SCIENCE EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about phenomena of the universe. Technology is created by learning, understanding, and applying  science in our life. In this new era, competitive and innovative human resources are needed to compete globally to create and reveal something that is going to be useful in human life. One of the most influential and needed sector in the world is technology. 

This calls a reformation of curricula in science education to have higher standards for curricula, higher standards for student achievement, and new approaches for teaching and learning. Many of these reports call for a reformation in technology, science, and mathematics education and integration of the three curricula, to create competitive human resources who can compete not only locally but also globally.   

In Indonesia science is still learned through separate ways except for elementary and junior high schools students who have already begun to learn science in just one integrated subject. Although the teachers are faced with a quite troublesome trouble, and that is they don’t master all of the sub-titles materials of science they need to deliver. In the future, science will be an integrated subject, because actually every part of science is needed to create a new technology since they are related to each other. Professional teachers who can master all of the part of science are needed to educate, motivate, and create professional scientists, teachers and other to develop Indonesia to be a better country with their achievements. 

Not only the teachers, the students are also faced with a quite stressful demand from the “too much theoretical-curricula”.   Students only learn science as a product, memorize the concepts, theories and laws. It’s worsen by the “written test learning-oriented”. Sentences through sentences are forced to be memorized by them. Meanwhile, words are recorded in our left brain which is tend to disappear soon because it is a short-term memory based.  Experiments that involve students to interact with science and transform written theory into a concrete experience, will be a long-term memory because it will be saved in our right brain.

Those are why we need to have new approaches in teaching with a transformation of “written test learning-oriented” into “research learning-oriented” to widen the students thoughts outside the line but not also breaking the line. In addition, professional integrated science teachers are also needed to be the guide for young generation before facing a global competition with an excellent competence.