only potential. This potential cannot be turned into performance in a vacuum. Great talents need great managers if they are to be turned into performance.

Buckingham and Coffman (1999). 
First, break all the rules. What the world's greatest managers do differently.

The challenge now is for the managers to realize this in recruiting the right person on the right seat. And also for those who strive for performance, are you performing your talent?

Just Do It - Lesson learned from sharing about my passion

Beberapa waktu yang lalu saya mengikuti sebuah pertemuan yang dihadiri oleh beberapa Training Manager dan Training Specialist yang melayani di Compassion Asia Region. Di awal pertemuan ini kami diminta untuk berkenalan dengan satu orang yang baru ditemui dalam kegiatan ini. Untuk menuntun proses berkenalan ini kami dipandu oleh 5 instruksi yang diberikan oleh fasilitator.

1. Tulislah nama lengkap teman anda.
2. Berapa lama dia sudah melayani di Compassion?
3. Minta dia untuk menceritakan 1 informasi menarik tentang dia yang belum diketahui banyak orang.
4. Buatlah sebuah gambar berkaitan dengan informasi baru yang anda peroleh dari teman anda.
5. Perkenalkan teman anda ini kepada semua orang dalam ruangan.

Dalam kegiatan ini, saya berkenalan dengan Benagas, Training Manager dari Compassion India. Sebenarnya bungung juga memikirkan informasi tentang diri saya, yang menarik tentunya, yang saya bisa bagikan. Nah, karena sebelum kegiatan ini kami mengadakan ibadah dan disitu ada puji-pujian yang diiringini dengan gitar, maka saya pikir bagus juga untuk menceritakan kepada Benagas tentang kerinduan saya untuk bisa memainkan alat  musik gitar. Keinginan ini sudah ada sejak saya masih SMA dulu sampai waktu kuliah. Yang saya ingat, saya selalu dikelilingi oleh teman-teman yang bisa memainkan gitar. Tapi kenapa ya saya tidak bisa main gitar. Sudah beberapa kali berusaha belajar dari teman-teman sekitar tapi selalu gagal. Oh ya, istri saya punya suara yang bagus dan ada kerinduan untuk bisa mengiringi istri saya menyayi, terlebih kalau bisa mengiringi dia menyanyi di gereja. Setelah selesai membagikan hal ini, Benagas membagikan beberapa tip yang menarik (mungkin juga sudah pernah saya dengar dari orang lain tapi mungkin penyampaian Benagas yang sangat memotivasi saya sehingga saya sangat terkesan).

• Not too late to learn something new.
• Pilih satu lagu yang saya sukai.
• Cari chord lagu ini di internet.
• Latihlah memainkan lagu ini dengan gitar, berulang-ulang kali. Karena ini adalah pembiasaan, usahakan untuk terus menerus latihan dengan satu lagu ini bukan hanya satu minggu, tapi bisa beberapa minggu, atau dalam hitungan bulan. Intinya biasakan diri dulu untuk bisa dengan satu lagu sebelum memainkan lagu yang lain. 
• Get the feeling, perpindahan dari satu chord ke berikut. 
• Kuasai memainkan lagu tersebut.
• Setelah benar-benar menguasai, mungkin dengan tambahan chord lainnya, pilihlah lagu yang lain yang saya sukai.

Memang ini kedengaran sangat sederhana dan sekali lagi, mungkin sudah pernah ada orang lain yang menyampaikan kepada saya tentang metode ini. Tapi dalam kesempatan tersebut ada hal yang yang saya pelajari yang melebihi kerinduan saya untuk main gitar. Hal itu berkaitan dengan tugas saya sebagai Training Specialist.

Sebagai Training Specialist, saya harus mampu untuk menguasai satu topik sebelum saya memfasilitasi pelatihan berkaitan dengan topik tersebut. Intinya saya tidak bisa memfasilitasi sebuah topik pelatihan dengan baik sebelum saya mempelajari dan menguasai topik tersebut. Topik tersebut mungkin saja adalah hal yang baru bagi saya. Karena itu saya harus berusaha untuk mempelajari hal tersebut, melatih memberikan pelatihan tersebut sebelum saya membantu orang lain menguasai topik itu. Learn it, master it, learn it, experience it. Just keep on learning.

POLITE- ics

Oke... memang kalo bicara tentang politik, banyak orang (yang menganggap diri mereka awam) akan langsung berujar bahwa topik ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak enak untuk jadi bahan diskusi, kotor, tidak up-to-date.
But look around you, terutama kalo menjelang masa-masa pemilihan calon legislatif, atau masa pemilihan pimpinan kepala daerah dan presiden, dimana-mana kita akan langsung mendengar pembicaraan tentang politik. Secara langsung, media sosial dan media massa membombardir masyarakat dengan berita-berita yang berkaitan dengan hal ini. Jadi secara sadar juga banyak orang yang kemudian meng-copy paste apa yang mereka dengar dan saksikan ke dalam diskusi-diskusi informal dan bahkan gosip-gosip dimanapun mereka berada.
So, politik ini akhirnya jadi bahan pembicaraan yang hangat dan 'enak' untuk dibicarakan.
From politik to POLITE-ics.

Tantangannya adalah bagaimana membawa remaja dan pemuda gereja masuk dalam ranah politik sehingga pembicaraan yang terjadi bisa menambah wawasan mereka tentang politik secara 'polite'.

How about this challenge?

http://harnipandeirot.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/how-to-deliver-a-boring-training-session/

HOW TO DELIVER A BORING TRAINING SESSION …

Standard

Delivering a fun and interesting training session is easy.  Delivering a boring training session is even much easier. I can do it. You can do it. Everybody can do it.

Eager to know more?

Here are the tips.

Say ‘No’ to ice breaker and energizer activities. They are just wasting your time. Many people are so fond of having activities to fire up the participants or to grab the audience’s attention to the training session or to the facilitator him/herself. But you know what, this so-called ‘short’ activity is actually time-consuming because the participants will have fun and ask for more. ‘It’s not enough. We want more,’ they will say. Besides that, as a facilitator, you have to prepare yourself for that particular energizer. You need to at least know how to do it because you will be mocked if you facilitate an energizer that you do not master. You see, preparation for one energizer also requires your time and energy.

Avoid discussion. When you give an opportunity for the audience or training participants to ask questions or to criticize the training materials/session, it will just open a window of opportunity for them to start questioning what you train. You will lose your power and dignity. The result of it is that they will not trust you for the next session. Therefore, do not ever end your session (or in the middle of the session) by asking, ‘Is there any question?’ Whatever the circumstance is, keep on going. If there are some people raising their hands and ask if they can ask some questions, just say, ‘Sorry, we do not have any discussion session for today.’ Easy, isn’t it?

I am Mr/s Know-All. Giving training is all about sharing to participants about you know. It’s all about what you know, not what they want to know. So, it is you who runs the show. You are the main actor. You see, people come to your training because they eager to know what you know. Well, there are also some participants who actually come to training with having background knowledge on the trained issues. Since they already know some things, they tend to test you with questions and comments that will discredit you. Well, with this kind of participants, simply tell them that your source is the right one and that theirs is out-of-date. If they insist on telling you comments that might endanger the whole training process, one key sentence that we can always say is, ‘We don’t have much time to argue about this. So why don’t you write your questions or comment on a piece of paper and I will give you better explanation later.’ Well, you know better that it will now likely to happen.

Keep talking, I mean that’s why you want to be a trainer, right? To train people. And to do so, you need to be good at talking. So, do what you’re good at. Talk. Don’t give an opportunity to the participants to start talking. If you do, they will steal your talking time and they will do the training instead.

‘Stay in your comfort zone.’ Your seat is your comfort zone. Why bother yourself to move around? It will just distract the participants’ attention. By staying at your seat or desk, participants can concentrate more and absorb the explanation that you give. Besides that you will not drop a single sweat, except if the room is hot and not air-conditioned.

Glue your audience to their seats. Don’t move. Freeze. It’s pretty much similar to ‘stay in your comfort zone’ idea. There is no advantage to invite participants to mingle and get to know each other. Trainees are here to absorb your explanation. This requires them to sit and enjoy the sessions. Isn’t it nice to have an audience that sits still?

There is no fun in having fun. Having fun requires extra energy, preparation, effort and ‘extraterrestrial’ media. If you concentrate on this thing, you will end up spending your valuable time just for the sake of entertaining the participants. I mean, what is the use of entertaining participants when you are not entertained with what you do to them. Participants attend your training for knowledge, skills, and for attitude. They do not come for laughter. They do not come for smiles. They definitely do not attend your training sessions for energizer and ice-breaker activities. And of course you do not want them to remember your training for the ‘fun’ they have. They should remember your training for the knowledge and skills they gain.

Quiet, please. Music, video, and other sound are prohibited. This multimedia stuff will just distract the participants’ attention, not to mention your concentration too. Moreover, having music and video require sound system and projector. What if the training venue does not provide these tools? Will you stick to your plan and have 30 – 40 participants gather around your laptop just to have a glimpse of what you play? How silly is that?

So, what do you think? It’s easy, isn’t it?

The question now is, ‘how boring can you go?’

Sekolah dan Perlindungan Anak

Sekolah dan Perlindungan Anak

Posted on April 22, 2014 April 22, 2014by admin

TK JIS (Jakarta International School) akhir-akhir ini menjadi perbincangan yang panas. Sumpah serampah dikeluarkan untuk pelaku sodomi terhadap seorang anak TK yang menjadi murid di sekolah. JIS yang jelas bukan sekolah ecek-ecek bahkan di artikel internet menyebutkan bahwa biaya sekolah JIS 20 juta.

Bahkan management dari JIS merupakan orang-orang berpengalaman yang diimpor dari negara lain.

Ngerinya bagaimana bisa ada sexual predator sampai ada di dalam sekolah. Bagaimana mereka yang mempunyai kelainan sexual sekolah anak-anak menjadi surga imajinasi seksual bagi mereka. Jelas JIS bersalah, dalam arti mereka kecolongan bisa merekrut tenaga kontrak untuk kebersihan yang ternyata sangat berbahaya bagi anak-anak.  Banyak artikel dan blogger membahas tentang bagaimana tips melindungi anak, tapi saya lebih menyoroti bagaimana pihak sekolah menyiapkan institusinya supaya tanggap terhadap perlindungan anak.

Realita Sekolah dan Perlindungan Anak.

Apabila seorang anak sudah masuk ke lingkungan sekolah dan orang tua biasanya akan menyerahkan tanggung jawab melindungi anak kepada sekolah. Di dalam sekolah pengaruh kontrol orang tua kepada anak-anak mereka akan kecil, akan sulit bagi orang tua untuk memantau anaknya setiap aktivitas di sekolah.

Melihat realitas sekolah-sekolah di Indonesia jarang sekali sekolah-sekolah yang paham tentang perlindungan terhadap anak (termasuk UU PA) dan bagaimana membangun situasi sekolah yang aman bagi anak. Apakah ada petunjuk (protokol) perlindungan anak di sekolah? Saya katakan selama saya hidup di Indonesia dan mencermati pendidikan saya tidak pernah bertemu sekolah yang menerapkan hal ini.

Padahal langkah pencegahan terhadap perilaku kekerasan terhadap anak harus menjadi prioritas untuk menjamin anak-anak dapat belajar dan bertumbuh di sekolah dengan baik, perlindungan anak menjadi sangat dasar.

Apa yang harus dilakukan?

Beberapa kali saya melatih Pusat Pengembangan Anak (PPA) yang dimiliki oleh gereja-gereja lokal tentang Perlindungan Anak. Ada perihal-perihal penting yang sekolah bisa mengadaptasinya, yaitu  :

1. Protokol perlindungan anak, yang mengatur tentang tata cara perlindungan anak dan penanganan apabila terjadi kasus kekerasan terhadap anak.

2. Komitmen kepada seluruh guru, staff, pekerja yang terlibat di sekolah dan mempunyai kesempatan tatap muka terhadap anak. Komitmen ini tidak sekedar janji, namun atas dasar dorongan kesadaran dan paham tentang konsekuensi kekerasan terhadap anak.

3. Pengajaran tentang melindungi diri sendiri dari kekerasan (fisik, emosional dan seksual) kepada anak-anak. Tentunya harus memiliki kurikulum Perlindungan Anak yang memadahi.
4. Pengajaran kepada orang tua tentang Perlindungan anak.  Orang tua pasti peduli keselamatan anaknya hanya seringkali orang tua tidak tahu bagaimana caranya untuk melindungi anaknya secara baik dan tepat.
5. Pengajaran kepada Guru, Staff dan pekerja tentang Undang-Undang Perlindungan anak, wawasan perlindungan anak dan bagaimana membangun lingkungan yang aman untuk anak.

Kasus JIS sebenarnya hanya satu dari sekian banyak kasus pelecehan seksual terhadap anak. Kita tidak boleh mengabaikannya, tindakan ini harus menjadi prioritas dan segera! Bila menunggu pemerintah menginiasi perlindungan anak pastinya akan lama, semakin banyak anak menjadi korban.

Apabila ingin mendapatkan bahan pelatihan perlindungan anak untuk sekolah bisa menghubungi saya di obedagungnugroho(at)gmail(dot)com, saya berusaha untuk berbagi materi perlindungan anak yang bisa digunakan di sekolah-sekolah.

http://obednugroho.net/sekolah-dan-perlindungan-anak/

Sekolah dan Perlindungan Anak

Mengacu pada artikel seorang teman di http://obednugroho.net/sekolah-dan-perlindungan-anak/

Tantangannya adalah:

1. Apakah sekolah memiliki keinginan untuk menaruh perhatian lebih (memang seharusnya 'lebih') untuk program dan kegiatan sekolah yang bertujuan untuk memberikan pengetahuan kepada para siswa berkaitan dengan kesadaran perlindungan anak, dalam hal ini termasuk Undang-Undang Perlindungan Anak?
2. Apakah para praktisi pendidikan di sekolah, dalam hal ini, para guru memiliki keinginan untuk menjadi teman bagi para siswa dan berani untuk bertindak jika ada dugaan kekerasan terhadap anak dalam lingkup sekolah (dan di luar lingkup sekolah)?
3. Apakah pihak pimpinan sekolah siap untuk mengambil tindakan pendisiplinan (termasuk pemecatan) kepada pihak manapun dalam lingkup sekolah yang melakukan kekerasan terhadap anak? Mengingat nama baik sekolah cenderung lebih diutamakan dibandingkan kasus-kasus kekerasan terhadap anak.

Project-Based Learning

http://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes

What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning hails from a tradition of pedagogy which asserts that students learn best by experiencing and solving real-world problems. According to researchers (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008;Thomas, 2000), project-based learning essentially involves the following:

• students learning knowledge to tackle realistic problems as they would be solved in the real world
• increased student control over his or her learning
• teachers serving as coaches and facilitators of inquiry and reflection
• students (usually, but not always) working in pairs or groups

I'd like to highlight bullet number 3, 'teachers serving as coaches and facilitators of inquiry and reflection.' This is actually a great point about the Project -Based Learning. You see, in most traditional classes (with traditional teachers) the teachers do most of the talking. It seems that the primary responsibility of teachers is to explain, to do the talking. Most teachers will feel like they are not doing their job if they talk less. There is a tendency to avoid students do most of the discussion. That is why this project-based approach will take some time for many teachers because in this approach students will do the discussion while the teachers will only act as the facilitator, in this case the students will do most of the talking and working. Teachers will do the observation and give guidance. Isn't it awesome?

So, the challenges here are:
1. teachers start implementing  Project-Based Learning
2. teachers enjoy being facilitators for the students

How to respond to a 'cheater'.....

Source:
http://www.kapanlagi.com/plus/jawaban-guru-paling-kocak-di-lembar-ujian-bikin-ngakak-601fad-8.html

http://edukasi.kompas.com/read/2013/11/21/1454323/Studi.Punya.Skil.Bahasa.Inggris.Tingkatkan.Pendapatan.30-50.Persen.Lebih.Tinggi.

Studi: Punya Skil Bahasa Inggris Tingkatkan Pendapatan 30-50 Persen Lebih Tinggi!

Menurut Lars Berg, Executive Vice President EF Indonesia, studi menunjukkan bahwa profesional yang berkemampuan berbahasa Inggris dengan baik bisa meraih pendapatan 30-50 persen lebih tinggi. Sebanyak 42 persen CEO di Indonesia mengatakan bahwa mereka kekurangan karyawan yang mampu berbahasa Inggris dengan baik. | EF Center

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Berbagai lembaga ekonomi dunia dan juga korporasi kini menempatkan Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara dengan potensi ekonomi sangat besar di dunia. Indonesia diprediksi akan menjadi salah satu negara pengendali perekonomian di Asia bersama China dan India. 

Indonesia memiliki populasi penduduk yang besar dan merupakan market besar dunia, selain juga memiliki sumber daya alam luar biasa. Tak heran, perusahaan-perusahaan ternama dunia berbondong-bondong masuk ke Indonesia untuk berinvestasi.  

Namun demikian, dalam hal sumber daya manusia, Indonesia masih harus mengejar ketertinggalannya dalam hal teknologi dan juga kemampuan berkomunikasi. Sebagai negara yang ingin terus maju, tidak ada pilihan lain bagi Indonesia untuk sesegera mungkin memperbaiki kemampuan mereka untuk bisa berkomunikasi dengan bangsa lain. 

Robert Lane Greene yang mengkaji untuk The Economist mencatat, "Saingan bahasa Inggris dewasa ini bukanlah bahasa Mandarin, Arab atau Spanish, tetapi saingannya adalah komputer. Apalagi, sekarang komputer dilengkapi dengan Google Translate dengan kamus untuk mengecek makna lain selain yang diterjemahkan".  

Hal senada diungkapkan Dino Martin, Direktur B-Recruit, salah satu sebuah perusahaan konsultan SDM. Dino mengungkapkan, bahwa kemampuan bahasa Inggris sudah menjadi kriteria mutlak yang diinginkan perusahaan dari seorang calon pegawainya. Lebih lanjut Dino mengatakan bahwa ini terjadi bukan hanya di perusahaan multinasional, tetapi juga lokal. 

"Saya rasa kemampuan berbahasa Inggris adalah hal mutlak bagi mereka yang ingin berkarir di perusahaan multinasional. Bahkan, yang mengejutkan adalah di perusahaan lokal pun sudah menempatkan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris sebagai salah satu kriteria dasar dalam mencari pegawai," ujar Dino. 

EF centerCountry Manager EF English Centers Indonesia, Patricia Setyadjie, mengungkapkan di sekolah ini murid bisa memilih belajar di kelas melalui kelas tatap muka dengan guru native atau belajar secara online, atau kombinasi keduanya.

Pekerja profesional 

Bahasa Inggris memang hal mutlak bagi mereka yang ingin memiliki karir yang baik dan ingin terus memastikan peningkatan karirnya. Semakin tinggi posisi yang dicari, semakin mutlak persyaratan akan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris dari calon pegawai diminta oleh sebuah perusahaan. 

"Artinya, jika anda ingin mengembangkan karir dan terus mendapat promosi jabatan, maka kemampuan berbahasa Inggris menjadi salah satu hal yang perlu diamankan," lanjut Dino. 

Permasalahannya adalah, dengan tingkat kesibukan relatif padat, ditambah kemacetan di kota besar semakin menjadi, tantangan untuk mengembangkan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris mendapat tantangan serius, terutama bagi para pekerja profesional. 

"Saya baru bisa pulang dari kantor jam 6 sore. Ditambah macet kurang lebih satu setengah jam, artinya paling cepat baru jam 19.30 sampai di rumah. Itu sudah rutinitas tetap dari Senin sampai Jumat, sementara Sabtu dan Minggu lebih banyak dihabiskan dengan teman dan keluarga. Jadi, memang sulit mencari waktu untuk kursus bahasa Inggris," ungkap Tito, seorang profesional muda di Jakarta.

Bagi para profesional di kota besar seperti Jakarta, urusan macet dan waktu memang bak "lingkaran setan" dan membuat mereka terlanjur terlambat untuk belajar bahasa Inggris.

"Saya ingin punya pekerjaan yang baik dengan karir dan bayaran yang juga memuaskan dan ritme kerja bisa disesuaikan. Namun, sepertinya agak sulit mendapatkannya dengan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris saya yang pas-pasan ini. Dengan aktifitas begitu padat, sepertinya agak mustahil bisa meluangkan waktu untuk kembali belajar bahasa Inggris. Namun, saya sadar jika saya tidak mulai belajar bahasa Inggris, kondisi saya akan terus seperti sekarang ini," timpal Agus, seorang pekerja bank ternama.

Online dan offline
Rhenald Kasali, dalam salah satu publikasinya menyebutkan bahwa Bahasa Inggris telah menjadi bahasa dagang yang sangat penting saat ini. Orang yang memiliki kemampuan multibahasa, selain terlihat intelek, mereka memiliki kemampuan pengambilan keputusan yang baik. 

"Karena itu, Indonesia perlu membuka diri dan pendidikan harus berani memajukan generasi baru berbahasa ganda, multilingual," ujar Rheinald. 

Lebih lanjut Rhenald juga menyebutkan bahwa selain digunakan oleh 2 miliar jiwa, bahasa Inggris adalah bahasa yang dipakai ilmuwan-ilmuwan terkemuka dunia. Dewasa ini, menurut dia, lebih dari 90 persen publikasi ditulis dalam bahasa Inggris. 

"Kalaupun ada bahasa lain, jarang ada satu bahasa yang menguasai lebih dari 2 persen," kata Rheinald.

Berangkat dari permasalahan itu, EF English First Indonesia, sekolah bahasa terbesar di dunia, mendirikan sebuah sekolah bahasa Inggris yang menawarkan solusi untuk berbagai permasalahan di atas. Sekolah EF terbaru ini mulai beroperasi pada 27 September 2013 di fX Mal, Sudirman, Jakarta, untuk menawarkan metode pembelajaran bahasa Inggris yang fleksibel.

Country Manager EF English Centers Indonesia, Patricia Setyadjie, mengungkapkan di sekolah ini murid bisa memilih belajar di kelas melalui kelas tatap muka dengan guru native atau belajar secara online, atau kombinasi keduanya. Lebih menarik lagi, fasilitas belajar secara online dilakukan tidak hanya dengan program komputer, melainkan juga untuk kelas-kelas percakapan dengan interaksi langsung bersama native teacher.

"EF dengan metode pembelajaran EF Efekta System juga mengoptimalkan segala aspek kemampuan berbahasa Inggris seperti reading, writing, speaking, dan juga listening. Siswa diajak tidak hanya belajar grammar, tapi juga mencoba dan mengaplikasikannya dalam konteks sehari-hari," kata Patricia kepada Kompas.com di Jakarta, Rabu (21/11/2013). 

Mengikuti perkembangan zaman, lanjut Patricia, EF juga menggabungkan metode belajaronline dan offline. Hal ini merupakan suatu terobosan terbaru di dunia pendidikan bahasa. 

"Fasilitas belajar online ini bisa diakses melalui komputer, laptop, iPad, ataupun tablet mereka dari rumah, kantor, atau di manapun ada akses internet agar bisa tetap mengikuti kelas dan kembali mengikuti kelas tatap muka ketika sudah memiliki waktu. Dengan begitu, baik waktu, jarak atau padatnya aktifitas bukan lagi masalah untuk memperbaiki kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka," tambah Patricia . 

Ia mengakui, walaupun konsep pembelajaran ini merupakan hal baru di Indonesia, namun ini bukanlah hal baru bagi EF. Konsep yang sama telah diterapkan dan mendapat sambutan positif di berbagai negara lain tempat EF beroperasi. 

Saat ini EF memiliki lebih dari 450 sekolah di lebih dari 54 negara di dunia. Eksistensinya di kancah global inilah yang membantu EF bisa terus berinovasi dan menciptakan standar baru dalam pendidikan bahasa. 

"Setiap tahun kami menginvestasikan tidak kurang dari 20 juta USD untuk pengembangan produk. Sekolah ini akan jadi sekolah bahasa Inggris yang canggih dan nyaman karena dilengkapi berbagi teknologi canggih seperti iPad, interactive whiteboard, monitor dengan layar sentuh dan berbagai aplikasi reservasi kelas yang bisa diakses secara online," ujarnya. 

Sementara itu, menurut Lars Berg, Executive Vice President EF Indonesia, studi menunjukkan bahwa profesional yang berkemampuan berbahasa Inggris dengan baik bisa meraih pendapatan 30-50 persen lebih tinggi. Sebanyak 42 persen CEO di Indonesia mengatakan bahwa mereka kekurangan karyawan yang mampu berbahasa Inggris dengan baik. Maka, lanjut Lars, Dengan berkembang pesatnya perekonomian di Indonesia, diperkirakan pada 2030 Indonesia akan membutuhkan 113 juta tenaga kerja yang mahir berbahasa Inggris. 

"Kebanyakan orang menghabiskan ribuan jam belajar bahasa Inggris mulai dari SD sampai perguruan tinggi. Namun, sebagian besar murid dewasa kami saat pertama kali datang ke EF Center merasa kurang percaya diri dalam berbahasa Inggris. Sistem pembelajaran kami dirancang khusus untuk membantu murid menguasai bahasa Inggris praktis, ini berarti mampu berkomunikasi dan berinteraksi secara alami dalam situasi kehidupan nyata," ungkap Lars.

Editor : Latief

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BE STUDENT OF YOUR LOVED ONES.....

Education facts and figures - US students far behind Asians on global exam

http://news.msn.com/world/us-students-far-behind-asians-on-global-exam#tscptmf

Interesting finding on the facts and figures of education reality

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2012/index.asp

Selected Findings from PISA 2012

U.S. Performance in Mathematics Literacy

• Percentages of top performing 15-year-old students (those scoring at level 5 or above) in mathematics literacy ranged from 55 percent in Shanghai-China to nearly 0 percent in Colombia and Argentina. In the United States, 9 percent of 15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was lower than the OECD average of 13 percent. The U.S. percentage was lower than 27 education systems, higher than 22 education systems, and not measurably different than 13 education systems. The percentage of top performers in mathematics in the United States overall (9 percent) was higher than the state of Florida (6 percent), but lower than Massachusetts (19 percent) and Connecticut (16 percent) (figure M1a, table M1b).
• In mathematics literacy, the percentage of 15-year-old students performing below level 2, which is considered a baseline of proficiency by the OECD, ranged from 4 percent in Shanghai-China to 76 percent in Indonesia. In the United States, 26 percent of 15-year-old students scored below level 2, which was higher than the OECD average of 23 percent. The U.S. percentage was higher than 29 education systems, lower than 26 education systems, and not measurably different than 9 education systems. The percentage of low performers in mathematics in the United States overall (26 percent) was higher than the states of Connecticut (21 percent) and Massachusetts (18 percent), but not measurably different than Florida (30 percent) (figure M1a, table M1b).
• Average scores in mathematics literacy ranged from 613 in Shanghai-China to 368 in Peru. The U.S. average score was 481, which was lower than the OECD average of 494. The U.S. average was lower than 29 education systems, higher than 26 education systems, and not measurably different than 9 education systems. The U.S. average was lower than the states of Massachusetts (514) and Connecticut (506), but higher than Florida (467) (table M4).

U.S. Performance in Science Literacy

• Percentages of top-performing 15-year-old students (those scoring at level 5 or above) in science literacy ranged from 27 percent in Shanghai-China and 23 percent in Singapore to nearly 0 percent in eight education systems. In the United States, 7 percent of 15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 8 percent. The U.S. percentage was lower than 17 education systems, higher than 27 education systems, and not measurably different than 15 education systems. The percentage of top performers in science in the United States overall (7 percent) was lower than the states of Massachusetts (14 percent) and Connecticut (13 percent), but not measurably different than Florida (5 percent) (figure S1a, table S1b).
• In science literacy, the percentage of 15-year-old students performing below level 2, which is considered a baseline of proficiency by the OECD, ranged from 3 percent in Shanghai-China and 5 percent in Estonia to 67 percent in Indonesia and 68 percent in Peru. In the United States, 18 percent of U.S. 15-year-old students scored below level 2, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 18 percent. The U.S. percentage was higher than 21 education systems, lower than 29 education systems, and not measurably different than 14 education systems. The percentage of low performers in science in the United States overall (18 percent) was higher than the states of Connecticut (13 percent) and Massachusetts (11 percent), but not measurably different than Florida (21 percent) (figure S1a, table S1b).
• Average scores in science literacy ranged from 580 in Shanghai-China to 373 in Peru. The U.S. average score was 497, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 501. The U.S. average was lower than 22 education systems, higher than 29 education systems, and not measurably different than 13 education systems. The U.S. average was lower than the states of Massachusetts (527) and Connecticut (521), but not measurably different than Florida (485) (table S2).

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U.S. Performance in Reading Literacy

• Percentages of top performing 15-year-old students (those scoring at level 5 or above) in reading literacy ranged from 25 percent in Shanghai-China and 21 percent in Singapore to nearly 0 percent in 3 education systems. In the United States, 8 percent of U.S. 15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 8 percent. The U.S. percentage was lower than 14 education systems, higher than 33 education systems, and not measurably different than 12 education systems. The percentage of top performers in reading in the United States overall (8 percent) was higher than the state of Florida (6 percent), but lower than Massachusetts (16 percent) and Connecticut (15 percent) (figure R1a, table R1b).
• In reading literacy, the percentage of 15-year-old students performing below level 2, which is considered a baseline of proficiency by the OECD, ranged from 3 percent in Shanghai-China to 60 percent in Peru. In the United States, 17 percent of U.S. 15-year-old students scored below level 2, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 18 percent. The U.S. percentage was higher than 14 education systems, lower than 33 education systems, and not measurably different than 17 education systems. The percentage of low performers in reading in the United States overall (17 percent) was higher than the state of Massachusetts (11 percent), but not measurably different than Connecticut (13 percent) and Florida (17 percent) (figure R1a, table R1b).
• Average scores in reading literacy ranged from 570 in Shanghai-China to 384 in Peru. The U.S. average score was 498, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 496. The U.S. average was lower than 19 education systems, higher than 34 education systems, and not measurably different than 11 education systems. The U.S. average was lower than the U.S. states Massachusetts (527) and Connecticut (521), but not measurably different than Florida (492) (table R2).

Eighteen education systems had higher average scores than the United States in all three subjects. The 18 education systems are: Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong-China, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao-China, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Republic of Korea, Shanghai-China, Singapore, and Switzerland. The U.S. states Massachusetts and Connecticut also had higher average scores than the United States in all three subjects (tables M4, S2, and R2).
U.S. Performance Over Time

• The U.S. average mathematics, science, and reading literacy scores in 2012 were not measurably different from average scores in previous PISA assessment years with which comparisons can be made (2003, 2006 and 2009 for mathematics; 2006, and 2009 for science; and 2000, 2003, and 2009 for reading) (table T1).

U.S. Performance on Computer-Based Assessments

• On the computer-based mathematics literacy assessment (administered in 32 education systems), average scores ranged from 566 in Singapore and 562 in Shanghai-China to 397 in Colombia. U.S. 15-year-old students had an average score of 498, which was not measurably different from the OECD average of 497. Twelve education systems had higher average scores, 8 had lower average scores, and 11 had average scores that were not measurably different than the United States (table CM2).
• On the computer-based reading literacy assessment (administered in 32 education systems), average scores ranged from 567 in Singapore to 396 in Colombia. U.S. 15-year-old students had an average score of 511, which was higher than the OECD average of 497. Seven education systems had higher average scores, 17 had lower average scores, and 7 had average scores that were not measurably different than the United States (table CR2).

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http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2012/index.asp

How Teachers Are Rated ...

How teachers are rated in 21 countries around the world

Teacher pay, the influence of unions and levels of respect are looked at in a global survey on how teachers are viewed

Whether people think unions have too much influence over teacher pay was one of the questions asked in the global survey. Photograph: Sang Tan for Associated Press

Teachers in China have the greatest respect from people in their country, according to research examining attitudes to teachers around the world. It was the only country where people compared teachers most closely to doctors, with the majority of places opting for social-workers, and in the case of the US, Brazil, France and Turkey, librarians.

The UK and the US ranked in the middle of the Global Teacher Status Index, and were beaten by South Korea, Turkey, Egypt and Greece, which all valued their teachers more than any European or Anglo Saxon country. Israel was at the bottom of the index, which was based on a survey of 21 countries.

The index, written by Professor Peter Dolton and Dr Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez, is the first comprehensive attempt to compare the status of teachers across the world and is published by the Varkey GEMS Foundation. In each country, 1,000 people were asked about whether teacher earnings were fair, if they'd encourage their own children to become teachers and whether unions had too much power.

Below, we've pulled out some of the most interesting findings below.

1. The status of headteachers is higher in the UK than in any of the other countries polled.

2. Parents in China, South Korea, Turkey and Egypt are most likely to give encouragement to children to become teachers. Whereas parents in Israel, Portugal, Brazil and Japan are least likely to provide positive encouragement. The UK scored in the middle.

3. Teacher salaries are at their highest in Singapore, with an average of $45,755. South Korea, USA, Germany and Japan are all above $40,000. The UK is at $33,377.

4. People in 95% of the countries polled support a higher salary for teachers than they currently earn. However, Japan, France and US judge that teacher pay is between 6% and 55% higher than is considered fair.

5. Across Europe there are higher levels of pessimism on students' respect for teachers than in Asia and the Middle East. In China 75% of respondents believe that students respect teachers, compared to an average of 27% per country.

6. In all 21 countries, more than 59% of people think teachers ought to be paid according to the performance of their pupils. The average across countries was 75%.

7. Opinion was divided on the influence teaching unions have over teacher's pay and conditions. In the UK, and in many European countries, the majority of people support unions having a greater influence. However, countries where there is the most recent history of teacher unrest – such as Japan, Greece, France and the US – believe unions have too much influence.

8. In the UK, the actual wage of teachers is lower than what people perceive to be fair. Respondents thought teachers ought to be awarded pay that is 15% more than current teacher wages. Some 74% of respondents thought teachers should be paid according to their pupils' results.

9. Finland, Switzerland and Singapore have the most faith in their education system, and South Korea, Egypt and Japan have the least. The UK comes seventh.

10. Teachers are given satisfactory or positive trust ratings in every country polled. The average trust rating is 6.3 out of 10 and no country gave a rating below five. Finland and Brazil have the most trust in their teachers. While Israel, South Korea, Egypt and Japan hold the least.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/oct/03/teachers-rated-worldwide-global-survey

Kesalahan

.... ingatlah selalu untuk bersenang-senang. Ini hanyalah sebuah permainan. Kadang anda menang dan kadang anda belajar. Tetapi bersenang-senanglah. Kebanyakan orang tidak pernah menang karena mereka lebih takut kalah. Itu sebabnya saya mendapati sekolah itu amat bodoh. Di sekolah kita belajar bahwa kesalahan itu buruk, dan kita dihukum karena berbuat kesalahan. Namun jika kita melihat cara manusia didesain untuk belajar, kita belajar dengan membuat kesalahan. Kita belajar berjalan dengan jatuh. Jika kita tidak pernah jatuh, kita tidak akan pernah berjalan. Hal yang sama juga benar dan berlaku saat belajar naik sepeda. .... Kegagalan adalah bagian dari proses keberhasilan. Orang yang menghindari kegagalan juga menghindari keberhasilan.
(Kiyosaki. Rich Dad, Poor Dad. p.143)

You are what you learn

Kebanyakan dari kita tentu sudah mendengar perumpamaan, 'Anda adalah apa yang anda makan." Saya mempunyai pandangan yang berbeda atas perumpamaan yang sama. Saya mengatakan, "Anda menjadi apa yang anda pelajari." Dengan kata lain, berhati-hatilah dengan apa yang anda belajar dan pelajari, karena pikiran anda begitu kuat sehingga anda menjadi apa yang anda letakkan dalam kepala anda. 
(Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Kiyosaki. p.200)

Teachers as PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENE

Check this out.

Mark 2:1-5
A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum, and the news spread that he was at home. So many people came together that there was no room left, not even out in front of the door. Jesus was preaching the message to them when FOUR MEN ARRIVED, carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus. Because of the crowd, however, THEY COULD NOT GET the man to him. So THEY MADE a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When THEY HAD MADE an opening, THEY LET the man down, lying on his mat. Seeing how much FAITH THEY HAD, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

How do we see these phrases as teachers and educators?
These four men just played their part in taking a paralyzed person to God.
They were not known by names. There is no mention of them in specific. They seemed to be ignored after that. The paralyzed man was healed. But then, what about them?

I think this should also be the role of teachers in taking the children to a well-being person. To make them educated and have a future. Teachers should not care about whether they will be recognized or not. They should be just TEACHers.

KIS - KeepItSimple

.... Pertanyaannya adalah, bagaimana anda menyampaikan dan mengajarkan subjek yang paling membosankan dan membingungkan ini kepada anak-anak? Jawabannya adalah, SEDERHANAKANLAH... (Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. p. 61)

This philosophy applies to all subjects that might be considered boring, difficult, and painful by students.