Implementation of
Contextual Learning Strategies in Small Class Sunday Schools
Luciana Haryanto1 , Yusep Arimatea2, Lasmauli Gurning3, Napoleon Manalu4
Sekolah Tinggi
Teologi Kadesi Bogor, Indonesia
lucianaharyanto@gmail.com1, yuseparimatea@gmail.com2 , lasmauli71@gmail.com3,
napoleon.rumabutar.manalu@gmail.com4
|
Keywords |
Abstract |
|
Contextual
learning strategy, Sunday school, Small class |
Effective learning strategies are very important in
achieving learning objectives, especially in the context of Christian
Religious Education in Sunday Schools. One of the strategies that can be
applied is Contextual Teaching and Learning. This research aims to analyze
the implementation of contextual learning strategies in small class Sunday
School. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method.
Data was collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis.
The participants consisted of Sunday School teachers and small class
students. The results show that the implementation of contextual learning
strategies in small class Sunday School includes seven main components:
constructivism, discovery, questioning, learning community, modeling, reflection,
and authentic assessment. This strategy is effective in improving students'
understanding and engagement in the learning process. The implementation of
contextual learning strategies in small class Sunday School is proven to
facilitate meaningful learning that is relevant to students' daily lives.
This strategy can be an alternative for teachers in designing and
implementing Christian Religious Education learning that is more contextual
and effective. |
Corresponding
Author :
Luciana Haryanto
E-mail: lucianaharyanto@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
Learning is a process of interaction, both between humans
and each other or between humans and the surrounding environment (Anggraeni and Effane 2022) . This process is directed to achieve
goals related to cognitive, affective or psychomotor development goals (Abdullah 2017) . The goal of cognitive development is an
intellectual development process that is closely related to increasing aspects
of knowledge, both quantitatively and qualitatively (Nainggolan and Daeli 2021) .
In the process of learning to think, knowledge is not
obtained as a result of transfer from other people, but knowledge is obtained
through interaction with existing objects, phenomena, experiences and the
environment, and must be interpreted independently by each individual. (Sutarjo Adisusilo 2016) . Knowledge is considered correct when
the knowledge is useful in facing and solving problems or phenomena that arise (Firdaus n.d.) . The thinking learning model emphasizes
student activities to seek understanding of objects, analyze and construct them
so that new knowledge is formed within the individual (Hamruni 2015) .
The psychological basis of this strategy is the flow of
cognitive psychology. According to this school, learning is essentially a
mental event, not a behavioral event (habit). (Darman 2020) . Human behavior is not merely physical
movement, but what is more important is the existence of driving factors that move
it (Setiawan 2017) . Every human being will forever have
needs that are inherent within him, and that is what drives humans to behave.
Learning is an active individual process in building
knowledge and achieving goals (Masgumelar and Mustafa 2021) . The learning process does not depend on
external influences, but is very dependent on the individual learning (student
centered)
(Pertiwi,
Nurfatimah, and Hasna 2022) . Human behavior is only an
expression that can be observed as a result of internal existence which is
essentially personal. Brower and Hilgard explain that cognitive theory is
concerned with how they use this knowledge to behave more effectively.
Writing about
Application Strategy Learning Contextual in Schools Sunday Small Classes is
expected can useful, good in a neither way theoretical nor practice. Benefit
writing, including : Benefits Theoretical - Writing This can add literature
Christian , become contribution in teaching , adding outlook about strategy
learning contextual at school Sunday. Benefit Practice -Share church And
servant God, research this become Wrong One contribution for serve child school
Sunday. For school teacher’s week, writing this can become important handlein learning,
so they can apply strategy effective learning in schoolsSunday.
Study this aim for
explain How strategy learning contextual can become contribution for school
teachers Sunday and can give guidelines for apply strategy effective learning.
Besides that, research This Also aim For explain How strategy learning
contextual can become strategy learning for child school expected week
can give knowledge and Skills.
Christian
religious education is an important aspect of a child's spiritual and moral
development. Sunday school serves as a key platform for providing Christian
religious education to children outside of the family setting. However,
teaching Christian religious education to young children aged 3-5 years in the
Sunday school context presents unique challenges. This age group has distinct
physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics that require
specialized teaching approaches (Immanuel,
Setiawan, And Shalom n.d.) .
Previous research
has highlighted the effectiveness of contextual learning strategies in
improving student engagement and learning outcomes in various educational
settings (Anggraeni and Effane 2022). Contextual
learning emphasizes connecting educational content to students' real-life
experiences and making learning relevant and meaningful (Hamruni 2015) . However,
limited research has explored the application of contextual learning strategies
in the context of Christian religious education for young children in Sunday
school.
This study aims
to analyze the implementation of contextual learning strategies in small class
Sunday school settings for children aged 3-5 years. The findings of this
research are expected to provide both theoretical and practical benefits.
Theoretically, this study can contribute to the literature on Christian
religious education and pedagogical approaches suitable for young children in
the Sunday school context. Practically, the research findings can serve as a
valuable resource for Sunday school teachers, equipping them with effective
strategies to deliver engaging and meaningful Christian religious education to
their young students.
RESEARCH METHODS
The study employs a descriptive qualitative research
approach. Data were collected through several methods. Participatory
observation was utilized, where the researchers actively participated in and
observed various learning processes and activities conducted by the Sunday
School Commission. Additionally, in-depth interviews were carried out with
Sunday school children aged 3-5 years, Sunday school teachers, and parents.
Document analysis was also employed as a data collection technique. The
population in this study was all Sunday school children, totaling 7 people, and
all of them were used as research samples. The data collection technique used
is observation, where the researcher acts as a carrier of the material. Data
collected through observation is then processed as part of learning activities,
which include making lesson plans, preparing learning media, and assessing
mastery of the material. Each cycle is carried out for 30-40 minutes.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sunday School Children in Sunday School
Christian Religious Education (aged 3-5 years)
Christian religious education needs to be taught to children
as early as possible. Apart from family, the church also plays a very important
role in Christian religious education (Immanuel,
Setiawan, And Shalom n.d.) . That is why in the church there
is a Sunday School which aims to teach Christian religious education to
children outside the family. Children are also members of the Church of Christ,
by virtue of their baptism. The aim of teaching Christian religious education
to children is for children to know Christ as their personal Savior. Another
goal is so that they can love each other and continue to learn the truth of
God's Word.
a
Characteristics of Childhood Sunday School Students
(aged 3-5 years)
Teaching Christian Religious Education to children is more
difficult than teaching Christian Religious Education to adults. Why is that?
Children need a lot of media to achieve understanding of material. Basically, a
child is influenced by his environment from the time he is in the womb.
However, Christian religious education for children is very important, because
it will have an external influence on their adult faith in the future.
b
Special Characteristics of Sunday School Age
Children (Toddlers)
In general, children at this age tend to learn from what
they see. In general,
their emotions are still unstable. Sunday School should be a warm home for
them. The problems that arise in teaching children at this age are different
from the problems that arise in adult children. Therefore, as Sunday School
teachers, we need to understand their characteristics and how to deal with
them. Children at this age have their own characteristics.
Christian Religion Teacher in Sunday
School (ages 3-5 years)
As with teachers in public schools, being a teacher in
Sunday School also has a very important role, especially for children aged 3-5
years. A Sunday School teacher has a sacred spiritual position because it is a
calling from God (Wade
2019). A Sunday School teacher has
seven important duties, namely: teaching, shepherding, fatherhood, giving, role
modeling, evangelizing, praying and seizing opportunities.
However, in practice these seven tasks are very difficult.
There are many things we need to understand before we become Sunday School
teachers. To achieve this goal, in Sunday School, Christian Religious Education
must be taught seriously.
Table 1 Research Findings
|
Characteristics of
Sunday School Children |
The methods
applied |
|
Physical: 1.
Very active, moves a lot 2.
Get tired quickly. 3.
Large and small muscles begin to develop and
cannot yet regulate muscle joints. 4.
Easily hurt. 5.
The vocal cords have begun to develop. 6.
Likes to see and hear things. |
· The classroom must be spacious
to hold activities. · Don't do activities that are too
strenuous. · Difficulty sitting still for too
long. · The study area must be clean and
have ventilation. · They like to sing with movement.
Don't force them to sing at a high pitch. · Use bright lights and use clear
words. |
|
Mental: 1.
Limited concentration power. 2.
Curiosity is great. 3.
Limited vocabulary. 4.
Learn through the five senses. 5.
Imitates the actions of others |
· Story time is approximately 10
minutes. We have to tell them repeatedly. · Give simple answers to what they
ask. · Speak clearly and use simple
words to them. · Use props to convey material · Teachers must be role models. |
|
Emotion: 1.
Afraid of strangers and strangers. 2.
His emotions are unstable. 3.
Be sensitive to the surrounding environment. 4.
It's easy to feel jealous. |
· Use classes with the same model. · Must be friendly and provide a
sense of security to children. · Class settings must be
appropriate and balanced. · Don't protect certain children
and must provide love as a whole. |
|
Association: 1.
Start looking for friends. 2.
Egocentric, egotistical. |
· Encourage him to get along with
all his friends. · Teach them to enjoy things with
other people and love each other. |
|
Spirituality: 1.
Imitates adult behavior, including attitudes towards
God. 2.
They begin to know the love of Jesus through the
love adults have for them. 3.
Know how to give thanks. 4.
Can be taught to pray. |
· In addition to teaching Bible
truths, set appropriate examples. · Teachers must serve them with
love. · Teach them to give thanks in all
things. · Teach them to pray and instill
that Allah will always hear their prayers. Teach about three answers to
prayer. |
Discussion
Materials liked by Sunday School Children (ages 3-5 years)
Usually each church has its own guidebook/curriculum for
teaching Sunday school children. Either it is provided by the central synod or
comes from another source. From the many materials presented by the teacher,
you can see the materials that are liked by children, especially children aged
3-5 years. Sunday
school children at this age like material with various activities. Their
energetic demeanor and interesting material will really grab their attention.
In general, audio-visual media is very helpful for teaching children at this
age. This can be used by teachers to develop good strategies for delivering
material.
At this time children will be more active in moving, if so
teachers must also take advantage of the special characteristics of these
children to be involved as a medium in learning. Contextual strategies will be
very important if children can become one of the actors in preaching the word (Mesra 2023) . For example, we use them as good
examples or involve them in the dialogue process. They will be happy if we ask
them questions, because that way they will feel that we are paying attention to
them.
The author as a teacher at Sunday school uses an image-based
curriculum. Where the material used is in the form of pictures about stories in
the Bible. This is very popular with children of this age. Where the material
presented is quite interesting and allows them to understand the meaning of the
Bible. It doesn't stop there, this curriculum also includes various activities
to sharpen the Word in the process of application in daily life. This is a
contextualization strategy that according to the author is effective for
teaching Sunday school children aged 3-5 years
Application of image learning methods to increase enthusiasm
The way to do this is by sorting the images in an orderly
manner, then making captions on the images and then explaining them. This
drawing method can motivate students to learn (Kress and
Van Leeuwen 2020). Because this model prioritizes
images that can trigger children's attention so they are motivated to learn (Sumual, Pasolang, and Widjaja 2023) . So this model prioritizes images as a
medium for conveying material. The principles of implementation are presenting
information, presenting teaching materials, displaying pictures in teaching
materials, then students are asked to arrange the pictures, the teacher
confirms the order of the pictures and finally the teacher provides
conclusions, reflection and evaluation.
This drawing method is an alternative that is widely used by
teachers, if students still do not really understand the literal meaning (Dunn
2021). The lack of activeness and
enthusiasm requires teachers to find an interactive learning model so that
students' learning patterns increase (Chen, Wang,
and Chen 2014). To stimulate active and
non-boring learning for students, drawing method is one of the alternatives
that can be used. In the context of delivering God's Word in Sunday school,
this learning model requires the help of pictures to help students understand
God's Word more clearly. A good picture for this model is a picture of a Bible
story that is adapted to the subject matter.
The researcher revealed that in teaching Sunday School
children, creative and innovative models in teaching the Word of God must be
applied, especially for early childhood, in order to meet all the spiritual
needs of children in today's generation. By applying the drawing method to
Sunday School children, it will help to increase children's enthusiasm for the
stories of God's word.
This is also an issue related to the lack of children
memorizing Bible stories. Putting together pictures and retelling the material
in particular was chosen as the solution. The way to do this is as follows:
First, the teacher mentions the skills to be achieved. In
this step, the Sunday school teacher should teach the appropriate material. In
this way, children can estimate how far they have to go to master it.
Second, present the material. The teacher can motivate the
attention of children who are not ready. Motivating can stimulate children's
interest to continue learning. and rewarding children's success, including
giving praise at the right time.
Third, the teacher shows pictures related to the material.
In presenting the material, the teacher invites children to be involved in the
learning process.
Fourth,
the teacher chooses children in turn to arrange the pictures in a logical
order. The available pictures are asked to be sorted or modified by the
children. This learning pattern can also be used as a teaching tool for Sunday
school children. Children can use the drawing method to understand learning
activities, using the drawing method makes children more enthusiastic, children
do not get bored quickly, children prefer learning by using the drawing method;
and children pay more attention to the teacher during the learning process.
Table 2 Enthusiasm Research Data
|
No. |
Things Observed |
Score |
Percentage |
|
1 |
Children understand learning by using media |
7 |
100% |
|
2 |
Children are more enthusiastic in learning when using methods |
7 |
100% |
|
3 |
Children are not bored with learning activities |
7 |
100% |
|
4 |
Children feel happy with learning activities |
7 |
100% |
|
5 |
Children pay more attention to teachers in learning activities |
7 |
100% |
|
|
Average |
5 |
100% |
Table on shows
that the children's enthusiasm is 100%, which is an excellent measure. So in
conclusion, the image method in the material increases children's enthusiasm.
The data above also shows that the application of the drawing method has a big
contribution for Sunday School children in increasing their enthusiasm
CONCLUSION
Teaching Sunday School children is as important as teaching
any other group (teenagers, young adults, adults, and senior citizens).
Teaching in Sunday School also requires special strategies because teaching
Sunday School children is more difficult, plus the students are still 3 to 5
years old. Teaching children at this age requires patience and caution.
Children at this age still find it difficult to accept the material if we
deliver it with the same method as we teach children who can already understand
the essence of knowledge. Children at this age tend to learn from what they see
and tend to follow adults who are close to them. Contextual learning strategies
are very suitable for children of this age. Although children at this age enjoy
listening to stories, they cannot listen for long periods of time. Therefore,
by linking to everyday events that they are used to and using hands-on practice
is more suitable to be applied to children. We must engage children at this age
in dialog. We must tell them the word of God, but we must also intersperse it
with events that children often experience.
As Sunday School Teachers, let us recognize the
characteristics of the children we teach. A great task and responsibility lies
in our hands as parents who educate children. Although there are many children
who drain energy and provoke emotions in the learning process, it is not
something that we should take seriously, let alone retaliate with physical
violence. The Bible in Ephesians 6:4 “And you, fathers, do not provoke your
children to anger, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the
Lord.” Educating us as parents/parents to not plant seeds of hatred in our
children. In addition, we must also be able to create a pleasant atmosphere and
we must also be an example for them. Let us carry out our calling as Sunday
School Teachers well and with a sense of responsibility.
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