Curriculum 2013 emphasises on aspects of knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour of students. At the primary level, thematic learning model is applied.
For Suryo Buwono, Psychology student of UGM, thematic learning design in its application should be able to encourage students to explore deeper meaning of what they learn in the classroom. Basically, thematic learning is a concept that integrates several lessons under a certain theme.
“But in reality, many teachers still conduct the thematic learning conventionally in a one-way learning. Teacher talking and students listening while the learning evaluation is conventional, too, i.e. by written test, which bores the students,” he said on campus, Tuesday (5/12).
According to Suryo, many creative methods can be utilised to evaluate the student’s comprehension on a thematic learning. One of those is by producing comic.
“Producing comic engages all sensory, also cognitive and affective functions of the children,” he said.
When producing the comic, said Suryo, the children will be occupied in two main processes, which are writing the idea and drawing the story. By writing, the children will get stimulated to make analysis and critical thinking. By drawing, the children will develop creativity.
Following the matter, Suryo along with Gerakan Sekolah Menyenangkan (GSM) or Fun School Movement has conducted a workshop for teachers. The initiator of bukusahabatbermain community along with UGM Psychology lecturer, Novi. P Candra, started the movement.
“GSM is a movement initiated by Novi P. Candra, lecturer from Faculty of Psychology UGM,” he said. He explained the workshop was run to celebrate the Teacher’s Day where the teachers are given a description on the importance to elaborate arts in learning methods as well as technical training for comic making based on classroom learning.
As many as 74 teachers from Yogyakarta and Central Java participated in the event while 50 students from 11 schools were asked to collaborate making a comic compilation with the theme ‘Unity in Diversity’.
"The result of the comic production will get crowdfunded and the outcome will be distributed for free to elementary schools in regions to be the thematic learning media,” he said.