Muhammadiyah University of Purworejo (UMPWR) – The Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education and Educational Sciences (FKIP) and Lecturer in the Javanese Language and Literature Education Program, Dr. Herlina Setyowati, M.Pd., served as a speaker in the FTBI 2025 Material Dissemination event for elementary school teachers across Purworejo Regency. The event was held on Friday, August 8, 2025, in Meeting Room A of the Purworejo Regency Education and Culture Office to prepare for the implementation of the 2025 FTBI, which will take place from October 14 to 16, 2025.
During the session, Dr. Herlina Setyowati, M.Pd., presented material on the topic of “Nulis Cerkak” (short stories in Javanese). She emphasized the importance of mastering the skill of writing short stories as a creative way to preserve the Javanese language and culture amid the tide of globalization. Dr. Herlina emphasized to the participants that a novice writer can follow the ATM pattern (observe, imitate, modify) in their work. Thus, the more reading material one consumes, the easier it becomes to generate story ideas.
The participants, consisting of 17 public and private elementary school teachers, gained insight into techniques for developing story ideas, choosing the right vocabulary, structuring the plot, and tips for creating interesting and easy-to-understand short stories for students. Participants were invited to experience reading a short story and then retelling the story they had read. The aim was to gain ideas and increase their vocabulary.
Next, Dr. Herlina applied hypnowriting techniques to guide participants into the world of imagination. An imagination guide text had been prepared by the speaker. Participants followed instructions by closing their eyes and imagining the story being read. Afterward, participants designed a short story based on prepared images. The writing process took approximately three hours, from drafting to editing and revising by rewriting on lined folio paper. These elementary school teachers will later implement the dissemination at their respective schools after participating in the dissemination.
Based on this activity, 17 participants admitted that they did not yet have a writing routine. However, the participants' work in this dissemination task was quite good. What needs to be improved is the development of story ideas. One participant, Eka Dwi Rahmawati, said that in writing cerkak, one must make a plan, draft, edit, and revise. "Writing cerkak with image stimuli requires detail in the storytelling. Describe the activities and the circumstances in detail," she said.
This activity is expected to encourage teachers to become facilitators and inspirers for students in writing Javanese literary works. In this way, the younger generation will continue to have pride and proficiency in their mother tongue. (Akb/KP)
