Mathematics is essential for students because it can help learners to think logically and find clear solutions for seemingly complicated matters.
Therefore, mathematics learning should focus on developing critical thinking and drawing conclusions, rather than simply memorizing answers to equations.
In Indonesia, this rote-learning seems typical. At school, students are taught familiar or well-known methods, which are used to solve mathematical questions.
Subsequently, students tend to follow the rules they learn from their teachers.
In exams, students are given a set of mathematical questions to solve. The final assessment is solely based on a student’s performance in exams. If this continues, students will lose their ability to think critically, which is essential in developing new knowledge.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is one effective method that can train students to harness their critical thinking when it comes to mathematics.
This method allows students to analyze and find the solution to a problem rather than simply applying methods that are already known.
According to Roh, Kyeong Ha (2003) PBL is a learning environment where problems drive the learning.
That is, learning begins with a problem to be solved, and the problem is posed is such a way that students need to gain new knowledge before they can solve the problem.
Rather than seeking a single correct answer, students interpret the problem, gather needed information, identify possible solutions, evaluate options, and present conclusions.
This highlights that PBL is an effective method to encourage students to analyze and think critically. And it is hoped that by thinking critically, in the future, people (students) would not simply imitate existing mathematical methods, but would create and pioneer new approaches.
The national examination, which is still in dispute, will be held on the third week of March 2010.
Mathematics is one subject that will be examined in the national examination. There are forty questions and students have to dealt with those questions in 120 minutes. If we calculate, students have to finish one question in at least 3 minutes maximum.
The question is that can we assess student’s mathematics ability in this short period of time?
If mathematics learning aims to form student’s critical thinking ability and their ability to analyze and draw a conclusion from problems, I personally think that in this short time, it is hard to assess student’s mathematical ability.
If we want to improve student’s mathematical ability, we need to consider PBL.
This is an effective method that can be implemented to develop student’s critical thinking especially in dealing with mathematical problems. And of course the assessment to student’s performance will be different.
Student performance can only be monitored during the learning process in the class. This is because during the learning process in the class, teachers can monitor how students develop their ideas to solve the problems.
Therefore, it is hard to measure student’s ability only by asking them to solve a set of questions.
Although national examination is a kind of national standard to assess student’s ability and at least, this can measure student’s performance in a standardized test, personally, I think it is better for government to think about a new standardized test that can measure student’s ability in all aspects, including their critical thinking ability.
Only through this way can we produce high quality of students. If not, they might become imitators.
The writer is a mathematics lecturer at Nusa Cendana University, East Nusa Tenggara.
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