Academic Challenges: Project-based Learning As A Student-centered Pedagogy To Solve Problems

Background

The current rapid development, the development of science and technology today is of high-quality education. Development in a country cannot pass education activities. The country is determined by the state treating education itself. The world of quality education can support a generation of smart, intelligent and broad-minded young people who can compete in the global era. In order to achieve the objectives of 2013 Curriculum implementation is to use a learning model that requires students, creating a pleasant atmosphere, so that learning objectives are achieved effectively and efficiently.

Therefore this paper will discuss the Project-Based Learning method. Project-Based Learning is a student-centred pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in triggered material. In this learning method, students are required to be active and responsible with their group friends, students are also required to think critically and train students are problematic, because they are required to be creative to create a product that can help or resolve the problem.

This project-based learning also needs comprehensive discussion in which the student learning environment needs to be designed so that it can overcome authentic problems, including material deepening on the subject matter, and doing other tasks. Some lessons and learning about several stages, unlike class meetings, and collaborative group learning. Projects focus on product development or performance (performance), general students carry out activities: organizing their group learning activities, conducting studies or research, solving problems, and synthesizing information.

In this learning method, the work is a facilitator, working on student work that is being worked on. Teachers work with students in the frame of useful problem solving, building meaningful tasks, and directing the development of student knowledge and development of their social skills, and carefully conducting authentic assessments of what students have learned while working on the project, or assessing artifacts as student learning products with their groups.

Problem

1. What is the role of the teacher if there are students who have weaknesses in the experiment and gathering information that will later make students difficult?
2. How does the teacher and student react when they meet one of the students in making a project they do not participate in it?

Theories And Concepts

1. Theories of Project-Based Learning

The learning model is not born naturally, but has a certain theoretical foundation. The learning theory that underlies the project-based learning model is:

a. Project-Based Learning Support Theoretically

Project-based learning also supported by constructivist learning theories relying on the idea that students build their own knowledge in the context of their own experiences.

b. Empirical Project-Based Learning Support

The Project-Based Learning applicant has proven that the model is able to make participants better in improving the challenging learning process, namely learning developed based on the concept of constructivism.

According to the explanation above, the application of learning in the classroom relies on active learning activities in the form of activities (doing something) rather than passive activities such as the teacher only transfers knowledge to it. This learning provides an opportunity to convey ideas, listen to other people’s ideas and introduce their own ideas to others, is a form of individual learning. From improving skills and solving problems together.

2. Concepts of Project-Based Learning

· Project Determination

In this step, students determine the theme/topic of the project with the teacher. Students are given the opportunity to choose/determine projects that will be done either in groups or independently with a note that does not deviate from the theme.

· Designing Steps for Completing the Project

Students design steps for project completion activities from beginning to end and management. The project design activities contain the formulation of expected goals and results, selection of activities for project completion, source/material/tool planning that can support the completion of project tasks, and cooperation between group members.

· Preparation of Project Implementation Schedule

Students with mentoring teachers schedule all activities that have been designed. How long should the project be completed step by step.

· Completion of the Project with Teacher Facilitation and Monitoring

This step is the implementation of the project design that has been made. Activities that can be carried out in project activities include: a) reading, b) making designs, c) researching, d) interviewing, e) recording, f) working, g) visiting project objects, and / or h) internet access. The teacher is responsible for guiding and monitoring the activities of students in carrying out project tasks starting from the process until the completion of the project. In monitoring activities, the teacher makes a rubric that will be able to record the activities of students in completing project tasks.

· Preparation of Reports and Presentation / Publication of Project Results

Project results in the form of products, whether in the form of written products, designs, artworks, technology/craftworks, etc. are presented and / or published to other students and teachers or the community in the form of product presentations, publications and exhibitions learning.

· Evaluation of Project Processes and Results

Teachers and students at the end of the learning process reflect on the activities and results of project assignments. The process of reflection on project assignments can be done individually or in groups. In the evaluation phase, students are given the opportunity to express their experiences during completing project tasks that develop with discussion to improve performance during completing project tasks. At this stage feedback is also made on the processes and products that have been carried out.

Discussion

1. What is the role of the teacher if there are students who have weaknesses in the experiment and gathering information that will later make students difficult?

First, the reason I chose the problem was very simple, because in everyday learning activities often encountered these problems and of course this problem in my opinion would be very interesting if discussed. Indeed, in the learning process at school, learning activities cannot always run smoothly. There are only problems that are found, most of the problems learned by participants are successful students. This situation is a common problem that occurs in the teaching and learning process, especially in the principle of complete learning. Among educators (teachers) there is no standard understanding of these learning difficulties. Usually the teacher will predict students who have low learning achievements, considering students who have difficulty learning or learning. Learning difficulties for students can vary, whether in terms of receiving lessons, absorbing lessons or both. Each student in principle has the right to achieve satisfying learning achievements. However, when supporting, each student has differences, both differences in intellectual ability (IQ), physical abilities, family background, habits, and supporting learning used. It is this individual difference that causes differences in ‘learning behavior’ for each child. Thus, the conditions in which students cannot learn about it should be, whether in accepting or combining lessons, this is what is referred to as ‘learning difficulties’. Or in other words, learning difficulties are an event that shows about the learning objectives that have been determined, there are students who debate the problem in the complete material or material presented by the teacher. In this PPA, of course there are many problems for students who arrive as an example: students find it difficult to work on a project based on the theme given by the teacher. As we know in Project-Based Learning there are several teacher roles including:

1. Planning a learning design
2. Plan a learning strategy
3. Imagine interactions between educators and students
4. Looking for students’ uniqueness
5. Assess students more transparently
6. Making work portfolio of students

From the roles above, of course before making a theme/topic the teacher will think about what will happen in the future. As a teacher, of course, he has the obligation to guide and protect his students so that students can achieve the goals of the learning. For example, a teacher gave the theme of ‘finding new foreign tourists while study tour in Bali’, with this theme, of course students must work hard in dialogue with foreign tourists to make a video project or others to find some new vocabularies. Of course students who have weaknesses in conducting their experiments will be encouraged by their friends to try which even though the results are not the best. Besides that if the student is not fully able to understand/conduct experiments based on the theme conveyed by the teacher, students should do their respective roles and do it as well as possible, so that learning activities using project-based learning models can run optimally.

2. How do the teacher and student react when they meet one of the students in making a project they do not participate in it?

First, the reason why I chose this problem is that I find problems that often arise related to this problem in a particular learning environment. By working in groups, it is true that students will learn to understand themselves and their position, so that they are responsible for tasks that are different from their friends. However, if there is one student in the group who does not take part in making the project, it may indeed disturb other students in the group. But what should a good learning team do? What makes for a good learning team?

1. Team activities begin with training, and the process of understanding groups.
2. An instructor begins by facilitating discussion and providing alternative advice but do not impose solutions on the team, especially for those who have difficulty working together.
3. Three to four people

Large teams make it difficult to involve everyone.

1. Teachers – place groups

Determining a functioning group is better than placing yourself.

1. Various levels of skills, background, experience:
   1. Each individual meets the group
   2. Each group member is responsible not only for contributing his strength, but also supporting the source of their strength.
   3. Anyone who is unlucky or not happy gets full support and is blessed to support fully proactively.
   4. Learning is a positive difference with an increased choice of perspectives and experiences to solve perspectives, and complement thinking.
2. The responsibility of each member to achieve a goal is determined and understood through the group
   1. The distance between confidentiality between group members is the best way to assess who he is and who does not contribute (participate)
   2. The group has the right to fire those who do not cooperate and not participate if all assistance fails (The person who was fired was then looked for by another group who would accept him)
   3. Someone can stop when they work a lot with a little help from others. (This person is often easy to find other groups who will receive his help)
3. Distribution of operating principles and responsibilities, determined and agreed upon by each member. All of these include:
   1. The responsibility to be present, prepare, and timely at the meeting
   2. There are discussions and disagreements on the subject matter, avoiding individual criticism
   3. Responsible for dividing tasks and completing them on time

Conclusion and Suggestion

Conclusion

Project-Based Learning is a student-centred pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in triggered material. This project-based learning also needs a comprehensive discussion in which the student learning environment needs to be designed so that it can be overcome with problems, and also involves doing other tasks. The application of classroom learning also relies on active learning activities in the form of activities (doing something) rather than passive activities such as teacher only transfers knowledge to it. This learning provides opportunities to ideas, listen to ideas and introduce their own ideas to others, is a form of individual learning. From improving skills and solving problems together.

Suggestion

· To the teacher

In the learning process the teacher must create active learning activities so as not to make students bored, one of them is through the project-based learning itself. Secondly, In carrying out learning activities the teacher should adjust the characteristics of students, because as we know each student has different characteristics of each individual.

· To the student

For students who have good learning outcomes to improve and maintain so that later it can be better than before. And for students who have not or are unable to capture learning using this method, they should be able to use more interesting and innovative learning.