Mathematics Learning Aided Calculator: Case Studies Texas Instrument TI 89 Calculator Use on PBM Matematika in SMK MUHAMMADIYAH IV YOGYAKARTA

By: Dr. Marsigit M. A
Reviewed by: Hany Tri Wahyono


In modern country calculator get important role on process mathematics learning. This thing showed with use calculator on mathematics learning from primary school until higher education. Not only that, research about graphic calculator showed with some journal, book, conference report and discuss about graphic calculator. Kind of calculator develop with fast, looked from calculator use there are two kind that is generic calculator and scientific calculator. Calculator that has mathematics method is scientific calculator. One of scientific calculator is graphic calculator that can complete mathematics task with fast and appear it be graphic form. As help tool, calculator have important role to develop students thinking, teacher should teach their students about this technology.

The goal of case studies is to identify graphic calculator use when mathematics learning process and knowing student response to graphic calculator use, understand teacher and student activity in mathematics learning. Researcher presence need when mathematics learning process to figure out the fact that occurred. Then research site is in SMK Muhammadiyah IV Yogyakarta. To get image about calculator use in mathematics learning process, researcher first introduce calculator to the students. Because researcher be given chance to teaching, so first step is to make understand that calculator important in mathematics learning process. Then after that researcher collect the data as information from the research.

From the research we can get stages of calculator use as assistive devices mathematics learning in SMK Muhammadiyah IV Yogyakarta, can do as:

First stage is comprehension about graphic calculator significance. Essence from that comprehension process is to describe about graphic calculator.

Second stage is comprehension on theory and use of graphic calculator to complete the equation and inequalities.

Third stage is insert problem data to graphic calculator

Fourth stage is to interpretation the screen view of graphic calculator and give conclusion

      Also from the research, graphic calculator has aspects of the utilization in mathematics learning as follows:
       a. Graphic calculator use to determine and match graphic image, answer the set of completion 
            b. Graphic calculator to give real experience about graphic image 
            c. Completion about equal and inequalities with command, symbolic and graphic manipulation 
            d. Accelerate completion of mathematics problem 
            e. Express mathematics sentence to calculator and reveal each calculator screen view into mathematics sentence
            f. Mathematics learning more attractive and solving mathematics problem easier 
           g. If graphic calculator use without offset capability to understand operation procedure and mathematics thinking then it can cause high level of dependence, lost confidence, and lazy thinking