Contextual Teaching and Learning

So far, the learning is still dominated by the view that knowledge as facts to be
memorized. Learning is not only focused on providing provisioning capabilities theoretical
knowledge, but also how to be a learning experience that owned it is always associated with
the actual problems that occur in their environment. Elaine B Johnson said contextual
learning is a system that stimulates the brain to compose patterns that embody meaning. More
Elaine said that contextual learning is a learning system that matches the brain that produces
a rich meaning by linking academic content to the context of the daily life of students. So
contextual learning is an attempt to make students active in pumping ability without losing
ourselves in terms of benefits, because the students are trying to learn and applying concepts
and relate them to the real world. According to Johnson (2002) in Rusman (2010: 189)
Contextual teaching and learning enables student to connect the content of academic subject
with the immediate context of their daily lives to discover meaning. It enlarges their personal
context furthermore, by providing students with fresh exprience that stimulate the brain to
make new connection and consecuently, to discover new meaning (Rusman 2010:
187).Meanwhile, Howey R, Kenneth (2001) defines CTL as follows. Contextual teaching is
teaching that enables learning in wich student employ their academic understanding and
abilities in a variety of in-and out of school context to solve simulated or real world
problems, both alone and with others.
According to Nurhadi (2002) in Rusman (2010: 189) Contextual learning is a concept
that can help teachers learn to associate the content to be studied by real-world situations
students and encourage students to make connections between the knowledge possessed by
the application in their lives as members of the family and society. Therefore, through
contextual learning, teaching is not the transformation of knowledge from teacher to student
to memorize a number of concepts that seemed detached from real life, but more emphasis on
efforts to facilitate the students to find the ability to be able to live (life skiil) on what learned.
Thus the core of the CTL approach is the linkage of any content or subject of learning to real
life. To relate it could be done in various ways, but because it is the material being studied is
directly related to factual conditions, can also be circumvented by granting illustration or
example, learning resources, media and so forth, that are either directly or indirectly pursued
related or have a relationship with real-life experience (Rusman 2010: 188)

CTL, as a model, in implementation of course require a learning plan that reflects the
concepts and principles of CTL. There are seven principles of contextual learning that must
be developed by teachers, namely:
1. Constructivism
Constructivism is the foundation of thinking (philosophy) in the CTL, namely that
knowledge is built by the human little by little the results of which extended through a
limited context.Therefore, the CTL, strategies for teaching students connect between each
concept to reality is an element that takes precedence over the emphasis on how much
knowledge should be remembered by the students.
2.

Inquiry
Inquiry, is the core activity of CTL, through efforts to find will provide confirmation
that the knowledge and skills and other abilities needed is not the result of a given set of
facts, but is the result find themselves.In terms of emotional satisfaction, something the
results find their own satisfaction score is higher than that of the provision. Where the
results of learning are the result and creativity of the students themselves, will be more

durable remembered by students when compared with entirely a gift from the teacher.
3. Questioning
The knowledge that one has always started from questioning. Therefore, questioning
an important component of CTL. Implementation of elements of questioning in the CTL
should be facilitated by a teacher, a student habit to questioning or ability of teachers to
use good questions will lead to increased quality and productivity of learning.
4. Learning Community
The meaning of learning community _ is to familiarize the student _ to cooperate and
utilize learning resources from friends learning. As suggested in the learning community,
learning that the results obtained from the cooperation with others through a variety of
experiences (sharing). Through this sharing of children accustomed to giving and
receiving, properties of positive dependence in the learning community developed
5. Modeling
The development of science and technology, the complexity of the problems of life
faced and the _ growing student demand and diverse, has an impact on the ability of
teachers who have the a complete ability _, and it is difficult to filled. Therefore, it is now
the teacher is no longer the only source of learning for students, because with all the
advantages and limitations that a teacher will be underfunded to provide services
according to the needs and desires of students who are quite heterogeneous.

6. Reflection
Reflection is a way of thinking about what had happened or had just learned. In other
words, the reflection is to think backwards about anything that has been done in the past
put forward any new students learned a new knowledge structure that an enrichment or
revision of previous knowledge. At the time of reflection, students are given the
opportunity to digesting, consider, compare, appreciate, and a discussion with himself
(learning to be).
7.

Authentic assessment
The last stage of contextual learning is assessed. Assessment as an integral part of the
learning function that very decisive to get the information of quality of process and the
result of learning through the implementation of CTL. Teachers carefully will know the
progress, setbacks and difficulties of students in learning, and with that, the teacher will
have the ease to make efforts to improve and perfect the process of tutoring in the next
step.
In contextual learning, the learning program is a plan for classroom activities

designed by the teacher, in the form scenario step by step on what will be done with the
students during the learning process. The program should be reflected in the implementation
of the seven components of CTL clearly, so that each teacher has a complete preparation of
the plan will be implemented in guiding the teaching and learning activities in the classroom
(Rusman, 2010: 198).