Using Finger in learning mathematic for Children under 5 years

MATHEMATICAL METHOD

“Using Finger in learning mathematics for Children under 5 years”

Psychology of Learning Mathematics

MathematicS and Science Faculty of Jogjakarta State University

Many people have problem in learning mathematics. People said that mathematician is a difficult lesson. Mathematics be one of the lesson which make student afraid. Student can’t understand the concept of mathematics. We know that mathematics is very useful for our life. Mathematics is used in all of the aspect of knowledge.

There are many theory in order to help people how to learn mathematics more easily but it is not effective. Learning mathematics must be started since children. It will help children growth more easily in learning mathematics because children has the basis of mathematical attitude. Mathematical attitude must be planned since children by reform the mathematical thinking of the children.

In school mathematics, learning mathematics must have four aspects according to Ebutt and Stalen (1995). There are :

1. Pattern or relation

2. Problem solving

3. Investigation

4. Communication

This four aspects have a function in helping student in learning mathematics. learning mathematics itself must has four aspects in order to help student in learning mathematics. There are :

1. Student need motivation

2. Student is individual

3. Student need collaboration

4. Context (related and ready)

We use abstraction and idealization in order to make the concept of mathematics. Student will construct their mathematics by their mathematical thinking. So, student must have a good mathematical thinking to construct a good mathematical concept. The problem is how to make a good mathematical thinking in student mind? Let me discuss about mathematical thinking firstly.

Mathematical thinking is one of the basis of learning mathematics because it can make a people to construct their own mathematics better than another people. Every person has a different kind of mathematical thinking but we can construct this aspect by giving a problem mathematics since children. The purpose is to make children more respective and more critical in construct their mathematical model. This step need a collaboration between children and their teacher.

There are three aspects according to professor Katagiri about student’s mathematical thinking. There are :

1. Mathematical attitude

2. Mathematical method

3. Mathematical content

Children always lazy in learning mathematics. Therefore, it can be a problem in mathematical thinking implementation. Teacher must have a good method in teaching about mathematics for children such that children don’t feel bored, Especially for children under the age of five years. Children under five years don’t know about mathematics. So, it easy to construct their mathematical thinking but the problem is how we can find a good way to teach mathematics for them?

One of the way to introduction mathematics problem for children is by using finger. We can introduce some small operation like plus, minus, by using finger. This method is more effective than another method ti introduce mathematics for children. In the some cases we can use a question which is modify into an interesting stories that contains mathematical problem.

I have a research about this method to a children who has four years old. From ten question, children can answer completely for six question. This is an indication that children knnow what the problem in mathematics. Children also can reconstruction the model of mathematical problem by using their finger to help them in finding the answer.

TABEL DATA.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Q5	Q6	Q7	Q8	Q9	Q10
Plus	V	V	V	-	-	-	V	V	V	-
Minus	V	-	-	V	V	V	-	V	V	V
Product	V	-	-	-	-	V	-	-	-	-

Note: v = the answer is right

- = the answer is wrong

Conclusion

Using finger method is effective for introduction mathematics problem for children under five years in plus-minus operation, but for product operation, it is not effective because children don’t know about the meaning of product. For product problem we can use real life story in order to help childern reconstruction their mathematical model.