The Use of Javanese Traditional Games as Learning Media of Writing Javanese Script in The Elementary School

Abstract

According to the results of the field observations, many elementary school students in Central Java still had difficulty in reading and writing Javanese script. It was caused by teachers’ tendency to use the teacher-centered approach in teaching. This approach led the students into being passive. They also felt bored during the learning process. Besides, the use of a teacher-centered approach created one-way learning which was unable to trigger students’ critical thinking. Based on the finding explained above, some efforts to stimulate Javanese script learning at the elementary level need to be made. One of which is by improving the learning method. The learning method has to be fun and meaningful. Fun learning or so-called joyful learning in this study was conducted by involving traditional Javanese game activities in the learning process. Traditional games which can be used as a learning medium for Javanese script is ABC 5 Dasar game. The use of ABC 5 Dasar game in learning to write Javanese script has many benefit such as (1) being used as a medium for memorizing Javanese characters in a fun way, (2) reducing student anxiety in learning, (3) making learning more meaningful, (4) motivating students not to be afraid of being wrong in writing Javanese script, (5) fostering a sense of solidarity and cooperation, and (6) creating impressive learning which is memorable for the students.