Different schools, different programs<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"I have five balls. Three balls are lost. Now only two are
\nleft,\" said a preschooler at Gandhi Memorial International School
\n(GMIS). He was very excited to receive applause from the other
\nchildren during the session of \"story sum\", when the children
\nsubconsciously learn to count while telling stories.<\/p>\n
In another room, a group of young children were busily
\nfollowing their teacher's movements. \"I am Snow White,\" said a
\nlittle girl with a ponytail. \"I am the bear,\" said a boy.<\/p>\n
The young students were rehearsing for a play next week, one
\nof the regular early education programs at GMIS, which has
\npreschools in Ancol and Kemayoran, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
A.P. Singh, the principal of GMIS, said the school's early
\nyears education programs were designed to help young children
\ndevelop their social skills and the feeling that learning was
\nenjoyable.<\/p>\n
GMIS is one of the schools that has adopted international
\ncurricula in their early years education programs. Although a bit
\nexpensive, preschools with international curricula offer
\nnumerous advantages for young children.<\/p>\n
Most of their educational programs are tailored to meet the
\nsocial, physical, emotional and cultural needs of children. Most
\nof them also provide facilities such as swimming pools, indoor
\nand outdoor playgrounds, drama and music rooms, multimedia rooms,
\nlibraries and canteen.<\/p>\n
Lollypop Preschool also offers an international curricula.
\nHere students take field trips twice a year. They can also choose
\nextracurricular activities such as Mandarin, drawing, English as
\na Second Language (ESL), piano, swimming, computer, ballet or tae
\nkwon do.<\/p>\n
\"We see that children not only learn lots of things, but they
\nmust also have time to play and interact with peers within the
\npremises,\" said Linda Lesmana, the foundation head of all
\nLollypop Branches.<\/p>\n
Lollypop has adapted the \"Character First\" program from the
\nU.S. to teach children about values and to help them grow in
\ncharacter.<\/p>\n
English is used as the medium of instruction. However,
\nIndonesian is used in the preparatory stage so the children will
\nnot have any difficulty when entering elementary school.
\nEstablished in 1993, Lollypop Preschool does not follow a certain
\ncurriculum. It uses a method called the \"eclectic\" approach.<\/p>\n
Every new academic year, the school revises and enriches its
\ncurriculum to further suit each child's educational, social and
\nemotional needs. The focus of study is not only academics, but
\nalso building the children's character. \"Academics and character
\nbuilding are the most important foundation for the children to be
\nsuccessful in their future lives,\" Linda said.<\/p>\n
Cambridge Child Development Centre, located in Pejaten, South
\nJakarta, also has developed a curriculum and programs to promote
\nthe holistic development of children's intellectual, cognitive,
\nphysical, social and emotional skills.<\/p>\n
To develop their moral values, and social and emotional
\nskills, every child at the school is encouraged to understand and
\nrespect differences, and to promote good social interaction and
\nbehavior among their peers and the adults around them.<\/p>\n
\"By promoting the development of intellectual\/cognitive skills
\nin the children, we expect our children to be able to construct
\nproblem solving\/logical thinking skills, for instance through
\nscience discovery activities, and to develop memory skills
\nthrough nursery rhymes or math,\"said Dyah Ayu M. Larasati, the
\ncenter's curriculum specialist.<\/p>\n
The center caters to children aged 18 months to six years.<\/p>\n
According to Dyah, the center's curriculum contains a thematic
\nand integrated learning approach, so every child is an active
\nparticipant who will develop and construct his\/her own knowledge
\nand ideas. Developmentally and age-appropriate topics are real
\nand commonly happen in the children's lives.<\/p>\n
The school also encourages parents to be actively involved in
\ntheir children's learning by tracking and sharing any information
\non their children's progress and development through a parent-
\nteacher communication book, regular parent-teacher meetings,
\nreport cards, regular parent workshop. Or parents are
\nencouraged simply to drop in and discuss any concerns or issues
\nthey may have.<\/p>\n
Trilingual National Plus Preschool, affiliated with the German
\nInternational School Jakarta, integrates directed play, guided
\nplay and free play in its teaching approach to guide the students
\nto be independent, analytical, creative and compassionate.<\/p>\n
Located in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang, the preschool is
\ndesigned to nurture students from three to five years old. The
\npreschool introduces students to three languages: Bahasa
\nIndonesia, English and German, for both Indonesian and foreign
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
\"Each learning center consists of various learning stations
\nthat encourage students to learn through observation, exploration
\nand first-hand experiences within a given context. The homeroom
\nteacher is required to teach all subjects to their own class,
\nwith the exception of the German language,\" said Su Sie Han, the
\nschool's principal. Both formal and informal assessments are
\ngiven to students at the end of each term, as a means of
\nevaluating their progress.<\/p>\n
Students at Kindergarten Deutsche Internationale Schule, part
\nof the German International School Jakarta, experience a sense of
\nsecurity, acquire certain values, learn through all their senses,
\ndeal with numbers, learn music and self-confidence, develop their
\nimaginations and creativity, exercise, relax, and experience
\nnature and culture.<\/p>\n
The kindergarten and the preschool are integrated into the
\nGerman school, as regards the syllabus and organization. The
\ncontent corresponds with the German syllabus and principles, with
\nthe aim of developing the children's personalities and to prepare
\nthem for school.<\/p>\n
Like other international schools, the Singapore International
\nSchool (SIS) also offers preschool education in addition to its
\nprimary and secondary education programs.<\/p>\n
\"Students must be at least three-years-old to be eligible for
\nthe nursery level, and six-years-old for the primary level,\" said
\nJyoti Mayall, Principal of the Singapore International School
\n(SIS) at Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The SIS was established here in 1997 to accommodate the
\nchildren of expatriates who work in Jakarta, as well Indonesian
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
The SIS, which applies Singaporean curricula, runs four schools
\nin Jakarta: Kelapa Gading (East Jakarta), Pantai Indah Kapuk
\n(North Jakarta), Kebon Jeruk (West Jakarta) and Lebak Bulus
\n(South Jakarta); and three in other cities: Medan (North
\nSumatra), Cilegon (West Java) and Semarang (Central Java). Many
\nSIS students have gone on to top schools in Singapore and other
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
The Julia Gabriel Center Jakarta, which also applies the
\nSingaporean curriculum in its preschool program, emphasizes the
\nimportance of building children's self-esteem at an earlier age.<\/p>\n
Located on Jl. Terusan Hang Lekir, South Jakarta, the Julia
\nGabriel Center Jakarta offers pre-school programs for children
\naged two to six.<\/p>\n
At the school, children are given more opportunities to
\nexplore and discover things on their own instead of being told by
\ntheir teachers.<\/p>\n
\"What makes our pre-school different from others is that we
\ninvolve parents in teaching children at an earlier age,\" she
\nsaid, adding that parents read books for their children at the
\nschool and also at home to as to help develop an entire learning
\nculture.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/different-schools-different-programs-1447893297",
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