Contextual Learning Method

Contextual Learning, Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) has an understanding of learning that help teachers link subjects with real-world situations and lessons that motivate students to connect knowledge and its application to everyday life as a member of the family and the community (have mercy, 2001). Contextual learning is a concept that helps teachers relate subject concepts with world situations and motivates students to make the relationship between knowledge and its application in their lives as family members, citizens, and labor (Nur, 2001). Nur further mention CTL is a reaction to a theory that basically Behavioristic that has dominated education for decades. CTL approach recognizes that learning is a complex process and many phases ber1angsung far beyond drill-oriented and stimulus and response methodologies developed by the learning-oriented psychology of behaviorism. Based on this theory, learning occurs only when students process new information or knowledge that is felt in accordance with reasonable frame of mind he had.
In practice, tens of years of learning process-oriented psychology was behaviorism childbirth education process "bank style" (Freire, 2001). Students regarded as "empty vessels" that will be filled as a means of savings or capital facilities which will, in science will be picked. Teachers are active subjects and passive objects which the child is obedient. Furthermore, Freire (2001: ixi) detailing the features of conventional learning as follows: (a) teachers teach and students learn, (b) the teacher knows everything, and the student does not know anything; (c) teachers' thinking, and thinking of students; (d) active teacher talking and students listening, (e) teachers organize, and students organized; (f) the teacher chose, (and forced choice) students comply; (g) acting teachers and students to imagine how to act in accordance with the act of his teacher; (h) choose what is taught teachers and students adjust to the selection of teachers; (i) disrupt the science teacher professionalism and authority with the freedom of his students, and (j) the teacher becomes the subject and center of everything and the students became the object specified.
Kontekstua1 learning pattern is very different from conventional learning that we know so far.
People can learn best in a context, in a related needs. Facts and skills learned in isolation is difficult to absorb, in addition to quickly evaporate like smoke. Learning can best be done by doing the work itself in the process penye1aman to the "real world" continually, using feedback, reflection, evaluation, and dives back (reflection).
In detail, Nur (2001) outlines seven key words in contextual teaching:
a. Discovery (inquiri)
Learning activities carried out by inductively, beginning with the observation in order to understand the concept. In practice, learning through cycles of activity observed, question, analyze, and formulate a theory, either individually or together with other friends. The discovery is also an activity to develop and use critical thinking skills as well as students.
b. Questions (questioning)
The question is a learning tool for teachers to encourage, guide, and assess students' thinking abilities. Questions are also used by students during an activity-based discovery. Questions in the learning process can be grouped into three: (a) the descriptive question of what the questions with pronouns; (b) questions are leading questions eksplanitif on request to students to explain (eg, explain, and how the process of happening), (c) questions critically and creatively, that is the question that asked the students to uncover the explicit and implicit information on the facts and information (eg some of the questions using interrogative pronouns why).
c. Kontruktifisme (contructivisme)
Students build self-understanding of the experiences ¬-new experience based on early experiences. Early experience is always a base / pedestal combined with new experiences to gain new insights. Understanding developed through meaningful experiences.
d. Learning society (learning community)
Learning process took place in situations of fellow students to talk and listen to each other, a variety of experience between them. Working together with others to create an active student learning better when compared with their own learning. This differs from traditional learning, which indirectly educate students to become individuals who are selfish, not much care about the environment. Stable companion is not seen as partners, but viewed as a competitor. More tragically, if they are not healthy competition.
e. Authentic assessment (authentic assessment)
This is a measure authentic assessment of learning a variety of products, namely knowledge and skills. This assessment also requires the application of knowledge or skill. This assessment not only see the final product, but also the process.
f. Reflection (Reflection)
One of the distinguishing contextual approach to the traditional approach that shaped ways of thinking about something that has been studied by students. In the process of thinking, students can revise and respond to events, activities, and their experience. The procedure generally students record the grains of material that has been learned, students are trained to recognize new ideas that emerged. Such activities can be a journal of reflection, discussion, and the work / art.
g. Modelling (Modelling)
Teachers in the classroom activity has the effect of a model for students when teachers teach with a variety of learning methods and techniques, indirectly siswapun will mimic the methods or techniques that made the teacher. Condition, this provides many benefits. Me1akukan activities teachers can say things that are imaginable (think alloud). Teachers can also take advantage of this model by discussing the effects the way the teacher wants students to learn. Teachers can also do something that you want to enable students to do so.
2. Contextual Teaching and Learning Principles
Delivering learning in accordance with the concept of educational technology and learning is an activity essentially deliver a message to students by the informant by using materials, tools, techniques, and in certain environments. In order for the delivery of effective, needs to be some design principles of the learning message. Principles include the principle of readiness and motivation, attention to the use of a concentrator, the active participation of students, repetition, and feedback.
a. Readiness and Motivation
Readiness and motivation principle states that if the deliver the message of learning students are ready and have high motivation, the result will be better. Ready means ready knowledge prerequisite here, ready mentally and physically ready. To determine the readiness of the students there should be a prerequisite test.
Furthermore, motivation is an urge to do or not do something, including conduct learning activities. Encouragement can come from inside or outside of students' self. Motivation can also be enhanced by giving rewards and punishments (rewards and punishments).
b. Concentrator Tool Use Caution
If used tool in delivering centralizer of attention, learning outcomes will increase. Mental concentration on an object plays an important role for the success of the learning process. The more attention will be increasingly successful, the less attention will obtaining failure. Although important, the attention of unruly nature has in a long time. Therefore, we should use the various tools and techniques for controlling or directing attention. Control equipment is the main focus of media such as pictures, illustrations, color charts, audio, video, penegas visual or verbal penegas. The technique can be used to control most attention such as movement, change, something strange, surprising, suspenseful, funny, or humor.
c. Recurrence
If delivery of the message repeated learning, learning outcomes will be better. Iteration is done by the same manner and media as well as the ways and different media. Repetition can also be done by giving a cursory review, beginning at the start of a lesson and a summary or conclusion at the end of the lesson. Repetition can also be realized by using the word - a certain cue words such as "I again repeated", and "other words", in short, "and so forth.
d. Feedback
If the forwarding of the message students are given feedback, the learning outcomes will increase. If any given correction (corrective feedback) and if you have given a confirmation or reinforcement (confirmative feedback). Students will be steady if you have then corrected. Instead, students will know where the mistakes if given out his mistake and corrected. Technically, the feedback given in the form of a correct answer key.
3. Contextual Learning Implementation Strategy
In order for the implementation of contextual learning can be more effective, teachers must play well in terms of planning, implementing, reflecting and improving learning. For that teaching strategies must be teachers in contextual teaching and learning are as follows:
a. Emphasis on problem solving / problem. Teaching begins by presenting the real issues that are relevant to students' families, the experience of schools, workplaces, and communities menpunyai significance for students. Students are encouraged to think critically and systematically to find the problem and use the contents of learning materials to solve problems.
b. Recognizing that the learning needs of students occurs variety of contexts, such as home, community, workplace. Knowledge obtained by students who do not get out of where and how students gain knowledge, and knowledge increases if they learn from the varied environments.
c. Controlling and directing students to become independent learners (self-regulated learneds) by allowing students always perform testing (trial and error), so that ultimately the student with a little guidance can process information, solve problems and capitalize on them.
d. Understanding the context meragaman student life and can use it as a driving force at the same time adds to the complexity of learning itself, through cooperation and the activities of study groups composed of diverse students so that they can build interpersonal skills, namely thinking through communication with others.
e. Teachers act as facilitators, pe1atih, and academic mentors in encouraging students to conduct cooperation in the study. Learning community formed in workplaces and schools to do with an attempt to jointly use the knowledge, focused learning goals and allows everyone to learn from each other.
f. Using authentic assessment (Authentic Assessment). Authentic assessment not only measures how much knowledge has been collected by students, but also get students to apply knowledge to solve real life problems although a simple benchmark.
4. Evaluation of Contextual Learning
To determine whether contextual learning can improve student learning outcomes, required a variety of assessment strategies. Matters related to learning outcomes include assessment of contextual learning that can build and expand the student experience than ever before, whether contextual learning can help students in completing / solving real world problems, or students menga1ami improvement in expressing what they know, including how to use their knowledge in and outside of school.
Assessment strategies and the measuring instrument is quite good if there is conformity with the objectives and the real impact (Aut come) expected from a particular subject matter. Of purpose and out come the subject matter, appear various assessment strategies to measure student achievement and knowledge in the process of learning activities (context authentic) assessment at one of the principles of contextual learning is not only assess what is known by students, but also to assess what can be done by students. To meet these needs was undertaken authentic assessment (authentic assessment). Assessment strategies that can be categorized in authentic assessment is performance assessment (performance assessment), systematic observation, and portofo1io (Department of Education, 2002: 25). Performance appraisals are used to determine the ability to resolve snatu pennasalahan on a specific context. Systematic observations used to determine the impact of learning activities on student attitudes. Contextual is a collection of various skills, ideas, interests, and the success of students over a certain period of his being able to form notes, drawings, or all of the work of students who are physically tangible. When compared with traditional evaluation techniques, evaluation strategies that have been authentically mentioned above is a revolution. Major changes made to the objectives and evaluation techniques to evaluate it. Target changed from measuring how much knowledge students toward measuring how students can use their knowledge to solve real life problems. Because this altered target, the technique has changed from pencil and paper test techniques to test the technique works with the main observation of action.
In the transition phase, before the socialization model of authentic assessment dilakulcan continuously by the Ministry of National Education, the teachers will be difficult to adjust to this new paradigm. That is why the guidebook Contextual Learning (Department of Education, 2002) still states that the performance evaluation can be done in the form of multiple choice. Still permissibility of multiple-choice model is also a middle way to address conditions in the school classes are generally still large classes, with the number of students in the top 40 people in one teacher supervision. According to researchers, adapting the model to the performance test in the form of multiple choice objective tests can be performed on condition (1) each test item contains an engineered life problems and (2) assessment using objective tests is not the only way to measure student developments, need to be combined with an evaluation observations such as through the Student Activity Sheet. If two tests are met reqiurements objective can be used, though only semi-authentic standard (quasi authentic base problem evaluation) and can not be categorized as real authentic assessment.

B. Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning refers to teaching methods where students work together in small groups to help each other in learning. They are usually trained in specific skills to help in order to work well together, for example, be a good listener, gives good explanations, ask questions correctly, and so forth. (Wikandari, Sugianto, 1999: l9).
Some sentences teacher who encourages students to work cooperatively is: Discuss with your friend a given task. Be assured that by working together you can complete the task properly.
According to Ibrahim, et al (2000:7) some features of cooperative learning that uses medel described as follows:
a. Students work in cooperative groups to complete their study materials.
b. Formed groups and students who have high ability, medium and low.
c. If possible, group members come from racial, cultural, ethnic, gender differently.
d. More awards than individual-oriented groups.
Factor in learning time and place is also very affecting. In general, cooperative learning is more powerful file a claim on resources of time than other learning models (Ibrahim, et al, 2000: 35). Cooperative learning requires more time for students to interact on important ideas of the time required to present ideas directly to students. For that teachers should be able to plan realistically about the time requirements to minimize the amount of time wasted. Likewise, the room arrangements must be made specifically for the learning activities can take place more efficiently and provide a comfortable atmosphere for both teachers and students.
Some research has been done to develop models of cooperative learning. Several variations of the most extensive cooperative learning are described, including the type of STAD (Student - Team Achienement Divinisions) Jigsaw, TAI (Team - Assited Individualization), CIRC (Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition), Research Group (Croup Investigation). This study uses the type STAD cooperative learning model. Hereinafter referred to as STAD cooperative learning model.
In cooperative learning score is the score calculated individual and team score. Team score is based on improving the team scores compared with scores of their own past. The advantage of this double scoring is that it can accommodate students in completing tasks at once ambitious students who are not doing the job they should do. With individual scores can be seen how students engage in learning preses. While with a team score can motivate students who have more ability to help students with kemapuan less to improve his performance, because preindividu determine team score.
Posted a team score obtained in writing, and teams that have increased, given the appropriate award or reward. This makes the relationship between working well and getting the recognition it became clear to students, and can increase their motivation to do my best. Team score is calculated by adding points earned increasing each team member and dividing the total by the number of team members who worked on the quiz. To calculate the team score, teachers need to record the value of the development team members on the quiz score sheet.