Fruit Reference as a Media for Understanding variables, coefficients, constants, and terms in Algebra
BEGINNING :
Alhamdulillah, in the 2022-2023 academic year I was given the mandate to teach 7th grade mathematics at the junior high school level with the free sharing curriculum. As we all know, grade 7 is the result of online school graduates because the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, also hit Indonesia. When the new school year begins, the government begins to stipulate that all students will enter school. How excited they were to be able to go in and meet their teachers and friends after 2 years of online schooling. However, there are obstacles here, math lessons are a very frightening specter. Many grade 7 students cannot do simple algebraic mathematics such as addition and subtraction operations. What happens in class, students become lazy and not enthusiastic about learning mathematics, even though the teacher has explained the philosophy of the importance of algebra and its application in everyday life. With this condition will certainly affect students to learn mathematics. The condition of students becomes unstable, crowded, and running around. For this reason, the teacher must be creative in directing and guiding students in fun and meaningful algebra learning in class.
CHALLENGE :
Actually students have known algebra since elementary school, but when they were in grade 7 junior high school they were still a lot confused about addition and subtraction operations, especially if the numbers were negative integers. Plus, algebra material in grade 7 there is material for variables, coefficients, constants, and terms. This is what makes students confused. The lack of understanding of these students adds to the nickname of mathematics as a frightening specter.
ACTION:
The first step that the teacher takes is to provide an explanation regarding variables, coefficients, constants, and terms on the board and give examples of each of these materials. However, after being given practice questions, the students again became confused because they did not understand.
The second step, the teacher makes fruit salad ideas together. The students were also enthusiastic about this joint reference. The following week the students brought fruit according to the teacher's instructions, some brought guava, salak, apple, bengkoang, cucumber, papaya, manga, and did not forget to bring ready-made rujak seasoning from home. The long awaited week has arrived, all students prepare joint gatherings according to their respective assignments. While peeling the fruit, the teacher gives an explanation of variables, coefficients, constants, and terms by using the existing fruit instead of variables and terms. Alhamdulillah, students finally understand variables, coefficients, constants, and terms. Students were very enthusiastic about answering algebra exercises orally. After all understand the differences in variables, coefficients, constants, and terms. All students eat fruit salad together.
The third step, students are given practice questions in the form of quizzes. From the results of the first and second quizzes, student scores have increased significantly.
CHANGE :
Alhamdulilah, while eating fruit together, the students learned algebra. Initially, students did not understand variables, coefficients, constants, and terms. After discussing together and studying together with fruit media and references, students understand about variables, coefficients, constants, and terms.
With the media of fruit and rujakan students learn happily, enjoy, and of course full. 100% of students can distinguish variables, coefficients, constants, and terms. Even when working on more varied questions using other symbols, some students were still not good at using number operations. It is proven that the scores of students with more complex number operations questions got an average of 61.07 compared to the previous ones who couldn't do it at all.
Hope it is useful