Yogyakarta, 2024 – The Directorate of Research and Community Service of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta conducted a workshop on strengthening culturally based literacy and numeracy resilience for elementary school teachers in Yogyakarta City through Community Service funding under the Community Partnership Empowerment scheme, led by Prof. Dr. Siti Irene Astuti Dwiningrum, M.Si. The workshop was held on July 27, 2024, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the Moh Amien Building, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, and was attended by elementary school teachers who are members of the Elementary School Teacher Working Group (KKG) of Yogyakarta City. The workshop was also attended by the Head of Elementary School Development Division, a Junior Policy Analyst, and a Curriculum Manager from the Yogyakarta City Office of Education, Youth, and Sports.

The activity began with an introduction by the project leader, followed by an official opening by the Junior Policy Analyst from the Yogyakarta City Office of Education, Youth, and Sports. This was followed by a presentation on resilience delivered by Prof. Dr. Siti Irene Astuti Dwiningrum, M.Si. In her presentation, Prof. Siti Irene Astuti Dwiningrum emphasized that resilience is an essential quality that teachers should possess when delivering instructional materials in schools. Strengthening resilience is expected to address literacy and numeracy challenges among elementary school students and to help students become better prepared to face various learning challenges. Learning innovation that incorporates culture as a source of instruction can be used to strengthen literacy and numeracy resilience.

The “River of Life” is a method used to explore individual strengths and weaknesses through experiential learning and significance learning approaches. The purpose of the River of Life method is to enable individuals to overcome their weaknesses and develop their potential to become more resilient.

Indonesia’s cultural diversity serves as a key asset for teachers, motivating them to design mathematics instruction that enhances students’ literacy and numeracy resilience. The workshop is expected to increase teachers’ awareness of using cultural approaches to strengthen literacy and numeracy resilience, enabling more creative and effective classroom instruction.