THE BEST PRACTICE OF CREATING INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM FOR

GIFTED STUDENTS USING PEER TUTORING

AT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 7 MALANG

PaperPresented at the

“South East Asia School Principal Conference ”Nathrang City-Vietnam, October 29th 20012

ByAsriWidiapsari, M.Pd

NIP. 196701111990032003

PUBLIC SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 7 MALANGJl. CenggerAyam I/14. Tlp. (0341) 495256

ABSTRACT

AsriWidiapsari, 2012. The Best Practice of Creating Inclusive Classroom for Gifted Students Using Peer Tutoring at Public Senior High School 7 Malang.

Key Word:gifted, inclusive and peer tutoring.

Gifted students, who have high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative artistic, leadership, or in specific academic fields, may differ from their peers in terms of the speed and level at which they learn, the depth of their mastery, and the topics that interest them. However, their giftedness sometime leads to the under achievement because of their unique behavior. Their boredom of waiting their friends in finishing the task causes them to do bad attitude that cause friends resentment and teacher avoidance.

Being gifted, they need a special treatment in optimizing their capability and solving their social problem. In International Standardize School in Indonesia, gifted students are facilitated an acceleration program in exclusive classroom which enable them to shorten their length of study.On the other side, Public Senior High School 7 Malang, a National Standardize School, offers an inclusive treatment named “Peer Tutoring”.

Peer Tutoring Project was employed in facilitating gifted students from low economic background with collaborative learning model. The project was done in mathematic class. The project was aimed to :a. facilitate gifted students with unconscious treatmentb. enhance students’ empathy, responsibility, solidarity, and trust among friendsc. enhance the average score of the students achievement at National Final Examination.

During the project, gifted students underwent two kind of learning activities. First, they shared and discuss their tutees or own problems with teacher in special class for tutors. Second, they were given a responsibility in helping their tutees in inclusive classroom or out of school period.

The result of the project was significant. The students achieved average score of 9,05 in the national Final Examination. Also, the atmosphere of friendship was established at Public Senior High School 7 Malang.

In conclusion, the Peer Tutoring project has proved useful to treat gifted students. It is suggested that gifted students should be given a treatment in inclusive classroom using peer tutoring.

THE BEST PRACTICE OF CREATING INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM FOR

GIFTED STUDENTS USING PEER TUTORING

AT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL 7 MALANG

AsriWidiapsari

I. Introduction

“ Children who learn together ..learn to live together”(Marsha Forest)

Gifted students are those who give evidence of high performance

capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or

in specific academic fields, and who require special services or activities not

ordinarily provided by the school. These students may differ from their peers in

terms of the speed and level at which they learn, the depth of their mastery, and

the topics that interest them (Van Tassel-Baska&Stambaugh, 2006)

It is clear that gifted students are considered as one of the students with

special needs. As a consequence, they have to be given special treatment as much

as other studentswith special needs.Gifted studentsordinarily don’t get the special

treatment in accelerating their potential capability. In Public School in Indonesia,

they are just provided acceleration program of which gives them a chance to finish

their study in two years rather than three years. They areoffereda special class

named acceleration class. It means that they are taught in exclusive class not

inclusive one. Where as if they are taught in inclusive class they will get more

benefit rather than cognitive aspect only.

Realized that gifted students should be given treatment that not only

concern their cognitive aspect, but also their social aspect,Senior High School 7

Malang provides gifted students with special program named Tutorial Sebaya

(peer tutoring). Every classroom is given seven gifted students who are given

responsibility in mentoring their three friends.

Here, the gifted students are given a chance to explore their social

capability and leadership using collaborative learning. They will learn how to

share with others. Also, they will realize that being gifted is a bless from the God.

And their presence should also be a bless for others who have lower competence

than them.

Based on theoretical basis and explanation above, this succinct paper will

present how inclusive classroom for gifted students using peer tutoring is applied

at Senior High School 7 Malang.

II. Peer Tutoring Project for Gifted Students at Senior High School 7 Malang2.1 Gifted Students

Gifted students who were given treatment in this project were those who

performed three components below:

a. High intellectual capacity (IQ score 125-130)

b. High creativity

c. High commitment in doing task

The project was aimed to assist gifted students who tend to have learning

and behavioral difficulties that affect their academic performance, self-concept,

and socialization (Nielsen & Higgins in Spencer J. Salend, 2008) in overcoming

their problem.

Their faster in understanding teacher’s explanations and wait other friends

in finishing the task leads them to get bored. Disturb friends is their favorite

activity to avoid the boredom. Their unique behavior causes friends’ resentment

and teacher avoidance. Finally leads to under achievement result.

This project offered two kinds of teacher’s instruction. First, they shared

and discuss their tutees or own problems with teacher in special class for tutors.

Second, they were given a responsibility in helping their tutees in inclusive

classroom or out of school period.

2.2 Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring offers a kind of collaborative learning which hold the idea

that students should work together to learn and are responsible for their

teammates’ learning as well as their own (Slavin, 1995). Besides learning

academic tasks, the students also learn appropriate communication, leadership,

trust, decision making, and conflict management skills.

Peer tutoring comprises of two kinds of teaching instruction. First, the

teacher designs more advance materials for tutors in an exclusive class. The

students who are permitted to enroll tutor class are those who have high

intellectual capacity, creativity, and high commitment in doing task. Second, the

teacher design a collaborative learning of which provides small class discussion

consist of one tutor as a leader andthree tutees. Tutor responsibilities are leading

the group, helping their friends in doing the task, and ensure all of the group

memberhave comprehended the concept of subject matter.

2.3. The Project in Mathematic Class at Senior High School Malang

2.3.1 The Background of the project

Public Senior High School 7 Malang is a standard public school of which

the passing grade of its admission is at 7thrankof 10 high schools in Malang. The

passing grade is decided from the students’ achievement in the National final

examination of their Junior High School. Most of the students who are interested

in studying at Senior High School 7 belong to middle-low economic background.

Because of their economic background, high achievement students (gifted)

prefer studying at SMAN 7 Malang to studying at International standardize school

of which school tuition is much more expensive.

The 20% number of students who are gifted becomethe school strength in

enhancing the average of students’ achievement in National Final Examination.

To close the gap competency between gifted and ordinary students, peer tutoring

strategy is employed.

2.3.2. Objectives of the Project

Based on the weakness and strength above, the project is aimed to :

a. facilitate gifted students with unconscious treatment.

b. enhance students’ empathy, responsibility, solidarity , and trust among friends.

c. enhance the average of the students’ achievement at National Final

Examination.

2.3.3 Time Table

N

ODATE TIME ACTIVITIES EXPLANATION

1 Thursday 15.00-16.00 Discussion among

tutors and tutees

a. Discussed

homework result

b. Decided the

problems that

will be discussed

at activity 2

2 Friday 06.00 – 07.10

11.30 – 13.30

Discussion among

tutors and teacher

Socialization the

result of tutors-

teacher discussion

with tutees.

a. Discussed the

problems in

activity 1

b. Strengthened the

tutors’ concept of

comprehending

the subject

matter

a. shared knowledge

with tutees

3 In the

inclusive

classroom

Teaching and

learning

period

Class discussion Did exercises (the

priority was the

difficult one )

The rest (the easy

ones) were for home

work

2.3.4. The Result of the Project

The result of the students’ achievement in National Final Examination was

very significant. The students’ average score was 9,05 (the second rank in

Malang).The students’ achievements can be seen in the table below.

III. Conclusion and Recommendation

It can be concluded that gifted students should be given special treatment

in inclusive classroom. For their main problem is in socialization, peer tutoring is

one best alternative for them to learn how to live together in harmonious way.

Also, it increases their self-esteem.

For the government, it is recommended to facilitate more socialization for

teachers and parents in premature recognition of gifted and how to treat them. The

earlier they get a treatment, the higher they achieve.

For the teachers, it is recommended to be more aware with their students

who are gifted. The wrong treatment leads them to be under achievement students.

For the parents, it is recommended to communicate well with the teachers

and the child.

REFERENCES

Alisaukahdkk. 2000. PedomanPenulisanKaryailmiah. malang: UniversitasNegeri Malang.

Burn, Anne. 1999. Collaborative Action Research for English language Teachers. Cambridge: University Press.

Hornby, A.S. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (Fifth edition). New York: Oxford University Press.

Ministry of national Education. 2006. StandarisiuntukSatuanPendidikanDasardanmenengah. Jakarta. Depdiknas.

Slavin, E.R. 1995. Cooperative Learning. New York: A Simon 7 schuster Company.

Spencer J. Salend. 2008. Creating Inclusive classrooms. New jersey: Pearson Education Ltd.

Vantasel-Baska,J. and Stambaugh, 2006. Comprenshive Curriculum for Gifted Learners. Boston: Allyn& Bacon