We were delighted to launch our programme in Indonesia in 2022 with a pilot in the Kota Kediri district in East Java, alongside our local partners Yayasan Bakti Unggul Pendidikan (YBPU). The district has an existing programme of teacher network meetings, and we are now supporting them to shift the focus from administrative matters to creating a powerful forum for teacher professional development. Earlier, teachers used to feel nervous while expressing their opinions or trying different approaches. They lacked the confidence to move away from traditional approaches and experiment with new ideas.
In our new model, we are giving school supervisors and principals the autonomy to facilitate and organise teacher network meetings. We are supporting them to gather evidence on the needs of their teachers. We don’t make decisions for them – instead, we help them to make decisions based on data they collect in the field. We have agreed to collaborate with the District Education Agency to amplify and maximise the impact of the programme. Based on recent survey data, teachers stated that the strategy of normalising errors in the classroom and recognising children’s efforts has helped both the teachers and learners.
Bapak Achmad Wartjiantono, the Head of Education Training and Education Personnel of the Education Agency of Kota Kediri, wants all members of the education system in the city to work hand in hand to create a positive, safe, and thriving environment for children where they can freely express themselves. He believes that to build character in our children, we should role-model the desired characteristics we would like to see in them. Despite a myriad of other duties, he tries to join many teacher network meetings with the supervisors, principals and teachers. In his remarks, he often says that “No one is born a facilitator, but a person can learn how to become one.”, asserting that this programme in Kota Kediri, supported by STiR and YBPU, will not only empower a small group of people but every single member of the system. As a result, we have begun to see a collaboration between principals and teachers to facilitate effective meetings.
Bapak Suyono, School Supervisors Coordinator in Kota Kediri, feels that the teacher network meetings have been positively impacted by our programme in the city. The meetings were previously used as a forum for teachers to work on exam questions, but they now provide a space for the teacher’s professional development. In order to ensure a high standard of network meetings, Bapak Suyono and all the supervisors coordinate with the school principals to elicit ideas and formalise session plans with them. After the network meetings, they then have a debrief session to reflect, share learning and gather feedback. Ibu Tutik Mardiati, one of the School Supervisors, mentioned that the topics discussed in the meetings such as “Normalising Errors” are “supplements” for the teachers that enable them to reflect on their practices and implement the strategies in the classroom. Ibu Winarni, a School Principal, added that the teachers have been motivated to create a conducive learning environment so that the children feel “at home” at school.
Ibu Wendy, a teacher of Primary 4, has benefitted from the programme. Having learned about normalising errors, she expressed that she feels more at ease when interacting with the children in her classroom. This is because she no longer has some kind of “fear” of making mistakes, and she is creating the same mindset with the children in her classroom. She has been instilling in children not to be afraid of trying because the teacher and their peers will not judge them for their mistakes. Collectively, the class has begun to see mistakes as a positive part of learning.
“We are all learning together, not only the teachers but also the school principals, the supervisors and the officials in the Education Agency of Kota Kediri” – Achmad Wartjiantono