2004 CURRICULUM

Sunday, April 21, 2013



Background
·         Goverment wanted to improve the national education system to create a society which is able to compete and adapt with the development of era.
·         Goverment wanted to concern not only in the aspect of academic competence but also in moral aspect as well as art, and sport.

Guideline
·         The forth change of UUD 1945 paragraph 31 about education
·         TAP MPR No. IV/MPR tahun 1999
·         UU No. 22 tahun 1999
·         PP No 25 tahun 2000
·         GBHN tahun 1999

Basic Principle
The basic principle of KBK is communicative competence model, which was presented by Celce-Murcia, Dornyei, and Thurrell (1995). In this principle, language is a communication tool so that the language model constructed is a model which prepares students to communicate by using language and participate in the society in which the language is used.

Elements of Communicative Competence Model:
a.       Discourse Competence
a Spoken and written communicative competence
b.      Linguistics Competence
a Competence to use grammar, vocabularies, pronunciation, punctuation, etc.
c.       Socio-Cultural Competence
a Competence to select the appropriate deployment of linguistic resources.
d.      Actional Competence
a Competence of carrying out/understanding communicative intent by performing and interpreting speech acts and speech events
e.       Strategic Competence
a Competence in communication breakdown

Curriculum 2004 of English Instruction for SMP
A. Name of Curriculum
 Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi
B. Target
To be able to use English to communicate oral and written fluently and accurately based on social context. 
C. Objective
Developing the communicative competence in that language focusing on oral and written competence. The competence covers listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Encourage the essence and the important of English as one of the foreign languages that can be used as learning equipment.
Developing the understanding about interrelationship between language and culture and also broadening the culture firmament. So that the students have the concept of cross culture understanding and involved in the cultural variety. 
D. Sequence of Skill
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing
E. Actional Competence
Listening
Comprehend various meaning (interpersonal, ideational, textual) in various oral instructional texts and monologue especially in form  descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, and anecdote.
Speaking
Express various meaning (interpersonal, ideational, textual)
in various oral instructional texts and monologue especially in form descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, and anecdote.
Reading
Comprehend various meaning (interpersonal, ideational, textual) in various oral instructional texts and monologue especially in form  descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, and anecdote




 
Writing
Express various meaning (interpersonal, ideational, textual)
in various oral instructional texts and monologue especially in form descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, and anecdote.
F. Discourse Competence
This competence refers to the ability of applying some devices to produce a well-organized text.
Devices: Coherence, Cohesive, structure, genre, Contextual.
G. Linguistic Competence
This competence refers to the ability of applying grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling appropriately.
H. Socio cultural Competence
This competence refers to the ability to deliver message correctly and appropriately based on the socio cultural context related to the communicative activity.
I. Strategy Competence
This competence refers to the ability and skill to apply various strategies in communication.
J. Material
Thematic, Text type: Descriptive, Narrative, spoof/ recount, procedure, report, and anecdote.
K. Method
Teachers are able to use any kinds of methods.



Curriculum 2004 of English Instruction for SMA

A.    Name of Curriculum
:  Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK)
B.     Target
:  The SMA graduates are expected to be able to access any information in the target language.
C.     SMA Divisions
:   IPA (science)
    IPS  (social)
    Bahasa (Language)
D.    Objective
: 1.  Developing the students’ ability to communicate in both passively and actively.
2.  Make the students realize that English is one of the most important foreign language in academic field
3.  Developing the students’ understanding between language and culture.
4. To achieve the competence of the target language.
E.     Sequence of skills
:   listening à speaking à reading à writing
F.          - Standard Competence/
Actional Competence























-          Linguistic Competence

-          Socio-Cultural Competence

-          Strategic Competence

-          Discourse Competence

:  1.  Listening
        Understanding interpersonal, ideational, and textual meaning in interactional text and monologue in form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, news item, anecdote, analytic exposition, hortatory exposition, explanation, discussion, commentary, and review.
2.  Speaking
        Express interpersonal, ideational, and textual meaning in interactional text and monologue in form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, news item, anecdote, analytic exposition, hortatory exposition, explanation, discussion, commentary, and review.
3.  Reading
Understanding  interpersonal, ideational, and textual meaning in interactional text and monologue in form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, news item, anecdote, analytic exposition, hortatory exposition, explanation, discussion, commentary, and review.
4.  Writing
Express interpersonal, ideational, and textual meaning in interactional text and monologue in form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, news item, anecdote, analytic exposition, hortatory exposition, explanation, discussion, commentary, and review.

The ability to use grammar, vocabulary, intonation, pronunciation, punctuation, etc.

The ability to use English in social- cultural context.


Communication breakdown


The ability to use English in both oral and written communicatively.
G.    Material
:    Communicative text types in form of descriptive, narrative, spoof/recount, procedure, report, news item, anecdote, analytic exposition, hortatory exposition, explanation, discussion, commentary, and review.
H.    Addition Material for Program Bahasa
:    In this program, students are introduced to the literature products. Students have to be able to make Reader Response, students can develop competence to respond the literature product and use the language esthetic.
I.       Method
:    Student Centered Learning
Activities: small group discussion, Simulasi/Demonstrasi,  Discovery Learning, Cooperative Learning, Contextual Instruction, Project-Based Learning,
Problem-Based Learning/Inquiry.

Obstacle of KBK
Lack of socialization to the education practitioners so that the teachers cannot implement KBK appropriately.

Groups Comments
In our opinion, Competence-Based Curriculum is a good government’s effort to improve the education in Indonesia. Government wants to change the education system from the teacher-centered to the students-centered method. By implementing KBK, the students are expected to be more creative and active in achieve their own knowledge thus they can get the competence. However, both teachers and students have not been ready yet. This curriculum is functioned as a bridge to the KTSP. So, we should not judge that KBK is totally failed since it guides to the KTSP.
KBK is also an effort to give autonomy in each region in order to decide the most suitable education policy. Yet, the government contradicts autonomy of each region by the existence of National Examination.

TEACHING METAPHOR


TEACHER IS A FARMER

IKA FITRIANI

Teachers have an important role in our daily. They are the real hero for this country since they have been working hard in order to make the young generations are able to write and read. The young generations can know the new knowledge due the teacher help them to transfer it. Thus, we can say that teachers are noble job in this world.
We can say that teaching is quite challenging job. It is not as easy as we imagine. Teaching activity is like a farmer who cultivate paddy in the field. Perhaps, some people will be curious about what the relationship between a teacher and a farmer as both of those jobs are absolutely different. However, if we analysis those two jobs have similar philosophy.
To begin with, we would like to discuss about farmer philosophy. Farmer actually is not an easy job as what many people think about. A farmer has a lot of jobs before and after cultivating the field. His/ her jobs are like an endless cycle which is always rolling every day. One more important thing, farmer is not a job toward stupid or uneducated person. That statement is quite wrong as a farmer has to have a lot of knowledge as well as skills about everything related to agriculture.
One of knowledge that a farmer has to have is about weather, condition of soil, and characteristics of plants. Those three points above are what a farmer has to consider before cultivating the field since they are related and affected one another. Paddy, for instance, is a plant which needs a lot of water and usually planted in a lowland area. Based on the characteristics above we have to know when we should plant paddy. Should we plant it in dry or rainy season? Is it appropriate when we plant paddy in the highland with its cool temperature? Can we plant it in the shore or sandy soil? For whom who do not know this knowledge, of course cannot get good quality paddy.
Besides, a farmer has to have ability as a designer and manager. What does it mean by designer and manager? It may become the questions which come up in your mind. Designer means that farmer should be able in designing the field whether we will plant the crops in form of horizontal or vertical, terasiring, or tumpang sari system. Then, we also have to decide the appropriate distant between each crops that it can absorb the nutrition and grow well. Then, as a manager, farmer should be able in managing the time when he/she should plant seeds, give a pesticide and fertilizer, and have harvest in the best time.
Not only about designing the field and managing the time, a farmer still has to be able to solve the problem in his/her field. Of course, there will be a problem like insect, weeds, and others. They are actually the challenging things that should be solved. Farmer should have ways how to solve the pest that infect the plants. He/she has to decide the appropriate nutrition or pesticide for his/her plants. A farmer should not make a mistake since it will affect the crops, perhaps the crops will died or even unfertile.
Then, a farmer has to have a good ways how to harvest all his/her crops and distribute the product to the consumer. If the farmer has a good procedure in the process of cultivating the crops from the beginning till the end, of course he/she will have a good product. However, a farmer has to still consider the way how to harvest and to distribute the product in the right way in order to get the best quality and fresh product.
Those farmer philosophies above are quite similar to the teacher.  As we have talked, a farmer has to have large knowledge about how to cultivate certain plants. Farmer has to be good in learning about weather, condition of soil, and characteristics of plants and so does a teacher. Teacher as well as a farmer has to have good knowledge toward her/his students’ characteristics, how the condition of his/her school, the resources provided at the school, and other factors. By understanding those kinds of things, a teacher will be better to decide the most appropriate ways or methods based on the situation, condition, and characteristics of students.
Then, as a farmer who has to have an ability to design the field and manage the time well, teacher also is to be able to do so. A teacher is someone who is in charge in designing the teaching methods in the class. He/she has to be able to make the class is life and comfortable that students can absorb materials. Moreover, a teacher should be a good manager as well. Not only managing the time so that the material can be delivered to the students but also managing the class to make it run in order.
If a farmer has many problems in his/her cultivation process, so does a teacher. Both of them have to be able to solve the problem in his/her field. Of course, there are lot problems that a teacher has in the class, such as lack of student motivation, less of resources, and others. However, those problems are not the obstacle in teaching learning process. Teachers have to be creative and innovative in facing any problems. We can use not only conventional ways (lecturing in front of the class) but we also can use various ways by using games, discussion, songs, and other ways in improving students motivation. Then, improvement is also important that teacher should socialize and share with others to have some improvement that he/she is not stuck in his/her own point of view.
Furthermore, the statement that a farmer has to have a good ways in harvesting all his/her crops and distributing the product to the consumer are related to a teacher who is responsible toward students’ success. Teachers have to design the atmosphere which supports the students in gaining materials that students can be success not only in examination but also in their life. When students can pass the examination or get a job means that teachers are successful in his teaching learning job. Moreover, when the students become a successful person in his/her future is a kind of pride and happiness for teacher just like a farmer whose crops are good and have a high price in the market.
 In conclusion, when we talk about teachers’ job, we can relate it toward farmers’ job. Even though both of these occupations sound different, they are quite similar actually. From the philosophy, those two occupations have a lot of relationship, such as teacher is farmer, crops are the students, field is the class, pest is teaching problems, fertilizer and pesticide is the teaching methods, harvesting is teaching learning result. 

ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 2

Wednesday, April 17, 2013


 FACEBOOK:
A NEW STRATEGIC WAY TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN INDONESIA

Facebook is a popular social networking site that has over 175 million active users throughout the world. It has many utilities such as, wall, info, photos, boxes, events, discussions, groups, and so forth. By using those, users can do several things, for instance: add friends, send messages, or update their personal status. Users also can join groups organized by workplace, school, or college. Furthermore, besides using Facebook to those kinds of activities, have you ever done another thing that gives you more advantages? Considering both facilities and user number of Facebook, we can do a lot of advantageous things, including promoting tourism, particularly tourism in Indonesia. Hence, using Facebook to promote tourism in Indonesia is an effective and efficient way rather than using other mass media due to some reasons such as, user number, components, and features in Facebook.
Before we examine the potential of Facebook to promote tourism more, it is better if we know the fact about tourism nowadays. Tourism, as we know, has essential role to the world economic development. It is an important pillar in almost every country’s economy. Based on the data from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), tourism generates 11 percent of Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP); it employs 200 million people and transports nearly 700 million international travelers per year. It is predicted that those numbers will double by 2020. Furthermore, tourism also represents a great potential for poverty reduction. Consequently, many efforts to promote the tourism have been done in order to raise the number of tourist up, especially through cyber social networking, Facebook.
Facebook, of course has an important role in promoting the tourism in Indonesia since there are over 175 million people throughout the world have Facebook account. By having Facebook account, people are able to find out either old or new friends, to keep in touch with friends, and to share experiences about everything, even about interesting tourist destinations  Facebook, in fact is internationally used in Asia, Europe, America, Africa, and other places in this globe. As the result, it is quite possible that our account is visited by more than 175 million people around the world. Then, as the international promotional media, of course Facebook is quite cheap due to very low promotional costs rather than brochures or other mass media, television, radio, even Miss Universe. Those kind of media, of course much more expensive than Facebook. Moreover, according to Lukman Luthfie, CEA Virtual Consulting, it is known that approximately 65 percent of the Internet users use the Internet in order to get tourist information and 18 percent of them are interested in the tourism promotion that offered on it (www.indonesia.travel.com). Hence, we should be able to use this situation as one of the ways to increase the number of tourists who visit Indonesia.
Besides the large number of users, Facebook also facilitates us with a number of components, like wall, info, photos, event, chat, etc. Indeed, all those components will help us to promote tourism in Indonesia. All those “Wall” in which we are able to post messages or interesting stories about everything will make one tourism objects more interesting and attractive than others. Often, by reading the status on the wall, the visitors will give some feedback in form of comments or questions. “Info” is another component which can be used to include detailed information about tourism objects, route, restaurant, hotel, and many other accommodations which are offered. “Photos”, another special component, is provided to create photo albums. We may attach a large number of photos such as, tourism objects or tourism activities, restaurants, hotels, or other accommodation facilities. The interesting photos are expected to attract the visitors to come. “Event” can inform all events, festival, exhibition, shows, and detailed information about all events that will be held. Additionally, “Chat” holds an important part to increase the number of tourists as it facilitates users to communicate, to share experiences and to give recommendations one another about the best destination. It is strengthened by a research that said 54% of the Internet users use their friends’ recommendation to decide which tourism object that will be visited (www.bisnisindonesia.com). Of course, all those components above cannot be provided by one side media, such as newspaper, magazine, television, radio, and others in which the reader or viewer cannot give feedback directly. However, Facebook facilitates us to give comment, feedback, or suggestion in less than a minute. Again, we can conclude that Facebook is very potential to promote tourism objects and to attract people to visit certain places.
Other reason why Facebook is quite potential in promoting our tourism is its features on pages and groups. Pages are visible to both registered and unregistered people. It is also known by some search engines like, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Opera, etc. When an internet user types the keyword that related to our pages, search engines will show our pages on the users’ desktop. It will be very advantageous because it can be a part of promoting tourism objects. Groups, on the other hand, are more private than pages and are available to members only. By using groups, we can send out invitation to any group member. The users are able to post videos and pictures which of course will attract people. Thus, we can use both pages and groups to promote either tourism products or tourism services as well.
Nevertheless, my opponents who have another point of view of Facebook might argue that Facebook is quite risky due to the fake information which we can find out in Facebook easily. Often, the owner of Facebook account write in hyperbolic words in order to attract the visitors to come and to increase the number of tourists only. Moreover, any members of groups or pages are possibly to write mockery things which are quite ashamed. Furthermore, promotional media like TV, radio, newspaper or magazine are more effective, efficient, and trustworthy than Facebook. There is an editor or the censorship institution which select the contents in order to reduce the number of waste and fake information. However, it should not be the reason to avoid using Facebook as the media to promote tourism in Indonesia. We have to remember that all countries are doing competition by using a lot of ways to attract the most visitors, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico, and others. It is quite ironic if we still stand up in the decision not to use such kind of facilities. Of course, we will be left behind by other countries or even be less popular among others. Fortunately, some regions in Indonesia have been trying to use social networking site in promoting their tourism objects. For instance, Manado, North Sumatra, and South Sumatera, have made survival efforts to prove their existence. By using Facebook, they can show the world that there are lots of interesting and beautiful tourism objects that are still hidden in those regions, such as national submarine park Wakatobi, Toba Lake, Musi festival, and etc.  
In conclusion, Facebook, a successful social networking service, gives a lot of benefits. It is very strategic, effective and efficient in promoting tourism in Indonesia. Of course, it has both positive and negative sides. However, the later side is only the other side of the coin. It should not be the reason to judge that it is absolutely bad. One more thing, if we want to get the most benefits of Facebook, we need to balance and handle the use of it as wisely possible.

IKA FITRIANI

TRADITIONAL GAMES


          Enhancing Students’ Multiple Intelligences by Using Simple and Enjoyable Ways, Traditional Games

            Most of children throughout the world like playing. It is quite true when we say that play is integral part which cannot be separated from childhood period (Hurlock, 1980:121). Vygotsky stated that play actually is not only a wasteful activity for enjoyment but it also has a great number of meanings for children’s development particularly in developing children’s intelligences. However, technology has changed everything into modern one, including playing games. Traditional games, such as dakon, gobak sodor, engklek, and so forth, have been substituted by modern games. Play stations, robot, online games, etc in fact have changed children mindset and preference of games. Then, it bears a question in our mind, “are modern games always better than traditional games?” For this question, the answer is absolutely “No, they are not”. Remember that the main purpose of games is assisting children to develop their multiple intelligences. Based on some facts above, hence we cannot deny that actually traditional games are much better than modern games in enhancing children’s multiple intelligences.
To begin with, it is better if we know the principle of childhood. Childhood is a very precious period in every human development. In this period, every child learns a lot of new things that they do not know before. Also, according to Hurlock in her book, Child Development, childhood should be a period which is full of meaning and cheerfulness instead of pressure. In this period, children are expected to have critical thinking in facing particular problems. According to Havighurts (in Hurlock, 1980:10), the main task of children is developing their basic skill, reading, writing, and logical-mathematics. Additionally, besides those three skills, children also have to develop their other multiple intelligences which have essential role in their life. However, childhood still must be an impressive period which is full of cheerfulness. In this period, a lot of time should be used to play a lot of games instead of studying hard in front of books.
Games, as we know, are quite important and cannot be separated from children’s life. It is not something without any meaning since we can use them as the learning media that are interesting and enjoyable for children. According to J.M. Roberts and E. Suttom Smith (in S. Buhisantoso 1983), games are potential to influence children’s quality in the society. By using games, children also will learn and accept a new knowledge faster than using conventional ways as games are very interesting and enjoyable activities which are far from the boredom. Games are not waste activity but there are a lot of messages, educational and cultural values, such as togetherness, honesty, discipline, etiquette, esthetic, and personality (Hayuningtyas, 2005:7).
Additionally, games are able to explore children’s fantasy, imagination, moral, emotional, and creativity (Hurlock, 1980:122). Montessori also emphasized that games have significant role in physic, social, emotional, and cognitive as well. Children imitate what the adult usually do and experience new things by themselves or in other word games are the representative of the real world. Moreover, according to Dewey, playing games for children are the same as working certain jobs for adult. It is also strengthen by the research about differences in children learning. Some children use their visual while others use audio or kinesthetic. In the learning process, children will get the maximum result if they include all of their senses. Then, we can encounter most of those things in traditional games.
            However, technology development has changed every single aspect of today live. Television, radio, hand phone, computer, and others modern devices have been integral part of our daily. Let’s turn back to some years ago and then we would find numerous differences. In the past, we still do everything manually, yet nowadays computer has made everything easier and more practical than the previous one. Modernization indeed offers a lot of advantages and brings a lot of changes in social life, human relationship, social communication, and even in games that children usually play. If we look back to some years ago, children played game by using what they get from their surroundings. In contrast, most of today children prefer modern games, like electronic toys, PS2, and online games rather than the traditional ones. They have forgotten and abandoned traditional games which are thought as the ancient and out of date games as well.
Regarding to those facts above, we have to remember that the new one is not always better than the old one since the fact that traditional games are much better than modern one. There are a lot of advantages that we cannot get from modern games but we can get in the other. Further, based on the main purpose of games which is exploring children’s multiple intelligences, we can say that traditional games are full of values and messages and better than modern ones as well. Then, we can conclude that they have a huge potential in enhancing all those children’s multiple intelligences.
            Before we talk more about how traditional games affect the children’s multiple intelligences, it is better for us knowing what traditional games actually are. Traditional games can be defined as the games that are done by using very simple tools even nothing used and usually played by groups of children. There are large numbers of positive values in it, such as socialization, fair competition, communication, and emotional controlling as well as cognitive and health values (Guilford in Nursito, 2000:14). Then, Indonesia as the archipelago country which consists of thousand islands and different culture has a large number of traditional games with its different name for each game between one area and others, such as, gobak sodor, engklek, gasingan, yoyo, nekeran, gathengan, egrang, jamuran, dakon, pasaran, dhelikan, and still many others.
            One thing that cannot be forgotten is that traditional games are the element of culture which can be neither neglected nor abandoned. They can be one of the positive and effective ways to educate children instead of using conventional boring ways. Also, Sukirman in his book entitled Transformasi nilai Budaya Melalui Permainan Anak-anak believes that traditional games will influence the children’s characteristic, personality, and social life in the future. They are quite potential in improving cognitive, affective, normative, kinesthetic, as well as psychology aspects. Thus, we are allowed to call traditional games as the best answer for improving children’s multiple intelligences.
            According to the Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University, one’s intelligences cannot be defined only from intellectual aspects. We cannot say that intellectual intelligence is the most important since research done by campusasia on February 2009 said that it contributes only 20 percent toward somebody’s success (MALANGPOST, June 28th, 2009). Instead, there are nine intelligences which we call as multiple intelligences. These intelligences are: logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart), linguistic intelligence (word smart), musical intelligence (music smart), spatial intelligence (picture smart), bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart), intrapersonal intelligence (self smart), interpersonal intelligence (people smart), and naturalist intelligence (nature smart). Then, those are so important that we have to balance them well.
Of course, the theory of multiple intelligences has strong implications for children’s learning and development due it will affect their future. Many people try to optimize those multiple intelligences, especially for children. Fortunately, those can be improved and developed by using simple and enjoyable ways, traditional games. By seeing the fact that children like games, how can traditional games develop those nine multiple intelligences? What are the relationships between traditional games and multiple intelligences?
First, one of the multiple intelligences is logical-mathematical intelligence which consists of the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically. It entails the ability to detect patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking. Based on some researches that have done, some traditional games, such as engklek, congklak/dhakon, dam-daman/macanan, lompat tali/spintrong, bekelan, can develop that logical-mathematical intelligence. In those games, children are tried to count numbers and decide the strategy to next steps so that they can win the games. Thus, it quite helpful since children can learn mathematics and logics indirectly in enjoyable ways.
Secondly, linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to both spoken and written language, and the ability to learn any languages. This intelligence includes the ability to use language to express something effectively. Writers, poets, lawyers and speakers are among those who having high linguistic intelligence. In addition, in traditional games which are mostly done in groups, there is a leader which commands his/her members. In commanding, of course he/she has to use clear language which is understood by all and the members also has to be edible in understanding what others said so that they can move or do fast. Sometimes, there are also particular rules in certain games. Here, children can learn and improve their skill in comprehending words.
Then, musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. Of course, music is quite familiar and intimate in traditional games. A lot of games are played while singing together, such as jamuran, cublak-cublak suweng, ular naga, and many others. Children try to identify tone and sharpen their senses of music. Music will also affect their personality. Often, children also rearrange the tone or even create their own songs which are used in games so that it will improve their musical intelligence as well as verbal intelligence.
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas. Of course, by using traditional games we can improve that spatial intelligence. In some games, for instance, engklek, gobak sodor, ongko wolu, kucing gering, dam-daman, and so forth, children make their own games area. Children try to draw circle, square, or other shapes as the area for playing with their friends. Sometimes, they also have to make what they are playing by their own hands, for instance, the girls use the branch of papaya tree and the banana’s leaves to make a Barbie doll. Thus, by using this way direct or indirectly children have developed their spatial intelligences.
Generally traditional games are full of body movement or physical activity, walking, running, dancing, rolling, and jumping. When children play lompat tali, gobak sodor, enggrang, engklek, they use their whole body or parts of the body to move. It will assist the development of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence which entails the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Thus, traditional games also contribute to avoid children from the obesity. In modern games, children do not move at all, they just sit down in front of monitor and use the joystick to run the games. Sometimes, it also accompanied by snack which of course will increase the risk of children’s obesity.
Furthermore, intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand their own self, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. In Howard Gardner's view, it involves having an effective working model of ourselves and to be able to use such information to regulate our lives. By using traditional games, children are trained to regulate their emotion when they are lost, to have emphatics and sympathetic. They also try to improve their self esteem, confidence and pride before friends instead of being either ashamed or inferior. In playing games, for instance, gobak sodor, engklek, they compete with others so that they have to be fair and should not angry or cry when they are lost.
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others. Most of traditional games are played in groups so that they have to help each other to win the game. For instance, in bakiyak games, three or more children use the bakiyak and have to compete with other groups. In order to win the games so that they have to make a good organization, make a strategy, help each others, and keep the harmony unless they will fall down. They should be sympathetic, emphatic one another instead of being egoistic, and bad temper.
Naturalist intelligence enables human beings to recognize, categorize and draw upon certain features of the environment. It 'combines a description of the core ability with a characterization of the role that many cultures value' (ibid.: 48). In traditional games, children use and get the materials from their surroundings. When they are playing pasaran, children use bananas leaves as the wrapper, certain leaves as oil or money, and other plants. Sometimes, they also use stone as the egg, soil/sand as rice, and so forth. Here, children will learn about their environment whether it is bio and non-bio thing, identify which plants those are dangerous and non-dangerous. They will also learn how to keep the environment so that they can use it again for tomorrow.
            In addition, children also have to face a lot of challenges in their future. It is not as simple as today. They have to be able to think in the divergent ways instead of in the convergent ways. In other words, children have to be creative. Traditional games usually are made by children by using everything around them, plants, stone, branch, leaves, and others. It encourages them to be more creative in creating their own toys since they use their mind and hands. Often, they create their own rules when playing particular games. Of course, by those facts above, it is quite clear that traditional games can encourage children’s creativity, give the chance to explore divergent thinking, and discover new challenges.
Globalization, on the other hand, has brought huge consequences for traditional games’ existence. The fact that traditional games need a large space to move has become the main problem. Nowadays, as we know that we have no longer enough space to run, jump, and other activities in traditional games.  Lots people consider traditional games as the out of date games which are played only by villagers so that the urban are reluctant to play them all. Often, traditional games are also so messy and dirty that worried in affecting children’s health. For instance, children use soil, sand, and also leave as the materials which of course are not sterile from many kind of germ and other bacteria. Besides, it is possible harming children’s psychology since children play outside the house which is far from parents’ control. The other reason, as most of traditional games are played together with friends who come from different background, it is quite possible affecting children’s personality into bad behavior/attitude.
Those negative are not appearing on modern games. As we know that it does not need large area to play, children can play it in their own room. Then, some also believe that modern games can improve our logical intelligence since by playing video games, children are challenged to arrange a strategy in order to solve the problem and win the games. Besides, it helps children to improve their kinesthetic also as they use their hands or legs to move or press the knob/joystick as fast as possible. However, are they the real advantages of modern games? Are they enough to say that modern games are better than traditional one? Of course “No, it is not.”
By those reasons saying that modern games give advantages for children’s development, parents turn to begin facilitating children by many kinds of modern games which can be played inside their house so that the children are still under parents’ control. This consideration also due to some reasons that traditional games have many negative effects that are possible influence children’s health, psychology, characteristics, and behavior, so many parents begin to forbid their children from playing them as well. Concerning to the both parents’ and children’s mindset of games, Dra. Siti Hidayati, Indonesia University sociologist, stated that video games and other modern games harm children in term of social aspects. They have changed the relationship system which affects the orientation of communalistic into individualistic (Sumintarsih, 2008:5). In their period, children should interact and communicate with their peer to play many games. From this interaction, children learn how to socialize with people who have different background and personality. It is quite important as the preparation to the future when they are become a real integral part of society.
In conclusion, it is quite irony that children nowadays prefer spend their leisure time sitting in front of monitor to play online games or play stations rather than play outdoors with their other friends. Then, some parents also forbid their children not to play traditional games since the messiness, bad influence for children characteristics and behavior/attitude, etc. However, those negative things are just the other side of the coin so that it is quite illogical to judge that traditional games are inappropriate to do. Traditional games give a lot of advantages for children’s development. Moreover, they are also the best-simple-easy ways to develop children’s multiple intelligences; to improve children creativity; and to build up children’s personality, emphatic ability and social communication among others. Here, modern games cannot do those kinds of things. Therefore, we cannot deny that traditional games are much better than modern games.


REFERENCES

Budisantoso, S. 1993. Arti Pentingnya Permainan Anak-Anak Dalam Memajukan Kebudayaan Nasional. Makalah Lokakarya “Dolanan Anak-Anak”. Balai Kajian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional. Yogyakarta
Depdikbud. =1982. Permainan Anak-Anak Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Daerah.
Hartanto, FX Rizal. 2010. Permainan Tradisional Engklek. (online), (http://ksupointer.com/2010/permainan-tradisional-engklek, retrieved on May 1st, 2010).
Hidayati, Nia. 2009. Manfaat Bermain bagi Perkembangan Anak. (online), (www.liputankita.com, retrieved on May 1st, 2010).
Hurlock, Elizabeth B. 1980. Psikologi Perkembangan. Jakarta: Erlangga
Hurlock, Elizabeth B. 1980. Child Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company
NN. 2009. Membuat Anak Aktif dan Kreatif, (online), (www.okezone.com, retrieved on April 29th, 2010)
NN. 2010. Multiple Intelligences (Kecerdasan Majemuk), (online), (http://belajarpsikologi.com/multiple-intelligences-atau-kecerdasan-ganda/htm, retrieved on April 29th, 2010)
NN.  Pengaruh Permainan pada Perkembangan Anak. (online), (http://episentrum.com/artikel/pengaruh-permainan-pada-perkembangan-anak/ retrieved on May 1st, 2010)
NN. 2010. Tahukah Anda Bagaimana merangsang dan meningkatkan kreativitas anak?, (online), (http://www.timezone.co.id/cerdas/, retrieved on April 29th, 2010).
Putri, Yuka Fainka. 2009. Perubahan Permainan Tradisional ke Modern, Perubahan Maknanya. (online), (http://padang-today.com/index.php?today=article&j=3&id=409, retrieved on April 29th, 2010)
Sutawi TP.2009. Menumbuhkan Kecerdasan Majemuk Anak. MalangPost, 28 Juni 2009
Qamara,Wahju Mugnisjah Prof. DR. Ir. 2008. Permainan Anak Indonesia, (online), (http://kecubung6.com, retrieved on April 29, 2010).

Rachmawati, Fauziah. 2009. Pemanfaatan Permainan Tradisional dalam Pembelajaran, (online), (http://komunikasi.um.ac.id/?p=1024, retrieved on May 1st, 2010)

Suharsimi Arikunto. 1993. Pelestarian, Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Dolanan Anak-Anak. Makalah Lokakarya “Dolanan Anak-Anak”. Balai Kajian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional.Yogyakarta
Sukirman Dharmamulya. 1993. Transformasi Nilai Budaya Melalui Permainan Anak. Makalah Lokakarya “Dolanan Anak-Anak”. Balai Kajian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional. Yogyakarta
Yoli Yana, ST. 2009. Permainan Tradisional Memfungsikan Motorik Kasar Dan Halus. Paper is delivered to fill the website contents of Balai Pelatihan guru Dinas Pendidikan Jawa Barat.

Unjianto, Bambang. 2007. Permainan Tradisional Kandung Pembelajaran Fisika. Suara Merdeka, 16 Juli 2007

Utama, Arya. 2010. Multiple Intelligences (Kecerdasan Majemuk, (online), (http://ilmupsikologi.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/multiple-intelligences-atau-kecerdasan-ganda/, retrieved on May 1st, 2010)

Yulman, Ricky Reynald. Rahasia Permainan Tradisioanl. (online), (http://www.tribunjabar.co.id/read/artikel/4492/rahasia-permainan-tradisional.htm, retrieved on May 1st, 2010).