-Translation bellow-

Seri workshop bersama ArtSEA semalam merupakan sesi terakhir dari rangkaian 3 workshop, yang berhasil merangkum intisari keseluruhan workshop yang saya tangkap. Saya diingatkan kembali tentang pentingnya Scaffolding Learning as a way to build confidence muscles! Lebih spesifiknya pada art education tentunya. Yes, confidence itu punya muscles, dan seperti muscle dalam tubuh kita, confidence muscle juga punya memori yang harus dilatih karena confidence adalah salah satu bekal penting untuk anak belajar. Tapi kali ini saya akan menjelaskan tentang Scaffolding Learning. Penjelasan tentang confidence muscle dan bagaimana cara melatih confidence muscle memory di kesempatan yang lain saja ya.

Apa itu scaffolding learning?

Kalau di dunia arsitektur dan pertukangan, ada 3 metode scaffolding: suspended, supported dan aerial lift. Ketiganya memiliki satu kesamaan yaitu sama-sama digunakan untuk menjangkau area yang lebih tinggi.
Nah, scaffolding learning juga sama!
Dalam proses pembelajaran, scaffolding learning memperkenalkan beragam aktifitas belajar yang dapat melatih anak-anak berpikiran kritis dan tetap dijaga keingintahuannya. Proses belajar ini untuk membangun pemahaman yang kuat akan sebuah permasalahan, dan pada akhirnya membentuk kemandirian belajar. Scaffolding Learning melatih anak-anak to evercome difficulties, atau sesuatu hal yang di luar jangkauan pengetahuan mereka, and to embrace problems with solutions, atau berusaha mencari jalannya sendiri. Again, penting untuk bekal mereka belajar apapun dalam kehidupan mereka.

Mari menganalogikannya dengan aktivitas mendirikan sebuah dinding. Orangtua sebagai scaffolding/alat bantu berpijaknya, si anak sebagai tukang bangunannya, dan membangun ruangan/bangunan sebagai proses belajarnya.
Si anak menyusun lapisan paling bawah dengan bata, satu lapis demi satu lapis. Kita cukup memantau saja. Mungkin sesekali si anak mengamati sejenak, apakah bata yang dia susun sudah terjalin dengan baik? Kalau kurang baik, alasannya kenapa? Dan lain-lain. Sampai akhirnya lapisan itu mulai sulit dia jangkau, lalu kita mulai memberikan support pijakan jika diperlukan. Tetapi biarkan dia menyusun sendiri bata-batanya, terus hingga sesuai ketinggian yang dia butuhkan/harapkan. Lalu setelah selesai satu dinding dan ternyata ada bata-bata yang kurang terjalin baik di tengah-tengah dinding, apakah kita merobohkan seluruh dindingnya? Tentu tidak! Dinding itu akan jadi prasasti untuk membangun kepercayaan diri mereka. Bahwa saat si anak akan mendirikan tembok-tembok baru nantinya, dia akan semakin tahu triknya supaya bata-bata terjalin dengan baik. Because from those mistakes, he/she will know what he/she will do differently to build better walls next time.

Oiya, salah satu kelebihan utama scaffolding adalah fleksibilitasnya dalam hal memasang tingkat ketinggian. Bagi kita orangtua sebagai scaffolding, ini penting karena perspektif kita dengan perspektif anak sangat berbeda sekali. Dan seringkali kita lupa menyesuaikan perspektif kita dengan perspektif anak-anak. For me, to be able to watch and observe things in child’s perspective is very interesting and sometimes out of my box. Inspiring!

Pada sesi tadi malam, kami diperkenalkan dengan scaffolding through story and drama/theatrical art dengan media Applied Theatre yang menggunakan beragam contoh aktivitas yang sangat menyenangkan untuk anak-anak mulai membangun confidence muscle mereka. This is very insightful! Specially for a community with children who never exposed or even do theatrical art at all. Totally safe space for everyone to just express themselves freely without worrying that they’ll be judged or assumed as performed.  But I must admit, not every child confident enough to just do that. Many may feel insecure of the idea to showing your body gestures. That in their mind, society has become so judgemental, not to mention those whose also been exposed to social media too much! People easily give a like or unlike through your posts. With Scaffolding Learning, we can start small, the one with the least body gestures perhaps, then slowly gradually start the activities with more performance, then eventually they’ll be more confident, not just among their community peers, but also among their whole society.

Sebagai praktisi homeschooling, saya sangat familiar dengan proses ini, yang tanpa saya sadari telah saya terapkan dalam proses belajar anak-anak kami. Kami ingin anak-anak kami menjadi pembelajar sejati yang mandiri.

Di Art Jam Sessions juga kami belajar dengan scaffolding learning ini. Sesi kami hanya berlangsung selama 1-2 jam seminggu sekali. Anak-anak belajar sedikit demi sedikit tetapi berkesinambungan. Ilmu yang mereka terima saling simpul dan saling melengkapi. Less instructions and more improvisations. And because it is art activity, AJS is a safe zone place for kids to just expressing themselves, without worrying for any judgment or pressure. We even learn how to celebrate mistakes! Tidak ada istilah “takut salah” di AJS. One makes mistake, and learns a lot from it 🙂

Masih suka merasa gak PD (percaya diri)? Mungkin sudah saatnya kamu bergabung Art Jam Sessions!

Have a creative day!!


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Translation:

The last session out of 3 session on the ArtSEA Workshop last night was a wrap! It was the essence of the whole sessions altogether. It was also a great reminder about the importance of Scaffolding Learning as a way to build confidence muscles! Specifically in art education of course. Yes, confidence do has muscles! And just like every muscles in our body, confidence muscle also has memory which needs training. Because confidence is one of many important factors for learning process. This time I want to explain more on Scaffolding Learning in my perspective. I’ll explain about confidence muscle and how to train confidence muscle on the next post.

What is Scaffolding Learning?

In architecture and construction terms, there are three types of scaffolding: suspended, supported and aerial lift. They serve the same purpose, as a tool to reach higher area. Scaffolding Learning is exactly like that!
As a learning process, Scaffolding Learning introduce various kinds of learning activities that can help to improve critical thinking while maintaining curiosity. This process also build strong base for comprehensive skill and independent learning. With Scaffolding Learning, children practice to overcome difficulties by trying out something that is out of their knowledge. And to embrace problems with solutions by finding their own ways. Again, these are important skills for their learning journey throughout their lives.
Metaphorically, imagine this Scaffolding Learning as an activity to build a wall/building. Parents/Educators/Facilitators as the scaffolding, Children as the builder and the wall/building as the learning process. We let children to build layers by layers of bricks. Once a while let the children to review and revisit their layers of bricks, but at this point, just let them decide when to stop and when to continue. If it is too high for them as the bricks build up, we can step in and help them to reach higher level, so on the process keep continuing until they think they have built enough height. And then it’s time to review the whole wall. Will we demolished the whole wall if we find some bricks that are not joined well? Of course not! The effort to build a wall is too preciously spent to start over. We can laugh at it if we want to, and let it be there as a reminder, for the time they build another walls, they’ll know what to do. Because from those mistakes, they will know what they will do differently to build better walls next time.

One of many values about Scaffolding Learning that I love is its flexibility to set the level of heights. This is very important for us adults whose tends to forget that our perspective is not the same as children’s. We do need to adjust our perspectives to meet their needs. For me, to be able to watch and observe things in child’s perspective is very interesting and sometimes out of my box. In another word: inspiring!

On last night session, we were introduced to Scaffolding Learning through story and drama/theatrical art, with Applied Theatre as medium. There are severals fun activities to do with children to help building their confidence muscles. This is very insightful! Specially for a community with children who never exposed or even do theatrical art at all. Totally safe space for everyone to just express themselves freely without worrying that they’ll be judged or assumed as performed.  But I must admit, not every child confident enough to just do that. Many may feel insecure of the idea to showing your body gestures. That in their mind, society has become so judgemental, not to mention those whose also been exposed to social media too much! People easily give a like or unlike through your posts. With Scaffolding Learning, we can start small, the one with the least body gestures perhaps, then slowly gradually start the activities with more performance, then eventually they’ll be more confident, not just among their community peers, but also among their whole society.

As a homeschooler family, I feel strongly relate to this learning process. We’ve been doing this learning process to prepare our kids as an independent true self learners.

Even in our community, Art Jam Sessions, we adopt this Scaffolding Learning! Our sessions last for 1 to 2 hours once a week. Children learn piece by piece about art, in a sustained and continuous process. Every pieces they learnt interweaved and complement each others. We use less instructions and more improvisations. And because it is art activity, AJS is a safe zone place for kids to just expressing themselves, without worrying for any judgment or pressure. We even learn how to celebrate mistakes! There’s no such thing as “afraid to make mistake” in our community. One makes mistake, and learns a lot from it 🙂

Have a creative day!!!