Literacy Learning Model Based on Surabaya’s Local Identities in Community-Based Libraries of Surabaya (Model Pembelajaran Literasi Berbasis Identitas Lokal di Komunitas Taman Baca Masyarakat (TBM) Surabaya)

This study investigates the ways bottom-up learning, specifically discovery and project-based learning, in strengthening local wisdom and identities among the youths in Surabaya. The local identities of Surabaya are generally associated with being egalitarian, urban, and multicultural. Despite the strong association of Surabaya with the bravery of Surabaya youths in the 1945 war against the Allied troops ( semangat arek Suroboyo ), young people of Surabaya nowadays do not internalize the spirit strongly. Our preliminary observation suggests the fact, and this can be seen from their writings before joining the writing class that we conducted. In coordination with the Public Library of Surabaya (Municipal Library and Archive of Surabaya) and community-based libraries in Surabaya, this experimental research was conducted to gain insights on the extent to which discovery and project-based learning can stimulate junior high school students to be more aware of their locally rooted identities. The study shows that the application of the student-centered learning methods can contribute significantly to the internalization and representation of Surabaya identities reflected in the students’ writings.


INTRODUCTION
Surabaya has been known widely as the city of heroes. This refers to the city's historical association with the heroic actions of the youths in the 10 November 1945 battle against the Allied forces. During the bloody battle, thousands of casualties occurred (Frederick 2012;Cribb 2008). The heroism and bravery of Arek-arek Suroboyo (youths of Surabaya) were amplified by the death of the allies' commander, General Mallaby, in the hands of the young militias, who were not well-equipped with sophisticated arms (Silas et al. 2018). The imbalanced armed forces between the two parties can be one of the factors which triggered the local youths to ignite the fighting spirit against the enemy. Several slogans and expressions were popularized before, during, and after the war. These include merdeka atau mati (freedom or death), and sekali merdeka tetap merdeka (once free forever free).
The youths of Surabaya are widely known as Arek Suroboyo. According to Yulitin Sungkowati (2019), the word arek was initially derived from the old Javanese language ari-ika which means younger brother or child. This old Javanese word was then shortened and popularized into arek. The values and norms that have formed the Surabaya identities we know today have been known as the cultures of Arek (budaya Arek). This suggests that the cultures and norms of Surabaya have been associated with youth spirit, namely, bravery to take risks, openness, expressiveness, and being energetic (Abdillah 2007). Not surprisingly, Arek Suroboyo has been closely associated with their open expression, frequently accompanied with Surabaya swear words, such as jancuk, jancik, jangkrik, and diamput (Sholihatin 2013).
Unfortunately, the heroism of Surabaya youths which suggests bravery, willingness to take risks, and being outspoken, is not internalized well by the Pemuda nowadays. This, at least, can be seen from the creative texts written by several junior high school students in Surabaya. These students, who joined the writing class workshop held jointly by the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga, and the Municipal Library of Surabaya, did not show any awareness of this heroic spirit. When asked to write about their impression of Surabaya, these students tended to write about tangible icons of Surabaya.
The writing class workshops in which the students participated were part of the literacy education to support the creation of Surabaya as a "Literacy City." Former mayor Tri Risma Harini signed the official declaration of Surabaya as a Literacy City on 2 May 2014. The creation of 1,428 reading services followed the declaration, 395 of them were located at the meeting halls of neighbourhood community associations (Rukun Tetangga/Rukun Warga). Despite the considerable number of reading services and the significant number of staff, the average growth of the development index of Surabaya was still low, less than one digit. The initial observation in the field showed that the participation level of the city residents in literacy learning programs held by the city government was relatively low. Out of the 60 allocated quotas for high school students, only 29 students expressed interest in joining the writing workshops of the literacy program in 2018. A year later, in 2019, there was a significant increase in the participation number. The number of participants in the year increased almost four times compared to the previous year (115 participants).
The action research conducted before this article was driven by several reasons related to the quality of supporting facilities of community libraries in Surabaya. These factors cover issues associated with the imbalanced distribution of quality staff in the libraries, the absence of the libraries' measurable goals, and the lack of tutors who have a pedagogical background.
The unequal proportion of quality tutors in community libraries in Surabaya resulted in the lack of specific programs to stimulate residents of the surrounding areas to participate actively in the literacy programs. This is unfortunate as some community libraries have a quite comprehensive book collection. The topics of the books in these libraries were diverse, such as fiction, biography, and cookery. As the staff in these libraries did not have enough capability to make the best use of the provided books, some libraries with comprehensive book collections did not contribute significantly to improving literacy levels in the communities.
Concerning the absence of a clear and measurable vision, some supporting staff in the libraries confirmed that most of the libraries did not determine the vision and shared goals understood collectively by the administrators. This resulted in the lack of well-planned and sustainable trainings designed to improve the capacity and capability of the libraries' volunteers and tutors.
One of the main activities of the libraries was conducting writing classes targeted at improving the literacy skills of high school students. However, our observation of these writing classes indicates a number of areas that needed to be improved. These included the presence of less interactive classes and too general topics discussed in the classes. They rarely discussed topics or issues related to Surabaya as a vibrant and dynamic city and those associated with the local identities of Surabaya. This explained why the number of class participants decreased as time went by. The phenomena were coupled with the fact that the instructors or tutors were creative writers who were not equipped with adequate pedagogical backgrounds. This resulted in their inability to transfer their knowledge and skills well.
A number of studies on literacy among youths in Surabaya tend to be too narrow in focus, and examine literacy level in relation to the skills of identifying the contents of texts. They rarely discuss literacy activities as productive and reflective activities, stimulating youths to be reflective and critical of socio-cultural environments surrounding them. Studies by Qory Qurratun A'yuni (2015) and Rafi Ramadhan (2013) may illustrate these findings.
Qory Qurratun A'yuni (2015) conducted research investigating the use of digital information technology among the millennial generation in Surabaya. This study measured digital literacy level using several variables, namely internet information search, hypertext link, content evaluation, and knowledge building. Based on quantitative data consisting of some high school students in Surabaya and university students, the study concluded that the level of digital literacy among youths was high. However, the results of the investigation need to be critically assessed as the notion of literacy in the research was solely centred on recognizing information content in digital platforms. This platform only forms a small portion of the whole literacy education. In addition, the study did not consider the creative aspect as an active and productive part of literacy. This does not accord with the notion affirming the creative part as an inseparable element of literacy education. As explained previously, this creative ability has to be based on the individual's understanding of the surrounding socio-cultural contexts. The last critical assessment of the research is the absence of impacts on digital literacy education in Surabaya, as it tends to be limited to providing quantitative data reports.
Another study related to literacy and community-based libraries was conducted by Rafi Ramadhan (2013). The research, which was entitled "The Analysis of Community Empowerment Activities in Improving Reading Interest in Komunitas Insan Baca" has attempted to take into account the creative aspect of literacy education and the involvement of the community in literacy education. The study's findings contribute to the idea of what model of community-based libraries can be developed so that it can potentially improve the literacy level of the community. However, the scope of the research needs to be expanded so that it covers a broader range of community libraries in Surabaya.
Among those limited studies, there are very few ones which attempt to examine communitybased libraries as organic entities that are responsive to the communities' needs. One of them is a study conducted by Nur Wulan (2016). Wulan studied and identified what form of community library that can optimize community and bottom-up involvement to improve the community's wellbeing. The model identified in the study was the form of community library that integrated the community service programs in Universitas Airlangga and the empowerment of the community's economy through revenue-generating activities.
The current study is an attempt to expand the findings of the previous studies discussed above. In order to involve bigger number of community libraries in Surabaya, our study was conducted in partnership with the Municipal Library of Surabaya and Surabaya Municipal Archive Unit. As most of the users of community libraries were school-aged students, we designed a model of literacy learning for students of junior high schools in Surabaya. The main subjects discussed in the literacy program were Surabaya's urban local wisdom and identities. We then recommended this model be applied in all community-based libraries in Surabaya. As an attempt to maximize the internalization of the subjects, we decided creative writings as the primary outcomes of the program, as well as the research. At the end of the program, we assessed to what extent the model can contribute to the increasing awareness of the student participants in incorporating their Surabaya identities and values in their creative writings.

METHOD
This research was conducted through an experiment involving several student-centred teaching methods, such as discovery learning and project-based learning strategies, in writing workshops conducted by the research team. Before conducting the workshop, the team coordinated with Surabaya Municipal Library to invite junior high school students from various social classes, religious and ethnic backgrounds to join the workshop. After the students had been registered in the workshop, the writing class was started, and Universitas Airlangga provided the tutors. All of the writing classes were held from April 2019 to September 2019. The locations of the workshop were at Universitas Airlangga campus and Surabaya Municipal Library. In order to make the students more aware of their Surabaya identity, the topics of the writing classes revolved around the idea of Surabaya identity (Kesurabayaan). The writing activities were designed using steps and strategies based on discovery learning and project-based learning strategies.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The writing and literacy workshop, or later abbreviated into KLM (Kegiatan Literasi Menulis), applied a student-centred approach as a learning model. Student-centred is one of the most advanced approaches to increase students' involvement and motivation (Williamson 2008). The student-centred learning model emphasizes the development of critical thinking in dealing with phenomena. Students were encouraged to participate in discussions actively and explain the findings through their works. Thus, the instructor provides learning material as a stimulus to explore extensively but remains on a path following the objectives and learning indicators. As the central theme, Kesurabayaan was embedded in learning resources, such as videos, pictures, and literary works. Besides, the theme was also integrated into the discovery learning and project-based learning strategies.
Discovery and project-based learning methods were chosen in this study as they place students as the active actors in learning. Discovery learning strategies emphasize the concept of independent learning to find information related to the material given to the students (Sharma 2005). Preceding the analysis of the issues, the instructors directed the students to criticize, observe, and explain the stimulus contents provided. Afterward, the students concluded their findings following the project-based learning strategies.
Project-based learning strategies enable students to explore, interpret, and synthesize new knowledge based on their actual experiences (Bender 2012). The findings processed in the discovery learning were presented in the tangible form of works such as poetry, short stories, and speeches. It encourages students to be involved in authentic experiences in reporting and processing the themes related to Kesurabayaan. In implementing discovery learning and projectbased learning strategies, the researchers provided three main themes related to Surabaya's locality. These topics were Surabaya nostalgia, Surabaya today, and Surabaya in the future.
The application of the student-centred learning model, which is based on the Surabaya locality, requires learning instruments such as syllabus and lesson plans equipped with assessment objectives so that students' knowledge of the Surabaya locality can be implemented in their works.
Determining competency standards is the first thing to do to create a learning syllabus. The competency standards used in the learning model revolve around the locality of Surabaya. This allows the students to express their pride in Surabaya in written and spoken expressions using the Indonesian language correctly and adequately according to PUEBI (general guidelines for Indonesian spelling). Table 1 describes the two competencies and their indicators in more detail. The keywords in the indicators were written in action verbs in the Taxonomy Bloom, which later will dictate the types of questions asked to stimulate critical thinking, especially at the one at the higher-order thinking skill (Nguyễn and Nguyễn 2017). The learning objectives, indicators, and strategies were determined to make learning tools more effective and in-line with the students' targeted achievements afterward as shows in Table 2. Summarizing the social functions of the indigenous elements of Surabaya City, which are used in writing short stories, poetry, straight news, and speeches. Classifying the structure of the text commonly used in short stories, poetry, straight news, and speeches.
Restating the language elements used in writing short stories, poetry, straight news, and speeches. Identifying the pronunciation method, the tone in pronunciation, and the way of writing based on PUEBI 2.
Compiling short stories, speeches, poetry, and fairy tales involving indigenous elements in Surabaya; and discussing them contextually in terms of their social functions, text structures, and linguistic elements.
Writing short stories, poetry, straight news, and speeches by incorporating indigenous elements in Surabaya using the standards of structure texts, language elements, and social functions. Reading folktales by using appropriate and accurate pronunciation, intonation, and gestures in telling folktales.

Project-Based Learning
Using discovery learning strategies, game activities were added to the learning activities to enhance collaboration among students. In this learning process, students are required to be taking active roles. The experiences in obtaining information about Surabaya and how it is manifested in the texts' linguistic elements are expected to enhance the students' ability in writing. The examples of the learning activity can be found in Table 3. Students are required to contribute to each other's projects determined through the learning objectives. Table 4 is an example of a form of learning activity that uses a project-based learning strategy, in which students are asked to give feedback to their friends' poems on the theme of the nostalgia of Surabaya. Each student fills in criticism and suggestions related to the poems' elements in this activity. Marks are given to students' works following the assessment criteria. The assessment criteria aim to make the writings more focused and measurable. The students' writings, such as short stories, poems, and speech, are assessed based on five criteria covering coherence, accuracy, grammar, themes, and punctuation. Each criterion will be elaborated into several descriptions for a more detailed assessment afterward. The range of marks for coherence, accuracy, and grammar is from 0 to 25, themes from 0 to 15, and punctuation from 0 to 10. The coherence criterion is assessed from the ways sentences are being coherent to produce a complete story. The accuracy is assessed from the ways words were selected to create a meaningful story under one unifying theme.
The actualization of the learning model into teaching instruments such as syllabus and lesson plans help instructors plan a learning process that is more efficient and effective. It was expected that the responses and works of the students would be more focused on learning objectives and the Kesurabayaan theme.

Community Libraries as Sites to Improve Literacy
Literacy is a crucial factor determining the quality of an individual and the human resources of a nation. More than just writing and reading, literacy in this context refers to the ability to identify, interpret, and create. Richard Kern (2000) defined literacy as the use of socially and historically, and culturally situated practices of creating and interpreting meaning through texts. It entails a tacit awareness of the relationships between textual conventions and their context of use and, ideally, the ability to reflect critically on those relationships.
Kern's definition suggests that literacy learning entails multidisciplinary activities covering various fields, ranging from history and culture to society-related disciplines. This means that reading and writing as examples of literacy activities have to incorporate the skills to situate them in socio-cultural contexts in which the writers or readers live.
In addition, literacy can also be interpreted as a creative activity which enables an individual to create something out of his or her interpretation of the surrounding situation. Stressing literacy as a social practice, Street (2013) stated that literacy practices are contingent on political and ideological contexts. Consequently, the manifestation of literary practices varied contextually. This means that literacy programs must consider the shared values within the society in which the programs are conducted. Based on this notion, critical assessment on whether the government's current literacy programs meet society's needs is timely. Therefore, the literacy practices demand a solid political task. Street (2013) argued that this requires the policymakers and the public discourses on literacy to take more excellent account of people's present skills and perceptions; to reject the dominant belief in unit-directional progress towards western models of language use and literacy; and focus upon the ideological and context-specific character of different literacies.
This principle needs to be highlighted as literacy education activities in Surabaya tend to stress on how to make students comprehend, not to create something out of the comprehension of their cultural background. As a city that is increasingly becoming more modernized and multicultural, Surabaya has a broad range of potentials to be explored in creative literacy-related activities. There are a big number of kampung (urban neighbourhood residential areas) names which have historical connotation, such as Maserati, Keraton, Simolawang, Pulo Wonokromo, Sumur Welt, Kedung Doro, as well as legendary fictitious characters, such as Sawunggaling, Sarip Tambak Oso, and Suster Gepeng, which are interesting sources to be explored in creative writings. Those characters have appeared chiefly in the oral literature of Surabaya. If they are disseminated more actively in creative writings and colour the representation of Surabaya, they will signify the vibrant dynamics of the city, which still retain its local flavour while transforming to a megapolitan city.

Local Wisdom and Identities of Surabaya
In its formative stage in 2018, the number of KLM participants was twenty-nine. In the following year, in 2019, it was attended by 115 participants from several junior high schools in Surabaya. The diversity of the schools was entirely various, covering areas in the western, eastern, central, northern, and southern parts of the city. The ethnic and religious background of the participants was also varied, reflecting the multicultural characteristics of Surabaya. The participants' writings have been compiled in a book, and it can show to some extent a preliminary picture of Surabaya high school students' literacy level. It can be said that the book is an initial product of our attempts to educate students regarding urban Surabaya's historical and cultural identities. There are 78 writings, consisting of 36 poems, 22 short stories, and 20 speeches. The underlying theme of the compilation is anything related to Surabaya identities and characteristics, which we refer to as Kesurabayaan.
KLM in 2019 was run based on the idea that literacy learning intended for high school students had to focus primarily on the students' knowledge about their surrounding environment, namely family, neighbourhoods, school, and city. The 2019 KLM then decided on "city" as the theme because it, consciously or not, shaped the characteristics and worldviews of the students. The city of Surabaya has had a long history much older than the students. The city is not just a geographical entity but also a cultural, economic, religious, and political entity. The relationship between the city and the students as its residents is reciprocal. Besides being shaped by the city, young people also contribute actively in the dynamics and development of Surabaya, now and in the future.
The notion of Kesurabayaan refers to a set of values, practices, and other conditions of Surabaya as the socio-cultural contexts of the participants in learning and doing their daily activities. The values mean certain consciousness which has been nurtured and shaped through socio-cultural conditions of the city where an individual lives. Therefore, they are dynamic and contingent on changing situations and challenges. This consciousness will determine the participants' preferences for the forms of art they consume, the taste that guides them to determine which ones are suitable to be consumed or used, and which ones are not, their ability to understand and comprehend an event, their imagination, and many other things. In other words, this consciousness is not given. Instead, it is gained through a never-ending process and habituation. In this stage, literacy learning is pivotal as it is closely connected to constructing an individual's consciousness which later will determine the decisions he/she choose.
The literacy learning model that was developed during the study can hopefully fulfil the criteria. The following part of the article discusses the ways the learning model improves the students' understanding and consciousness about their Surabaya identity.

Implemented
During the application of the project-based and discovery learning models, three main topics were determined as the themes of the writings. The first theme was the Nostalgia of Surabaya, which encouraged students to learn about Surabaya's history. The second was Surabaya today, which triggered students to explore what was happening in Surabaya. The third one was Surabaya in 2045, about which the students had to describe their vision of Surabaya in the future.
The early stages of the writing classes showed that the students did not have adequate knowledge about Surabaya's iconic places, such as the Hero Monument, Surabaya Zoo, and Jagir Water Gate. This can be observed when the instructor displayed the historical photos of Surabaya's iconic places and asked the students to describe them. Although the students could provide basic information about the places, most of them did not know the places, such as their history, current conditions, and their significance in the city. This can be found, for example, in the following poem entitled "Di Kebun Binatang Surabaya" ("At the Surabaya Zoo") by Najwa Aulia Putri Ditia. Kebun Binatang Surabaya Kau menjadi ikon di Surabaya Terdapat patung Sura dan Buaya Yang penuh dengan sejarah (Surabaya Zoo You have become Surabaya's Icon There are Sura and Baya Statues Full of history) It can be seen from the above excerpt that the writer has known and applied the essential and formal skills of poetry writing, such as rhymes. However, the expressions used in the poem still show the writer's lack of knowledge about the object described.
In another example written after joining the KLM, Gregorius Yansen's work entitled "Nostalgia Surabaya" is impressive because the writer can create a mesmerizing atmosphere without presenting a concrete place Surabaya in the poem.
Kenangan itu, satu per satu menguak rindu Sepeda yang dulu menemani perjalanan kita, telah menjadi besi tua Sudah tak mampu membopong kita menemui kota (Those memories, piece by piece, reveal the longing The bicycle that used to accompany our journey has become rusted iron No longer able to carry us to meet the city) The stimulus given by the tutors to write about the nostalgia of Surabaya had successfully motivated the students to write poems using genuine and sincere expressions about the city nostalgia. Unlike the poetry class, which focused on describing and expressing the nostalgic feeling of Surabaya, the short story writing class was more flexible in terms of the choice of the topics. The instructor only asked the students to write about the current situation, feelings, or trends in the class. The students' writings show that they had pretty adequate literary horizons, reading preferences, and susceptibilities.
The short stories display the students' awareness typical of early adolescents born in the Gen-Z era. There are stories about a friend's hobbies who love K-Pop, student council activities, friendship, family, fable, and other adolescents' activities. One short story that has captivated the tutors is Natalia Putri Verdiana's short story entitled "Sepucuk Surat Impian" ("A Dream Letter"): ""Yu, ingat kita itu hanya Inlander yang derajatnya tidak sama dengan mereka para Londo dan kamu itu juga seorang perempuan. Kamu hanya perlu mengurus urusan dapur saja!" Seru bapak kepadaku." (""Yu, remember we are only Inlanders who are not at the same level as those Dutch, besides, you are a woman. You only need to take care of kitchen stuff!" Father yelled to me"). The short story shows the historical insights of the author and the issue of the stigma of women who are positioned in the domestic sector. The writing techniques taught by the instructors may stimulate the students' imagination to write stories set in the colonial era.
Writing a speech script was a challenge for the students because they were required to imagine Surabaya in the future. The students must predict the future by making the best use of their prior knowledge of Surabaya, along with its historical events. Some techniques, such as comparing Surabaya with other cities in developed countries, had successfully triggered their critical thinking, as shown in the speech script written by Sayekti Putri entitled "Impian untuk Surabaya" ("Dreams for Surabaya"), "Saya rasa teman-teman di sini seharusnya sudah tahu dan memiliki pola pikir yang bagus tentang bagaimana kita memperlakukan fasilitas dari pemerintah, terlebih yang baru dibuat, tapi, bagaimana dengan beberapa warga Surabaya yang terkadang masih "masa bodo" dan Bahasa Jawanya itu... "mboh-mbohan" soal perkembangan dan kemajuan kotanya." ("I think my fellows here should have already known and had good attitudes about how we treat government facilities, especially those that have just been built, however, what about some Surabaya residents who sometimes are still "ignorant" or in the Javanese language... "Mbah-mbohan" about the development and progress of the city".) The entire speech text is focused on describing the latest conditions, issues, comparisons with other cities abroad, and persuasive statements to improve Surabaya. Other speech scripts also show children's vision of Surabaya as a clean, green, and educated city. The students' speech scripts which show an exciting vision of Surabaya in the future, give us hope that the nation's future can be seen from what the young generation is doing today.

CONCLUSION
The student-centred learning strategies have proven to be effective in increasing the participation level of students in writing classes, as well as boosting the students' awareness of their Surabaya identities. The learning model can increase the participation rate from 29 participants in 2018 to 115 participants in 2019. The study also proved that the use of various learning media, such as historical photos and videos about Surabaya, can stimulate students' ideas and imagination in their writings. Writing classes using the learning strategies applied in the study need to be proliferated in the future. They are strategic ways to create young generations of Surabaya who are more culturally conscious and aware of their local identities. These young people will be the bright future of Surabaya, as they are locally rooted but globally oriented.