BOOK REVIEW "SEKOLAHNYA MANUSIA"

TITLE               : SEKOLAHNYA MANUSIA
AUTHOR         : MUNIF CHATIB
PUBLISHER    : KAIFA
EDITION         : 7th
YEAR               : 2010
PAGE               : xxiv + 188

“Sekolahnya Manusia” (Human’s School) is the title of this book, because of after researched, many schools in this country are “robot’s school”, begin from the learning process, school’s success target, until the assessment system. The author is Munif Chatib, someone who intensely implement school-based Multiple Intelligences, that is school which appreciate the different types of students’ intelligence.

This book consists of five chapters. In Chapter I, the author tells the special moments, the moments of a teacher found a method that can transform the learning difficulties of students with the result is they are easy to understand lessons. Obviously, this process is successful after trying many ways. The process of finding the right learning method called discovering ability.

In Chapter II explained the theory of Multiple Intelligences which developed by Howard Gardner. Some of the things that emphasized by the authors of this chapter is the Gardner’s courage did redefinition of intelligence. Initially, people have relied that intelligence is determined by a formal test, but according to Gardner intelligence cannot be assessed and limited to formal tests. Another point highlighted by the authors is when MI (Multiple Intelligences) implemented at the school, came many obstacles and varied interpretations of this school.

In Chapter III, the author describes the indicators of excellent school, the school with the best process and not the best input. Generally, people think that excellent school is a school that approve new students with formal tests which very tight to screen students. However, in the application of MI, not using a formal test, but used MIR (Multiple Intelligences Research). MIR is limited only to know the students' intelligence, not an entrance test screening of new students.

In Chapter IV contains an explanation of the learning strategy with MI. The thing to understand is, MI is not a lesson, and it is not a curriculum. MI is a learning strategy that contains learning activities with a variety of models and activities. The author also explains how to design strategies in a lesson plan.

In Chapter V discussed about the process of assessment and reporting. Assessment is determined by the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective.

Reading this book is like encouraging us to look toward to our school and begin to consider bids in the book. Because in the book the excellent school concept which is generally understood have been refuted by offering things out of the ordinary public.

At least there are three attractive offers in this book to be adopted and developed as a form of innovation for our school. The offers are an excellent school’s concept, MIR as a test for new students, and placement of students in classes based on the tendency of students' learning styles.

The first bid is excellent school’s concept. Munif Chatif offers excellent school is school which not based on the best input it will be the best output, but the best process it will be the best output.

The second bid is MIR as a test for new students. The test results to determine a child is accepted or not accepted as a student at a school. The test results are information  for school to placement the students in the classroom. Information can also be used by teachers to provide the best service so that the learning experience is according to student’s learning styles.

The last bid is students are divided into classes according to their learning style. The consequence of that is the number of students in each class is not the same but depending MIR test and the result of new students’ interview.

This book is a must read for everyone who involve in education, include the parents. This book is beautifully enlightening us that no child is stupid, they just have different learning styles than in generally. The book is a new inspiring in learning approach that treats students as human beings with different potential and uniqueness of each to be developed maximally.