Merdeka Belajar in an Online Learning during The Covid-19 Outbreak: Concept and Implementation

Nadiem Makarim, the Minister of Education and Culture, released "Merdeka Belajar" (Freedom to Learn) as his revolutionary program by the end of 2019. It aims to make significant changes in the world of education. The current study aims to demonstrate the understanding of primary school teachers’ understanding of the concept and implementation of Merdeka Belajar during Covid-19. Data were obtained through surveys via Google-Forms and in-depth interviews via WhatsApp with twenty primary school teachers at private and public schools around DKI Jakarta, Bogor, and Banten. In contrast, secondary data is obtained from previous research and online news directly related to this study. They were analyzed through restatement, description, and interpretation stages. The investigation resulted that the teachers having conceptually understood the program of Merdeka Belajar well. They agreed and accepted the program to reform and improve the education quality and the changes of times. The problem lies in the practical implementation due to the limited number of teacher movers in every school unit as creators, innovators, and role models for the other teachers. Besides, the lack of supporting infrastructure for online learning and the teachers’ mastery of technology also hinder the program’s success. Finally, this study recommended the need to socialize with the community, hold more teacher training, increase the number and distribution of teacher movers, and improve teachers’ skills in using information and communication technology in the learning process. © 2021

Identifying the difficulties in learning floor gymnastics in distance education: A case study of public and private elementary schools

Covid-19 has affected the learning process in primary education, especially Physical Education, Health, and Sports (PEHS). Before the pandemic, students did sports and physical activity with teacher guidance and supervision. The pandemic constrains both students and teachers conducted distance learning as the most effective solution. Therefore, the PEHS teacher faced a challenge in delivering the material and achieving learning outcomes. Besides delivering material, the PEHS teacher should ensure that the students comprehended the theory, did the assignment, succeeded in practice without direct teacher supervision. This research aimed to study the comparative of floor gymnastic implementation for the 5th-grade students at the 11th Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri (MIN) West Jakarta and Labschool Elementary School Cibubur Indonesia during distance learning. That way, researchers will identify the learning difficulties that occur in the two schools. From the technique of delivering different materials, the learning difficulties experienced by students are various. This study conducted mixed-method research that combined quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative data was collected through multiple choice questionnaires for students, which measured the learning difficulties. Moreover, qualitative data was gathered from principals’ and PEHS teachers’ interviews. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis by comparing internal and external factors. The internal factor consists of physical, psychological, and fatigue (stamina) aspects. Meanwhile, the external factors consist of home (parent support), school (teacher), and the environment. The results showed that MIN struggled with students’ psychological, family, school, and environmental aspects because of a lack of facilities. Meanwhile, Labschool only faced students overweight as the physical aspect problem. Therefore, this research recommended that besides providing appropriate and creative learning, teachers, students, and parents should collaborate to achieve the maximum learning outcome. © 2021, Editura Universitatii din Pitesti. All rights reserved.