Kualitas Pendidikan di Finlandia Terbaik di Dunia

Finlandia merupakan negara dengan kualitas pendidikan terbaik di dunia. Untuk mencapai prestasi tersebut bukanlah hal yang mudah. Bahkan, untuk menelurkan seorang tenaga pendidik butuh seleksi yang sangat ketat.

Menurut Senior Adviser Finland Trade Center Gulontam Situmorang, untuk mencapai kualitas tingkat pendidikan terbaik di dunia bukan lah perkara mudah. Dia menyebut, pencapaian yang diraih Finlandia merupakan hasil suatu sistem di mana pendidikan ditanamkan sebagai budaya.

Bahkan, kata Gulontam, untuk mencetak tenaga pendidik perlu seleksi yang ketat. Para mahasiswa yang ingin berkuliah di perguruan tinggi pendidikan Finlandia merupakan saringan dari para lulusan SMA terbaik.

“Dari lulusan terbaik itu, masih diseleksi lagi. Hanya 10 persen dari mereka yang bisa masuk ke dalam perguruan tinggi keguruan,” urai Gulontam kepada Okezone, di Hotel Ritz Carlton, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan, Rabu (21/8/2013).

Meski demikian, lanjutnya, para calon tenaga pendidik harus memenuhi syarat utama, yaitu memeliki jiwa mendidik atau pedagogik. Tanpa itu, pemerintah Finlandia percaya proses pembelajaran tidak akan pernah berhasil.

“Yang pasti, mereka harus memenuhi kriteria utama, yakni pedagogi, yakni jiwa mendidik. Sebab, mereka percaya adanya hubungan antara murid dan tenaga pendidik akan membuat proses pembelajaran berhasil,” tutupnya.

Kalo di Indonesia gimana ya? Ayo Indonesia, kita pasti bisa seperti mereka (Finlandia).. Hehehe..

Courtesy : Okezone

Siswa SMA Cendana Mengikuti Festival Seni di Istanbul

Ilustrasi

itoday- Tim seni SMA Cendana bakal mengikuti festival seni tradisional tingkat internasional tanggal 21-25 Agustus di Istanbul.

Tim ini merupakan satu-satunya tim yang mewakili Indonesia. Keberangkatan tim tersebut dipilih langsung oleh International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF) di Jakarta.

Direktur Yayasan Pendidikan Cendana (YPC), Teguh SP, menjelaskan, CIOFF merupakan organisasi yang diakui PBB di Indonesia untuk mengurus kesenian etnik tradisional.

Berkat kerja keras dan prestasi yang telah ditorehkan para siswa dengan menjadi juara FLS2N tingkat nasional selama enam kali berturut-turut, membuat kesempatan dan peluang untuk tampil ke negara lain terbuka lebar.

Jumlah tim seni yang berangkat sebanyak 25 orang. Siswa sebanyak 20 orang, pelatih 2 orang, officer 1 orang pimpinan rombongan 1 orang tim dari CIOFF Indonesia satu orang. Jumlah dana yang diperlukan juga tidak sedikit, yakni mencapai Rp600 juta.

Pada festival ini, para siswa akan menampilkan enam tarian, yakni, Tari Zapin, Tari Joget, Tari Piring, Tari Rentak Bulian dan Tari Saman.

Jayalah Indonesiaku.

Courtesy : Indonesia Today

Five Reasons to Eat Watermelon

Ear-deep in watermelon, a boy eats a juicy slice at a festival.

Photograph by James P. Blair, National Geographic

Big, sloppy slices of watermelon served at a picnic table are the quintessential summer snack—sweet enough to be dessert but, as several recent studies remind us, good for our health as well. (And only 84 calories per wedge!)

1. It soothes sore muscles.

According to a new study in the Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, drinking watermelon juice before a hard workout helped reduce athletes’ heart rate and next-day muscle soreness. That’s because watermelon is rich in an amino acid called L-citrulline, which the body converts to L-arginine, an essential amino acid that helps relax blood vessels and improve circulation.

The study’s seven participants, all men, were given 17 ounces (500 mL) of either natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched with additional citrulline, or a placebo drink an hour before their workouts. Interestingly, the natural juice was just as effective as the enriched juice. The researchers also determined that intestinal cells can absorb more citrulline from watermelon juice than from citrulline supplements, especially when the juice is unpasteurized.

2. It helps heart health.

Postmenopausal women experienced improved cardiovascular health after six weeks of taking commercially available watermelon extract supplements containing citrulline and arginine, according to a study published earlier this year by Florida State University physiologist Arturo Figueroa.

And in a 2012 study—also led by Figueroa—such supplements helped alleviate high blood pressure in obese, middle-aged adults. (Not surprisingly, he’s received two grants from the Watermelon Promotion Board.)

3. It could be a natural Viagra.

Improved circulation can benefit more than just the heart, as at least one watermelon researcher has pointed out. But you’d probably have to eat an awful lot to achieve the desired effect–and eating too much could cause unfortunate side effects, since watermelon has long had a reputation as a natural diuretic.

4. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, but low in calories.

Given its name, you might assume the fruit has little nutritional value—and it is more than 90 percent water. But a 10-ounce (300-mL) wedge of watermelon packs in about one-third of the recommended daily value of vitamins A and C, as well as a modest amount of potassium (9 percent of the daily value).

(Watch: Cranberry Harvest)

5. It could even combat cancer.

Watermelon is among the best dietary sources of lycopene, an antioxidant linked to both the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, although scientists are still investigating the details of that connection.

Courtesy : National Geographic