Educational Innovation – As educators, teachers and students need to motivate themselves repeatedly to grow into creative and innovative human beings. When innovation is for education it is called educational innovation. Then what is the basic concept of educational innovation? Educational innovation is an idea, product or new job that can be used as a reformer to achieve educational goals or solve problems in the world of education.
Innovation in the field of education is expected to improve and target the quality of education. This type of innovation needs to be further encouraged both in elementary, junior high, high school and tertiary institutions. Especially in this era of technological advances like today.
Definition of Educational Innovation
Innovation is etymologically derived from the Latin innovation . It means update or change. The verb innovo means to update and change. Innovation is a new change for improvement, different from previous changes, or previous changes that were intentional and planned. There are differences and similarities in changing and updating terms.
The word “new” can also mean that the recipient of the innovation has just understood, accepted, or implemented it, even though it is not new to other people. However, not all that is new is suitable for all situations, conditions and locations. Included in educational innovation. Then what is educational innovation?
Educational innovation according to Ibrahim (1988) is innovation to solve educational problems. Therefore, educational innovation is felt or observed as something new for individuals or groups of people (society) in the form of interventions (new discoveries) or discoveries ( newly found people ) used to achieve education in the form of ideas, objects and methods to complete goals. or national education issues.
Innovation is the discovery of something completely new which is the result of human creation. After that, the discovery of something (object) that did not exist before is done by creating a new form. Discovery is actually a discovery (object) that has been around for a long time, but has not been known to humans. Therefore, innovation is an attempt to find new objects by carrying out discovery activities.
When we talk about innovation (update), we remember two terms, namely invention and discovery . Invention is the discovery of something completely new from human work. In this context, Ibrahim (1989) states that innovation is an invention that can be considered new for ideas, objects, events, individuals or groups of people (society). Innovation can be the result of an invention or discovery . Innovation is done for a specific purpose or to solve a problem.
The processes and stages of change in education relate to development, dissemination, planning, recruitment, implementation and evaluation. For example, a ” top-down model ” which is an educational innovation created by a certain party as a leader or supervisor and applied to subordinates, such as educational innovations that have been implemented by the Ministry of National Education so far. The two ” bottom-up models ” are innovation models that are obtained, made and implemented from the bottom to improve the delivery and quality of education.
The Targets of Educational Innovation
In its application, educational innovation has targets or forms that are affected, as follows:
1. Teacher
The main target is the teacher. As an educator, the teacher is at the forefront in ensuring the continuity of student learning in the classroom. The teacher’s educational expertise will definitely change the knowledge and morals of students. The following are steps that change or innovation teachers can take:
- Create lesson plans
- Carry out learning
- Handle administrative tasks
- Establish good communication
- Improve educational skills
- Develop student skills
2. Students
Students are the main goal of education. Student scores can be used as a measure of the success of the learning process. However, students need to be involved in innovation, even if it is only done in the form of referrals, such as learning from innovations or communicating the knowledge gained between students.
3. Curriculum
The curriculum is a guide for teachers to learn. Therefore, all innovations implemented in schools must first be aligned with the curriculum. Without curriculum, innovation cannot achieve its goals. Curriculum innovation can be interpreted as an idea to create a new curriculum by maximizing the potential for problem solving.
Facility
Innovation in school facilities cannot be ignored. Without adequate equipment, learning will not be useful. Examples of school facility innovations include setting up reading rooms in classrooms, building basketball courts, and equipping experimental equipment.
Public
Society indirectly becomes the target of innovation. Why is that? Innovation has a direct impact on students. Now, the students are participating in the community environment directly. Therefore, society can be a factor that needs to be considered in innovation.
Forms of Educational Innovation and Examples of Educational Innovation
1.Top -down model
The top-down model is an educational innovation model made or created by superiors and addressed to subordinates. For example, the innovations created by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and targeting all the educational institutions it supports. The application of this innovation can be done with a solicitation, suggestion, or even a little coercion.
2. Model from the ground up
The bottom-up model is an educational innovation model created from below to guarantee and improve the quality of education. This innovation is classified as continuous innovation and does not stop easily. One example is school and teacher innovation to support learning in schools and classrooms as follows:
a. Yell, yell
This Yel Yel usually occurs before class starts and the teacher is encouraged to say some of the chants being taught to the students. Using slang can create a fun learning environment and build strong relationships between teachers and students, and students and students.
b. Awards or Rewards
With experience in this field, younger children (PAUD, SD) are very happy when their learning achievements are evaluated and recognized by the teacher. The award itself can be interpreted as an educational tool in order to coordinate student welfare. The aim is to encourage students to learn more actively and introduce healthy competition among students to improve performance.
Obstacles to Educational Innovation
The limitations that affect success in educational innovation are as follows:
- Inaccurate forecasts of innovation
- Unhealthy conflicts and motives
- Various weak supporting factors lead to the underdevelopment of the resulting innovations
- Treasury (Finance)
- Rejection of certain groups of innovation results
- Social relations and lack of publications
Teachers, managers and protectors to avoid the above problems, especially to change attitudes and behavior towards changes in schools that are developing so that changes and reforms are expected to be successful. Some of the reasons why innovations are often rejected or rejected by field or school innovation implementers are as follows:
- Schools or teachers are not involved in the planning, design, or even implementation of the innovation. Make sure that new ideas and innovations are not considered to belong to the teacher or the school, and to other people who do not need to be implemented because they are not in accordance with the wishes and conditions of the school.
- The teacher has been using the system or method for years and doesn’t want to change it, so he wants to keep the existing system or method. In addition, the system they have is considered as security or satisfaction by them and according to their ideas. Teachers still maintain the existing system.
- New innovations from other parties, especially the Center (especially the Ministry of National Education), have not fully considered the needs and conditions of teachers and students. This was also expressed by Munro (1987: 36), who stated that “the gap between teacher intentions and practice is a major obstacle to the success of innovative programs”.
- Innovations introduced and implemented from the Center are all project trends determined by the Center’s Innovation Creators. These innovations can be stopped when the project is finished, or when finances and finances run out. Therefore, schools and teachers are forced to make changes at the request of the central innovator and do not have the authority to change them.
- The power and authority of the center is so great that schools and teachers can be pressured to carry out the wishes of the center, which may not necessarily match the wishes or circumstances of the school.
Factors to Consider in Educational Innovation
To avoid rejection, as mentioned above, the primary factors that need to be considered in educational findings are teachers, students, curriculum, facilities, and the community environment as explained below:
1. Teacher Or Teacher
Teachers who are the spearhead of educational applications are those who are very influential in the teaching and learning process. The expertise and authority of the teacher really determines the continuity of the teaching and learning process in the classroom as well as its effects outside the classroom. Teachers must be smart in bringing their students to the goals to be achieved.
There are several things that can build teacher authority, including domination of the material being taught, teaching methods that are synchronous using the situations and requirements of students, interaction between individuals, both using students as well as between fellow teachers and other elements involved in the educational process, for example administrators. For example the head of the school and tidy up the business and surrounding residents, the experience and skills of teaching itself.
Thus, in educational renewal, the involvement of teachers from the planning of educational discoveries to using applications and their evaluation plays a very large role for the success of an educational innovation. Without involving them, it is very likely that they will reject the invention or innovation that is introduced to them.
This is because they suspect that inventions that do not involve them are not theirs to be carried out, but instead they suspect that they will interfere with the comfort and smooth running of their tasks. Therefore, in an educational innovation, it is the teacher who is primary and first involved because the teacher has broad roles as an educator, as a parent, as a friend, as a motivator and so on.
2. Students
Students become the primary object in education, especially in the teaching and learning process. Students hold a very dominant role. In the process of teaching and learning, students can choose the success of learning through the use of intelligence, motor power, experience, will, and commitment that is in them without any coercion.
This can happen if students are also involved in the educational innovation process, even if it only introduces them to the purpose of the change from planning to using the application. As a result, what they do is a responsibility and must be carried out consistently.
The role of students in this educational innovation is no less important than the role of other elements, because students can become recipients of lessons, providers of teaching materials among their peers, guides, and even become teachers.
Therefore, in introducing educational innovations to implementing them, students need to be invited or involved so that they not only get and implement these findings, but also reduce resistance as described earlier.
3. Curriculum
The educational curriculum, more narrowly the school curriculum includes pedagogical activities and the tools are guidelines for the application of education and pedagogy to schools. Therefore, the school curriculum is believed to be an inseparable part of the teaching and learning process in schools.
As a result of the application of educational innovations, the curriculum plays the same role as other elements in education. Without a curriculum and without following the events contained therein, educational innovations will not run in sync with the goals of the invention itself.
Therefore, in education renewal, these changes should be synchronous with curriculum changes or curriculum changes followed by educational reform and it is impossible for changes according to both to go in the same direction.
4. Facilities
Facilities, including educational vehicles and infrastructure, cannot be ignored in the educational process, especially in the teaching and learning process. In educational renewal, of course facilities are things that contribute to the continuity of the innovations that will be applied. Without facilities, educational discovery applications will certainly not work properly.
Facilities, especially teaching and learning facilities are essential in making changes and renewal of education. Therefore, when implementing an educational discovery, facilities need to be considered. For example the availability of school buildings, benches, desks and so on.
5. Community Social Scope
In applying educational findings, there are things that are not directly involved in the change but can have an impact, both positive and negative, on the implementation of educational reform. Society is privately or not, involved in education. Because, what we want to do with education is actually changing society for the better, especially the people where the students come from.
Without involving the surrounding residents, educational discoveries will certainly be disrupted, it can even hinder them if they are not notified or involved. Citizen involvement in educational innovation in turn will help innovators and implementation of educational innovation.
So, the conclusion is that innovation in educational change cannot stand alone, but must involve all elements involved in it, for example innovators, organizers of inventions such as teachers and students. Besides that, the success of educational innovations is not only influenced by one or two factors, but also the residents and the completeness of the facilities.
Educational innovation in the form of top-down examples cannot always be used successfully. This was caused partly due to the refusal of implementers, for example teachers who were not fully involved in both planning and implementation.
Meanwhile, inventions that are more in the form of bottom-up examples are believed to be lasting discoveries and do not stop easily because executors and creators are both involved from planning to application. Therefore they are each responsible for the success of an invention they create.
Well, that’s an explanation of educational innovation that needs to pay attention to many things to do it. Is Sinaumed’s interested in innovating in education? This is certainly not an easy thing because the issue of education is very complex and related to many things.
To do this, Sinaumed’s can study and use references from sinaumedia books at www.sinaumedia.com for books on educational innovation. Have a good study. #Friends Without Limits.