IMPROVING THE 2013 CURRICULUM FOR CHEMISTRY LEARNING

BY: Muhammad dzafa fathurrohman

CHEMISTRY EDUCATION STUDENT 

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHER TRAINING

 UIN SUNAN KALIJAGA

    To answer the challenges of this era of globalisation, the government implements policies, especially policies in the field of education. Education is a basic need of the nation's life that must be fulfilled. The goal of national education is to advance the life of the nation and to develop the whole human being. Up to now, the educational problem faced by the Indonesian nation has been the low quality of education at all levels and education units. This has contributed greatly to the improvement of Indonesian education, especially the development of the curriculum currently applied by schools in Indonesia.  The National Education System Law Number 20 of 2003 outlines that education is a conscious and planned effort to create a learning atmosphere and learning process so that learners actively develop their potential to have religious spiritual strength, self-control, personality, intelligence, noble character, and the skills needed by themselves, society, the nation and the state. The realisation of education in the teaching-learning process is practically determined by the Curriculum. Indonesia has undergone several curriculum changes. According to Hadjar in, the curriculum functions as one of the tools for achieving the goals to be reached by a particular educational institution or school. Chemistry is a branch of the natural sciences (IPA) that has a role equal to that of the other branches of the natural sciences. The subject of chemistry is one of the compulsory subjects for students in the natural sciences (IPA, Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam) stream at the SMA or MA equivalent level. Chemistry in SMA/MA equivalent schools in particular receives its own attention from educators in the field of chemistry, where factual scientific concepts integrated with information technology are the main focus of the curriculum in developing chemistry learning.

    School is the path to obtaining an education for every child, which is the key to the future of the whole Indonesian nation. The 1945 Constitution, Article 31 paragraph 1, p. 15, which reads: “Every citizen has the right to receive an education” means that, in order to realise national development in the field of education for schools, a curriculum is needed as a reference in education. Education must be the top priority in developing human resources. Therefore the government always strives to improve the quality of education in Indonesia by carrying out reforms to the existing curriculum. In the world of education, the curriculum is not a foreign word. Education or learning cannot be separated from this term, because the curriculum is one of the components of learning. With a curriculum, the teaching and learning process will run in a structured and systematic way in order to achieve the desired learning objectives. 

    The importance of the curriculum's function is as a tool for achieving the goals of national education. The curriculum is a programme that must be carried out by teachers and students in the teaching-learning process, in order to achieve national education; the curriculum is a guideline for teachers and students so that the teaching-learning process is carried out well in order to achieve the goals of education. 

    As policymakers (stakeholders) develop the curriculum, it is hoped that the goals of education will be achieved, so the curriculum becomes an educational programme that is planned and carried out in order to achieve the goals of education. The curriculum is expected to produce student competencies before students take part in society, enter the world of work, and are able to be useful when entering the community, the family, and becoming good citizens. In achieving these goals, teachers and their students are expected to be able to carry out the learning process in schools using the 2013 Curriculum as a reference.

    The curriculum is the main focus of educational development in Indonesia because the curriculum is a fundamental thing needed to change the education system. In Indonesia, the term curriculum is said to have been popular since the 1950s and was preferred by those educated in the United States. It is very unlikely to develop a curriculum that is good and stable over time. A curriculum can only be good for a particular society at a particular time.

    At the beginning of the 2013 school year, the government introduced the 2013 curriculum for trial in several schools accredited A and B, i.e. in elementary schools (SD), junior high schools (SMP) and senior high schools (SMA/SMK/MA). The 2013 Curriculum is an education system designed with several characteristics that distinguish it from the previous curriculum, one of which is competence stated in the form of core competencies that are refined in specific knowledge, i.e. The 2013 Curriculum requires schools and teachers to have the ability and willingness to implement the 2013 curriculum in accordance with the targets set by the government.

    The implementation of the 2013 curriculum focuses on students' active involvement through a scientific process, with the aim that learning does not only create students who have knowledge competence, but is also able to create a generation that is better in attitude and skills. The learning process in the 2013 curriculum for all levels is carried out using a scientific approach. The steps of the scientific approach in the learning process include gathering information through observation, asking questions, experimenting, then processing data or information, presenting data, followed by analysing, reasoning, then concluding and creating.

    The implementation of the 2013 Curriculum includes improving the planning, implementation and evaluation of learning in accordance with Government Regulation No. Process Standards article 2013 65, which states that the learning process is carried out in learning units in an interactive, inspiring, enjoyable and challenging way, which encourages active participation of students and sufficient space for initiative, creativity, and independence, offering the skills, interests, and development of their physical and psychological students.

    The biggest problem that greatly complicates the implementation of the 2013 curriculum is the teachers' willingness, which is the key to the success of curriculum implementation. This is in line with the statement by Abdul Malik Fajar that however good a curriculum is designed, it is useless if teachers are unwilling to implement it. Therefore, all teachers must understand the 2013 curriculum, because the 2013 curriculum greatly affects students' learning at school, especially chemistry, which is very difficult for students to understand. Therefore, understanding is needed so that students can explain the statement in more detail or give a detailed description of it. This understanding includes understanding how chemistry courses are designed and assessed.

    The weaknesses and obstacles of curriculum implementation stem from differences in perception of the components of implementation and the inability to transform the curriculum into learning. In this case, when the 2013 curriculum is applied in secondary schools, a deep understanding of the 2013 curriculum is needed. Therefore, the 2013 Curriculum Mentoring Programme for Teachers and Secondary School Leaders aims to improve students' understanding of the concept of the 2013 curriculum and its changes in the region, as well as to help overcome the various obstacles faced in implementing the curriculum in schools.

    This implementation cannot be separated from the achievements of the 2013 curriculum carried out by the Majalengka Regency Education Office. Understanding Looking at the 2013 curriculum, teacher preparation is clearly a necessity  in organising learning and helping students overcome obstacles. The understanding meant is an understanding that covers two things, theory and practice.