Teaching Plan

Merdeka Curriculum

From what I understand, the Kurikulum Merdeka is the national curriculum of Indonesia. It is a learner-centered curriculum which mainly employs project-based learning (PBL) and differentiated learning approaches to carefully address the individual needs of learners. It emphasizes the Pancasila Student Profile, which outlines the competencies and qualities that an Indonesian student should possess as they progress through their studies. These include faith and piety to God Almighty, noble character, creativity, critical reasoning, independence, mutual collaboration, and global diversity and competitiveness. In this curriculum, teachers are encouraged to become facilitators of learning rather than the sole source of knowledge, promoting more active participation among learners.

Schools have the option on how they are going to implement the curriculum depending on their status and readiness.

Autonomous Learning (Mandiri Belajar) – In this option, schools still use the structure of the previous curriculum (2013 curriculum) while gradually applying selected principles and teaching approaches of the Merdeka Curriculum in learning and assessment.
Autonomous Changing (Mandiri Berubah) – In this option, schools already implement the structure and principles of the Merdeka Curriculum while utilizing standardized teaching resources, lesson exemplars, assessment tools, and learning materials provided by the government platform, Merdeka Mengajar.
Autonomous Sharing (Mandiri Berbagi) – In this option, schools independently develop and innovate their own teaching materials and learning resources while also sharing their best practices with other educational institutions implementing the curriculum.

Right now, based on my observation, MAN 1 Kendari is implementing Autonomous Changing because teachers follow and utilize standardized materials such as lesson exemplars, tools, and resources from the Kurikulum Merdeka government platform.

Lesson Plan

Since Kurikulum Merdeka was relatively new to me, I tailored my lesson plan to the prescribed procedures and teaching approaches of the curriculum while integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning in writing the lesson objectives, which is commonly used in the K–12 and MATATAG curriculum lesson plan format in the Philippines. I did this because I believe that it would comprehensively address competence, character, and skills—which are all reflective of the Pancasila Student Profile. In this way, I was able to deliver a purposeful and targeted lesson grounded in both Indonesian and Philippine curricular principles.

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Comparative Overview of the Merdeka and MATATAG Curricula

GOAL

The Merdeka Curriculum aims to recover learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by transforming traditional teaching approaches and delivering quality instruction anchored in the principles of student-centeredness, flexibility, and freedom. The MATATAG Curriculum, on the other hand, aims to decongest the previous K–12 curriculum by focusing on foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy, along with learners’ moral and character development. Its main goal is to reduce the overloaded competencies expected to be achieved by learners within a limited amount of time and shift the focus toward essential skills necessary for higher-level learning.

SIMILARITIES

The similarity between the two curricula lies in the student-centeredness of their teaching approaches and their shared goal of providing quality education to shape learners into globally competitive individuals. Both curricula place greater emphasis on active and experiential learning rather than rote memorization. In terms of teacher and student roles, teachers act as facilitators of learning while students become active participants in the learning process rather than passive receivers of knowledge. In addition, both curricula were developed and reformed to address long-standing issues within their respective nations, indicating that the governments of both countries view learners as catalysts of change.

DIFFERENCES

The major difference between the two curricula lies in the philosophical foundations of their instructional approaches. The Merdeka Curriculum is based on the principle of freedom or existentialism, which is reflected in the flexibility of teaching approaches, the sufficient time given to learners to achieve competencies, and the development of independence among learners through various pedagogical approaches. The MATATAG Curriculum, on the other hand, is rooted in essentialism, which is evidently shown in its primary goal of focusing on foundational skills. It places greater emphasis on structure, essential skills, and sustainability.

MY LEARNINGS AND REFLECTION

Curriculum plays a significant role in shaping students into better learners. It outlines the goals and competencies to be achieved, which provide learners with purpose and direction. It also suggests appropriate teaching approaches and provides essential resources that guide and support teachers in facilitating learning effectively. More importantly, curriculum directs the entire educational community and creates opportunities for meaningful collaboration among stakeholders.

Students become better learners when the curriculum is designed to provide both learners and teachers with the necessary resources for successful learning and when it deeply understands the diverse contexts of learners. For example, some students may struggle to keep up with academically advanced classmates, making it difficult for them to achieve the expected competencies within a limited timeframe. As a result, learners may advance to the next level without fully mastering the necessary skills and concepts. However, if the curriculum allows sufficient time, flexibility, and support for learners to achieve competencies according to their readiness and learning pace, students are more likely to develop genuine understanding and meaningful learning experiences.

I would not say that I prefer one curriculum over the other because I consider myself adaptable to different educational approaches. Both curricula possess significant strengths and weaknesses. What matters most is what I can do as a teacher to capitalize on their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.