Mathematics Teaching Across Multicultural Context

By Wahyu Ramadhani Aji (09301241043)

A.   Introduction

Mathematics is the science which has characteristic  universal and everlasting. All cultures, all ages, all countries, whether consciously or not must learn mathematics. Mathematics is always required in constructing the world, build a life, and  improve the living standard of a nation.

Ability to compete,  ability of creative, competitive and productive can be built  through mathematics. Science knowledge learned in each country is almost the same course, but the ability of the nation is very diverse. It is because of differences in the educational paradigm in each country.

For example, in Indonesia, the ability of students to think critically is still very low. Ability to think, solve problems and competence are still very low. But what is learned in Indonesia and the U.S. are not much different. From here can conclude that the way of teaching will have an effect on the quality of students.

B.   Mathematic Teaching

Mathematics is a science that is structured. Learning mathematics should begin with the basic material or basic idea and then gradually increased to a higher level.

In teaching mathematics, teachers should  lead students to think mathematically and do math. It means each mathematics learning process must involve students, both in the preparation of ideas, solutions,  until making  conclusions. Mathematics can not be understood without understanding.

 Teachers should not be arbitrarily gives science so without the process first. in this case the student would have to know the process or idea in a mathematical formula was developed. Teacher must design lesson plan which will make students understand mathematics it self. Process of mathematics learning is different from one country to another. These differences way to teach mathematics, because there are different paradigms that held by each country.

It is important to assess and compare each mathematics teaching process in  each country. With it, we can take the good things for improving quality of students  and leave bad things that might be obstruct achievement of the learning of mathematics. In this paper will discuss the differences mathematics teaching in Japan, America and Indonesia

C.   Mathematics Teaching Across Multicultural Context

1.    Indonesian Context

Mathematics teaching in Indonesia can’t be separates with the decree of Indonesia. Due the  Decree of Sisdiknas No. 20 year 2003 insists that Indonesian Educational System should develop intelligence and skills of individuals, promote good conduct, patriotism, and social responsibility, should foster positive attitudes of self reliance and development.

To reach that purpose, the quality of teacher must be improved. While in Indonesia, government has implemented the new curriculum called KTSP “School Based Curriculum”. There are two essential from this curriculum, that is student competence and students’ learning process.

The School-Based Secondary Junior mathematics curriculum outlines that the aims of  teaching learning of mathematics are as follows

1.     To understand the concepts of mathematics,

2.     To explain the relationships among them and to apply them in solving the problems accurately and efficiently,

3.     To develop thinking skills in learning patterns and characteristics of mathematics, to manipulate them in order to generalize, to prove and to explain ideas and mathematics propositions,

4.     To develop problem solving skills which cover understanding the problems, outlining mathmatical models, solving them and estimating the outcomes

5.     To communicate  mathematics ideas using symbols, tables, diagrams and other media, and

6.      To develop appreciations of the use of mathematics in daily lifes, curiosity, consideration, and to encourage willingness and self-confidence in learning mathematics.

To grab that aims, as teacher we should develop the mathematics learning process in class. We need classroom-based research to investigate the necessary driving factors towards  students’ ability to develop mathematical thinking.

Adapted from japan, Indonesia also implementing the lesson study in some school. In Indonesia, there are the changing process from old paradigm into new one. That is teachers centered to students centered, material based learning into competence based learning, etc.

2.    Japan Context

Learning mathematics in Japan emphasizes problem solving ability.
we realize that the problem solving process each person will be different from one another.
learning process in Japan begin with the teacher gives a problem that is quite challenging. Students were asked to solve the problem  individually or by group.

When the teacher gives new material, then teacher try connect to previous material.
For example, students have understood how to find the area of rectangles. Teachers give problem to find of a parallelogram.

Students can solve the problem by group or individual. In class student can create a puzzle of parallelograms and arrange in to different form that  easier to find the area. Such activity is very nice to be applied. Comparing Various classmate through solution methods and noticing that they all result in a rectangle of the same dimensions, the student can understand how the area of the parallelogram was associated with an area of ​​the rectangle.

Students will be understand that the length of a rectangle is associated with the base of parallelogram and the height of rectangle will same with the height of will equal the height  parallelogram . Therefore students are even able to find the formula of a parallelogram. The role of the teacher there when the student discussion groups, as students find it difficult, the teacher will help offer a solution.

3.    American Context

Learning Mathematics can not be separated from the culture and life of American society. America has a history that was instrumental in the world. Reviewing the past the American, as a superpower, the American war against Russia. Advances in the field of science and of course weapons requires to be developed. Necessary to support the procurement areas of mathematics. It is therefore important that Americans regard the teaching of mathematics should be matured.

 Mathematics teaching in America realize differences in each individual American. They provide a curriculum that can accommodate all characteristic of students, the curriculum is anticipating a wide range of child's mind.

American view that effective assessment was instrumental in teaching mathematics. The teacher can understand the needs of individual students belajarn. Data from these assessments used to evaluate the way teachers teach and things - things that need to be repaired.

Lesson study also began introduced in United States in the late 1900s. Many school and teachers have been using lesson study as a major part of their professional development. But there are still have a problem to implementing lesson study. Teacher jus have little chance to gathering data during the lesson. The data usually not very rich or detailed.

1. Here is the ways that can succeed the implementation of lesson study, that are: Teachers should focus on the most important data and most needed. For example, about the ability of the student or the interaction between students.
2. Collecting the data by recordings or into  photos.
3. In practice, the process should flexibility according to what happen in learning process.
4. Allow practitioners  to manage and report their data in different ways
   To exchange data with other teachers and give advise each other

D.   Conclusion

1. There are different ways to teach mathematics in one country to each other.
2. The aim of learning mathematics are to make student think mathematically, do mathematics, make student critically, depth understanding, be able to solve the problem.
3. The mathematics learning process must involving the students
4. When teacher want to deliver the new material, they should relate the previous material with the new one
5. Improving the quality of teacher through lesson study
6. Share the way of mathematics teaching in the world is nesessarry to do.