Learning Design of Relationship Among Weight Units at Grade 3A SD Negeri 117 Palembang

2 nd Observation Report:
Learning Design of Relationship Among Weight Units at Grade 3A
SD Negeri 117 Palembang
 

by:
Ahmad Wachidul Kohar

Fanni Fatoni
Wisnu Siwi Satiti

A. Introduction
Concepts of measurement in mathematics curriculum at elementary school have close relationship with activity of comparing object measured and standard measurement. Student’s experiences in measuring object could help to develop their skills in measurement activity. One of the experiences which can be taught to the students is introducing gauge such as gauge for weight unit, ruler for length unit, and measuring cup for volume unit.

By knowing and trying the use of those gauges directly, the students will not only understand practical application of calculation skill which has been learned, but also bring benefit to the quality of their comprehension of measuring skills and its relationship with other studies like science which need this kind of skill more.
 

Relating to PMRI (Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education), the introduction of gauge could be a context to start teaching the relationship among weight units. The benefit of this context in the beginning of lesson is like what Wijaya (2011) said that context will be able to increase student’s motivation and attraction in learning mathematics. This is because of student’s attraction to create relationship between new things which are taught and their daily life.
 

Hence, we (Kohar, Fanni, and Siwi) together with teacher at class 3A SD Negeri 117 Palembang have a collaboration to design learning using PMRI approach on material of the relationship among weight units by using needle scale. The description of how the teacher and we designed learning, implemented that design, and analyzed the result of teaching experiment is explained at part of learning design.    
 

B. Purpose of Observation
The purpose of this learning design and observation are to:

1. describe the learning of the relationship among weight units (kilos, gram, and ounce) by using PMRI approach at grade 3A SD Negeri 117 Palembang, 
2. build experience to the observers to design and carry out learning using PMRI approach on material of the relationship among weight units.

C. Learning Design
The material taught in this learning is the relationship among weight unit, which focus on the relationship among kilos, gram, and ounce. This learning was carried out at class 5A SDN 117 Palembang. The steps are preliminary design (curriculum analysis, the determination of indicators and learning objectives), continued with teaching experiment and retrospective analysis (reflection of learning) which will be described as follows.

1. Preliminary Design
In this activity, we analyzed curriculum with the purpose of matching designed learning with the mathematics curriculum for Grade 3 of elementary school. The analysis comprises the determination of material which will be taught, learning objectives, and learning indicators.
 

Based on information from teacher (Mrs. Fatmawati), the material about relationship among weight units is taught after the topic of money. This material could be taught and introduced kinds of gauges simultaneously.
 

Standard competence and basic competence which underlies the compiling of lesson plan respectively is using time measurement, length, and weight in problem solving and understand the relationship among time units, length units, and weight units. From the basic competence, we formulated learning objectives and learning indicators. Because the focus of this learning is to convert unit from kilos to gram, ounce to gram, and kilos to ounce, the learning objectives are that students could estimate the weight of given thing that is more than, less than, or equal to 1 kilo by using a gauge, and also students could conclude the relationship between kilos-gram, gram-ounce, kilos-ounce using their own words.
 

After determining learning objectives and indicators, the next activity is to design the content of learning activity which will be held. We chose the context of gauge for weight as starting point to teach the relationship among kilos, ounce, and gram. This context was chosen based on Mrs. Fatmawati’s suggestion because this gauge is often met by students in their daily life. Moreover, students will be experienced in using gauge directly.
 

Based on our pre observation result, students seemed to be active in following learning when the teacher asked them to give feed-back such as waiting the turn to demonstrate the answers on white board. This situation inspired us to design learning that involves students more deeply in both when they have presentation and work in group (interactivity). Hopefully, it will bring students to their own understanding problem given by constructing their own finding about mathematics concept/skill (student’s contribution).
 

To find the relationship among kilos, gram, and ounce, students are desired to use the concept/knowledge from other/previous topics (intertwining of learning strands) like addition and multiplication, such as how many package of sand (10 gram) which are needed to build a package of sand with the weight of 1 ounce. In relating with the process of mathematizing which is likely built by students through model (use of model), we arrange ice berg of material of the relationship weight units.

Figure 1. Ice berg of material of the relationship weight units.

Based on ice berg from figure above, measuring instrument scales and daily goods often be found by students becoming the context to start learning. Meanwhile, as a model of in this learning, students are asked to measure directly some goods and package of sand in any size by using scales, then direct students to transcribe data which they acquire into tables served as a model for. Henceforward, students are expected to find the conversion of kilos. to grams, ounces to grams, and kilos. to ounces which is the form mathematics formal from the relationship among a series of activities be in groups.

 
Figure 2. Sand and scale as  model of in learning

After composing design of learning, we transfer that design into the draft form of lesson plan and LKK (Sheets Group Activity) which is consulted to Mrs. Fatmawati and Mrs. Yusniar (teacher partner who last year cooperated with senior) before the learning dated on November 7th 2012. From the consultation, we obtained some advice about lesson plan which should have been written in the draft of thematic (existing links with other subjects like Indonesia lesson, natural science, or social class). Even though learning design we have already arranged contained those link elements, according to Mrs. Fatmawati, especially for bottom classes, lesson plan should be assembled using format of thematic in order to be obviously seen that there is connectedness among subjects learning. Furthermore, actually we plan to use type of sitting scales as media of learning. But, because of until the learning time came, we initiated to use needle scale to substitute sitting scale

For more complete for this report, you can donwload PDF file of 2 nd Observation Report

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