The Use of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) to Help Indonesian 5th-Grade Students to Learn Multiplication and Division

Abstract

Abstract                                                              This paper discusses the use of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) as an alternative approach to enhance Indonesian 5th-grade students’ ability in multiplication and division. It presents the analysis of Indonesian 5th-grade students’ difficulties in applying stacking method for multiplication and division. Furthermore, it describes a mathematics teaching learning practice to stimulate students constructing their strategies, mathematical models and number sense in solving mathematical problems that involve multiplication and division. The teaching learning practice aims to apply RME for helping students develop their multiplication and division ability.Findings shows that stacking methods for multiplication and division are difficult for the students. The main students’ problem in multiplication and division stacking methods is in reapplying the steps of the methods. The steps taken to improve the learning process by implementing RME are: (1) analyze in detail the difficulties of students in multiplication and division stacking methods, (2) provide contexts of mathematical problems that can stimulate students to think mathematically, (3) hold a class mathematics congress, and (4) conduct a test to measure students’ achievement.            Based on the students’ achievement, there has been several improvements. After RME, there were more students whose grades passed the Minimum Mastery Criteria. Moreover, there was a student who got 100. Then, the average test was higher. Meanwhile, there were only 3 children whose grades were 0. Thus, the application of RME has helped the 5th-grade students to improve their ability in multiplication and division.