Currently education is no longer all about cognitive ability. Thus, education that focuses on the ability to memorize, understand, and master the material is no longer the only goal in the teaching-learning process. In real life, we can find many smart people but lack the ability to apply the knowledge properly for the sake of humanity and benefit for the people.
It was the statement of Dra. Budi Andayani, M.A. as a speaker of seminar entitled Toward Learning Process that Develops Student Personality and workshop on Developing Soft skills in Learning, held at the UGM Faculty of Psychology on Friday (22/7). According to Budi, education is currently enforced on the four pillars which are learning to know, learning to act, learning to become somebody, and learning to live together.
The enforcement of the four pillars above means that learning is not only limited to formal education. "One’s study is no longer limited to the intellectual capability only, but requires personal skills for the future when one’s growing up. That the work challenge, social relationships, interpersonal relationships, as well as the physical environment require the existence of personal ability so that one’s presence become meaningful and beneficial to themselves and environment, both physically and socially," she said.
Budi Andayani said that the current personal capability refers to the need for soft skills, i.e. abilities that develop throughout life. Even so, one is not necessarily able to implement the soft skills due to their limited understanding. Advice is one way to instill soft skills. However, learning from the experience is the most powerful way to know the soft skills. Therefore, there is truth in the proverb that says 'experience is the best teacher'. "This proverb suggests that experience is the most appropriate learning media. Therefore, the facility of the environment that presents the experiences and reflections are very necessary," said the lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Psychology.
Speaking about the integration of Soft Skills in the Learning Process, Budi Andayani further mentioned that teaching-learning process in the classroom has often use learning methods that involve the students more or student-centered learning. Various exploratory models are often used by giving tasks to the students to explore and seek answers about the phenomena that exist in the environment. Likewise, the discussions and presentations are also often used. "The use of the Internet and reference books, group work, use of media and computers has been widely applied in the learning process. One example of learning activity is to assign students of VIII class to make one stage drama recording about polite behavior. This task is one of the regular tasks for the subject of religion," she continued.
In the two-day seminar and workshop, 22-23 July 2011, which is held by Education Division of Center for Public Mental Health, Faculty of Psychology, also present are the educational psychologist, Professor. Dr. Amitya Kumara, MS, Psi., Yuli Fajar Susetyo, S. Psi., M.Sc., and education practitioner, Drs. Nasarius Sudaryono, S.Pd., M.Sc.