A. Introduction
People’s assumptions about special education are growing day by day in a more positive direction. Based on the rights of children to get a proper education. Special Programs for ABK (Children with Special Needs) are adapted to the characteristics of each handicap. For mentally retarded students, special programs that are suitable for them lead to self-development activities. Previously, it was necessary to identify and assess the basic abilities of students before they were developed. The results of the assessment will have an effect in setting the minimum standard of ability for the basis of the assessment to be achieved. As a target for meeting the daily needs or self-development of mentally retarded students.
It is important to formulate a self-development program for mentally retarded students. In order to fulfill the standards of independence and social responsibility in accordance with their abilities and the environment in which they are located, for the implementation of self-development for mentally retarded students, the teacher must first identify the student’s abilities and formulate indicators as a reference in making lesson plans, implementing and assessing them. Things that have been programmed and planned for implementation may be hampered. As it is today, an unexpected pandemic has changed everything with the arrival of the covid 19 virus.
B. Self-Development Learning Strategies Through Online
In this pandemic situation, the teaching and learning process is encouraged to be carried out in their respective homes. To break the chain of the corona virus so it doesn’t run rampant. It’s not a teacher if you run out of ideas, there are many ways that can be taken so that students can still get useful knowledge. So far, the learning strategy takes place face-to-face, although by any method and method, it is still face-to-face. During this pandemic, like it or not, good practice in learning has to hang the blackboard in the cloud. PBM is carried out through cyberspace. Utilizing the internet so that they are connected to each other through a glass screen on a cellphone or computer screen.
Whatever the material, the teacher must be able to use technology. The Learning Implementation Plan needs to be shifted to distance learning. The goal is to optimize PBM, so that students do not miss lessons. Especially for mentally retarded students who easily forget if lessons are no longer repeated, then everything will be lost.
Learning activities need to be held in an interesting manner, according to interests, creative and close to the daily life of children. The self-development learning strategy using the demonstration method that hangs the blackboard in the cloud, is pursued by preparing videos and using whatsapp, as a tool for communication and evaluation. This learning is carried out on the Basic Competence of preparing drinks. The material for making hot lemon tea was chosen because this drink is good for health.
C. Students’ Opinions with the Online Learning Process
For mentally retarded students, they do not always express opinions verbally, sometimes they show their likes and dislikes through attitude. If he likes it without being asked he will do what his teacher suggests. In the lesson of making hot lemon tea drinks, the teacher sends assignments and instructions for working on assignments via whatsapp. And send messages to parents what must be provided, and what tasks students will do. After that, the learning video is uploaded to youtube. Then the link is sent to the student’s whatsapp to be listened to.
Parents were asked how the students responded after receiving the video. After being monitored by parents, students prefer lessons given via video rather than through photographed sheets of paper. Students work on random questions or ask their parents to do the work. Through videos, children can repeat lessons by opening the video many times.
D. Reflection on the Online Learning Process
Reflection in principle is to give an assessment of student learning outcomes. Assessment can be done in writing or orally. The teacher asks students to answer questions and sends them via photos to whatsapp. For this assessment the teacher must look at the photos that are sent one by one. It is not as easy as checking the answers on a piece of paper. Of the six students, two were able to make hot lemon tea and did the questions well. Two people prefer to watch videos over and over again and one person doesn’t have an internet package, and the other person doesn’t have a cellphone
The teacher also found students’ creativity, he replaced lemon with lime so that the practice of learning to make hot drinks continued. They are passionate about making drinks because they can be drunk when breaking the fast.
E. Contemplation
Through short videos that are only 2 minutes long, they can deliver lessons to students at home. Indirectly, students use cellphones more for learning and not only for playing games. For the next lesson, we will try to increase the duration of the video. The teacher also wants all students to be able to follow the lesson through their cellphones, maybe their parents’ cellphones or their siblings’ cellphones. Teachers also want to make video calls so they can communicate in both directions. For students who do not have communication tools, the method used is for the teacher to make simple teaching materials, then leave them in a shop near the student’s house.
F. Conclusion
The video of making hot lemon tea drinks trains students to be willing to carry out tasks independently. Children are certainly happy to do the tasks that are sent to them. Because the drinks he makes can be served to break the fast. Of course parents are happy, maybe they are busy looking for lemons and invite their children to make tea. So it is hoped that students’ creativity will emerge and eliminate the boredom of studying at home.
Learning materials if presented in the right way and associated with cultural and religious values will be attractive to students. This is an authentic lesson, so that it can strengthen a diverse cultural order. This can raise the self-confidence of a mentally retarded child, when serving a glass of hot lemon tea made to himself and his family at the time of breaking the fast.
Good practice learning self-improvement by hanging a whiteboard in the cloud via cyberspace. This video not only reaches six students who are usually faced in class, but learning can touch all mentally retarded students everywhere.