REFLECTION PAPER " Design Research on Fraction "

Author : Wuli Oktiningrum

REFLECTION PAPER
Design Research on Fraction
Researcher : Rooselyne Ekawati
Matematika FMIPA Universitas Negeri Surabaya

This research presented by Rooselyne Ekawati from Matematika FMIPA Universitas Surabaya. The researcher found that most of students in the elementary school felt that fraction is one of difficult materials in mathematics. Most of them probably have to skill to do operation with fraction, but on the other hand, some of them just mastering the procedure without understanding. Even, mastering the procedure without understanding it is worthless. 

Based on that problem, the researcher made design research to students in the fourth grade in elementary school. The researcher used fraction as material and used Realistic Mathematics approach with measurement as the context and the paper strip folding and rubber band as the model for fraction. The paper folding used in the first sequence activity and the rubber band used as generalize model of paper folding. The researcher given context situation : a long bar cake, it called “ Lapis” that must devide into several number part can be illustrated as a paper strip that must be folded, and the size of the paper strip must be equal as the size of the cake. With the paper folding, student can support their reason about the equal fraction, for example to find the equal fraction of 1/2 , the students can fold the paper into two part and have one part is ½ and they can also do that by fold the paper into 4 and have two parts of or in fraction notation is 2/4 as ½ of 4 parts. Because the students difficult to fold the paper into odd number, the researcher used the string rubber band models but with different context. The researcher used the context of cone cap game because to support this game, the students need the string rubber band. The rubber band can be stretched, the students can stretch the string rubber band into the number that the student want. For example, student will be difficult to divide a thing into seven part, so they used seven rubbers and stretch those rubber as long as the size of the thing that they want to divide. After that activity, the students symbolized which they notate the paper folding with the fraction notation and used the model for reasoning with the number relation in fraction. 

To conclude, to introduce the materials of mathematics especially fraction is better not to be introduced abstractly first, but used model of mathematics such as paper strip folding and rubber band. So that the students get more understanding of operation with fraction and they are trained to reason. I personaly believe that the researcher did was very great. The researcher used model of mathematics and realistics mathematics approach to made students understanding about fraction. Model of mathematics is important to students, because it make students interesting to study and can develop their knowledge.

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