Attracting the attention of students in a classroom is undoubtedly a challenging task. Moreover, directing the students’ focus becomes more troublesome if, from the start, they are not enthusiastic about the lesson being taught. Therefore, a teacher should be capable of creating an engaging and enjoyable learning environment for students.
While visiting SDN 024 Tanjung Selor, we found eye-catching views of the classrooms. Not only are the appealing wall decorations and colourful paint make it astonished, but also various learning media displayed on the classroom walls.
Bu Yayuk, a teacher of the third graders at SDN 024 Tanjung Selor, decorated the classroom with various literacy and numeracy learning media for the students. She believed integrating media into teaching and learning activities can enhance students’ understanding and reinforce their memory. Apart from that, using learning media can also foster students’ interest and connect the subject materials and daily life.
“Students become more passionate about learning; they enjoy learning through play. I created a wide range of learning media, such as games, and complimented them for completing the tasks successfully. That’s why the children love to learn. They even eagerly compete to be the first to answer questions.”
She has created various learning media, including two-dimensional shapes, smart wheels, mathematical tables, alphabet boards, counting boxes, etc. These learning media are displayed at the Literacy and Numeracy Corner in the corner of the classroom.
The idea of creating various learning media was inspired by diverse training held by the Education and Culture Office of Bulungan District and INOVASI that Bu Yayuk had attended. Aside from that, Bu Yayuk also regularly participated in Teacher Working Group (Kelompok Kerja Guru or KKG) activities in her cluster. She did not hesitate to ask questions and learn from younger teachers. In addition, independently, Bu Yayuk watched numerous videos on YouTube and learned a lot about creating an engaging, enjoyable, and interactive learning environment in the classroom.
“I usually watch tutorials on YouTube on how to create teaching aids or learning media by adjusting them to my students’ needs. As for the materials, I commonly collect them from school or purchase them myself. Sometimes I also recycle items such as bottle caps, food plastics, and dry twigs.”
The diagnostic assessment conducted by Bu Yayuk has proven evidently that her students’ literacy and numeracy skills have significantly improved compared to the beginning of the semester. Such an improvement can be attributed to various available teaching aids that drove the students to be eager to learn.
It is truly an honour for her to witness her students’ development, who increasingly enjoy learning and are capable of understanding the materials more effectively.