Creative Teacher

In a seminar in public educators and teachers some time ago, Seto Mulyadi, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection, flicked the teachers to be creative teachers for their students. He warned, "The kids need creative teachers who figure so that it can bring each lesson with a fun way.

The figure of such teachers will encourage children to continue learning. If the creative teacher, the child itself will also be creative (Kompas, March 24, 2009). "

Future challenges, with the characteristic development of society and increasingly complex world, it requires students to make teaching and learning process that makes them be creative as well.

Nancy Walser was quoted as saying by Manthey G (2008), in his writing entitled Attaining 21st Century Skills in a Complex World, reminding schools to equip their students in critical thinking, collaboration skills, communication skills both orally and in writing, work independently, lead , adapt quickly, and responsibility, and having a global insight.

What was feared has now been proven by Walser. The development community is dominated by those who have the understanding, skills and enough knowledge about these things.

Who helped the students have a lot of "ability" it? Society hopes will put it on the school institution. Most of the time with school children endured. In this case, the teacher is a person who has a big role.

The role of teachers and schools

The role of teachers and schools for the students is unique. Unique because they can not generalize the needs of their students in ways, shapes, and sizes of the same. Ideally a school, according to Stoll (1996), capable of providing optimal service to their students. He is also expected to ensure that every student is able to achieve optimal standards that they could achieve.

Even school is responsible to ensure that all aspects of the self-learners, both related to the academic and outside academia, to develop fully, and it just might happen if the schools are constantly creating a conducive learning environment for all students.

The challenge of teaching and learning today, said teachers of Mathematics, has changed 180 degrees. Developments in information technology, changes in community structure, and the rapid advance of knowledge, and the emergence of new learning theories have changed the essence of the fundamental duty of a teacher.

He is no longer the "actors" in the classroom, with his power and knowledge, which set no matter what happens in the classroom. Teachers no longer "well lumaku tinimba kang", sources and springs only in classroom learning. Now, instead of students who became the center of learning. Teacher's role more become a facilitator rather than an orator, who can only govern their students to do this or that. He is also more of a motivator and not the executor.

Every child has a specific and unique variety. In the study, of which he uses visual, audio, until kinesthetic. Gardner also warned of multikecerdasan on each child began to be logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, intrapersonal up.

We know also Bloom's taxonomy, with the six phases of knowledge acquisition. Kohlberg to the stages of moral development. Development of age on children from the age of the playground to adulthood appears to have characteristics of social development, moral, emotional, and cognitive impairments that must be recognized teachers.

All that of course demands a new role, unique, but also not "easy" from a teacher. He presupposes a teacher who was "typical", the teacher understand the broader context, the skilled and creative in teaching approach, able to understand and facilitate self-differentiation, in each child.

That role could not possibly run a teacher when they are not willing to prepare themselves, to learn continuously, and develop self-direction. A teacher, with a different role than the past, he still has such a great influence for the students.

The teacher is a learner. As learners, teachers have different learning characteristics compared to a child. He is an adult learner (adult learner). Learning characteristics are peculiar, for example, a teacher has a way of learning self-reliant, they always take advantage of or associate with the knowledge or understanding that they had before.

They learn in a contextual, always have to find a connection that was studied by real-life situation in his life. Learning models are solving problems (problem solving) are more attractive than a theoretical nature. A teacher is always focused with the objective (goal) rather than just a routine that leads nowhere.

He was more moved by the approach or way of teaching than simply the content being taught. He was more touched when addressed personally and appreciated. He wants humanity, maturity, and experience the touch and attention.

Interactive atmosphere, sharing experiences, and appreciation of the positive nature will make them more motivated and more open to new things.

Creative spaces

In my view there are at least two spaces that can make teachers capable of developing into a creative person. That space is internal (in itself), and both external nature (the environment).

In itself should be embedded, in terms of Fullan (1993), the soul of inquiry. This is an endless process and continues throughout life. Most essential activities of a teacher who was spirited inquiry is to ask, including the extent relevant or not teaching to the needs of their students.

Habit to "question and test a variety of things" done in a variety of personal activities such as reflective practice, personal journals, action research, working under supervision, and collaboration with colleagues.

External factors, none other than the school environment itself. A series of upgrading, seminars, training, or educational development activities for teachers has a goal that loomed high and noble, but often less accommodating diverse interests and learning styles of teachers.

What happened, it became a kind of activity upgrading the P-4, the New Order, but without ever changing anything. He is less facilitating what became of interest (interest), preparedness (readiness), and the characteristics of teacher learning (learning style) are different.

Various coaching more impressed formalities, the project alone and just spend the budget. 6th day of activities which should be compressed into three days with the same amount of pocket money. The result, teachers are bored, digurui, reject, pessimistic, and finally became motivated to learn because it does not feel like a mere object.

All of it became complete when they do not experience other forms of assistance activities in school.

Teacher back in the old tradition of teaching with their students. Changes in teachers is more artificial, for example, how many teachers have a certificate rather than an incremental nature, namely a change of "habit" by the teacher in improving teaching effectiveness.

Thus, the expected role of school leaders is how to create an environment and atmosphere in order to share and "pass on" understanding, knowledge, and skills of teachers to other colleagues. In an interactive process that will occur disequilibrium purification process of understanding and knowledge possessed.

Learning through teaching or sharing knowledge with fellow teachers, for example, in addition to increasing the understanding and skills alone will make what is learned it becomes more settled, actual, and life. The process of adopting knowledge teachers do not stop at the level of mere acquisition, but entered the realm of internalization and actualization that occurs through an interactive process that occurs along with other fellow teachers.

Creativity presupposes a thinking process is not linear or lateral view of a truth. Different views and dissent must be valued and respected. No members of the community of learners school, fell in the interpretation of such irreverence, eccentricity, inconsistency, and certain cases in view of change and creativity that made her teacher.

Teachers sometimes teach creative exploration and the ambiguity in the frame. He is more than a routine search for essentiality of what is learned with students. He would smile when students ask, "Sir I find different things, not what you say or my friend found out, why?" (Kompas, 20 April 2009)