Creative and Critical Thinking By Empowering Media In
Teaching English As A Foreign Language In Senior High School
Dra. Tri Indaryati, M. Humtriperkutut@yahoo.com
Senior High School 2 Yogyakarta,
Indonesia
Abstract
Teaching cannot be separated from media, since teaching without media is like food withno taste, plain!
The development of teaching media is very fast even cannot be chased since IT in
broader sense and internet in narrower sense grabs the world twenty-four hours a day without stopping. It
provides people any information of any fields including media can be taken out from internet easily. It gives,
however, great impacts on teaching development as it spoils teachers by providing any teaching material, as
conversely it sometimes makes teacher be lazy to make any personal development.
Teaching in the era of 21st skill that is IT-based is not as easier as teaching in the previous years,
when internet had not been so easily accessed especially in Indonesia due to lack of instruments provided by
the government. Nowadays, internet is the source of any information. Teachers are spoiled with teaching
media that can be taken out any time from internet, in various kinds, and in terms of many fields of study andinformation. On the other words, teachers do not need to get confused on what is going to teach. The
problem is, however, not finished only by getting teaching material from internet, but without being realized
by teachers themselves, other problems come up. Internet is an open media source. Everybody can browse,
search, and find. the same material with the one found by the teacher. With no exception, the students. They
are accidently able to find the same source of knowledge where the teacher takes the teaching material
from. Both sides, teacher and student learn the same thing from the same source.
Teaching is bridging gaps between teachers and students. The students’ situation from notknowing to knowing something. What happen when there is no gap anymore since the students have alreadyknown the information by themselves from any other sources: internet, television, magazines , books orother source of information. Students will feel get nothing from the teacher, as the consequence there will be
no more attention to what the teacher is teaching. Even it is teaching English which is considered a very
important subject at school by most students, however, the students do not want to pay attention anymore.
Again, since there is no gap, so no pain no gain can be applied to describe this situation.
Teachers, in this case, have nothing to do to give up easily. Media they get from internet or othersources, in which the students have already known, should be followed up into fresh, and ready to use media.
Teachers give something special that cannot be predicted easily by students. The students will always wait
for something surprising from their teachers, since the teachers always give something new, interesting, andfun to the students. Empowering teaching media is the answer of all the problems. Teachers need to improvetheir personal development from time to time, and not to strictly rely on certain sources of teaching media
without making any changing and adjustment as what the students need and suitable for them. Creative andcritical thinking from the teacher in making use of media results good benefits from both sides. Students canlearn something new, and teachers can teach something which has gaps. And finally there will be
breakthrough to close the gaps and change it into important knowledge for the students, and important
experience for the teachers. Creative and critical thinking in empowering teaching media will put teachers intheir good position as always. Without doing any personal development, teachers are difficult to hand and inhand with IT as a main role of their teaching.
While creative and critical thinking in empowering media as a means of teaching is the way to grab success.
Keywords: empowering teaching media, 21st Skill IT teaching-based, bridging gaps

I. INTRODUCTION
In the 21st century skill, teaching English as a second language (ESL) is not easier as theprevious decades when Information and Technology ( IT) did not involve a lot in the way ofteachers’ teaching. Teachers even have heavier burden during this century since they have to
get along well with this sophisticated technology, otherwise, they will be called “Old Fashion
Teachers”, “IT Illiterate Teachers”, or “Not Up-to-date teachers”. The characters of teachingshould be changed. It is not enough only by presenting meaningful, fun, and interestingteaching. What teachers have to do is that providing interesting, fun and meaningful teachingmaterial plus using IT. Without the presence of IT, teaching is not a kind of transferring
information anymore, since students do not want to pay more attention on what the teachers
are teaching. How dreadful! But “yes”! Teachers acknowledge these phenomena as signs ofchanges the teaching styles have to be started.
In previous decades teachers were sources of information. The teaching approach was moreon teacher- centered. Students were the objects of teaching, meaning they had to do what theteachers asked to do. The idea of teachers as the sources of information made the students
passive. They do not need to make any changes, more creative and innovative, as far the
students listened and did what the teacher said, no problems would arise. Students were justobjects of teaching. They just went to school, studied, did homework, that is leaning in thepast. Today, however, teaching needs three steps, namely thinking, planning, and doing.
Meanwhile, to avoid being teacher-centered, the teachers need to make any relevant changesof their teaching styles in line with the development of education, that is student-centeredlearning. By giving autonomous learning to the students, they will have their own learning
activities that consist of:
1. Exploring and Observing
2. Questioning
3. Experimenting
4. Associating
5. Communicating
The last process of learning English as a foreign language is that the students are able tocommunicate in English actively, fluently , and meaningfully. That the last is people
understand what is being communicated, and no more miss communication among theinterlocutors.
Both teachers and students have to know about the changing of the teaching system to avoid
being passive from both sides. The teachers are not reactive enough to response the students’needs, while the students themselves are too passive to elaborate their competence andexperience. What the students think is that everything is in the teacher’s responsibility. Basedon the constructivist model (E.D. Hirsch, 2004) in the constructivist classroom, the focus
tends to shift from the teacher to the students. The classroom is no longer a place where theteacher ("expert") pours knowledge into passive students, who wait like empty vessels to be
filled. In the constructivist model, the students are urged to be actively involved in their own
process of learning. The teacher functions are more as a facilitator who coaches, mediates,
prompts, and helps students develop and assess their understanding, and their learning. Oneof the teacher's biggest jobs becomes asking good questions.
To create constructivist classroom, both teacher and students think of knowledge not as inert
factoids to be memorized, but as a dynamic, ever-changing view of the world we live in andthe ability to successfully stretch and explore that view.
1. Exploring and Observing
Teacher which is not as the sources of any information anymore have to do with
providing chances for the students to explore and observe their own thought, experienceand imagination. It is, on the other hand, teachers are motivators, facilitator and assistanceas well for the students’ learning. By getting autonomy, the students will then explore anddevelop what they see, what they know and what they experience into things to observebased on their own competence. Exploring and observing becomes the one way to markstudents’ identity as being creative learners.
2. QuestioningObvious questions comes up in students’ mind what they have actually done and what
they will do for autonomous learning. There will be a reflection on the goal to reach interms of short and long goal. autonomous principles, learning methods and time
management will be some considerations on achieving the goals without getting
continuous leading from others, especially the ones from outside their own determination.
Learning is open to find creative and innovative findings on any fields of learning. No
matter how to reach it, whether through continuous learning or step by step progress, theend goal is to satisfy themselves as human beings. “Give humanity to human being” is theprinciple in teaching-learning.
3. Experimenting
By having autonomous learning, the students will pile up experiments from time to time,either bad or good experiment, fail or successful ones. It however, makes students realizethat learning needs process, process needs time and time needs management. Learning is
not at once activities, indeed, continuous trial and error leads students to getting more andmore experience as the result of continuously do experiments.
4. Associating
Knowledge is not the thing stands by itself. It is only a part of other elements found in theenvironment. Looking at surrounds us even only within one second, we can see manythings but they can not stand by themselves. For example we see a glass. A glass is not a
glass anymore if it is not used to drink. Drinking itself needs water, and water needs otherlong-hand help to make it use as drinkable water. It is, therefore, not far from the processof associating knowledge. Comprehending English both verbal and written can be used
for nothing without relating to others. English as a tool for reading references,
understanding other people’s way of thinking, to understand manual, other sciences, etc.
English is definitely a tool in which we learn other knowledge through.
5. Communicating
As English language is a tool, the main function of it is as a means of communication
either oral or written. However, since English is an international language, it has many
pluses in its existence. English is even able to open the world’s window from which we
can see what is going on in it, Besides, we can come to be inside the world throughEnglish without
II. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
The chart below compares the traditional classroom to the constructivist one. We can see
significant differences in basic assumptions about knowledge, students, and learning. It's
important, however, to bear in mind that constructivists acknowledge that students areconstructing knowledge in traditional classrooms, too. It's really a matter of the emphasisbeing on the student, not on the teacher.

Curriculum begins with the parts of thewhole. Emphasizes basic skills.

Curriculum emphasizes big concepts,
beginning with the whole and expanding toinclude the parts.

Strict adherence to fixed curriculum ishighly valued.

Pursuit of student questions and interests isvalued.

Materials are primarily textbooks andworkbooks.

Materials include primary sources ofmaterial and manipulative materials.

Learning is based on repetition.

Learning is interactive, building on what thestudent already knows.

Teachers disseminate information to
students; students are recipients ofknowledge.

Teachers have a dialogue with students,
helping students construct their own
knowledge.

Teacher's role is directive, rooted inauthority.

Teacher's role is interactive, rooted innegotiation.

Assessment is through testing, correct
answers.

Assessment includes student works,
observations, and points of view, as well as
tests. Process is as important as product.

Knowledge is seen as inert.

Knowledge is seen as dynamic, everchanging with our experiences.

Students work primarily alone.

Students work primarily in groups.

After knowing the teacher’ position through constructivism theory, both teachers and students
then are able to position themselves, and also know their own border of tasks.
1. Teacher’s Role in Class

NEXT?
WHAT

WHY

HOW

IN WHAT WAY ?
FINALLY.......!!!

From this figure we can see that it seems the teacher’s position is outside the students’ place, but
actually it represents the autonomous learning. Teacher’s role is monitoring, motivating, directing,assisting, and giving helps, whenever the students need him/her. The rest is the students’ part tointeract each other, help each other and cooperate to find explorative, innovative and creative
things,
As is the case with many of the current/popular paradigms, I am probably already using theconstructivist approach to some degree. I pose questions and problems, then guide students to
help them find their own answers. They use many techniques in the teaching process. For
example, they may:a. prompt students to formulate their own questions (inquiry)b. allow multiple interpretations and expressions of learning (multiple intelligences)c. encourage group work and the use of peers as resources (collaborative learning)It's important to realize that teacher’s role is helping students learn HOW TO LEARN.

III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
1. Manual ICT versus Adaptive ICT

Before internet becomes the sources of teaching and learning, I was teaching manually, interms of terms of using media. It was mostly printed media such as magazine, newspaperand books. I took the teaching information from those sources, then process them, modify,
and create into teaching media. For example I was teaching Reading. Say the genre was
Explanation text. The text as the source of teaching material was taken from printed books,
and then from there I create creative activities as practice and production steps.
Here is the example:
What is cancer? It is actually a group of more than one hundred separate diseases.
Most of us are fear from cancer It is reasonable because next to heart disease,cancer is the second leading cause of death. Cancer cells come from normal cells
because of mutations of DNA. Those mutations can occur spontaneously. The
mutations may be also induced by other factors such as: nuclear andelectromagnetic radiation, viruses, bacteria and fungi, parasites, heat, chemicals in
the air, water and food, mechanical cell-level injury, free radicals, evolution andageing of DNA, etc. All such factors can produce mutations that may start cancer.
Cancer cells are formed continuously in the organism.
Following the text I constructed questions either Multiple Choice test type or Essay
question. One of the vocabulary exercise I gave is completion, that is I took out some words
from the text, then jumbled them. Finally I asked the students to put them back to the text.
What is cancer? It is actually a group of more than one hundred (1) ......... diseases.
Most of us are fear from cancer. It is reasonable because next to heart disease,cancer is the second (2). ........... cause of death. Cancer cells come from normal
cells (3). ............... DNA. Those mutations can occur spontaneously. The mutations
may be also (4). ........... by other factors such as: nuclear and electromagnetic
radiation, viruses, bacteria and fungi, parasites, heat, chemicals in the air, water andfood, mechanical cell-level injury, free radicals, evolution and ageing of DNA, etc.
All such factors can produce mutations that may start cancer. Cancer cells areformed (5). ............. in the organism.

continuously
separatebecause of

inducedleading

2. Adaptive ICT
After internet becomes the source of teaching-learning, and any information can be easily
accessed, the teacher is not the only source of learning. Teacher is not more on partner for
students, but it can be competitor. Students, as young learners are sometimes more skillful inhandling ICT, while teachers, especially the ones who have already been grown up aresometimes not able to keep up with ICT as skillful as students. Besides, students can browse
by themselves any information needed. Consequently, there is no more gap between teachersand students. What teachers know from internet, students do too. When I gave assignment
like that the students directly opened their Hand phone, accessed the internet and found thesame text, then do the task in a very short time. I could not do anything except trying toaccept the changes on the way students’ learning. Surely I had not to be allergic with thecoming modern technology. If the teacher demands the students to be creative, the teacher
himself or herself have to be at least 10 times more creative.
To overcome these problems , teachers have to be creative and innovative in teaching. I still
took the same text as stated above, but only the information of cancer, then I construct myown text. I rewrote the text as follows.
Do you know what actually cancer is? Cancer consists of more than one hundred
separate diseases. And so on .... and so on.

3. Steps of being creative and innovative Construction.
Students are not blank slates upon which knowledge is etched. They come to learning
situations with already formulated knowledge, ideas, and understandings. This previous
knowledge is the raw material for the new knowledge they will create. Teacher has to allow
students to reflect and to construct their own methods of measurement. One student offers
the knowledge that a doctor said he is four feet tall. Another says she knows horses aremeasured in "hands." The students discuss these and other methods they have heard about,and decide on one to apply to the problem.
a. Active
The student is the person who creates new understanding for him/herself. The teacher
coaches, moderates, suggests, but allows the students room to experiment, ask questions,
try things that don't work. Learning activities require the students' full participation (likehands-on experiments). An important part of the learning process is that students reflect
on, and talk about, their activities. Students also help set their own goals and means ofassessment.
b. Reflective
Students control their own learning process, and they lead the way by reflecting on theirexperiences. This process makes them experts of their own learning. The teacher helps
create situations where the students feel safe questioning and reflecting on their own
processes, either privately or in group discussions. The teacher should also create
activities that lead the student to reflect on his or her prior knowledge and experiences.
Talking about what was learned and how it was learned is really important.
c. Collaborative
The constructive classroom relies heavily on collaboration among students. There aremany reasons why collaboration contributes to learning. The main reason it is used somuch in constructivism is that students learn about learning not only from themselves, butalso from their peers. When students review and reflect on their learning processes
together, they can pick up strategies and methods from one another.
d. Inquiry-Based
The main activity in a constructive classroom is solving problems. Students use inquiry
methods to ask questions, investigate a topic, and use a variety of resources to findsolutions and answers. As students explore the topic, they draw conclusions, and, as
exploration continues, they revisit those conclusions. Exploration of questions leads tomore questions.
e. Evolving
Students have ideas that they may later see were invalid, incorrect, or insufficient to
explain new experiences. These ideas are temporary steps in the integration of knowledge.
What happens when a student gets a new piece of information? The constructivist model
says that the student compares the information to the knowledge and understanding he/she
already has.

IV. CONCLUSION
When problems come up as the result of existing modern technology, teachers need tochange the way of teaching to be more creative and innovative, otherwise teachers cannot

get along well with the students’ learning progress. Teachers have to accommodate students’
need, and provide ways of reaching the goals. Being creative and innovative teachers haveto open for changes by always do personal development. Reading books, attending seminars,
visiting webs, and other progressive activities are the only ways to catch up withsophisticated technology. Without those things mentioned above, teachers are left behind thestudents’ learning development. Teachers need to be competence-based that consists of
having good knowledge, attitude and skill. These three elements are to creating various
teaching activities. And finally, competent teachers are seen from their highest hierarchy(Maslow): SELF ACTUALIZATION
V. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION
I have been teaching English since 1981. I am teaching in Senior High School, meaning thatthe students are teenagers or young persons. I have to always change the style of myteaching due to the changes of curriculum in every decade or the students’ needs related tothe era and social changes. However, I always open any changes in order I can keep up withadvance technology (ICT) and I can get along well with my students. I continuously try to
do self development by always learning at any time and places. Life-long education neverstops my eagerness to always learn. What I write in this paper is really my teachingexperience that I write as my personal innovative work.
VI. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thanks to God, the almighty who blesses me with health and capability in order I cancomplete the full paper in time. In this extraordinary moment, I would also like to express
my deepest gratitude and appreciation to:
1. DR. Makoto Kageto who gives me a chance to participate in this great event ICOME
2013. Without his help, generosity, and privilege given to me it is impossible for me tojoin this conference.
2. Prof. Shinichi Sato who gave me a lot of information about ICOME and paper

writing. By his sincerely help my paper is presented in the conference.
3. Mr. Issei Erick Okita, the administration staff of Nihon Fukushi University as hisgreat contribution in dealing with my visit to Japan.
4. ICOME steering committee for making this paper available in the conference.
5. School Principal of Senior High School 2 Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Mr. Bashori

Muhammad, MM for giving me a chance to participate in the conference.
6. All parties who support me to be the presenter of ICOME 2013.
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