by:
Ika Kusumawati (09301241020)
Mathematics Education 2009
A. INTRODUCTION
A result says that education level of Indonesia is still low, so we have to make a change. Developing education in Indonesia can be started from School, for example Junior High School or Senior High School. The role of teachers and all parties is important. Teacher should develop their class become a meaningful learning class, so teacher can improve the use of various media, various method, learning source, etc. Students can be enthusiastic because of that, then they have spirit to enjoying learning process in the class and the effect is can increase students’ achievement.
Managing learning process of mathematics in the class can started from teacher. There are the efforts to managing class. Teacher have to understanding and develop them, that are: lesson plan, students’ woks sheet, small group discussion, various Interaction, various teaching methods, students’ reflection/presentation, cognitive scheme, students’ conclusion, apperception, assessment, and various medias/ various teaching aids. If teachers can explore, continue, and develop the point above, then students’ achievement can be achieved. From this paper I try to explain them one by one.
B. MANAGING TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS OF MATHEMATICS
Managing teaching learning process of mathematics is important, because managing can make systematically learning. There are the components of managing teaching learning process:
1. Lesson Plan
Lesson plan is a plan that is made by teacher before the class beginning. In Indonesia lesson plan is called RPP. Lesson Plan is consist of standard competency, basic competency, time allocation, indicator, learning goal, learning method, learning media, and source. Lesson plane is approved by headmaster. Lesson plan is used as a benchmark to make a systematically learning. Lesson plan in Junior High School and Senior High School is arranged per subject, but in Elementary School, especially in grade 1, 2, and 3 use thematic lesson plan.
The steps to make a lesson plane
a. make lesson plan identity
b. understanding standard competency and basic competency
c. determine indicator
d. make a plan to implementation it, choose materials
e. determine learning goal
f. determine learning materials
g. determine learning method
h. arrange the steps to develop students’ activity
i. determine reference and source
j. Determine the evaluation system (assessment)
As we know, there is not anything perfect in this world, including this lesson plane. There are any obstacles and weakness to implementation lesson plane, but lesson plan has many benefits. The obstacles to implement lesson plane are:
a. need extra time
b. need more teacher’s skill
c. Almost teacher feel any troublesome to make it
Whereas the advantages of Lesson Plane are:
a. make a systematically learning
b. learning becomes more regular, etc
2. Students’ Work Sheet
To develop meaningful learning, we also can use students’ work sheet to support the learning process. Students’ work sheet is one of the efforts to improve students’ competency by themselves. Students’ work sheet is a media to facilitate students to improve their understanding or find some formulas. Students’ work sheet can help students construct their mind by self so the knowledge can last longer on their mind. Students’ work sheet can be a problem, example, exercise, or other material that can improve students’ thinking ability.
Students’ can be active with students’ work sheet, because students’ work sheet consist of problem which make student try to solve it and get a solution then make a conclusion about that. Students’ work sheet can apply in group or individual. Teachers have to develop students’ work sheet according the students’ ability. A good students’ work sheet is consist of hints or clues which can make students apply their knowledge and find a conclusion in the end. With students’ work sheet, students will more easily to understand the material that being taught. Teachers can guide students to identify and solve the students’ work sheet.
How to develop students’ work sheet?
a. Teachers must understanding students’ competency
b. Difficulty level of students’ work sheet is appropriated with students’ ability, basic competency, and the material that being studied.
c. Teachers prepare to make a students’ work sheet
d. Teachers distribute it to all student (in the group or individual)
e. Give a chance for student to solve the problem
f. discus together in the class
As a media to develop students’ knowledge, students’ work sheet has some obstacles, that are:
a. teacher need extra time to develop it
b. need teachers’ skill to make it
c. require other facilities to develop students’ work sheet
The last is the advantages of students’ work sheet, there are:
a. can be a media to construct students’ mind
b. train students to be an active students
c. students have been accustomed to solve problem, etc.
3. Small Group Discussion
Small group discussion is one of students group that have the purpose to give a chance for students to exchange their ideas, share opinion, or other interaction between them then discuss the problem then solve it together.
The steps to develop small group discussion are:
a. teacher should provide a problem or students’ work sheet and give a direction to discuss it
b. teacher divide the class from whole class into small group
c. distribute the problems
d. give a chance for students to solve the problem in their group
e. teacher guide students work and help them if they have any problem.
The benefits of small group discussion are:
a. students become independent
b. train students to cooperate with others
c. students can respect and appreciate their friends opinion.
The obstacles of group discussion are:
a. the lack of an understanding method to implement it
b. require of a lot of time.
c. actually, small group discussion is dominated by particular students, for example is smart student.
4. Various Interaction
Interaction is a communication between someone with others. In the class, there are three parts of various interactions, that are whole class interaction, small group interaction, and individual interaction. Whole class interaction is an interaction between someone, for example teacher with all students in the class. Teacher explain the material in front of class which is intended to all students other example is teacher give a chance for students to share their idea in front of class. Students’ reflection is included in whole class interaction.
From the whole class, teacher can divide class into small group then distribute some problems and let students to discuss and solve it. In small group discussion, there is an interaction between students with others. They can share their idea and express their opinion then discuss together to solve the problem that have been distributed by teacher. In the small group discussion, teacher offer something that is needed by students and identify difficulty one so an interaction between students in group and teacher is occurred. In individual interaction, the interaction can be a communication between teacher with a student when ask question or interaction between a student with one student. The advantages when teacher use various interactions in the learning are:
a. make a learning become an interesting learning
b. increase students’ spirit in the class
c. help students to appreciate others’ opinion
5. Various Teaching Method
Teaching method is a teachers’ way to develop their learning become a meaningful learning and to explain material learning so students can understand what teacher mean. Teaching method is important in the learning process because it affect of successful learning. Teacher should use various methods so students are not bored. As we know that students have different characteristic so teacher should use various methods to explore it.
Conventional learning only use one method, for example use exposition or expository method. In this method teacher explain the material then give example and the last is give exercise to students. This is can make students bored and the material is not last long in students’ mind. So teacher have to creative and create an effective method. Teacher collaborate methods in the learning, for example use discussion method, investigation method, contextual method, discovery method, problem solving method, etc. The purpose of using various teaching method are:
a. Increase students’ learning achievement
b. Encourage students to more active
c. Provide an opportunity for students to develop their potency
6. Students’ Reflection/ Presentation
Reflection is a key component of many writing classes. It is important in determining successful learning. Reflection is a process of examining and interpreting experience to get new understanding. For example, after discussion in group, students tell their discussion result and reflection it together. Then students presentation it, share and present the knowledge that they have gained from discussion. From reflection and presentation students can perform in the best and trained to explain their knowledge with their friends and their friends get new knowledge from them. One of the advantages of students’ reflection and presentation is train students to more confident.
7. Cognitive Scheme
Cognitive scheme is students’ thinking ability concept. Cognitive scheme encourage teacher to construct students’ knowledge and skill so students get new understanding by themselves. It will become a meaningful learning so students can easy to remember it, to construct it and to apply it in the learning to solve problem learning. Cognitive scheme can said as a way to construct students’ knowledge structure. It can start with basic knowledge then students know more difficult material , teacher give stimulated so increase students’ level understanding.
The purpose of developing cognitive scheme is students have good understanding structure so they can receive knowledge easily. The steps to developing cognitive scheme are:
a. teacher prepare teaching content
b. teacher explain material from easy to hard
c. teach material in simple form
d. choose a correct method so student can understand what teacher mean
e. teacher say the advantage of the material that is being learned.
8. Students’ Conclusion
Students’ conclusion is a part of students’ activities. Students make a conclusion from their experience with teacher guidance. Students resume the knowledge that have been got then colligate it in a new knowledge. Teacher help student to find the conclusion, so teacher as a facilitator try to provide anything that can help student to find conclusion.
The steps to build up students’ conclusion:
a. divide whole class into small groups
b. distribute problem to each group
c. give a chance to discuss the problem
d. students present their discussion result
e. students create a conclusion with teacher guidance
f. students justify the conclusion so it will be a true conclusion and become new knowledge
The obstacle when develop students’ conclusion are
a. need teacher creativity to make a various problem
b. need teacher skill to develop it
c. need extra time to apply it
d. students have different potency so difficult to make problems with same difficulty.
9. Apperception
Apperception is an introduction before the class beginning. It is very important because with apperception teacher know the readiness of students before teacher explain the materials. From apperception, teacher know who showed be ready. Apperception is focus on students. Most of teachers are misunderstanding about it. They think that apperception is remembering the material or recall the material.
Lecture method is not enough to apperception, but we can use students’ work sheet or distribute problems to students and students have to solve it. Apperception should made in the best form so students interest with that and enthusiastic the learning process. Apperception can be a question, for example teacher ask question about the material that will be learned then students answer it based on their knowledge.
Steps to expand apperception:
a. understanding teaching content that will be learned
b. connecting material/teaching content and problem with daily activities
c. give a stimulant to student about teaching content
d. create contextual problem and discuss it before the lesson beginning
10. Assessment
Assessment is used to determine what a student know or can do. Assessment can called as a process of documenting knowledge, skills, attitude, and beliefs of students. Assessment emphasize on the process, not on final exam. Because it is not fair if student has bad value on the report card because he/she can’t do the exam well because of sick, but in the class he/she is an active student and a smart student. Different with evaluation that is assess students from the final exam. Assessment is a record process of lesson from the lesson begins until it ends.
Steps to develop assessment are:
a. prepare and make a plan
b. use various method so students expand their potency
c. record all students’ activity from the lesson begin until end
d. evaluate all students’ activity
The obstacles of assessment are:
a. need a lot of time
b. need more teacher skill and knowledge
11. Various Media/ Various Teaching Aids
Media is goods or other that can be use to support teaching learning process. Media help students easier to understand learning. Teacher must use various media, so students not bored because media make students interest the learning.
Teaching aids are supporting goods in the learning so the learning becomes easy understand. Teaching aid can used to explain abstract one, especially in mathematics. With aids, abstract material learning can more clearly. Steps to expand various media are:
a. understanding Standard competency and basic competency
b. prepare all thing that needed in learning process
c. explain how to use it.
The obstacles when use various method/various aids are:
a. the lack of other supporting facilities
b. the lack of budget to develop it
c. need more teacher’s skill
C. CONCLUSION
From the explanation above, teachers have to develop their class and managing it becomes meaningful learning. Create meaningful learning can be started from understanding and expand the learning component such as create lesson plan, expand students’ work sheet, make small group discussion, create various interaction, using various method, develop students’ reflection/presentation, construct cognitive scheme, develop students’ conclusion, increase apperception, develop assessment, and using various media/various teaching aids. As we know there is nothing perfect teaching learning process, so teacher must collaborate the component to increase students’ achievement.
