(Media Indonesia: 16/06/08). The presence and role of teachers in our society has long been regarded by our literary culture as one worth admiring and emulating. Unfortunately, the reality is that there isn’t as much appreciation for the profession as our literary culture suggests. Although teaching is often called a noble profession, in reality, it is one of the least sought professions by jobseekers who prefer to become doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers, artists, presenters, reporters instead.

Even the legislative product which was specifically developed to give appreciation to the teaching profession and its role in advancing the nation was only released and implemented with the creation of Law No.14 of 2005. It is of no surprise, then, that the teaching profession appears as uninteresting as table salt in the “buffet of professions” with many enticing “dishes” to choose from.

Yet, no one would argue the fact that quality education is inseparable from quality teaching. Teachers are the primary and determining factor in new successful education policies, innovative initiatives, or education quality improvement initiatives, and the democratization of education (Villega-Reimer, 2004). Thus, the role of teachers is a pre-requisite for quality education (Cadwel, 1991). What kind of model and teacher conduct can serve as a fundamental requirement for a long-term education projection? Creemers (1994) implicitly place teacher conduct within the context of learning processes as a determinant for the successful education of students.

The rapid blooming of the economy as well as the rapid social developments that are occurring, are posing their own challenges for education institutions and teachers. According to a report by OECD-UNESCO, teachers in the future need to be more competent and possess more professionalism compared to the demands made by the professions’ current state (OE-CD, 2001).

This challenge is of course not easy for Indonesia’s education sector, considering the many problems the teaching profession is facing, such as issues about their welfare, competence, professionalism, and clear objectives. This article attempts to help teachers in maximizing their capacity with regards to the effective and reflective qualities they apply in schools.
 
Effective and Reflective Teachers
Discussions regarding teachers and education quality frequently focus on learning outcomes in schools and activities within the classroom. Even though education carries a much deeper and broader meaning that is not limited to the confines of schools and the classroom alone, the challenges expected of teacher quality and the learning process is on the agenda of each and every person.

In discussions regarding the enhancement of education quality, the quality of lessons, or classroom activities, are a pre-requisite to good education. Sean (2002) and Creemers (1994) concur that there is a strong correlation between teachers’ conduct and students’ achievements. Therefore, an effective teacher is one who is able to achieve goals she has set for herself, that have a value for someone else. Thus, an effective teacher needs to possess and be able to apply knowledge and skills to achieve the goals of a particular learning activity.

A teacher’s knowledge and skills is called her competence, while the ability to use the knowledge and skills is called her performance. Therefore, teacher effectiveness must be understood within the context of a competence-performance relationship toward set goals. Whether or not a teacher is effective can be evaluated by various dimensions: (a) professionalism, a commitment to perform a task that will lead students to achieve success, self-confidence, readiness to be challenged, instruction giving skills, appreciation of individual differences of students; (b) analytical and conceptual thinking skills; (c) strong dedication to provide correct input, a high level of curiosity and initiative; as well as (d) leadership; the capability and skills to lead a class and carry out related responsibilities, and last but not least a independent and effective attitude toward all learning processes.

A learning experience can be labeled “high quality” if the process is done effectively using the four indicators mentioned above. As a result a quality learning experience is one that is effective, a process that is not simply a two-way communication session, but also marked by student and teacher interaction that is pertinent to the curriculum (Griffin and Het: 2004). Thus, quality education is hoped to facilitate the creation of learning experiences with clear goals, the recognition and carrying out of fair and credible student assessments, the giving of complex thought and analytical models, evaluating the authentic assessments of each student, as well as teaching students to do their own evaluation of their learning experience.

Effective learning can thus be called the best practice of making the most of learning outcomes, possessing clarity, the total involvement of students from start to end, and teacher enthusiasm toward all in class activities, including in ensuring a positive learning nuance (Griffin; Het, 2004; Gurnes, 2007).

In the discussion of quality education and the fundamental requirements of effective teachers as explained above, it is clear that teachers are challenged to be able to facilitate the process of learning, that is, not merely the transfer of knowledge, in contrast a teacher is expected to transmit advanced skills to students, including instilling in them motivation, creativity, and teamwork. In addition, the teachers’ success is not based merely on principles of effective teaching, but just as important on ethical conduct.

Put simply, a teacher must teach with “head” and “heart”, and the sensitivity that allows her to do the right thing for the benefit of her students, a group of students made up of unique individuals with unique abilities. (Van Manen, 1987). A “reflective” teacher is one with the knowledge, professional skill, character or perspective to teach students in such a way that prepares them for be useful to society and on a global level. To this end, thinking reflectively as a tool in achieving learning outcomes is an essential skill for teachers.

The ability to think reflectively will lead a teacher in understanding questions such as “what we are about? When do we act? For this reason, a good teacher is one that is able to reflect on each learning process she conducts, and consistently examines the foundations and learning models inside and outside of the classroom that meets the abilities of the students. A dialog between reflective teachers with her is an asset to conduct effective learning assessments (Ferrow, 2000).

A reflective teacher generally also uses an interactive and “pedagogical tad” approach, an ability to hold a state of mind that encompasses earnestness, honesty, and the ability to translate the psychological and social meanings of a learning experience. Such an approach is very good for reflective teacher in rectifying and renewing teacher student relations within an interactive learning experience (Manen, 1984; 1986, Juuso & Laine). The question then is, how optimal is Indonesia’s education authority in nurturing effective and reflective teachers through a sustainable teacher quality improvement program?

Technically, the questions that would follow would ask whether the kinds of trainings that have been implemented by various education policies are giving birth to teachers with both effective and reflective qualities. An extensive research needs to be conducted to show how many such teachers we possess. Additionally, the willingness of our education authorities to include the substances which nurture these effective and reflective qualities should be incorporated in each capacity and competency enhancement program, be it through formal programs or less credible teacher certification training programs.

By Fuad Fachruddin
Executive Director of Indonesian Society Empowerment Institute (INSEP)