REVITALISASI PENDIDIKAN MATEMATIKA

By : Dr. Marsigit, M. A

Jurusan Pendidikan Matematika

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

Reviewed By : Absari Nur Khasanah

It is not easy to understand about basic of mathematic and mathematic education. Every teacher have different strategy to transfer of knowledge to their students. Sometimes, they must admit that there is differences. Every teacher believe that their strategy is the best, but there is teacher that think that their strategy is not good, so must be changed.

The developing of mathematic education in global era is defined by moving the center of learning process from the teacher to student. In this era, student must become the center of learning process. But, it is not easy for mathematics teacher to change this paradigm.

Teaching mathematics is not easy because we know that students also not easy to understand mathematics. In this fact, there is not easy for teacher to change their teaching style. But, every teacher sued to adapt the learning method with the developing era. Revitalizing mathematics education give the important actor to reach the mathematic education according to the meaning of the teaching. Until this time, there is no the best agreement how to teach mathematics. Jaworski (1994: 40) say there is no best method to teach mathematic. So, we can give opportunity for every teacher to choose the teaching method according to the capability of the student and the matter of subject.

Basic of the research, we can conclude that there is a way for mathematic teacher to implement the learning theory. This is caused by many factors : lack of teachers’ understanding of the theories of good practice of teaching and how to implement it, lack of facilities, and so on. The teacher generally have difficulty to direct the differences their student. The result of final examination and finishing the syllabi is the target of the learning process. For the high class, usually teacher use the learning method dominant to finishing the question for prepare final examination. It is dangerous because it can give knowledge that is not full.

Many kinds of view about Mathematics

How the mathematician give their point of view that mathematics is independent value? The answer from social absolute is that the value is culture, so there is not value that attached in mathematic implicitly. Have admitted that matter and mathematics method make mathematics become abstract, general, formal, objective, rational. This is the truth of sciences and mathematics. The social absolute give opinion that everything that according the value can be accepted and if it is not according, it can be refused. Then social constructivist give opinion that mathematic is human work in a long time. All of the knowledge that formed is the result of the human’s creativity. So that, mathematic is the science that have relation with culture and value. The opinion of the social absolute is the innovation is not mathematics and modern mathematic is a result that can not be avoided. In the other hand, for social constructivist modern mathematic is not the result that can not be avoided, but it is an evolution of culture result. We can divide the activity of mathematic into four kinds, where every kind have different characteristic. These are, pure formal mathematic, applied formal mathematic, pure informal mathematic, and applied informal mathematic.

Revitalizing education mathematic

Revitalizing mathematic education have meaning the important of the effort to make a model of learning mathematic that is according to our condition and according to period developing. If we accept the agreement that mathematic education better than attend to serve the student’s need so, the implication can we understand.

The implication for mathematic learning are :

1. Mathematic is the activity that finding design and relation : give opportunity for student to do the research of the design to get relation, to do experiment, to find the differences, comparison, classification, give motivation for student to get a conclusion, and help student to find the relation between a definition to another definition.
2. Mathematic is the creativity that need an imagination, intuition, and research : give motivation for student to think differently, find the structure and design mathematic, motivate the students to have a high curious, and estimate capability.
3. Mathematic is the activity of problem solving : available the environmental learning, help the student solve the problem, know the information, developing capability and skill to solve problem, and help the student know how and when they use the aid tools.
4. Mathematic is the communication tool : motivate student know the properties of mathematic, make example from properties of mathematic, read and write mathematic, and so on.
5. The matter of mathematic is fact, concepts, capability to understanding, capability to problem solving, and so on.

To develop the capability of the student we must know if the student will study hard if we give motivation to them, student usually study with their own ways, the student can study personal or in group, every student need the different situation in their study.