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Another theory comes from the father of progressivism era, John Dewey. As quoted by Kohonen, Jaatinen, Kaikkonen, and Lehtovaara 2001: 24, Dewey
explains that learning can be supported by concrete environment. It appears that the students are able to construct their own knowledge by testing ideas based on their
prior knowledge and experience, applying the ideas to new situations, and integrating the new knowledge. Hence, the students become active participants in problem
solving and critical thinking regarding constructing knowledge through the activities in learning which are relevant to their prior knowledge.
Those theories above become the basis for developing the CTL method. CTL provides the situation or problems as if in the real world covered in issues taken from
society that serve students’ learning experience by developing their critical thinking to solve the problem.
b. Meaning of Contextual Teaching and Learning
Contextual Teaching and Learning is a learning approach that integrates academic content with situations or issues that are meaningful to the students. As
Johnson says, as quoted by Nurhadi et.al, that Contextual Teaching and Learning is a conception of teaching and learning
that helps the teacher relates subject matter content to real world situations and motivates the students to make connections between knowledge and its
application to their lives as family members, citizens, and workers and engage in the hard work that learning requires. 2004:12
Apparently, CTL helps the students to construct the knowledge and own
understanding in mind by engaging with their previous experiences and leads the students to learn by experiencing the learning in created situations like in real life.
Those created situations are covered in several issues taken from society. In the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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learning process, the students are to develop their own critical thinking and creativity to solve the problems found in society. During the involvement in that experience,
the students will understand the meaning and the importance of that learning by understanding how to use their knowledge in real life which is associated with their
roles and responsibilities as family members, citizens, students, and workers.
c. Strategies of Contextual Teaching and Learning
According to Centre of Occupational Research and Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as cited by Nurhadi et.al 2004: 23, CTL should
be structured by five essential forms of learning strategy. Firstly, learning must relate those everyday situations to new information to be absorbed or a problem to be
solved. Secondly, learning stresses on experiencing through exploration, discovery, and invention. Thirdly, learning takes place when the knowledge is presented in a
useful context. Fourthly, learning occurs in the context of sharing, responding, and communicating with other learners. Fifthly, learning occurs when the students try to
develop their own knowledge by connecting existing and new knowledge. In this language instruction using CTL model, the students are required to fulfill these five
essential forms of learning to gain meaningful learning in class and make them as self-regulated learners. In order to design the effective CTL materials, those five
essential forms of learning will be taken into consideration.
d. Approaches for Implementing Contextual Teaching and Learning
To implement CTL in teaching and learning activities in classroom, some approaches are developed. The teacher can develop or adapt the approaches in
