Nowadays there
are two kind of teaching methods in Indonesia; they are traditional method and
innovative method. Traditional method usually called as formal mathematics. And
the teacher who used this method called as the absolutism, the teacher only
speaking in front of the class and determines everything that must be done by
the students. This method is very old, but there is still some teacher who used
this method. It is very uncomfortable for students, since by this method there
is no interaction between teacher and students. The second teaching method is
innovative learning. This method asks teacher roles as the facilitator for
student. Teacher is not as the main source for students anymore. By this method
also students can be active and they can promote their own knowledge since they
can experiment everything around them.
There are big dipole way of teaching between many teachers,
they are traditional—progressive; authoritarian – democratic; classical –
individual; transfer of knowledge – cognitive development; structured –
unstructured; teacher centered – student centered; teacher directed – student
initiative; dependent – independent; grade oriented – process oriented. This
big dipole way of teaching makes Cocroft Report (1982:132 in Marsigit) (1) said that teacher have to get many method
for any intelligence level, they are exposition methods, discussion methods,
problem solving, investigation, exercise, and application.
When a teacher used traditional way of teaching, it will
make students do not like mathematics lesson. So, teacher have to pay attention
to the essence of student:
1. Cognitive
aspects
a. Students
will be study when they have their own motivation
b. Students
study by their own way
c. Students
can study by themselves or discuss with another friends
d. Students
need different contexts and situation to study
2. Affective
aspects
3. Psychomotor
aspects
So, to develop the motivation of students to study
mathematics, teachers have to change and innovate their way of teaching from
traditional teaching into innovative teaching.
There are some characteristics of
innovative learning. Some of them are the development of students’ worksheet,
learning resources, various methods of teaching, various interactions, various
teaching aid, and small group discussion.
1.
Developing
Student’s Worksheet
One of the characteristics of innovative learning is
developing student’s worksheet. It caused the paradigm of learning is learning
mathematics is doing some exercises. So we need teaching aids, and on of
teaching aids is student’s worksheet.
Student’s worksheet or LKS is a worksheet that contains the information
and command/instruction from teachers to students to do a learning activity in
the form of work, practice, or in form of the application of learning outcomes
to achieve a goal.
A good student’s worksheet must complete the
characteristics of worksheet, which is student’s worksheet can promote students
to construct their own knowledge of mathematics. On developing student’s
worksheet, teacher can use discovery methods, they are structure guide
discovery and unstructured guide discovery. So, a student’s worksheet is not
only collection of many exercises.
Then, there are four steps in developing good
student’s worksheet:
a.
Determining the
instructional aims by analyzing the students by identify who are our students
and knowing the character of our students
b.
Collects the
materials that we need based on instructional aims
c.
Arranging the
students worksheet, at least there are materials, tasks, and exercises
d.
Checking the
student’s worksheet is it consistent with the instructional aim or not.
2.
Developing
Learning Resources
Learning resources are all good sources of data,
people, and the particular form that can be used by learners in learning,
either separately or be combined to facilitate learners in achieving learning
goals or achieve a certain competence.
There are two types of learning resources:
-
Learning
resources are designed (learning resources, by design), the learning resources
that are specifically designed or developed as a component of an instructional
system to provide facilities directed learning and formal.
-
Learning
resources are used (learning resources, by utilization), the learning resources
that are not designed specifically for the purpose of learning and its
existence can be found, implemented and utilized for the purposes of learning.
This learning resources may take from:
a.
Message:
information, teaching materials, etc
b.
People:
teachers, students, etc
c.
Materials:
books, pictures, etc
d.
Tools or
equipment : computer, white board, etc
e.
Approaches,
methods, techniques of solving problems
f.
Environment:
class, library
Thus, we can conclude that learning resources can be
come from many ways, not only based on books and teacher’s note like
traditional methods.
3.
Developing and
Implementing Various Methods of Teaching
During learning process, teachers have to use
various methods of teaching, because if teacher only use one method of
teaching, they students will be bored and can’t get the materials well.
There are many teaching methods, and some of them
are:
a.
Assessment provides educators with a better understanding of
what students are learning and engages students more deeply in the process of
learning content
b.
Cooperative Learning
involves students working in groups
to accomplish learning goals
c.
Interactive
Lectures provide short
activities that can break up a lecture
d.
Jigsaws are an option when you have several related data
sets you would like students to explore. In a jigsaw, each student develops
some expertise with one data set, then a few classmates about it
e.
Quantitative
Writing engages students with
numbers by asking them to analyze and use quantitative data in written reports
and arguments.
4.
Developing and
Implementing Various Teaching Aids
Teaching aids is a tool used by teachers,
facilitator, or tutors to help learners improve reading and other skills,
illustrate or reinforce a skill, fact, or idea and relieve anxiety, fears, or
boredom, since many teaching aids are like games.
The aim of teaching aid is to motivate the students
to apply his full attention to materials. There are many kinds of teaching
aids; they are mathematics card, interactive presentation, worksheet, etc.
5.
Developing and
Implementing Various Scheme Interaction
During learning process, there are many interactions
between teacher and students, and between student and student. These
interactions must be happened in a class, because except material, students
also develop social skills. There are three types of interaction in the class:
a.
Whole class
The
teacher gives some problems to the students in class, then the teacher give a
chance to students to answer the problems.
b.
Small group
Teacher
dividing into some small groups, and then they discuss the problem in groups.
Teachers monitor the students and give some clue about the answer.
c.
Individual
Teacher
observes each student and gives attention to the students with low ability
So, during learning process, these interactions must
be developed by teacher to anticipate students’ boredom.
6.
Developing and
Implementing Small Group Discussion
During learning process, teacher can use small group
discussion because small group discussion is one of characteristics of
innovative learning. In small group discussion, teacher can develop many
skills, not only materials, because during small group discussion, students
feel freely to presenting their idea to their members.
The steps of small group discussion are: 1) teacher
divide the students become some groups consist of 4-5 members; 2) teacher give
some problems to students; 3) students discuss the problem together in the
groups; 4) teacher monitor the students, are they get some difficulties on
solve the problems; 5) teacher gives some clue about the solution; 6) students
get the solution.
When teacher used small group discussion, he/she
spent half of each mathematics period to let students work in the group. But
sometimes, one group has been done the task, and another group has not done it.
So, teacher can take other exercises to the group who has been done.
When we identify the constructivism
teaching learning process we also must pay attention on the spiritual,
philosophy, paradigm, theories, notion and the rules of our environment thus we
can determine the culture, system, design, management, and model of teaching
learning process in mathematics.