Student Caricatures: A Teaching Tool For Character Development

Abstract

Early childhood education is an important part of the 4.0 industrial era, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is essential to ensure that knowledge is disseminated rapidly. To keep up with scientific advances and integrate local wisdom and Islamic values into teaching materials, developing visual communication skills through the use of design software is an effective solution. This study has employed the development research method and data collection techniques such as observation, questionnaires, and focus group discussions, as well as training, to develop a visual communication model for early childhood character development. The results of the study suggest that using Inkscape software can help early childhood teachers to create independent teaching materials effectively. The tracing image method used in the visual communication model for teachers to create illustrated stories is simple to understand and uses the Inkscape application for drawing. This model can enable early childhood teachers to gain the skills required to better integrate Islamic values and local wisdom into their teaching materials and to create visual materials suited to the 4.0 industrial era.