DEVELOPING MATH TEACHING

Today, we are in globalization era where everything has to be developed and appropriate to what exactly people need. Paradigm of teaching is one thing that has to be developed. In this occasion, we will use “traditional teaching” to name the old paradigm of teaching, while the new one will be named “progressive teaching” or “innovative teaching”. Before we compare both of them, let see some levels in teaching. There are four levels in teaching, they are:
1. Spiritual level that contain of
- Spiritual
- Future vision
- Goal/bad
- Ways of life
2. Normal level
- Law
- Decree
- Education system
- Paradigm of education
- Theories of education
3. Formal level
- Curriculum
- Syllabi
- Book
4. Material level
- Class
- Teaching context
- Book
- Building
We will not talk about definition of them, but we are going to compare mathematics teaching in traditional ways and mathematics teaching in progressive or innovative ways based on some levels above.
In traditional teaching, teaching can be described as transfer of knowledge from the teachers to their student. In this case, teacher control the student tightly. Students are assumed as empty vessels so teacher can fulfill them with a bunch of knowledge although the students cannot accept them completely. Students become passive because they do not have any chances to develop their selves or to give opinion about what they learn. Of course that situation is so awful. So, we have to change it. We can transform that paradigm into the new one, or we usually call it as progressive teaching. In progressive or innovative teaching, students are assumed as developing seed. Teachers do not just give them some theories and exercises, but students can construct their own knowledge. Teacher here is just to be a facilitator. For example students have some problems with certain material, so teacher can help them to solve that problem. Students cannot be passive anymore, they need to be active learners and build knowledge based on their paradigm and understanding. They have a bunch of chances to develop their selves.
What about the curriculum? Traditional teaching is popular in 1975 or 1980 so the curriculum is curriculum at those years. They were material oriented. The worse thing is mathematics teachers teach same mathematics, in a same time, with same facilities, same objective, the result is also the same, it is teacher’s thinking, but they teach different students. Is it rational? Absolutely not! So, it is better to move into progressive teaching, where Mathematics teachers give different material to every student, teaching and learning process do not always in a same time, or in the other words we can say that students can study every time, everywhere, in different places, with different facilities, different objectives, and also different result according to their own competencies. The curriculum that can be used is KTSP where school has authority to build its own curriculum by considering the condition of student in that certain school. But it is still depend on the teacher’s paradigm.
Let us move to the teaching method. In traditional teaching, teacher uses expository method. Teachers just explain the material, give the example of that material, and then they just give some problems related to the material, without considering these problems are contextual or not and the last they give students some tasks to do. For some students, those tasks are so annoying because they are forced to do that although actually they do not want to do those tasks. Teachers give score based on final exam and assessment just depends on score. This situation is different from progressive teaching method. As what Mr. Marsigit said that ‘there is no the best way to educate’, in progressive teaching, teacher teaches in various method and the method is contextual to student’s daily life. So students can develop in their own way. As what I said before that teacher is just a facilitator. Assessment does not just depend on score but it is classroom based assessment. Teacher score the progress of the student.
Every teaching and learning process absolutely needs book. But, the problem is in traditional teaching, both teacher and student are text book oriented although the book is not relevant with the situation. What they study is pure math. But, in progressive teaching, book is developed by the teacher so it can be relevant to student’s condition.
The last but not least, in traditional teaching, student study because study is an obligation for them. They do not study in their own willing. But, in progressive teaching, study is a need. Student study because they need knowledge to develop their life.




Reference: Mr. Marsigit Lacture