Memanfaatkan Microsoft Word 2007 Sebagai Media Pembelajaran Geometri di SMP

Oleh :

Dr. Marsigit M.A.

The psychological aspect that found

reviewed by Indah Septia Dewi N (10313244029)

International Mathematics Education

In recent years, the development of technology is growing rapidly. There are many software that can help teachers to teach students. One of them is used of Microsoft Word 2007 to teach Geometry in junior high school. We can use SmartArt Graphic to create the geometry object. With SmartArt Graphic, we can create two or three dimension of geometry. It can make animation to those shapes and give ‘text’ to explain the shapes. Students can learn that from some of shapes can form a new shape. Like two triangles can form a rectangle. They can learn step by step, from line, plane then space.

The technologies of course help teachers very well. If teachers can develop this kind of method, it will be more effective to teach geometry to students. Students can explore their creativity to create the shapes too. They can recognize the shapes from very beginning then make perception and solve the problem. If students have difficulty, they will communicate or ask to their teachers. The interaction between teacher and students can make teaching learning process run well.

Source: http:/staff.uny.ac.id//

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MATHEMATICS LEARNING

By: Indah Septia Dewi N

Abstract: Some students feel difficult to study mathematics. There are many factors that can affect students difficult to study mathematics. One of the factors is teacher. How teacher delivered the material influences the assumption students about the material. To make students interested with mathematics, teachers should make innovation on their method of teaching. Developing technology in teaching learning process is one ways to make students more interest with the subject.

I.         Introduction

Psychology is the study of psychiatric symptoms. It is dealing with human behavior. Psychiatric symptoms are covering cognitive aspect, affective aspect, conative aspect and psychometrics aspect. There are two kind of psychology; general psychology and particular psychology. General psychology study about human generally. Meanwhile, particular psychology is study about aspect and set in particular, like psychology of learning mathematics.

Basic principles of psychology consist of four important aspects that are students, learning, mathematics and education. Each aspects are influence each other. The nature of mathematics education consists of two paradigms, that are innovative and traditional. The nature students learning mathematics will be effective if students have:

1.      motivation from themselves,

2.      students able to collaboration,

3.      student able to learn mathematics individually, and

4.      students able to learn mathematics contextually.

In education cases, teachers have influences for developments students. They have important role to make students understand with the material. The method that used by teachers is one of the factor that can be support students to learn mathematics.

Generally, people think that mathematics is difficult. Mathematical problems are identical with number and counting. This is challenge for teachers to make mathematics acceptable by students well. This is challenge for teachers to change point of view students about mathematics that think that mathematics is difficult.

In the past, almost teachers use traditional method to taught students. In this method, teachers just transferring knowledge to students. Teachers give and direct. The student cannot explorer their ability because the teachers just give the lesson and not let the students to explorer the lesson by themselves. It makes students become passive.

Now, teachers should use constructivism method to teach students. Constructivism is the term refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves as he or she learns. Through this method, students can explore their ability in mathematics. They have to be active to find information and study by themselves. Through constructivism method, the students can increase their ability to find information about mathematics.

Viewed from the psychological aspects, there are some factors that made students difficult to study mathematics. One of them is the way teachers explain about mathematics. Make students understand with the material is not a simple thing. This is challenge for teachers to make innovation on their method of teaching so that students can accept the material well.

II.      Psychological Aspects of Mathematics Learning

Based on the mini research those have been done, students already know about mathematics from kinder garden. They learn about digit and number. In elementary school, mathematics that has been taught is real mathematics. In junior high school, mathematics that is taught is real mathematics but there are abstract concepts too. In senior high school mathematics that is taught is more abstract than on junior high school but it is real too.

In senior high school, students feel difficult to study trigonometry. There are students that difficult to memorize the value of trigonometry. Some students usually memorize the value of trigonometry, but they not understand the concept. It is make them easy to forgettable.

The way teachers teach students influences to student’s assumption about mathematics. Students that like mathematics can be dislike mathematics because teacher’s factor. Otherwise, students that dislike mathematics can be like mathematics because the teachers. Because each student is different with each other to catch the material, teacher should use method of teaching that suitable with the conditions of students. Teachers should know characteristics of their students, planned the activities that suitable with the ability of students, give opportunity to students to cooperate with others and established the concept by themselves.

Generally, students need teacher that can make mathematics become interested subject. Many students have assumption that mathematics is difficult subject. They have to study hard to understand about the material. Teachers should be creative to make mathematics become easier to be studied.

One of the ways to make students interested with mathematics is change method of teaching students. Effectiveness of time to teach students should be improved. Children will reach their full potential in the schools, if teachers use in effective teaching practices. Teachers can use technology to help teaching learning process. There are many software and program that can support the subject. Studies with technology make students explorer their ability in science and technology. They not only can get the material but also can follow the developments of era. With technology, like use graph calculators, students can imagine the real graphic of the function.

Education that based on curriculum that applied now, can be alternative way to hold teaching learning process that emphasize with competences that should be students have. Teachers teach based on the curriculum, but it is not close probability for develop method to teach students.

Students will study if they have motivation. Teachers as facilitators should make study mathematics become gratify, observe what students want, established understanding based on what students know, make atmospheres in class become conducive to study, give challenge activities, give appreciate with what students do and soon.  

Sometimes students feel bored or scary to study mathematics. Teachers should make students more active in teaching learning process. To make students not bored and scary, teachers can use discussion method, use teaching aid to make students more interested and make mathematics more real in their daily life, use problem solving method and soon.

Teaching learning process will be run well if not only teachers and students that should support the process but also school. In other word, school should be support teaching learning process too. Availability of facilities that can be support students to develop their ability in all subjects, especially mathematics is the one ways to make students have spirit to study the subject.

III.   Conclusion

Teachers have big influences for their students. Teachers should support students to study mathematics. To make mathematics more interested for students, teachers can use many kind of teaching method that suitable with the condition of their students. Teachers make teaching planed that considers of students need and the ability of students self. Teacher is one of people that involve students to understand about mathematics.

References

Sugihartono, Tathiyah,Kartika Nur, dkk. 2007. Psikologi Pendidikan. Yogyakarta: UNY Press.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html, accessed on Oct, 15^th 2011

http://marsigitpsiko.blogspot.com/2008/12/hakekat-matematika-sekolah-dan-siswa.html, accessed on Oct, 15^th 2011

http://blog.unsri.ac.id/bani/pengetahuan/aspek-aspek-psikologi-yang-mempengaruhi-belajar-dan-pembelajaran/mrdetail/14772, accessed on Oct, 13^th 2011.

http://staff.uny.ac.id/, accessed on Sept, 14^th 2011

International Perspective on Developing Method to Uncover Psychological Phenomena of Learning Mathematics

By: Indah Septia D.N

Every country has different way to teach Mathematics to students. The way Indonesian’s teacher teach Mathematics in Indonesia different with the way Australian’s teachers teach Mathematics in Australia. There are many way to teaching one subject in Mathematics, too. For example, there are many way to calculating. 10+9+8=9+9+9. Even the number in right side and left side are different, but the result is same. Plus, minus, times, divided and soon, is the nature of mathematics properties.

Teachers have a role to promote paradigm to students. Students should know the paradigm so that they can understand what the purposes they studied. In the Realistic Approach, the first thing that should be teachers do is introduce the material. Students introduced with the term, symbol, formula, etc, about the material first. After that, students be expected make model or create model based on the concept that they understand. Then, from the model that made, they can give a reason and explain about the models, like proved some formula in mathematics. The next step is students can applied the theory or concept that they have understood in daily live. From introduce, creation/modeling, reason and explanation, and application students can make reflection about what that they have been got, because participation students can we look through the reflection.

 

Different country has different way to teach students. In Australia, there are five kind of subtraction. First is part whole, second is quotient, third is ratio, fourth is operator and the last is measure. There are two kind of fraction that is partition and quotient.

Teachers should develop teaching material. To make students understand about material easier, teachers should be creative to make teaching learning process can be fun and enjoyable. Teaching has scheme to make teaching learning process can be success.

1.      Lesson plan

Teachers should develop the lesson plan. Before teach students, teacher should make lesson plan such that teacher have guidance to teach the students. Lesson plan have to fill the students need about the material. With lesson plan, teachers can focus to the material that they will give to the students.

2.      Apperception

Teaching learning process will go smoothly if students already have readiness to study. Students should prepare the material that they will be studied before join the class, so that they can ready to accept the material that given by teachers.

3.      Small group discussion

Small group discussion only has a few members. If there are many members in the group, there are students that will dependent to others. Then, discussion process cannot be effective. If there are two or three members in the group discussion, all members will collaborate to discuss the problem and discussion time will be effective.

4.      Various method

To make students more interesting to study mathematics, teachers should develop the method of teaching. Teachers can combine many kinds of teaching method that suitable with condition in the class.

5.      Various interaction

Interaction between teachers and students is one of the important things that can make teaching learning process run well. Interaction between students and interaction among students and teachers can develop their ability in social live. Interaction

6.      Various media

In the era of globalization, technology is growing rapidly. A lot of software that helps teachers to teach the material to students. Teachers is required be able to develop instructional media.

7.      Students reflection

Reflection from students is very important. As teachers, we can know how understand students and how the subject become meaningful for students through reflection.

8.      Scheme achieving competence

Students should reach the competencies that determined by teachers based on curriculum.

9.      Students conclusion

Students are able to make conclusion about the material.

10.  Student’s worksheet.

Student’s worksheet is one of the things that important as indicator whether students can solve the problem or not. Teachers can develop student’s worksheet by themselves and adjusted to condition of the class. Student’s worksheet can help teachers to know how deep the ability of students.

According to Shigeo Katagiri, there are three mathematical thinking, which are:

1.      Mathematics attitude

2.      Mathematics thinking related to method

3.      Mathematics content.

Mathematical thinking allows for understanding of necessity of using knowledge and skills and how to learn by one self and the attainment of the abilities required independently learning.

There are many ways to study mathematics. Each country has different way to teach mathematics to students. Sometimes, this is affected by culture too. But, almost of the students in the world will study well if they study:

1.      Self, students study by themselves

2.      Collaboration, students study collaborate with friends and teachers

3.      Motivation, students can study well when they have motivation

4.      Contextual

How students study mathematics? The first is students learn mathematics from see the shapes then make perception. They can distinguish the object on the separate cases. Then they will think hierarchies and able to imagined the object and formally defined the object. 

The scheme of how students study mathematics is shown below:

 

References:

Marsigit, dkk. LESSON STUDY: Promoting Student Thinking on the Concept of Least Common Multiple (LCM) Through Realistic Approach in the 4^th Grade of Primary Mathematics Teaching, Indonesia

http://www.pdfcari.com/Shigeo-Katagiri.html, accessed on Dec 11^th 2011, 08.39 a.m