Comment on Marsigit’s Paper Presented at One Day Seminar About The National Value; The Value of Mathematics and International Standard

Globalization and the challenges recently are absolute things that to be faced by every people over the world. It is because the window of the world is opened wider by the developing of telecommunication system and global information that easier to be found by every people, so, almost no reason for everyone who cannot access the information and get the global knowledge. The competition in globalization era is really strict because the person who got of best of information is the winner, moreover the global challenges absolutely must be defeated if they want to survive. Mastering of IT and English language is an absolute requirement for every people if they want to success or survive in better life, and beside of this, the supporting soft skills must be mastered, so they can compete with everyone in national level or international level.
Indonesia as developing country must realize the global competitions and global challenges is an important thing to be faced if Indonesia wants to exist. Every preparation must be prepared as well as can do in order to be success to face the challenges. To answer the challenges, first thing that we have to prepare is from the education in Indonesia. Now the questions are whether our education in this country is ready enough? How about the system? How about the curriculum? How about the facilities? How about the teachers and students? Are they ready enough to face the global challenges? Maybe it can be our homework. Not only for the central government, but also the region autonomy must take a part to solve these problems.
According to the paper of Marsigit with the title “Gerakan Reformasi untuk Menggali dan Mengembangkan Nilai-Nilai Matematika untuk Menggapai Nilai-Nilai Luhur Bangsa Menuju Standar Internasional Pendidikan”, there are so many things that must be evaluated in our educational system in Indonesia. Begin from the moral values are being degeneration; educational system that tendency to follow the guide line from the top, so the creativity or improvisation is hard to be done; until the education system in Indonesia still reclusive that can give big chance to imply corruption and collusion. If the government lets it be continuously, moral degradation and fatuity level in Indonesia and make the increasing of unemployed in this country that is caused by the unready of people to face the globalization challenges will be happened.
Therefore, I really agree with the Marsigit’s paper to reformate the education system in Indonesia that tendency to behavioristic, reclusive, and stiff, and also to reformate the paradigm of education in Indonesia. I think, the reformation can be started from the openness of educational system, transparency of administration, student centered system in learning process, and more flexible in bureaucracy; and also direct the orientation of education in Indonesia to global insight, until the education “products” in Indonesia are ready to face the problems, challenges, and competitions of globalization era.
Another way is internationalize educational standard in Indonesia by conduct international class or international school until the education system will be able to direct and change the paradigm of education component to the global direction, so the student will be more ready to face global challenges. Of course, it is followed by good preparations in form of strict selection to put the test whether the student is ready or not to follow the learning process in international class. And also the selection must be transparent in order to minimize the discrimination, corruption, and collusion, so every people have same right, chance, and justice to get the education.



Reference:
Marsigit’s Paper Presented at One Day Seminar About The National Value; The Value of Mathematics and International Standard November 30th, 2008

How To Uncover Pedagogic Psychological Phenomena of Mathematics Education by Applying Quantitative Method.

Mathematics is not only about estimating, counting, number and formula, but also about the logical thinking and creativity to solve the problems in mathematics it self. Maybe, it must be emphasized for the teachers when they are teaching mathematics in class. They must understand that logical thinking and creativity are part of psychological phenomena in mathematics education because it can influence whether the student active or not. When the students have high logical thinking, their creativity can be increased and it can make them to be confident to solve the problem or even go to in front of class to presents their solution about the problem. Actually the process from appearing their logical thinking until they solve the problem or go to in front of class to present the solution is not easy as you flip your hand. It needs big braveness for them to make sure them selves that they can solve the problem or maybe go to front to present the solution. The teachers have an obligation to recognize and to understand this aspect, and also they suppose to give an appreciation for every progression of the students that have an achievement in class and exactly not only beautiful smile, commendation and applause, but also in form of score. So it can be a motivation for the student to get more achievement in their study of mathematics.
The way to estimate the progression of student with consider about cognitive, affective and psychomotoric aspect is by applying Quantitative Method in learning process. Quantitative Method is research technique that is used to gather quantitative data and information dealing with numbers and anything that is measurable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_methods). It is mean that we can measure the competence level of student by using data as media for the teacher to recognize the progress of the student during the learning process. The data in here can be in form of table of data, graph and statistic. Exactly trough this way, the precession of estimating the student’s competence level is accountable. So, there is no mistake when the teacher giving evaluation or estimation for the students during the learning process still goes on. And ultimately, trough Quantitative Method, we can uncover pedagogic psychological phenomena of mathematics education.




REFERENCE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_methods

Mathematics Learning Problems from Students

By : Naufal Ishartono

“Mathematics”, what your first impression when you heard this word? Number? Formula? Calculating? Measuring? Estimating? Or maybe frightening? Whatsoever your impression, the last impression is most happened in our society, especially in group of student. Some student feels so anxiety, afraid, even hate to face this science when they are having a class of mathematics or having mathematics examine. Most of them are gripping about how hard to understand the formula, how hard to solve the problems, and how hard to understand the information from their teacher. Because of this stigma, mathematics becomes a bogey for some group of student. So now the question is what’s wrong with this problem?
Actually this problem is as a result of the implementation of behaviorism system in our education in some years ago. The rests of this system still can be felt until right now. Some people still assume that mathematics is hard. Its caused by their experience of mathematics learning process in their school is based on behaviorism system. Punishment is most absolute way to change their behavior when they make a mistake or disobey the rule; most of the punishment is physical punishment. Beside of this case, some teachers are making the atmosphere of mathematics learning process be so appalling by giving a fearful expression in teaching. Psychologically, its makes the student is uncomfortable to receive the information even goes to stress level because they have a fearful feeling when they are learning mathematics. Because of this stigma, public are stereotyping that mathematics is hard and frightening.
Basically the goal of behaviorism is to change the behavior of student after they have an education. Its mean that after the students do learning process, their behavior can be better. Some positive things are the student is more discipline than before and be more respect to the teacher. But the negative effects of this system are appearing the fearful feeling of students; the student will be stiff; teacher centered is implemented in this system, so the initiative and creativity from the students is hindered; and doctrine is justifiable in this learning process, so it makes the critical thinking of students be hindered. So explicitly, behaviorism system is not relevant anymore in this democracy era. An era when every people have a right to express their mind and freedom to show their critical thinking especially for the students because in this system, the student’s logical/critical thinking is pressed by the teacher’s doctrine.
So the next mathematics teacher brings a big burden to erase the bad stigma of mathematics. Its can be done by:
1. Don’t be a monotone teacher, the teacher can use electronically media as a way to send the information to students (be innovative teacher).
2. If the student makes mistakes, the teacher must give an educative penalization and don’t use a mathematics components and physical punishment as a media to penalize the students.
3. Make the atmosphere of mathematics learning process be comfortable by understanding the characteristic and psychology of the students.
4. Make a friendly face (keep smile) and a good communication to make the situation of mathematics learning process is comfortable.
5. Change the system from teacher centered to be student centered, because it can increase the creativity, independence, and knowledge of student.

The Psychology Questions in Mathematics Education from The Curiosity Mind

By : Naufal Ishartono

Education basically is to humanize the human being. It’s mean that in education process, it has to bring the people to the brightness future. But unfortunately, the main part of education subjects i.e. mathematics, becoming bogey for some part of society. Though, mathematics is a science that has a big affect in human life. So this is an obligation for the teachers to make perception of mathematics be better.

In this case, the implementation of psychology of mathematics education has a big role. That’s why the teacher must make the atmosphere of mathematics learning process be comfortable. So they must learn about Psychology of Mathematics Education.

In learning of science, there will be appeared so many questions about part of the nature of the science it self. It is caused by our desire to more recognize and understand about the science, without exception when we learn science of psychology especially in mathematics education. In psychology we’ll learn not only about the human behavior, but also we’ll learn about the nature of soul, spirit, motivation, characteristics of humankind, attitude, and so on. In this learning process, our critical thinking is needed. It is caused without our critical thinking; we’ll not be able to comprehend the essences of this science.

In here I’ll try to present the questions of my friend’s (Novia Dwi Ristanti) curiosity mind about Psychology of Mathematics Education and I will present my answer/explanation of the questions.

Questions:

1. The study about psychology is really wide. What the limitation of psychology?

2. Why we have to learn psychology in mathematics learning? What the advantages?

3. On what way so we can to recognize the cognitive level from the students? What the relation whit psychology?

4. What kinds of psychology factor that is influenced on the students when was doing learning process?

5. Give the comparison about the general psychology and psychology in mathematics learning!

6. Why the learning theory is included in psychology?

Answer:

1. Psychology is limited by the region of implementation of the psychology it self, that are:

a. Psychology of Education

Psychology of education is the improvement of development psychology and social psychology, so, almost the theories in development psychology and social psychology is used in education psychology.

b. Psychology of School

Psychology of school tries to make a comfortable situation for the student to improve their academic ability, socialize, and emotion.

c. Psychology of Industry and Organization

Psychology of industry is focusing on developing, evaluating, and predicting the performance of a work that is done by individual, than psychology of organization is learned on how the organization influence and interact with the members.

d. Psychology of Clines

Psychology of clines is a psychology studies and also the application of psychology in understanding, preventing, and recovering the psychology individual to normal sill.

e. Artificial Psychology

The application of psychology that is correlated with the interaction among the human and machine to reduce the human error when interact with machine.

2. Basically the advantages when we learn psychology is we will understand about our character, our situation, and our behavior, so we can control our emotion and change it to positive things. Actually it can be implemented into all part, especially mathematics, because in mathematics learning process, our stress level is really tested, therefore science of psychology can do it.

3. The student cognitive level can be investigated from how often the student active in learning process; it could be plus point in valuating of learning. The correlation is the student cognitive level is influencing the psychology of student that is motivation level.

4. Factors of psychology when the students learning something are motivation, perception, association, and emotion.

5. Basically the psychology I mathematics learning is part of general understanding of psychology. The distinction only the space of observation. Psychology of mathematics learning has smaller space than general psychology.

6. It is caused the learning theory is a result of soul symptom research, so the collections of soul symptom research in form of learning theory become science of soul (psychology).