Encouraging Class Discipline To 5 To 6 Year Old Pupils At TK Bintang Mulia.

(1)

i

Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Disiplin merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam kehidupan seseorang. Salah satu tempat untuk menerapkan disiplin adalah di

sekolah. Disiplin harus dimulai sejak usia dini. Saya menemukan masalah disiplin ini saat saya melaksanakan praktek magang sebagai asisten wali kelas di kelas TK-B Ladybug di TK Bintang Mulia selama 2 bulan (Januari

– Februari 2013). Ada beberapa murid di kelas Ladybug kurang berdisiplin.

Berdasarkan hasil analisis, ditemukan bahwa penyebab murid-murid kurang berdisiplin adalah karena mereka ingin mendapatkan perhatian khusus dari gurunya, mereka sedang berada di usia dimana

perkembangan fisiknya sedang pesat sehingga tidak mampu duduk tenang saat belajar di kelas, dan mereka sering lupa pada peraturan sekolah. Adanya sebagian murid yang tidak disiplin menyebabkan murid-murid yang lainnya terganggu dan kegiatan proses belajar terhambat.

(2)

iv

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Discipline is something crucial for a person in his or her life. In the book

The Discipline Guide for Children’s Ministry, Capehart, West, and West

say,

The root word for discipline is disciple. Thorndike / Barnhart’s

Advanced Dictionary defines discipline as “training, especially training

of the mind character; a trained condition of order and obedience.” This

obedience does not refer to mindlessly jumping at someone’s

command. Good discipline, like discipling, trains kids to develop

self-control. Training is the key word here – not punishment. When we

disciple children, we correct them in a way that shows them they are

loved. Good discipline is guidance toward right behavior, which is

much more effective than punishment for wrong behavior. (8)

From the quotation above, it can be said that good discipline is very

(7)

2

Maranatha Christian University discipline-training is in a classroom. As Glenn says in his article “The

Importance of Discipline in the Classroom”, “Classroom discipline is

designed to produce well-mannered students with proper personal, social

and ethical abilities. These abilities may eventually give them the

opportunity to make significant contributions to their communities” (par. 2).

Knowing the importance of discipline in the classroom, I am of the opinion

that classroom discipline should be applied in earliest grade possible.

According to Djulaeha, pre-school education is an important part of

coaching the young generation. The pre-school is an early education

experience that affects the quality of the nation in the future. Furthermore,

she says that the age group 0-6 is the golden age as well as the stages of

a child's critical life. It is a good time to put the groundwork for the potential

development of children and education especially concerning discipline

(1).

However, it is not easy to discipline pupils. Thus, teachers have to

know how to handle undiscipline pupils appropriately. According to the

article “Classroom Discipline Problems”, “Classroom discipline problems

are often initiated by one or two students, but have the potential to affect

all of the children's education by disrupting the class so it is important to

handle it promptly” (Slutsky par. 1).

I did my internship at TK Bintang Mulia as a teacher assistant for two

months. I was helping the teachers in Kindergarten Two and also taught

the class several times. When I did my internship, I found some problems

(8)

3

Maranatha Christian University did not obey the classroom rules. For example, when I asked the pupils to

do an activity, some of them did not listen to my instructions. They talked

with their friends or were busy with themselves. As a result, they did not

understand the lessons. Another example is when I was explaining the

material, some of the pupils wanted to give their opinions. However, they

did not use a polite way to express their opinions. They did not raise their

hands first. They just spoke out their opinions without asking for my

permission.

In this term paper, I am interested in analyzing this problem to find

solutions to the problem of the pupils who are not disciplined and do not

obey classroom rules. Based on my internship experience, I think handling

undisciplined pupils is quite difficult. I am going to analyze this problem

critically and systematically to find a solution to make them be more

disciplined and obey the rules. Therefore, I do some research to find the

best solutions for this problem.

B. Identification of the Problem

What I am going to analyze in this term paper is formulated in the

following questions:

1. Why were some of the kindergarten pupils at TK Bintang Mulia not

disciplined?

2. How did this problem influence the teaching and learning process?

(9)

4

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The objectives of the study are to identify the causes of the problem of

some pupils at Ladybug Class at TK Bintang Mulia who are not disciplined

during class activities and do not obey classroom rules, to find out how this

problem influences the teaching and learning process, and to find the best

solution to make the pupils able to be disciplined and obey the classroom

rules.

There are several benefits of the study. First, the institution, especially

the teachers at TK Bintang Mulia, will know how to solve this problem.

Another benefit is for the readers who have the same problem as I face, in

order that they will know the solutions to solve the problem. Moreover, for

me, I can find solutions to encourage class discipline to pupils if I become

a teacher in the future.

D. Description of the Institution

Based on the school bulletin, Shine, January 2013 edition, TK Bintang

Mulia was established in 1997 with the name “TK Bintang Kecil”, located at

Jalan Kopo Permai I Blok A no.0, Bandung. The school area is

approximately 2,431 m2. The school was built by Yayasan Bina Insan Mulia. In July 1997, TK Bintang Kecil started a programme for two-year-old

children. It was called “Pondok Batita”. Besides, it had another programme

for three-year-old children. The lessons in the classes applied a method

(10)

5

Maranatha Christian University such as quiz programmes, field trips, ritmika, music, computer, and indoor

and outdoor activities. In 2000, Yayasan Bina Insan Mulia started the

elementary school with the name “SD Bintang Mulia” at the same location.

In 2004, SD Bintang Mulia moved to a new building at Mekar Wangi

Residence. In 2009, TK Bintang Kecil changed its name to TK Bintang

Mulia.

TK Bintang Mulia has a vision and a mission. The vision is to be a

superior Christian educational institution that promotes faith, integrity and

knowledge. The mission is to provide a Christian based education that is

holistic, integrative and transformative. Moreover, Bintang Mulia has a

motto: “learning for life is fun”. The goal of Bintang Mulia is to educate

children to be healthy, independent, smart and tough children, who have

good character and faith, to evoke a sense of fun to learn actively and

creatively, as well as expect the child to be a Christian leader who glorify

God and be a blessing to many people (“Sejarah Sekolah Bintang Mulia”).

E. Method of the Study

The methods applied for doing the study are library research and field

research. The data for library research were taken from books and articles

on the Internet. Furthermore, the data for field research were taken from

my observation. The observation data were written in my internship

journal. I wrote the journal based on my teaching experience during my

(11)

6

F. Limitation of the Study

In this term paper, the subject matter is focused on the pupils at

Kindergarten Two – Ladybug Class at TK Bintang Mulia. There are twenty

three pupils in the class whose age groups are 5 to 6 years old. The study

focuses on ten pupils who were not disciplined and did not obey the

classroom rules.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

This term paper contains four chapters. Chapter One is the

Introduction, which contains the Background of the Study, Identification of

the Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the

Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization

of the Term Paper. Chapter Two is the problem analysis, which analyzes

the causes of the problem and also the effects of the problem. Chapter

Three is the potential solutions, which describes three solutions, with

positive and negative effects of the solutions. Chapter Four is the

conclusion, in which I will give the best solutions as the concluding result

from the previous chapters.The term paper ends with the bibliography and

(12)

16

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

In this chapter I would like to explain the problem that I had during my

internship at Kindergarten Two – Ladybug Class at TK Bintang Mulia. My

problem is some of the pupils were lacking in class discipline. I found three

causes of the problem. First, the undisciplined pupils wanted to get

individual attention from the teacher. Next, the pupils liked to move around

and could not sit still. The third is the pupils often forgot the rules. The

problem also has two effects, which are the undisciplined pupils disturbed

the other pupils and the pupils’ learning process was disrupted. Based on

my internship experience, I found that handling this kind of pupils is quite

difficult. Therefore, I should find the best way to teach the pupils to be

more disciplined. In order to solve this problem, I have three potential

solutions. The first potential solution is the pupils should be made aware of

the classroom rules and their consequences by repeating all of these

frequently and consistently, both verbally and visually. The second

potential solution is the pupils should be given compliments or rewards if

(13)

17

Maranatha Christian University the pupils should be treated fairly.

In my opinion, the combination of the three potential solutions is the

best solution. The pupils need to be made aware of the classroom rules by

repeating the rules and their consequences frequently and consistently. As

the pupils often forgot the rules, this potential solution will help the pupils

to always remember the rules. Besides, to show appraisal when the pupils

obey the rules, a great teacher should give rewards or compliments. This

can improve their motivation to be disciplined. Then, the pupils should be

treated fairly in order not to make the pupils feel jealous. The teacher

should treat the pupils fairly and give them individual attention in order to

make them feel that each pupil is special and they do not need to

misbehave just to get the teacher’s attention. Thus, the combination of the

three potential solutions will reduce and overcome the three causes of the

problem. The three potential solutions will encourage the pupils to be more

disciplined.

The combination of these three potential solutions are beneficial for the

pupils and the teacher. On one hand, the teacher can encourage the

pupils to follow the rules and be disciplined. On the other hand, the pupils

will be trained to be good pupils and be disciplined people in the future.

One thing that I would like to suggest is that teachers who try to

discipline 5-to-6-year-old children must be consistent. What I mean by

being consistent is that all teachers at school should apply the same rules.

(14)

18

Maranatha Christian University teacher should not let the pupil get away from the consequences. In

addition, the same basic rules have to be applied in all activities and

subjects at the school, for example, while they are learning at class,

reading books at library, playing toys at class, or playing at the

playground. Thus, the pupils will always be disciplined whenever they are

(15)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Capehart, Jody, Gordon West, and Becki West. The Discipline Guide for

Children’s Ministry. Ed. Lois Keffer. Makati City: Church Strengthening

Ministry, 1997.

Djulaeha, Elis Siti. Bimbingan Pengembangan Perilaku Disiplin Anak oleh

Guru di Taman Kanak-Kanak. Bandung: Universitas Pendidikan

Indonesia, 2012.

Gibbs, Ollie E., Ed.D, and Virginia R. Kennedy. Preschool and Kindergarten

Discipline. California City: The Association of Christian Schools

International, 1993.

Jones, Leo. The Student-Centered Classroom. New York: Cambridge

University Press, 2007.

Morgan, Roger. Fairness and Unfairness. Manchester: Ofsted Children’s

(16)

Maranatha Christian University Richmond, Virginia Peck, Jason S. Wrench, and Joan Gorham.

Communication, Affect, & Learning in the Classroom. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Tapestry Press, 2009.

“Sejarah Sekolah Bintang Mulia”. Shine January. 2013: 3.

Electronic Sources

Faughn, Patti. “Being Fair”. 2005. 10 April 2013. <http://web.extension.illinois.

edu/character/PDF/N_Being%20Fair.pdf>.

Frank, Laurie S. ”Fair, Firm, and Consistent”. Gateways to Opportunity. 2011.

10 April 2013. <http://www.goalconsulting.org/page10/files/FAIR%20FIRM

%20CONSISTENT.pdf>.

Glenn, Steve. “The Importance of Discipline in the Classroom”. eHow.com

2013. 20 March 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6385248_importance

-discipline-classroom.html>.

“Haunted Castle Supernanny Superstars Reward Chart”. 2009. 23 April

2013. <http://www.supernanny.co.uk/Reward-Charts/-/5-to-7-year-olds/-

/Haunted-castle-Supernanny-Superstars-Reward-Chart.aspx>.

Hogan, Michelle. “How to Review Classroom Rules”. eHow.com 2013. 21

March 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/how_10013449_review-classroom-

(17)

Maranatha Christian University Lewis, Johnnie W. “Touchy - Feely (Concrete vs. Abstract)”. edarticle.com

2013. 10 April 2013. <http://www.edarticle.com/article.php?id=157>.

Slutsky, Abby. “Classroom Discipline Problems”. eHow.com 2013. 20 March

2013. <http://www.ehow.com/facts_5476296_classroom-discipline-

problems.html>.

“The ABC’s of Kindergarten”. August 2012. 21 March 2013.

<http://www.orange.k12.nc.us/cp/classpages/irby/ABC%20Handbook.pdf>

Wright, Jim. “Kids as Reading Helpers: A Peer Tutor Training Manual”. 2002.

21 March 2013. <http://www.interventioncentral.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/