For Mardi Juwana Podu Loya, a grade one teacher at SD Masehi Kapunduk elementary school in East Sumba district, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), it is not easy to teach in an area located far from the city due to difficult access and various other limitations. Apart from this, according to Mardi, the main challenge that students face during the learning process is their limited mastery of the Indonesian language, especially in terms of communicating and understanding a learning concept.
In their daily lives, the children in East Sumba district are rarely exposed to the Indonesian language. It is difficult to access information, which in turn limits the development of an environment that supports the children’s mastery of the Indonesian language. It is not uncommon for the children to avoid communicating with people from outside of their area because they are afraid of being spoken to in Indonesian.
At school, the students are exposed to books and teaching materials that are delivered in Indonesian. Given their limited Indonesian language capabilities, Mardi’s students were not able to understand the context of the books and materials. This inhibited the students’ confidence during the learning process.
Mardi is one of the teachers who participated in the training and mentoring for the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Program (MTB MLE) or Pembelajaran Multibahasa Berbasis Bahasa Ibu (PMB-BBI), which was organized by the Sulinama Foundation, the implementing partner of INOVASI. During the PMB-BBI training, Mardi was advised to use her mother tongue – the local language that her students use – as the language of instruction. Mardi modified the teaching materials, using pictures and other media that the students were familiar with, and added some vocabulary in their mother tongue to help them practice the sound of each letter being introduced.
Mardi then gradually trained the students to combine the sounds of the letters that they already recognized to read syllables and words in Indonesian. When the students were able to read single words, they were then trained to read fluently using the Friendly Word Digest book or Ramah Cerna Kata (RCK). The students were also asked several questions to stimulate practice of their understanding of the reading content. Through this process, Mardi saw a positive change in the students’ abilities. They became more fluent in reading and more confident in communicating. Most importantly, it became easier for them to understand learning concepts.
During the pandemic, face-to-face contact between students and teachers has been greatly reduced. With limited access to information, it is difficult for Mardi to maintain student enthusiasm and the rhythm of learning; her students have already gotten used to the mother tongue approach. According to Mardi, the students’ mastery of learning concepts has declined once again.
In order to continue providing a meaningful learning experience, Mardi conducted Learning from Home (Belajar dari Rumah, or BDR) activities at several gathering points. Around 20 of Mardi’s grade one students have been divided into several groups. The students who live close to each other gather in one location, and Mardi visits each group in turn. This solution allows the children to continue receiving their educational service.
Mardi provides her students with several RCK titles that are tailored to each student’s skill level. Mardi accompanies the students when reading a book and asks them questions that are related to the content of the story before giving them the opportunity to read on their own. For students who are at a more advanced level, Mardi continues to use their mother tongue to introduce a certain concept. She also provides questions aimed at helping them understand the content; she then asks them to write down their ideas in Indonesian.