PERANAN KEYAKINAN GURU TERHADAP HAKIKAT DAN BELAJAR MENGAJAR SAINS DALAM PENGEMBANGAN PROFESIONALISME

This article is a study aiming at developing a professionalismenhancing
system that can bridge the gap between the curriculum
that prepares teachers and the teaching they practice at schools. An
understanding of the system of teachers' beliefs will assist in
enhancing the effectiveness of the teaching of science and represents
a significant indicator of teachers' behavior in the classroom. In
relation to science, teachers believe that it is manmade so that it is
imperfect and must be continuously developed. They also realize
that science is part of daily life. In teaching science, emphasis should
be on exploratory learning with little instruction but with a provision
of structured materials. Teachers' beliefs have important roles in
instructional reformation. Beliefs could be constructed through
active participation and collaborative partnership so that belief and
knowledge transformation can occur. Transformational and
continuous professional development is needed to align teachers'
beliefs with reformation recommendations. Successful reform in
science teaching and true implementation by the teachers as intended
will need some kind of enabling condition. The PPGS (short for
Penugasan Pendidikan Guru ke Sekolah or School Assigned
Teacher Education) program is a system to accommodate the
transformational professional development of science teachers and
expected to be an agent of change in science teaching. Every reform
or innovation in science teaching could be validated by being put
into practice in PPGS forums first.