Overcoming A Student's Difficulty in Learning Math Lessons in Third Grade at SD Bestari Utami Garut.
ABSTRACT
Tugas Akhir ini berisi pembahasan masalah yang saya temukan selama
masa magang saya di SD Bestari Utami ketika seorang siswa kelas 3
mengalami kesulitan dalam mempelajari pelajaran Matematika. Masalah
ini disebabkan karena siswa tersebut tidak berkonsentrasi ketika saya
menjelaskan pelajaran Matematika, dan karena siswa tersebut juga tidak
menyukai pelajaran matematika. Kesulitan yang dihadapi siswa ini
mengakibatkan beberapa hal. Akibat pertama, beberapa siswa lain yang
duduk berdekatan dengan siswa yang memiliki kesulitan dalam pelajaran
Matematika, tidak bisa menyelesaikan latihan soal Matematika. Akibat ke
dua adalah siswa mendapat nilai yang rendah dalam kuis-kuis
Matematika.
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis beberapa kemungkinan
solusi untuk memecahkan masalah ini. Solusi yang pertama adalah saya
memberikan pujian ketika siswa mengerjakan latihannya sendiri. Solusi
yang kedua adalah ketika mengajar saya memakai humor yang
berhubungan dengan topik yang saya ajarkan. Solusi ketiga adalah saya
mengajarkan matematika menggunakan permainan. Solusi yang saya pilih
untuk menanggulangi masalah yang dihadapi siswa ini adalah
menggabungkan ketiga solusi tersebut.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
1-5
6-9
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
10-13
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION
14-15
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
C. EXAMPLES OF MATH GAMES
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APPENDIX A: FLOWCHART
Cause 1: The student did
not concentrate when I
explained the Math
lessons.
Problem:
A third-grade student who
had difficulty in learning Math
at SD Bestari Utami Garut
Cause 2: The student did
not like Math.
Potential Negative Effects:
1. The praises given are
exagerated, he will be
unwilling to do harder
exercises.
Potential Negative
Effects:
1. Excessive humor will
waste the time which
should be for learning.
Potential Negative
Effects:
1. The games will make
negative competition in
the class.
Effect 1: Some students
who sat near the student
who had difficulty in
learning Math could not
complete their exercises.
Effect 2: The student got
low scores in quizzes.
Potential Solution I:
I will give praises when the
student does his
exercises by himself.
Potential Solution II:
I will use humors related
with the topic that I teach.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. The student will get
good scores on the
quizzes.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. The student will enjoy
the lessons.
2. The student will
understand the lesson
better.
Potential Solution III:
I will teach the Math
lesson using games.
Chosen Solution:
I choose to combine all of the
potential solutions to solve the
problem.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. I will not have to use a
lot of energy in teaching.
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APPENDIX B.1: TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW
Name of interview
Name of responder
Day & date of interview
Time
Location
: Kristianto Natanael
: Dede Gusnadi
: Tuesday 18 June
: 20.15
: Phone Interview
Kris
: Ya halo selamat malam Pak Dede?
Dede
: Halo slamat malam mas.
Kris
: Nah ehh gini saya mau nanya - nanya dikit ajah tentang Salman, boleh
yah pak
Dede
: Ya boleh – boleh hahaha
Kris
: Gini, eeee. Kita tahu ya kalo misalnya Salman itu punya masalah sama
belajar Matematikanya.
Dede
: Betul sekali
Kris
: Nah kira-kira penyebab dari kesulitannya Salman itu apa?
Dede
: Hmmm,untuk penyebab kesulitan dalam belajar Matematika yah mas yah.
Jadi dia itu, dia pernah cerita sama saya kalo dia itu ga suka sama
Matematika tp dia lebih menyukai pelajaran yang lain gitu. Seperti
mungkin seni.
Kris
: Ohh jadi salah satu dia punya kesulitan itu memang karna dia ga suka
Matematika.
Dede
: Iya betul sekali.
Kris
: Kalo misalnya dampak yang terjadi ketika dia mengalami kesulitan itu apa
ajah Pak?
Dede
: Kalo dampaknya
Kris
: Efeknya yah
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Dede
: Efek dalam dia kesulitan belajar itu jadi nilai dia itu sering jelek mas, jd
sering anjlok. Kebetulan saya juga udah ngajar dia dari kelas 2 SD nah
waktu kelas 2 juga memang nilainya jelek.
Kris
: Bukannya Mam Yenyen yang ngajar?
Dede
: Ngga bukan, saya sempet ngajar dia.
Kris
: Oh waktu itu bapa sempet ngajar dia.
Dede
: Betul.
Kris
: Ohh, trus kalo misalnya, itu kan ya memang nilainya jelek sih, nah kalo
efeknya, kalo buat temen temennya yang laen apa? Ada ga?
Dede
: Untuk ke temen temennya, jadi biasa sih gini sih mas waktu di kelas.
Waktu saya lagi nerangin ato kadang saya, kan kalo Matematika itu harus
sering latihan latihan gtu yah, saya kan sering kasih untuk latihan latihan
exercisesnya ke mereka tapi waktu saya kasih tugas ke mereka kan saya
biasa kasih individual tuh.Khususnya juga untuk Salman sendiri. Nah
kadang Salman ini dia ga bisa ngerjain sendiri jadi dia minta bantuan ke
temen-temennya sedangkan temen-temennya itu masih belum selesai
ngerjain tugas-tugasnya juga gitu jadi dia sering ganggu teman-temannya
untuk bantu dia mengerjakan tugasnya itu.
Kris
: oh jadi, memang dia suka minta bantuan. Kalo saya sih liat dia, ga pernah
juga minta bantuan sama teman-temannya gtu. Eh sori maksudnya suka
minta bantuan teman-temannya gtu. Memang sebelum saya datang udah
kaya gtu?
Dede
: Iyah emang udah sering dia minta bantuan ke teman-temannya.
Kris
: oh dia sering gtu. Dapet tugas langsung minta bantuan ajah ke temen
temennya?
Dede
: Jadi dia baca sebentar trus dia langsung minta bantuan ke teman
temannya. Jadi kadang dia ga mau usaha dulu gtu buat kerjain tugasnya.
Kris
: oke kalo gtu pak terima kasih banyak sebelumnya yah pak.
Dede
: Iyah sama sama yah mas yah.
Kris
: Terima kasih pak.
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APPENDIX B.2: TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW
Name of interview
Name of responder
Day & date of interview
Time
Location
: Kristianto Natanael
: Salman Mohammad
: Sunday 16 June
: 14.34
: Salman’s house
Kris
: Nah yu, kalo menurut kamu pelajaran Matematika itu kayak gimana?
Salman
: Hmm, susah.
Kris:
: Susah. Ada yang laen gak?
Salman
: Hmmm. Susah ajah sih.
Kris
: Itung-itungannya yang susah gtu?
Salman
: Itung-itungannya.
Kris
: Kamu suka salah ngitung?
Salman
: Iya.
Kris
: Terus apa lagi selain itu?
Salman
: Susah ajah sih. Aku lebih suka IPS daripada Mat.
Kris
: Emang kenapa ga suka Mat?
Salman
: Susah ngitungnya trus gurunya juga galak.
Kris
: Maksudnya guru yang mana? Guru Mat yg sebelum sekarang ngajar
kamu gtu?
Salman
: Iyah yang dulu.
Kris
: Oke makasih yah.
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APPENDIX C: EXAMPLES OF MATH GAMES
4 Great Math Games
Favorite Activities From Marilyn Burns to Try
in Your Classroom
The Game of Pig (Grades 3–8)
Math concepts: This game for two or more players gives students practice with mental addition and
experience with thinking strategically.
The object: to be the first to score 100 points or more.
How to play: Players take turns rolling two dice and following these rules:
1. On a turn, a player may roll the dice as many times as he or she wants, mentally keeping a
running total of the sums that come up. When the player stops rolling, he or she records the total
and adds it to the scores from previous rounds.
2. But, if a 1 comes up on one of the dice before the player decides to stop rolling, the player
scores 0 for that round and it's the next player's turn.
3. Even worse, if a 1 comes up on both dice, not only does the turn end, but the player's entire
accumulated total returns to 0.
After students have had the chance to play the game for several days, have a class discussion
about the strategies they used. You may want to list their ideas and have them test different
strategies against each other to try and determine the best way to play.
Two-Dice Sums (Grades 1–8)
Math concepts: Students of all ages can play this game, as long as they're able to add the numbers
that come up on two dice. While younger children benefit from the practice of adding, older
students have the opportunity to think about the probability of the sums from rolling two dice.
The object: to remove all the counters in the fewest rolls possible.
How to play: Two or more players can play. Each player needs 11 counters, a game strip that lists
the numbers from 2 to 12 spaced far enough apart so the counters can fit on top of each number,
and a recording sheet. Here are the rules for playing:
1. Each player arranges 11 counters on the game strip and records the arrangement.
2. Once the counters are arranged, players take turns rolling the dice.
3. For each roll, all players can remove one counter if it is on the sum rolled. Players keep track of
the number of rolls of the dice it takes to clear their game board.
After students have had the chance to play the game for several days or so, have a class
discussion about the different ways they arranged the counters and the number of rolls it took.
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Have them write about the arrangements that are best for removing the counters in the fewest
number of rolls. For an extension, try Which Number Wins?
Which Number Wins? (Grades 1–8)
Math concepts: In this individual activity, students roll two dice and record the results. Make a
recording sheet that is an 11 x 12 block grid with the numbers 2 through 12 across the top. While
young children gain practice with addition facts, older children can examine the data, compare
results with other classmates, and think about why some sums are more likely than others. To do
the activity, students need two dice and a recording sheet.
The object: to roll the dice and record the number fact in the correct column, stopping when one
number gets to the finish line.
How to play: Post a class chart that lists the numbers from 2 to 12 and have students make a tally
mark to show the winning sum. Have each child do the experiment at least twice.
After you've collected the data, discuss with the class why it seems that some sums "win" more
than others. Young children may not be able to explain it, but older students often figure out that
there is only one way to get the sums of 2 and 12, and six ways to get a sum of 7.
After discussing the data, return to the game of Two-Dice Sums and see if students revise their
strategies. You may want to ask students to write about the game and the likelihood of two-dice
sums.
How Long? How Many? (Grades 3–5)
Math skills: This two-person game involves probability and strategy, and gives children experience
with multiplication in a geometric context.
The object: to make rectangular arrays with Cuisenaire Rods and place them on 10-by-10centimeter grids until no more space is available. The game encourages students to think
strategically as they consider where to place their rectangles to avoid being blocked.
How to play: students need Cuisenaire Rods, one die, and a grid sheet for each (Make a 10cm x
10cm grid. Also leave space for students to record how many of their squares are covered and
uncovered.) The rules are:
1. On his or her turn, a player rolls the die twice to determine which Cuisenaire Rods to take. The
first roll tells "how long" a rod to use. The second roll tells "how many" rods to take.
2. Players arrange their rods into a rectangle, place it on their grid, and trace it. They write the
multiplication sentence inside.
3. The game is over when one player can't place a rectangle because there's no room on the grid.
Then players figure out how many of their squares are covered and how many are uncovered and
check each other's answers.
After students have had experience playing the game, talk with them about strategies for placing
rectangles and figuring out their final scores.
Source: “4 Great Math Games.” Teachers. 2013. Scholastic. 20 June 2013
.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
This term paper discusses a problem that I experienced when I did my
internship at SD Bestari Utami Garut, as a teacher assistant for the third
grade, from 4 January 2013 to 8 February 2013. During the internship I
found a student who had a difficulty in learning Math lessons. I choose
this problem to be the topic of this term paper because learning Math is
important to help him learn new Math concepts later, as stated by Hiebert
and Carpenter, “Students learn new mathematical concepts and
procedures by building on what they already know. In other words,
learning with understanding can be viewed as making connections or
establishing relationships either within existing knowledge or between
existing knowledge and new information” (qtd. in Yetkin par. 7). Thus, if
the student has difficulty in learning, he does not have the knowledge or
does not understand mathematical concepts now, then he will find
difficulty in learning new lessons in Mathematics in the future.
Based on my experience teaching Math in the third grade, one of the
students in the class showed some characteristics of students with
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difficulty in learning Math. As stated in “Understanding Math Learning
Problems”, one of the characteristics of students who have a problem in
learning Math is they “rely on assistance from others to complete tasks
such as worksheets” (par. 2). In every meeting, when I explained the
lessons, the student could not do his exercises, and he always asked his
classmates to help him with his exercises. Another characteristic of
students who have learning Math problems as stated in “Understanding
Math Learning Problems” is memory problem. It is stated in the article that
“Memory deficits play a significant role in these students' math learning
problems” (par. 4). Several times during my internship, when I explained a
lesson, the student did not understand the lesson. Then, after class, I
explained the lesson to him again. I gave him exercises, and he could do
the exercises well which meant he finally understood the lesson on that
day. However, two days later, when I gave him the same exercises, he
could not do the exercises, and he told me that he forgot the steps to solve
the Math problem in the exercises.
From this observation, I concluded that the student had difficulty in
learning Math lessons. I would like to analyze the problem systematically
in this term paper.
B. Identification of the Problem
I would like to analyze the problem to answer the following questions:
1. Why did the student have difficulty in learning Math lessons?
2. How did the student’s difficulty in learning Math lessons affect
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his study and the other students in the class?
3. How can the teacher help the student to overcome his difficulty in
learning Math lessons ?
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to analyze causes and effects of the
problem. After that, the study is to find the potential solutions for the
problem, and then find the best solution to solve the problem.
There are some benefits for SD Bestari Utami as the institution where
the internship took place, the readers, and me as the writer. The benefits
for SD Bestari Utami is the teachers there can get ideas to help students
who have difficulty in learning Math lessons. The benefits for me as the
writer is I get the knowledge about the causes and effects of this problem
and how to solve it. Then, I hope this research can give the readers
inspiration in helping students who have a similar difficulty.
D. Description of the Institution
Based on the information given in SD Bestari Utami’s website, SD
Bestari Utami is a school that emphasizes character education. They do
not only assess the academic ability of the students, but they also have a
desire to develop the unacademic potentials of their students, like arts and
sports. SD Bestari Utami is very different from other schools because they
have an international standard, but their tuition is not expensive.
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According to the website, SD Bestari Utami was founded by Christanti
Gomulia and her husband in 2009. At its inception, SD Bestari Utami was
located at Jalan Pasundan No. 45 Garut, but in 2012, SD Bestari Utami
moved to Jalan Cimaragas Garut. Ms. Christanti Gomulia saw that to get
the best quality of education for their children, parents have to pay big
amount of money. Thus, she founded this school to give good quality of
education for students without having to pay big amount of money. In
founding this school, she wanted that her students have global thinking to
accept the differences in religion, ethnicity, and culture.
E. Method of the Study
For my term paper, the data that are collected to support the analysis
are from field research and library research. For field research, I use the
data from my internship journal that records my internship experience, and
I also did some interviews. For library research, I read several books and
some articles from the Internet to find some theories for my analysis. The
data are used to analyze the causes, effects, and the potential solutions.
F. Limitation of the Study
The study is based on my experience as a teacher assistant for the
third grade students of SD Bestari Utami from 4 January 2013 to 8
February 2013. This term paper focuses its discussion on the difficulty in
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learning Mathematics lessons experienced by one of the students in the
class.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This Term paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of Originality, and
Table of Content. Then it is divided into four chapters. In Chapter One
there are Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,
Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution, Method
of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term. In
Chapter Two, I analyze the causes and effects of the problem as the
Problem Analysis. After I describe the causes and effects of the problem,
in Chapter Three, I describe three potential solutions to solve the problem,
with the positive and the negative effects of each solution. Chapter Four is
the Conclusion, which discusses the best solution for my problem. For the
last part, I list the sources of all supporting theories and interview data in
the Bibliography.
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CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
The problem that I found during my internship is that there was a
student who had a difficulty in learning Math lessons in the third grade at
SD Bestari Utami between 4 January 2013 to 8 February 2013. The
causes of the problem are the student did not concentrate when I
explained the Math lessons, and the student did not like Math. There are
several effects of the problem. The effects are some students who sat
near the student who had difficulty in learning Math could not complete
their exercises, and the student got low scores in quizzes. I did a research
to solve my problem, and I found some potential solutions as written in
Chapter Three. The first potential solution is I will give praises when the
student does his exercises by himself. The second is I will use humors
related with the topic that I teach. The last potential solution is I teach the
Math lessons using games.
Based on the analysis, to solve the problem, I will combine all of the
potential solutions to get the best solution for this problem. I choose to
combine all of the potential solutions because they can support each
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other. If I only give praises when the student does his exercises by
himself, he will get good scores on the quizzes, but if I combine the first
potential solution with using humors related with the topic in teaching, it is
possible that the student will get higher scores on the quizzes. Then, if I
only use humors related with the topic that I teach, the student will feel
bored with the humors, but if I combine this potential solution with using
games in teaching the lessons, the student will not be bored. Furthermore,
if I only use games to teach Math lessons, the games can make negative
competition in the class, but if I also give praises when the student does
his exercises, I will have a good relationship with the student, then with a
good relationship with the student, I can advise him that negative
competition in the class is not good. I can also try this with other students
in order to avoid negative competition.
Thus, the combination of these solutions will help the student to
overcome his difficulty in learning Math. I hope, if there are people who
have the same problem, they can apply the solutions that I suggest.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Source
Tauber, Robert T., and Cathy Sargent Mester. Acting Lessons for
Teachers: Using Performance Skills in the Classroom. 2nd ed.
London: Praeger, 2007.
Electronic Sources
Ainley, Hidi, and Berndroff. “Interest, Learning, and Psychological
Processes That Mediate Their Relationship.” Journal of Educational
Psychology 94.3 (2002). 18 June 2013 .
Ann, Stacia. “15 Little Tricks to Get Class’s Attention (and Hold It).”
Busyteacher. 2007. Busy Teacher. 5 May 2013
.
“Cognitive Functioning.” Brite.ac. 2002. 20 June 2013
.
Dwyer, Carol. “Using Praise to Enchance Student Resilience and Learning
Outcomes.” American Psychologival Association. 2013. 20 June 2013
.
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Evely, Murray, and Zoe Ganim. “Learning Difficulties.” Psych4Schools.
2011. Psych4Schools Pty. Ltd. 20 June.2013
.
“Giving Praise and Encouragement.” You Can Do This. 2013. McKay
School of Education. 20 June 2013 .
Hidayat, Tubagus. “Hati-Hati Menggunakan Humor di Depan Kelas.” Guru
-Indonesia. 14 May 2013. Universitas Airlangga. 31 December 2012
.
“Math Games+Fun =Learning”. Learn-With-Math-Games.com. 2013. 20
June 2013 .
Morley, Miranda. “Disadvantages of Games Used for Teaching.” Ehow.
1999. Demand Media. 6 May 2013
.
Nakita. “Mengasah Konsentrasi.” Kancil. 2013. Sentra Tumbuh Kembang
Anak. 13 June 2013 .
“Peduli untuk Sekolah Idealis Kecil di Kota Garut”. Sekolah Bestari Utami.
12 August 2011. 20 June 2013
.
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“Role of Humor in Teaching and Learning.” Smith College. 2011.
20 June 2013 .
Sathy, Kuman. “Effective Praise: Give the Right Compliments to Students.”
Education World. 2013. Education World. Inc. 20 June 2013
.
“Teachers Blame Failure in Mathematics on Lack of Concentration.”
Vanguard. 21 August 2011. Vanguard Media. 13 June 2013
.
“ Understanding Math Learning Problems.” MATHVids. 1 February 2002.
The Virginia Department of Education. 4 April 2013
.
Way, Jenni. “ Learning Mathematics Through Games Series: 1. Why
Games?.” Nrich. 2012. Enriching Mathematics. 2 February 2013
.
Yetkin, Elif. “Student Difficulties in Learning Elementary Mathematics.
ERIC Digest.” Ericdigest.org. 2003. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science
Mathematics and Environmental Education. 16 June 2013
.
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Personal Interviews
Gusnadi, Dede. Telephone interview. 8 June 2013.
Salman, Mohammad. Personal interview. 16 June 2013.
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Tugas Akhir ini berisi pembahasan masalah yang saya temukan selama
masa magang saya di SD Bestari Utami ketika seorang siswa kelas 3
mengalami kesulitan dalam mempelajari pelajaran Matematika. Masalah
ini disebabkan karena siswa tersebut tidak berkonsentrasi ketika saya
menjelaskan pelajaran Matematika, dan karena siswa tersebut juga tidak
menyukai pelajaran matematika. Kesulitan yang dihadapi siswa ini
mengakibatkan beberapa hal. Akibat pertama, beberapa siswa lain yang
duduk berdekatan dengan siswa yang memiliki kesulitan dalam pelajaran
Matematika, tidak bisa menyelesaikan latihan soal Matematika. Akibat ke
dua adalah siswa mendapat nilai yang rendah dalam kuis-kuis
Matematika.
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis beberapa kemungkinan
solusi untuk memecahkan masalah ini. Solusi yang pertama adalah saya
memberikan pujian ketika siswa mengerjakan latihannya sendiri. Solusi
yang kedua adalah ketika mengajar saya memakai humor yang
berhubungan dengan topik yang saya ajarkan. Solusi ketiga adalah saya
mengajarkan matematika menggunakan permainan. Solusi yang saya pilih
untuk menanggulangi masalah yang dihadapi siswa ini adalah
menggabungkan ketiga solusi tersebut.
i
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper
1-5
6-9
CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
10-13
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION
14-15
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES:
A. FLOWCHART
B. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS
C. EXAMPLES OF MATH GAMES
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APPENDIX A: FLOWCHART
Cause 1: The student did
not concentrate when I
explained the Math
lessons.
Problem:
A third-grade student who
had difficulty in learning Math
at SD Bestari Utami Garut
Cause 2: The student did
not like Math.
Potential Negative Effects:
1. The praises given are
exagerated, he will be
unwilling to do harder
exercises.
Potential Negative
Effects:
1. Excessive humor will
waste the time which
should be for learning.
Potential Negative
Effects:
1. The games will make
negative competition in
the class.
Effect 1: Some students
who sat near the student
who had difficulty in
learning Math could not
complete their exercises.
Effect 2: The student got
low scores in quizzes.
Potential Solution I:
I will give praises when the
student does his
exercises by himself.
Potential Solution II:
I will use humors related
with the topic that I teach.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. The student will get
good scores on the
quizzes.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. The student will enjoy
the lessons.
2. The student will
understand the lesson
better.
Potential Solution III:
I will teach the Math
lesson using games.
Chosen Solution:
I choose to combine all of the
potential solutions to solve the
problem.
Potential Positive Effects:
1. I will not have to use a
lot of energy in teaching.
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDIX B.1: TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW
Name of interview
Name of responder
Day & date of interview
Time
Location
: Kristianto Natanael
: Dede Gusnadi
: Tuesday 18 June
: 20.15
: Phone Interview
Kris
: Ya halo selamat malam Pak Dede?
Dede
: Halo slamat malam mas.
Kris
: Nah ehh gini saya mau nanya - nanya dikit ajah tentang Salman, boleh
yah pak
Dede
: Ya boleh – boleh hahaha
Kris
: Gini, eeee. Kita tahu ya kalo misalnya Salman itu punya masalah sama
belajar Matematikanya.
Dede
: Betul sekali
Kris
: Nah kira-kira penyebab dari kesulitannya Salman itu apa?
Dede
: Hmmm,untuk penyebab kesulitan dalam belajar Matematika yah mas yah.
Jadi dia itu, dia pernah cerita sama saya kalo dia itu ga suka sama
Matematika tp dia lebih menyukai pelajaran yang lain gitu. Seperti
mungkin seni.
Kris
: Ohh jadi salah satu dia punya kesulitan itu memang karna dia ga suka
Matematika.
Dede
: Iya betul sekali.
Kris
: Kalo misalnya dampak yang terjadi ketika dia mengalami kesulitan itu apa
ajah Pak?
Dede
: Kalo dampaknya
Kris
: Efeknya yah
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Dede
: Efek dalam dia kesulitan belajar itu jadi nilai dia itu sering jelek mas, jd
sering anjlok. Kebetulan saya juga udah ngajar dia dari kelas 2 SD nah
waktu kelas 2 juga memang nilainya jelek.
Kris
: Bukannya Mam Yenyen yang ngajar?
Dede
: Ngga bukan, saya sempet ngajar dia.
Kris
: Oh waktu itu bapa sempet ngajar dia.
Dede
: Betul.
Kris
: Ohh, trus kalo misalnya, itu kan ya memang nilainya jelek sih, nah kalo
efeknya, kalo buat temen temennya yang laen apa? Ada ga?
Dede
: Untuk ke temen temennya, jadi biasa sih gini sih mas waktu di kelas.
Waktu saya lagi nerangin ato kadang saya, kan kalo Matematika itu harus
sering latihan latihan gtu yah, saya kan sering kasih untuk latihan latihan
exercisesnya ke mereka tapi waktu saya kasih tugas ke mereka kan saya
biasa kasih individual tuh.Khususnya juga untuk Salman sendiri. Nah
kadang Salman ini dia ga bisa ngerjain sendiri jadi dia minta bantuan ke
temen-temennya sedangkan temen-temennya itu masih belum selesai
ngerjain tugas-tugasnya juga gitu jadi dia sering ganggu teman-temannya
untuk bantu dia mengerjakan tugasnya itu.
Kris
: oh jadi, memang dia suka minta bantuan. Kalo saya sih liat dia, ga pernah
juga minta bantuan sama teman-temannya gtu. Eh sori maksudnya suka
minta bantuan teman-temannya gtu. Memang sebelum saya datang udah
kaya gtu?
Dede
: Iyah emang udah sering dia minta bantuan ke teman-temannya.
Kris
: oh dia sering gtu. Dapet tugas langsung minta bantuan ajah ke temen
temennya?
Dede
: Jadi dia baca sebentar trus dia langsung minta bantuan ke teman
temannya. Jadi kadang dia ga mau usaha dulu gtu buat kerjain tugasnya.
Kris
: oke kalo gtu pak terima kasih banyak sebelumnya yah pak.
Dede
: Iyah sama sama yah mas yah.
Kris
: Terima kasih pak.
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APPENDIX B.2: TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW
Name of interview
Name of responder
Day & date of interview
Time
Location
: Kristianto Natanael
: Salman Mohammad
: Sunday 16 June
: 14.34
: Salman’s house
Kris
: Nah yu, kalo menurut kamu pelajaran Matematika itu kayak gimana?
Salman
: Hmm, susah.
Kris:
: Susah. Ada yang laen gak?
Salman
: Hmmm. Susah ajah sih.
Kris
: Itung-itungannya yang susah gtu?
Salman
: Itung-itungannya.
Kris
: Kamu suka salah ngitung?
Salman
: Iya.
Kris
: Terus apa lagi selain itu?
Salman
: Susah ajah sih. Aku lebih suka IPS daripada Mat.
Kris
: Emang kenapa ga suka Mat?
Salman
: Susah ngitungnya trus gurunya juga galak.
Kris
: Maksudnya guru yang mana? Guru Mat yg sebelum sekarang ngajar
kamu gtu?
Salman
: Iyah yang dulu.
Kris
: Oke makasih yah.
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APPENDIX C: EXAMPLES OF MATH GAMES
4 Great Math Games
Favorite Activities From Marilyn Burns to Try
in Your Classroom
The Game of Pig (Grades 3–8)
Math concepts: This game for two or more players gives students practice with mental addition and
experience with thinking strategically.
The object: to be the first to score 100 points or more.
How to play: Players take turns rolling two dice and following these rules:
1. On a turn, a player may roll the dice as many times as he or she wants, mentally keeping a
running total of the sums that come up. When the player stops rolling, he or she records the total
and adds it to the scores from previous rounds.
2. But, if a 1 comes up on one of the dice before the player decides to stop rolling, the player
scores 0 for that round and it's the next player's turn.
3. Even worse, if a 1 comes up on both dice, not only does the turn end, but the player's entire
accumulated total returns to 0.
After students have had the chance to play the game for several days, have a class discussion
about the strategies they used. You may want to list their ideas and have them test different
strategies against each other to try and determine the best way to play.
Two-Dice Sums (Grades 1–8)
Math concepts: Students of all ages can play this game, as long as they're able to add the numbers
that come up on two dice. While younger children benefit from the practice of adding, older
students have the opportunity to think about the probability of the sums from rolling two dice.
The object: to remove all the counters in the fewest rolls possible.
How to play: Two or more players can play. Each player needs 11 counters, a game strip that lists
the numbers from 2 to 12 spaced far enough apart so the counters can fit on top of each number,
and a recording sheet. Here are the rules for playing:
1. Each player arranges 11 counters on the game strip and records the arrangement.
2. Once the counters are arranged, players take turns rolling the dice.
3. For each roll, all players can remove one counter if it is on the sum rolled. Players keep track of
the number of rolls of the dice it takes to clear their game board.
After students have had the chance to play the game for several days or so, have a class
discussion about the different ways they arranged the counters and the number of rolls it took.
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Have them write about the arrangements that are best for removing the counters in the fewest
number of rolls. For an extension, try Which Number Wins?
Which Number Wins? (Grades 1–8)
Math concepts: In this individual activity, students roll two dice and record the results. Make a
recording sheet that is an 11 x 12 block grid with the numbers 2 through 12 across the top. While
young children gain practice with addition facts, older children can examine the data, compare
results with other classmates, and think about why some sums are more likely than others. To do
the activity, students need two dice and a recording sheet.
The object: to roll the dice and record the number fact in the correct column, stopping when one
number gets to the finish line.
How to play: Post a class chart that lists the numbers from 2 to 12 and have students make a tally
mark to show the winning sum. Have each child do the experiment at least twice.
After you've collected the data, discuss with the class why it seems that some sums "win" more
than others. Young children may not be able to explain it, but older students often figure out that
there is only one way to get the sums of 2 and 12, and six ways to get a sum of 7.
After discussing the data, return to the game of Two-Dice Sums and see if students revise their
strategies. You may want to ask students to write about the game and the likelihood of two-dice
sums.
How Long? How Many? (Grades 3–5)
Math skills: This two-person game involves probability and strategy, and gives children experience
with multiplication in a geometric context.
The object: to make rectangular arrays with Cuisenaire Rods and place them on 10-by-10centimeter grids until no more space is available. The game encourages students to think
strategically as they consider where to place their rectangles to avoid being blocked.
How to play: students need Cuisenaire Rods, one die, and a grid sheet for each (Make a 10cm x
10cm grid. Also leave space for students to record how many of their squares are covered and
uncovered.) The rules are:
1. On his or her turn, a player rolls the die twice to determine which Cuisenaire Rods to take. The
first roll tells "how long" a rod to use. The second roll tells "how many" rods to take.
2. Players arrange their rods into a rectangle, place it on their grid, and trace it. They write the
multiplication sentence inside.
3. The game is over when one player can't place a rectangle because there's no room on the grid.
Then players figure out how many of their squares are covered and how many are uncovered and
check each other's answers.
After students have had experience playing the game, talk with them about strategies for placing
rectangles and figuring out their final scores.
Source: “4 Great Math Games.” Teachers. 2013. Scholastic. 20 June 2013
.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
This term paper discusses a problem that I experienced when I did my
internship at SD Bestari Utami Garut, as a teacher assistant for the third
grade, from 4 January 2013 to 8 February 2013. During the internship I
found a student who had a difficulty in learning Math lessons. I choose
this problem to be the topic of this term paper because learning Math is
important to help him learn new Math concepts later, as stated by Hiebert
and Carpenter, “Students learn new mathematical concepts and
procedures by building on what they already know. In other words,
learning with understanding can be viewed as making connections or
establishing relationships either within existing knowledge or between
existing knowledge and new information” (qtd. in Yetkin par. 7). Thus, if
the student has difficulty in learning, he does not have the knowledge or
does not understand mathematical concepts now, then he will find
difficulty in learning new lessons in Mathematics in the future.
Based on my experience teaching Math in the third grade, one of the
students in the class showed some characteristics of students with
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difficulty in learning Math. As stated in “Understanding Math Learning
Problems”, one of the characteristics of students who have a problem in
learning Math is they “rely on assistance from others to complete tasks
such as worksheets” (par. 2). In every meeting, when I explained the
lessons, the student could not do his exercises, and he always asked his
classmates to help him with his exercises. Another characteristic of
students who have learning Math problems as stated in “Understanding
Math Learning Problems” is memory problem. It is stated in the article that
“Memory deficits play a significant role in these students' math learning
problems” (par. 4). Several times during my internship, when I explained a
lesson, the student did not understand the lesson. Then, after class, I
explained the lesson to him again. I gave him exercises, and he could do
the exercises well which meant he finally understood the lesson on that
day. However, two days later, when I gave him the same exercises, he
could not do the exercises, and he told me that he forgot the steps to solve
the Math problem in the exercises.
From this observation, I concluded that the student had difficulty in
learning Math lessons. I would like to analyze the problem systematically
in this term paper.
B. Identification of the Problem
I would like to analyze the problem to answer the following questions:
1. Why did the student have difficulty in learning Math lessons?
2. How did the student’s difficulty in learning Math lessons affect
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his study and the other students in the class?
3. How can the teacher help the student to overcome his difficulty in
learning Math lessons ?
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of the study are to analyze causes and effects of the
problem. After that, the study is to find the potential solutions for the
problem, and then find the best solution to solve the problem.
There are some benefits for SD Bestari Utami as the institution where
the internship took place, the readers, and me as the writer. The benefits
for SD Bestari Utami is the teachers there can get ideas to help students
who have difficulty in learning Math lessons. The benefits for me as the
writer is I get the knowledge about the causes and effects of this problem
and how to solve it. Then, I hope this research can give the readers
inspiration in helping students who have a similar difficulty.
D. Description of the Institution
Based on the information given in SD Bestari Utami’s website, SD
Bestari Utami is a school that emphasizes character education. They do
not only assess the academic ability of the students, but they also have a
desire to develop the unacademic potentials of their students, like arts and
sports. SD Bestari Utami is very different from other schools because they
have an international standard, but their tuition is not expensive.
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According to the website, SD Bestari Utami was founded by Christanti
Gomulia and her husband in 2009. At its inception, SD Bestari Utami was
located at Jalan Pasundan No. 45 Garut, but in 2012, SD Bestari Utami
moved to Jalan Cimaragas Garut. Ms. Christanti Gomulia saw that to get
the best quality of education for their children, parents have to pay big
amount of money. Thus, she founded this school to give good quality of
education for students without having to pay big amount of money. In
founding this school, she wanted that her students have global thinking to
accept the differences in religion, ethnicity, and culture.
E. Method of the Study
For my term paper, the data that are collected to support the analysis
are from field research and library research. For field research, I use the
data from my internship journal that records my internship experience, and
I also did some interviews. For library research, I read several books and
some articles from the Internet to find some theories for my analysis. The
data are used to analyze the causes, effects, and the potential solutions.
F. Limitation of the Study
The study is based on my experience as a teacher assistant for the
third grade students of SD Bestari Utami from 4 January 2013 to 8
February 2013. This term paper focuses its discussion on the difficulty in
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learning Mathematics lessons experienced by one of the students in the
class.
G. Organization of the Term Paper
This Term paper starts with the Abstract, Declaration of Originality, and
Table of Content. Then it is divided into four chapters. In Chapter One
there are Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem,
Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the Institution, Method
of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term. In
Chapter Two, I analyze the causes and effects of the problem as the
Problem Analysis. After I describe the causes and effects of the problem,
in Chapter Three, I describe three potential solutions to solve the problem,
with the positive and the negative effects of each solution. Chapter Four is
the Conclusion, which discusses the best solution for my problem. For the
last part, I list the sources of all supporting theories and interview data in
the Bibliography.
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CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
The problem that I found during my internship is that there was a
student who had a difficulty in learning Math lessons in the third grade at
SD Bestari Utami between 4 January 2013 to 8 February 2013. The
causes of the problem are the student did not concentrate when I
explained the Math lessons, and the student did not like Math. There are
several effects of the problem. The effects are some students who sat
near the student who had difficulty in learning Math could not complete
their exercises, and the student got low scores in quizzes. I did a research
to solve my problem, and I found some potential solutions as written in
Chapter Three. The first potential solution is I will give praises when the
student does his exercises by himself. The second is I will use humors
related with the topic that I teach. The last potential solution is I teach the
Math lessons using games.
Based on the analysis, to solve the problem, I will combine all of the
potential solutions to get the best solution for this problem. I choose to
combine all of the potential solutions because they can support each
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other. If I only give praises when the student does his exercises by
himself, he will get good scores on the quizzes, but if I combine the first
potential solution with using humors related with the topic in teaching, it is
possible that the student will get higher scores on the quizzes. Then, if I
only use humors related with the topic that I teach, the student will feel
bored with the humors, but if I combine this potential solution with using
games in teaching the lessons, the student will not be bored. Furthermore,
if I only use games to teach Math lessons, the games can make negative
competition in the class, but if I also give praises when the student does
his exercises, I will have a good relationship with the student, then with a
good relationship with the student, I can advise him that negative
competition in the class is not good. I can also try this with other students
in order to avoid negative competition.
Thus, the combination of these solutions will help the student to
overcome his difficulty in learning Math. I hope, if there are people who
have the same problem, they can apply the solutions that I suggest.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Source
Tauber, Robert T., and Cathy Sargent Mester. Acting Lessons for
Teachers: Using Performance Skills in the Classroom. 2nd ed.
London: Praeger, 2007.
Electronic Sources
Ainley, Hidi, and Berndroff. “Interest, Learning, and Psychological
Processes That Mediate Their Relationship.” Journal of Educational
Psychology 94.3 (2002). 18 June 2013 .
Ann, Stacia. “15 Little Tricks to Get Class’s Attention (and Hold It).”
Busyteacher. 2007. Busy Teacher. 5 May 2013
.
“Cognitive Functioning.” Brite.ac. 2002. 20 June 2013
.
Dwyer, Carol. “Using Praise to Enchance Student Resilience and Learning
Outcomes.” American Psychologival Association. 2013. 20 June 2013
.
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Evely, Murray, and Zoe Ganim. “Learning Difficulties.” Psych4Schools.
2011. Psych4Schools Pty. Ltd. 20 June.2013
.
“Giving Praise and Encouragement.” You Can Do This. 2013. McKay
School of Education. 20 June 2013 .
Hidayat, Tubagus. “Hati-Hati Menggunakan Humor di Depan Kelas.” Guru
-Indonesia. 14 May 2013. Universitas Airlangga. 31 December 2012
.
“Math Games+Fun =Learning”. Learn-With-Math-Games.com. 2013. 20
June 2013 .
Morley, Miranda. “Disadvantages of Games Used for Teaching.” Ehow.
1999. Demand Media. 6 May 2013
.
Nakita. “Mengasah Konsentrasi.” Kancil. 2013. Sentra Tumbuh Kembang
Anak. 13 June 2013 .
“Peduli untuk Sekolah Idealis Kecil di Kota Garut”. Sekolah Bestari Utami.
12 August 2011. 20 June 2013
.
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“Role of Humor in Teaching and Learning.” Smith College. 2011.
20 June 2013 .
Sathy, Kuman. “Effective Praise: Give the Right Compliments to Students.”
Education World. 2013. Education World. Inc. 20 June 2013
.
“Teachers Blame Failure in Mathematics on Lack of Concentration.”
Vanguard. 21 August 2011. Vanguard Media. 13 June 2013
.
“ Understanding Math Learning Problems.” MATHVids. 1 February 2002.
The Virginia Department of Education. 4 April 2013
.
Way, Jenni. “ Learning Mathematics Through Games Series: 1. Why
Games?.” Nrich. 2012. Enriching Mathematics. 2 February 2013
.
Yetkin, Elif. “Student Difficulties in Learning Elementary Mathematics.
ERIC Digest.” Ericdigest.org. 2003. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science
Mathematics and Environmental Education. 16 June 2013
.
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Personal Interviews
Gusnadi, Dede. Telephone interview. 8 June 2013.
Salman, Mohammad. Personal interview. 16 June 2013.
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