The Influence of Hands on Activities to Understanding the Concept of Mathematics in Elementary School

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In process of learning mathematics we are know that to understand it is not easy, we need spirit and the process of critic thinking highly and we know that mostly student in our country, Indonesia not really like mathematics. However, mathematics is the important lesson because mathematics is language of knowledge. Actually where is the root of these problems? Why the student in Indonesia was judge that mathematics is so difficult, hard to study and not enjoying to study? Because they not enjoy in process of learning mathematics and not understand the concept of mathematics from beginning.

If we study the step of development of children, we will know that actually human at childhood phase is a critic man, never give up and they want to know everything that they don’t know. But, when this character loses in self of people in Indonesia? Factually this character loses since we study in elementary school. Teacher in Indonesia not conscious about this problem, usually teacher in elementary school just want the children hear and understand everything that they were said. So the critic character in self of student starts to contain. The student start to just be an audience just is a subject and they start to not enjoy the process of learning. Except of about it. Problem in learning mathematics and the judge that mathematics is difficult had made because the student not understand the concept of mathematics. It happens because in elementary school the student just be a passive or object in process of learning, so that they bored and not understand but they lazy to ask to the teacher because the critic character was lose.

Factually, student in elementary school have high potency to learn. If the method is efficient and comfortable to them the process of learning will be success. In elementary school student can’t understand  the concept of material of mathematics if they just hear the theory from the teacher and try to solve the question just by formulas was have given by the teacher. In elementary school student can’t think abstract, they need fact or really thing to understand the concept. Not just to answer the question. From this problem writer choose the title of the essay “The Influence of Hands on Activities to Understanding the Concept Mathematic in Elementary School” because writer think that to help student in elementary school to understand the concept of mathematics and to make process of learning more enjoyable is need hands on activities.

The theoretical frame work.

The theoretical frame work is from the learning theory. There are so many theories in learning process such as:

1)      Learning theory from Piaget

Piaget said that people will get four step developments since natal until die.

a.       Level Sensor Motor (0-2 year)

In this step, children can develop basic concept with interaction physically. In this level the growing level begin to develop. The expression of children will make from perception and feel. Children just can understand his world with concrete things

b.      Preoperational Level ( 2-7 year)

In this level, children can use symbol, children study to use word and develop the concept of intuitive in them.

c.       Operational Concrete Level (7-11 year)

In this level children develop concept with use concrete things to connect models of abstract idea. In this level children can think logically as influence of activities manipulates concrete things.

d.      Operational Formal Level (12 year until adult)

In this level children begin to think abstractly. Children can make hypothesis from abstract to real world and not always hanging to concrete things.

2)      Learning Theory From Jerome Bruner

a.       Enactive Level

In this level children do the activities in process to understand the environments, its mean that children try to understand his world from motorist knowledge. Example: with touching.

b.      Iconic Level

In this level children understand object or them world from picture, or visualizes verbal. Its mean that the children try to understand the environments with eye or icon and picture.

c.       Symbolic Level

In this level children can have idea or abstract idea as an influence of ability in language, logic and mathematic. The process of communication by the symbol.

Hand on activities in the process of learning mathematics.

Hands on activities are the concrete things to make student understand the material of mathematics such as model of cube, triangle, ellipse, and something like that.

Nurul Aprilianti (2006:11) the function or clown of hands on activities is:

a.       The students will happier in process of learning Mathematics.

b.      Hands on activities can make abstract concept be concrete concept so the students  will easier to understand it.

c.       The student will more understand the relationship of the material from the teacher and concrete things in their environment.

d.      It can give variation experience in the process of learning

Requisite of good hands on activities are:

a.       Endure.

b.      Have an interest shape and color.

c.       Easy to made.

d.      Have a balance size to condition of physically of the student.

e.       Balance with the material that will explain.

f.       It must can explain the concept of mathematics.

g.      It can be a basic think to developed abstract concept of thinking of the student.

To make the process of learning mathematics is enjoyable and to get the target of process of learning be success, hands on activities must balance with:

a.       Purpose and target of process of learning.

b.      The material which will explain to student.

c.       The strategy of process in learning.

d.      The condition of the classroom, time of process in learning and the quantity of student.

e.       Character of the student.

 The Implementation.

The example of Implementation of this theory is much. This is the humble example. In process of learning sub material of three dimension form usually teacher just tell about three dimension from, like, this is cube it has six edge and eleven rib. If this material just explained to the student by sound of teacher without concrete things may be student will not understand but if the teacher bring a cube and explain this material with forefinger it the student will understand and it can make they ready to accept more material about it like material of large of cube and volume of it.

In the process of learning Mathematics, teacher must creative to make new hands on and new way in process of learning. Didactical theory from by Brosseau has explained it. The main point in Didactical Theory is the process in learning has divided to three steps there are action, formulation,  and validation. Action is process when the student hears the information and tries to understand it. Formulation is process when student can understand the information and try to find the solution for the question or problem which was given from the teacher. Validation is process when the student has found the solution, they very certain that they right and can communication it to another student.

This is the example for Brosseau’s theory from Yuniarsih (2005:10)

How to introduce fraction with fold paper?

Fragment ½

1)      Telling :

Amir has one fold paper. He will give it to two brothers, Badu and Randu with same of fragment How much will accept of them? How to divide it to same large? How to call the part of it? This phase can called action. The student hears this information from the teacher and tries to understand it.

2)      The student tries to divide it to two parts by cutting it and they think how they can call it. This phase can called formulation because the student tries to solve their problem.

3)      The student has divided it to two parts and they know that they can call it half. This phase can call validation because the student has known the solution and they are very certain that they right and they can communicate it to another friend.

After it, teacher can explain that something when it divided to two parts with same large can call half and it can write ½.

Another way to explain about the fragment is like that.

Please give different color into ¼ each part!

Please give different color into ½ each part.

             

There were, just a little example of implementation of theory how to make the student understand with using hands on activities in elementary school. To implement this theory, teacher must be creative person so that the situation of process in learning be more enjoyable.

Conclusion.

Process in learning Mathematics actually will be enjoyable if the method of teaching suitable with step of development of the children. The children in elementary school exist in operational concrete level and iconic level so the student just can understands lesson, material or world with concrete things. They can’t think with abstract things so if the teacher want the process of teaching be succeed, the teacher must change method of teaching with make student in position of passive person to active person with activities with concrete things.

Reference

Nikmah.(2005). Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Melalui Penggunaan Alat Peraga Uang Dalam Pokok Bahasan Uang Siswa Kelas II MI MA’ARIF BLOTONGAN. IKIP Semarang: Tidak diterbitkan.

Warfield, Virginia. (2006). Invitation to Didactique. University of Wshington: Not publicate

Yuniarsih.(2006).Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Pokok Bahasan Pecahan dengan Alat Peraga Kertas Lipat di Kelas III SDN PEDURUNGAN LOR 02 KECAMATAN PEDURUNGAN SEMARANG.[Online]Tersedia di http/www.p4matematika.com. [25 Mei 2009]

By Anisa Wijayanti