Important Roles of Local Potency Based Science Learning to Support the 21st Century Learning

Introduction

The 21^St Century Learning

Education is widely perceived as a solution to solve social problems. Education cannot be separated from learning systems given by schools. A correct learning is a strong base to create qualified human resources. Education is one aspect influenced by the era development. The influence gives direct impacts on the society. In this era, learning has reached the 21st century learning. It is notified that there are important roles of education in the 21st century. Trilling & Fadel (2009) argue that the roles are to give contribution in both working world and society, to facilitate students to enhance their skills, to fulfill societal responsibility, and to preserve social cultures and values.

Picture 1 The framework of 21st Learning

The 21st century learning is not merely about teachers transforming knowledge to students but also guiding them to optimize their knowledge and skills. This optimization is expected to make them become globally competitive and able to solve any social problems. In his book titled 21st Century Skills, Kay (2010) conveys the framework of 21st century learning that is:

Based on the framework, there are main subjects and themes of 21st century learning that are art, economics, science, geography, history, government and civics, mathematics, art, world language, English, reading and language arts. There are three skills becoming the focus of 21st century learning: information, media, and technology skills, learning and innovation skills, and life and career skills (Alismail & Mcguire, 2015) Furthermore, Saavedra & Opfer (2015) explain that students have to master seven skills in order to be able to survive and compete with others in the 21st century. Those seven skills are:

• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Collaboration and leadership
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Entrepreneur and initiation
• Written or oral communication
• Information accessibility
• High curiosity and imagination

Science Learning

Learning is an interaction process between students and teachers as well as an interaction process between students and all supportive learning sources to achieve desirable results (Abdullah, 2012). A scientific investigation occurs during a learning process. Hempel (2004) divides the branches of this scientific investigation into two big groups: empirical and non-empirical science. One of key learning or theme of 21st century learning is science, a branch of scientific knowledge whose role is to advance both scientific knowledge itself and technology.

Mohan (2007) explains that there are three essences of science learning: a body of knowledge, a way of investigation, and a way of thinking in pursuit of an understanding of nature. Yager & McCormack (1992) regard five domains of science as an expansion, development, and deepening of three domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. Those five domains are knowledge/concept domain, process of science domain, creativity domain, attitude domain, and application and connection domain.

Local Potency Based Science Learning

To improve the qualities of education and human resources, education in Indonesia should maintain social contacts and kinship and encourage cooperation and awareness of social, cultural, ethic, and moral values. Hence, employing technology in education has to be in accordance with educational necessities of Indonesia. One learning method suitable to be implemented in scientific learning is local-potency-based science learning.

Parmin, Sajidan, Ashadi, & Sutikno (2015) argue that local potencies are uniqueness owned by a certain area. Physical environment such as variations of floras and faunas as well as sociocultural aspects such as utilization of simple technology are two examples of local potencies. National Education Standardization Energy (2006) defines local-and-global-potency-based education as an education utilizing local potencies and demands of global competitiveness in aspects of economy, culture, language, information-technology, communication, ecology, etc.

(Alismail & Mcguire, 2015) explain that local-potency-based learning is one approach of science learning. Science enables students to study natural phenomena without losing any faith to God so that students are aware of obligation to maintain a good relationship with God, human, and environment (Dewi, Kristiantari, Negara, & Oka, 2014). local potency based science learning can improve students’ scientific skills because the learning is implemented through processes of observation, discussion, presentation, and practices (Atmojo, 2015).

Important Roles of Local Potency Based Science Learning

To observe significant roles of local potency based science learning to support the 21st century learning, the researchers systematically reviewed literatures of various journals related to local potency based or local wisdom based science learning. The results are presented in Table 1.

Learning based on local potential is one of approach that utilizes various potentials that exist in certain areas as a source of science learning. These local potentials include: economics, culture, language, information and communication technology, ecology, diversity of flora and fauna, products with the use of simple technology and others.

Based on the findings of several studies, it appears that this learning can improve the various abilities of student. Not only improve knowledge but be able to improve skills even give effect to the attitude of student. Increasing knowledge related to the concept of science is the obligation of a teacher to the students. This is because identical knowledge with the teacher managed to direct students to think and understand the concept. Based on the results of the literature review indicates that local potential based science learning is effective for improving students' knowledge.

In addition to knowledge, one of the other aspects that can be improved from this learning is students' science process skills. The enhanced skills of the science process include: observing, classifying, interpreting data, communicating, measuring, describing, conducting the experiment correctly, controlling variables, defining, formulating hypotheses, interpreting data, conducting investigations, selecting experiments, formulating models and the others.

Through learning based on local potential of course to train students to observe directly, make observations, find various problems and finally through communication students can give each other solutions related problems that exist. This step then gives a positive aspect to the changing attitude of students because students are invited to be logical, critical and reasonable to the various problems that exist.

One of the students' attitudes that have been improved from local potential-based science learning is environmental care. This attitude is certainly required by all students so that students better understand the various local potentials in their area and jointly maintain, preserve and appreciate various local potential as a natural heritage. Because this learning can increase knowledge, attitude, and skill it can be said that this learning can increase science literacy and the achievement of nature of science (NOS).

Kay (2010) describe skills involved in those big three skills focused in the 21st learning that are: Learning and innovation skills; Information, media, and technology skills; and Life and career skills. Components from this skills, namely:

Learning and innovation skills Critical thinking and problem solving Communications and collaboration Creativity and innovation

Information, media, and technology skills

Information literacy

Life and career skills

Initiative and self-direction

Social and cross-cultural interaction Leadership and responsibility

Observed from the perspective of those focused skills and compared to achievements of local-potency-based science learning including scientific processing skills, scientific generic skill, scientific literacy, knowledge, scientific attitude, cognitive learning outcomes, and creativity skill; it can be concluded that science learning integrated by local potencies holds important roles in the 21st century learning.

Beside to teach skills obliged by the 21st century learning, local-potency-based science learning is also expected to solve problems of science learning itself. Recent realities related to science learning can be observed on the report of OECD (2017) reporting that the study result of Program International for Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015 displayed Indonesian students’ mastery in science reached the score of 403 only. It indicates that the mastery of science of junior high school students in Indonesia is still categorized as low. Such category illustrates the reality that students’ scientific knowledge is still basic; whereas the expectation demands students to be able to reach the high order thinking ability.

Beside PISA, similar results are also shown by the result of survey conducted by Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2015 that measured both scientific and mathematical skills of fourth and eighth graders. Indonesia was able to reach the average score of 397 and ranked as the 45th of 48 countries participating in TIMSS with the category of Low International Benchmark (IEA, 2017).

Based on the result of the report, it is expected that local-potency-based science learning can improve students’ international achievements. Observed from the perspective of research result, local-potency-based science learning is effective to improve various skills obliged by the 21st century learning.

Conclusion

Based on studies on relevant research discussing local-potency-based science learning, it can be concluded this approach can approve scientific processing skills, scientific generic skill, scientific literacy, knowledge, scientific attitude, cognitive learning outcomes, and creativity skill. From this data show that this learning is effective and able to meet the 21st century skills demands that have to be fulfilled by the students in the 21st century learning.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank to Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Ministry of Finance Republic Indonesia for always giving supporting author by scholarship. I also thank to my lecturers in Science Education Department, Yogyakarta State University, Prof. Dr. Zuhdan Kun Praseyto, M. Ed and Dr. Insih Wilujeng, M.Pd for support and guidance. Best regards for my parents, big family and all friends always pray and support me for finishing this paper. May all be in the shelter of God.

References