The Impact Of Creative Teachers On Children's Learning

THE IMPACT OF CREATIVE TEACHERS ON CHILDREN'S LEARNING A. Background Based on the Republic of Indonesia Law No. 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers, Article 1 paragraph (1) states that "Teachers are professional educators who educate, teach, guide, direct, train, assess and evaluate students in early childhood education on the formal education path, basic education, and secondary education". Over time, teachers are required to be able to carry out learning creatively because they can make students enthusiastic in learning. In addition, these teachers can have high self-discipline. In increasing the interest and creativity of students, these creative teachers play an important role in helping to realize this. Therefore, creative teachers must have creative ways or efforts in carrying out learning. B. Creative Teachers Teachers are educational elements that become role models in classroom learning because they interact directly with students in the learning process. Students will imitate and follow what the teacher does and directs. Teachers have the main task of being able to educate, guide, direct, train, assess, and evaluate students in the learning process. From these tasks, it can be seen that teachers have a very important role in the learning process so that the knowledge, competence, skills, and abilities possessed by teachers have a great influence on the process and results of student learning and in realizing national education goals. In the learning process, a teacher's creativity plays an important role in determining the atmosphere and quality of learning. Based on Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers, Article 1 paragraph (1) states that "Teachers are professional educators who educate, teach, guide, direct, train, assess and evaluate students in early childhood education on the formal education path, basic education, and secondary education". According to Munandar (in Oktavia, page 809) states "Creativity is an ability to change and enrich the world with discoveries in the fields of science, technology, art, or discoveries in other fields". From the quote above, teacher creativity can be interpreted as the ability possessed by teachers to be able to create new things in the teaching and learning process so that learning feels more alive because students get the stimulus to be active and creative. Creative teachers will not feel satisfied just delivering the material. He will always think about how to make the material taught can be understood by students and they feel happy when studying the material. According to Brown (in Fadlan, page 7) creative teachers, namely those who carry out learning by optimizing their knowledge and expertise are called Teacher Scholars. According to him, if learning is carried out well, it is essentially creative. Furthermore, Brown (in Fadlan, pages 7-8), formulates the characteristics of a teacher scholar as follows: a) Having a curious soul, always wanting to ask about everything that is still not clearly understood. b) He first analyzes everything, then filters it, qualifies it for study and understanding, and then deposits it in his “warehouse” of knowledge. c) Intuitively, teachers have the subconscious ability to connect old ideas to form new ideas or concepts. d) Have high self-discipline. This means that creative teachers have the ability to make considerations between analysis and intuition to be taken as a final decision. e) Will not be satisfied with temporary results. Creative teachers do not simply accept any results that are not yet satisfactory. f) Like to introspect. This character indicates the ability to place trust in the ideas of others democratically regardless of origin. g) Have a strong personality, not easily given instructions without thinking. Teacher creativity can be influenced by two factors, namely internal factors and external factors. Internal factors are the nature of humans themselves who have a drive to develop and grow towards better efforts than before, in accordance with their thinking abilities to meet all their needs. While external factors are influences that exist around him, namely the environment in which he lives and interacts with others (social environment) (in Oktavia, page 810). These external factors can be related to educational background, teacher organization, teacher teaching experience, and teacher welfare. The importance of teacher creativity in learning includes: (1) Teacher creativity is useful in transferring more complete information, (2) Teacher creativity is useful in stimulating students to think more scientifically in observing social phenomena or natural phenomena that are the objects of study in learning, (3) Teacher creativity products will stimulate student creativity (in Oktavia, page 809). Mulyana (2010:135) also puts forward several reasons why teachers must be creative, including: • By teaching with creativity, students will be interested in what is being taught; • Lessons taught by teachers will be more interesting; • Teacher creativity in teaching will make students become individuals who are able to fully realize themselves through the ideas they produce; • Students will be happier facing challenges; • Students will find it easier to solve problems; • The teaching and learning process becomes more enjoyable. C. The Influence of Creative Teachers on Learning As previously mentioned, in the learning process, a teacher's creativity plays an important role in determining the atmosphere and quality of learning. Not only in the cognitive aspect, teacher creativity also influences the psychomotor and affective aspects of students. Noor Rochman Hadjam (in Fadlan, page 9) argues that creativity has several functions that are classified into several types, including; a) Teacher creativity is useful for increasing student interest in subjects. This means that the product of teacher creativity is expected to provide a real situation in the learning process. So far, students are required to have high verbalism skills in abstract things. Verbalism is something that is very difficult and boring for students if it is continuously pushed at school. The application of teacher creativity products, for example in the form of instruments that can invite students to learn in the real world through visualization, will be able to reduce their boredom and increase their interest in subjects. b) Teacher creativity is useful in transferring more complete information. This means that the product of teacher creativity will complete the abstract picture that was previously understood by students and the wrong understanding of the information obtained from the text. c) Teacher creativity is useful in stimulating students to think more scientifically in observing social phenomena or natural phenomena that are the objects of study in learning. This means that the products of teacher creativity are very important in the development of a scientific thinking framework in the form of rational, systematic, and consistent steps. d. The products of teacher creativity will stimulate student creativity. This means that teacher creativity can be used independently by students, where they can develop their creativity as well as their imagination and reasoning power in understanding the material being taught. Students will have fluency, flexibility, originality and uniqueness in thinking. natural phenomena that are the objects of study in learning, (3) The products of teacher creativity will stimulate student creativity (in Oktavia, page 809). Mulyana (2010:135) also put forward several reasons why teachers must be creative, including: CLOSING A. Conclusion Creativity is a person's ability to change and enrich their world by producing new ideas that previously did not exist. Of course, creativity is very much needed for a teacher to carry out the learning process. Teachers must be able to create new things in the teaching and learning process so that learning feels more alive because students get the stimulus to be active and creative during learning. Creative teachers will continue to innovate and will not feel satisfied with what they have. He feels that the lecture method is not effective in learning, so he will always think about how to make the material taught can be understood by students and they feel happy when studying the material. Teacher creativity is not only directed at making learning media, but can also be directed at making creative products that support class management. Teacher creativity is classified into several types, including teacher creativity is useful for increasing student interest in subjects, teacher creativity is useful in transferring more complete information, teacher creativity is useful in stimulating students to think more scientifically in observing social phenomena or natural phenomena that are the objects of study in learning, and teacher creativity products will stimulate student creativity. An example of the implementation of creative teachers is by implementing PAIKEM (Active, Innovative, Creative, Effective, and Enjoyable Learning). B. Suggestions By compiling this paper, the author suggests that readers, especially educators, continue to develop creativity because it greatly influences learning in the classroom. Teachers must be active and always sensitive to all new changes so that they can be poured into learning. In addition, motivation is needed from teachers to be able to build the creative and active side of students.