My Experience

I have an experience in psychology of mathematics learning. It was an experience that I faced a student who had problem in learning Mathematics. She is my niece, Dita Puspa Dewi. Now, she is seventh class in SMP IT Giwangan. When she was sixth class in SD IT ATH TORIQ Gombong, Dita got difficulties in learning Mathematics and it was be the most difficult to her when she had to do final examination. Before the final examination, usually many schools hold trial tests to know how deep students ready to face final examination. From the result of the trial test, Dita got bad mark in mathematics. Her mark was always under six. Dita’s parents worried her. They afraid if Dita didn’t pass a final examination. Actually, Dita didn’t join a course because her activity in school was busy enough. On Sunday to Friday she went home at 03.30 p.m. On Saturday she went home at 12.30 p.m. In fact she wanted to join the course but because no friend accompanied her, so she canceled her planning to join the course.
At home, nobody could help Dita to study. Dita’s parents just accompanied her without helped her if she faced difficult case. Than, her parents asked me to teach her about Mathematics. But it didn’t show a significant progress because of the limited time. I didn’t go home once a week.
When the final examination came, I was still in Jogja because it was not a holiday. Dita’s mother informed me that Dita got stress facing final examination especially Mathematics. She had ever got sick. Not only Dita got stress but so did her parents. I was very sad to hear that. So I decided to go home and absent from my colledge. My efforts to help Dita were explained questions from school that she didn’t understand yet. Beside that, I gift her steps for understanding, made key word, and repeated the lesson to make sure that she didn’t forget. I also made a summary of lesson in order Dita could learn the lesson easily if she forgot. The other effort was introduced kind of questions that usually exist in final examination and developed those question so that Dita could do the other question with the same basic strategy. Studying was started at 06.30 p.m to 10.00 p.m. At 03.30 a.m we also studied until 05.00 a.m. Before Dita went to school to do final examination, I tried to give spirit and confidence that she could do it.
In fact, after the result of final examination were published, Dita passed examination and get 8 in Mathematics. Beside Dita got good mark in Mathematics, Dita also got fourth level in her class. That achievement had made her parents happy. Not only Dita’s parents were happy but also me.