Strengthening Teacher Competency Through Hots-Oriented In-Depth Learning Teaching Module Development Training For Elementary School Teachers In Parepare City

Abstract

This community service activity was motivated by the gap between the demands of the Independent Curriculum, which emphasizes in-depth learning and the development of Higher Order Thinking Skills, and the practical readiness of elementary school teachers in Parepare City, particularly in developing teaching modules that go beyond routine exercises and lower-order thinking questions. This program aims to improve teachers' understanding of the concepts of in-depth learning and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), train teachers in developing teaching module components aligned with the Independent Curriculum, and produce teaching modules ready for pilot testing as examples of good practice in partner schools. The program was implemented over three months in four partner elementary schools, involving twenty teachers through a participatory action research approach that included a needs survey, training based on adult education principles, classroom implementation assistance, and evaluation through observation, interviews, module document assessment, and pre- and post-training tests. The results showed significant improvements in three main aspects: understanding of the concepts of in-depth learning and HOTS, skills in developing teaching module components, and the quality of the teaching modules, which shifted from fair to good to excellent. It was concluded that this program effectively strengthened the professional competencies of elementary school teachers and produced teaching modules relevant to the Independent Curriculum. Recommendations include ongoing reinforcement through teacher learning communities, mentoring through to the classroom reflection stage, development of a teaching module bank, expansion of the program to more schools, and further research on the impact of the modules on students' learning outcomes and HOTS.