THE PROBLEM OF LEARNING MATHEMATICS IN THE SCHOOL

By Dr.Marsigit,MA
Reviewed by Fitria Yelni (http://fitrialikemath.blogspot.com)

Most of mathematics teachers in Indonesia still implement the traditional mathematics teaching learning process with the single expository method. The teachers explain the material/lesson in front of class and the student must be listen what the teacher said. After that, the teacher give examples and then give the question and the task to the student classically. If this method still be employed by the mathematics teachers, the teacher has many  difficulties: 1) to  serve the various needs / demands of the students in learning mathematics, 2) encourage the low achiement students to improve their achievement, 3) encourage students to learn actively, 4) use and develop mathematical props and 5) encourage students to learn  through cooperation.

Development Model of Learning Mathematics

a.       Development of mathematical models of learning through research action to overcome the difficulties of the students have a positive impact, but in fact there are some obstacles in technical, academic, and socio-cultural matter.
The teachers effort to overcome the various demands of the student's academic, to encourage the low achievement students to improve their achievement, to encourage students to learn actively, and to encourage students to learn through cooperation, can be done by:
Developing the Student Worksheet (LKS)

The benefits of LKS are to provide an opportunity for students to work independently, to gave the chance to the students to cooperate, to provide an opportunity for teachers to develop the various activities,  to provides a useful document for students and provide alternative sources of learning, to gave students the opportunity to conduct discovery.
There are some obstacles in development of LKS: (1)adds to the workload of teachers, (2)require an additional fee, (3)requires knowledge and skills of teachers, (4)requires a continuity of development, (5)requires management techniques / management LKS, and (6)need support so that schools can be carried out comprehensive.

b.      Development of methods class discussions / group

There are some benefit the development of discussion method, that is to gave student the chance to take the initiative, to provide an opportunity for students to think and find the different methods, to train the students to accept the others opinion, deepen understanding of a concept, to related concepts with the other one and to give feedback to the teachers.
The obstacles to develop the method of discussion are: (1)the teacher not understand this method yet, (2)this is a new method that the student not receive before, (3)require additional time for the presentation of a material/lesson, (4)material that can be discussed is few, (5)dominated by a brilliant student and (6)not in accordance with the paradigm of learning

c.       Development of media and teaching aids
Benefits of the development of  media and teaching aids are: (1) to provide the various activities, (2)to provide the various teaching methods, (3)to provide variety of contexts and learning atmosphere and (4) to clarify the understanding of concepts.
There are some obstacles to develop the media end teaching aids, that is (1)props are not too relevant to some of the materials in high school, (2)the use of props corpulent time-consuming, (3)skill and creativity required by teachers to develop media and teaching aids, (4)require an additional cost for props and high costs for the development of teaching aids and (5)not in accordance with the prevailing paradigm of learning.