Jakarta (Republika: 08/10/04) Some 20% of elementary school (SD) and junior high school (SLTP) students in several provinces have extraordinary ability and intelligence, but are in risk of being left behind in grade. Why is this?

Organizing an acceleration class is considered as an alternative for students whose ability and intelligence are above average. It is designed to compensate for the weaknesses found in the classical class, which is more towards mass instruction. Through this program students can complete their learning faster than the required time.

It is Dr Herry Widyastono MPd who tried to categorize student’s abilities and intelligence into three levels: below average, average and above average kids. Below average students have slower learning speeds than most students do. Oppositely, students with above average abilities and intelligence have faster learning speeds than others do

Average students, he says, have so far been given education in accordance with the national curriculum, which is designed for the average student. Below average students are given remedial teaching.

What about the above average student? Herry, who spoke at last week’s Accelerated Learning Program for Supervisors and Headmasters of Public and PrivateJunior High Schools in Jakarta seminar says, they haven’t gotten the education service that they should have. “Most schools give the standard approach, classical mass instruction for all students, average, below average and above average students are taught in the same way, despite their actually different needs,” he said.

As a result, said the person in charge of research and development for gifted children at the Curriculum Centre of the National Education Department’s research and development agency, below average students will always be left behind in class, and above average students will get bored because they have to adapt to the learning speed of the others.

Herry then revealed what happened further. Quoting Yaumil (1991, he said, “About 30 percent of gifted students in Jakarta’s high schools perform below their potential.” Herry also discovered approximately 20 percent of gifted elementary and junior high students in West Java, East Java, Lampung, and West Kalimantan face the risk of remaining behind because their average scores for all subjects in the first and second quarters are less then 6.

Education For students that fall into this group, he said, need special handling. One available alternative, which was mentioned earlier, is an accelerated learning program. Some schools, especially in Jakarta, have already begun implementing such programs for their students.

Still Classical Mass Instruction
Teachers joined in the Headmasters Conference for Administering Accelerated Learning Program (MKS¬PPA) DKI Jakarta view, the regular administering of education is geared towards education as much numbers as possible. The weakness of this is that individual students outside of the normal group aren’t accommodated.

Similar to Herry, MKS PPA see that with this system, potentially smart and specially gifted children aren’t properly served, thus their potential cannot be optimally channeled or developed. Based on experience, these children tend to understand faster what is being taught. As a result, they have to wait for the other slower students.

How does the acceleration program accommodate this? Drs Edy Junaedi Sastradiharja, MPd of AlAzhar Syifa Budi Jakarta in the same seminar mentioned several methods: a special school, special class, and special program. To avoid exclusiveness and encourage social skills, he says, class management can be applied with several learning models.

Among others, grouping students into a special class. Students that meet the accelerated class requirements, although few, are grouped into a separate class. “Even if there are many, for instance over 22, it would still be better to split them into two small classes so each student gets a chance to learn more,” he said.

Another method, is grouping the students into a semi-inclusive class. This means for some subjects the students learn together with regular students, such as for sports, arts, computers, religion, and other subjects that emphasis competency of basic psychomotor skills.

According to Edy, the learning strategy needs to be directed towards shaping a complete learning process through active and creative student learning approaches, with emphasis on selecting essential material in accordance with learning result indicators from each basic competency in the valid curriculum.

The use of inquiry and discovery methods also needs to be encouraged, aside from other methods in an effort to give a ‘meaningful’ learning process. “So student won’t jus simply know something, but are able to do something,’ he said.

Edi also stated the need to modify the learning model to be more interesting and challenging, for instance by inviting real sources of learning into the classroom, like history makers, film directors, doctors, businessmen, wellknown presenters in accordance to the needs of the subject and basic competency.

Or the other way around, by conducting field trips.
Similar to Edy Junaedi, Labschool Rawamangun’s vice principal Drs Fakhruddin MPd mentioned three models, i.e. special school, special class and special program. However, he said each had their plus and minuses.

A special school for acceleration can use a dormitory system or not. A dormitory system provides more learning time and eases extra-curriculum activities; however it isn’t suitable for primary level. A special school without a dormitory system, eases activity planning and there is interaction with other schools, but a negative elitism will appear.