By: Siti Nurrochmah Dani
10313244004
International Class of Mathematics Education
Mathematics is one of many subjects that must be learned by students in the world. Principle reason is mathematics as important and basic to be learned. There are many ways can be applied to teach mathematics in school. But we as teacher should be develop the method of teaching learning process in mathematics subject. Psychology of students is also being priority in teaching learning process. So, a mathematics class becomes comfortable and not bored.
In primary and secondary school, mathematics was given in concrete concept because students still thinking concrete. They can not think abstract and formally. Teacher can use characteristic of mathematics as addition, subtraction, multiplication and other to look understanding of students in mathematics concept. For example the students were given a problem. There are three figure consist of 8 squares, 9 squares, and 10 squares. How many squares in all of figure?
There are many methods for simple problem like problem above. (1)The students take one square of 10 square then adding to 8 squares, then 9+9+9= 27 or 9+9+9=3x9=27. (2)Students can add all directly 8+9+10=17+10=27. By the process, there are many ways to solve problem, students can develop and think by them self to solve the problem. It will better to improve creativity students and understanding material by them self.
In Indonesia, developing mathematics education was starting, but there are many walls to be better mathematics education in Indonesia. One of all problems is traditional method that still applied in school. It is not good for development education in Indonesia. Students are just an object teaching mathematics, because teacher is a center. Knowledge is transferred from teacher to students. So it creates not only passive students but also not critic students. Students don’t understand what the purpose of learning mathematics.
Now, role of teacher in Indonesia is promoting the new paradigm in teaching learning process especially in mathematics. New paradigm also called constructivist teaching shows that teacher as facilitator. So education can not transform from teacher to students, but education is empowering of students. Teacher is aware that every student has the unique ability. So they are different. And teacher should teach each student with difference way. The student-centered learning approach allows students to work together in small groups and answer a posed question. In this paradigm, students are seeds, where they can grow and bear fruits. So students will be active. This paradigm is marked by group discussion and lesson study. There is creativity of students to think and solve mathematics problem. There is communication one student to each other to say the opinion about the problem. So intelligent of students more develop. Students are created to be good person in character because he/she strives for creative, active and confidence. In addition students know what the purpose of leaning mathematics.
International perspectives
How about mathematics learning in other country? In Japan, mathematics teaching use Japanese Teaching Principle, ‘Learning by/for Themselves’, where it described by teachers and educators who wrote the teachers guidebook for teaching. Japanese schools also have several departments run by teachers and each school has a study department which plans the lesson study topic for whole school level and a training program, and manages lesson study project through the year.
In Vietnam, All mathematics teachers in the school agreed that lesson study provides them a good opportunity to see teaching and learning in the classroom scenarios. Teachers develop innovative teaching practices to help students learning. Innovative teaching and learning mathematics must be implemented. It must improve meaningful mathematical thinking of students.
Actually, mathematics education in Indonesia was also developing contextual and realistic approach besides innovative learning. Contextual and realistic approaches are recommended to be developed by the teachers to encourage mathematical thinking in primary schools. With these approaches, mathematics learning will be understood by students step-by-step learn and more enthusiastically. To make their teaching learning of primary mathematics more effective, teachers also need to develop resources such as information technology, teaching aids and other media.
Realistic approach is an approach in mathematics, where a context problem is taken as the starting point of learning mathematics from real phenomena. The students organize the problem and try to identify the mathematical aspects of the problem. Then students develop mathematical concepts.
The learning process starts from contextual problems. Then describe the problem as mathematics language to be algorithm. By implementing activities such as solving, comparing and discussing, the students get the mathematical solution. Then, the students interpret the solution.
In addition the mathematics lessons that will be designed in Realistic Approach should represents the characteristics of how the students do matematisation. The ways to represent it are 1) introduction, 2) creation develop symbol model, 3) reason and explanation, 4) closing and application. In four ways above in each way student always make reflection. Reflection will be present how far participation of students and how far they understand the material.
Teaching learning scheme
In teaching learning mathematics, teacher should prepare ways to teach mathematics beside develops the material with realistic approach. There are 10 teaching learning scheme that will help the teacher prepare the mathematics class. They are 1) lesson plan, 2) apperception, 3) small group discussion, 4) various method, 5) various interaction, 6) various media, 7) student’s reflection, 8) scheme of achieving competence, 9) student’s conclusion, and 10) student worksheet.
1) Lesson Plan
During the lesson study planning phase, the teacher first identified the problems found in the classroom. It will be accompanied by the solution taken are related to the teaching material, schedule, students’ characteristic, class condition, teaching method, teaching media, experiment kits, and evaluation toward the teaching process and result (Sukirman.2006). teaching plan include prepare the material, method and worksheet that will be given to students, .
2) Apperception
3) Small Group Discussion
Group discussion is one way to make students find the problem solving by them self. They think the problem then speak in the small group to find final solution. It will make creative thinking of students and feel confidence. But as teacher, we must know that each student has unique characteristic and different achievement. The small group discussion will be better if they discuss with other students that have different achievement. The number of group discussion is also being consideration; don’t make group discussion in large group. Large group will be not effective and efficient.
4) Various Method
Method is way to teach a lesson. In this case, mathematics is the lesson. There are many methods to teach mathematics. For example: 1) Expository method, where teacher always speak in front of class, and student just hear it. 2) Investigation method, where students find and understanding mathematics through their experiment or experience. 3) Discussion method like explanation before. 4) Problem solving and problem posing method etc. There are many other methods that can use by teacher, but teacher must paid attention in psychology of student when he/she teach mathematics. With various methods, the lesson will be interesting and students also enthusiastic.
5) Various Interaction
Interaction is important in a teaching learning process. From the interaction student will understand the material. Without interaction, teaching learning mathematics is impossible. Here, kind of interactions are interaction between student with other students, students with teacher, and students with environment. With various interactions, student will be not boring.
6) Various Media
Media is tool that use in teaching learning process. It purpose to easier student understanding mathematics. Media can be selected and use technologies as tools for learning and solve problem. It can develop visualization skills to assist in the processing of information, making connections and solving problems.
7) Student’s Reflection
Reflection is an important part in teaching learning mathematics. It can measure comprehension of students about material. In each section of teaching, student should make reflection of the lesson. Then teacher will straighten the reflection if needed. So students can understand by them self.
8) Scheme of Achieving Competence
Each process in teaching learning mathematics, student get new knowledge about mathematics. But, the quality of students get knowledge each person is different. Teacher can make the scheme achieving competence to done the target of teaching learning mathematics.
9) Student’s Conclusion
In each part of learning process students make refection then in the end of learning process the reflections to uncover by student, so we get conclusion.
10) Student Worksheet
Student worksheet is a method to measure student achievement and comprehension. Student worksheet can be created and developed by mathematics teacher. The teacher as person that knows capability and competency of the students can create student worksheet appropriate with it.
Furthermore, we will talk about mathematical thinking and the nature of student learning mathematics. There are three mathematical thinking according to Katagiri. They are I. Mathematical Attitudes, II. Mathematical Thinking Related to Mathematical Methods, III. Mathematical Thinking Related to Mathematical Contents.
There are four items on the nature of student learn math, so student learn math effectively.
1. Student has good motivation and good preparation.
2. Student can learn math in collaboration with others.
3. Student can learn math individually.
4. Student learn math contextually.
All of the teaching learning mathematics must be based on student, students as center, student developing mathematics by them self, student’s psychology also be priority to teach mathematics.
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