An Action Research Proposal
Using Game to Encourage Students’ HOT in Mathematics Classroom
FATMAWATI & RAHMI
Introduction of Problem
Fatma is a mathematics teacher in a private international school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. After participating in the training of problem solving for mathematics teacher as a part of professional activity, she develops a new teaching methodology which she presumed can encourage students’ high thinking skills as well as problem solving using mathematical games.
Integrating games in teaching mathematics classroom is definitely new and challenging in her school. Typically, she has to select the sort of games and connect them to a particular topic in mathematics, yet keep them on track with the curriculum. Another important issue is choosing and providing appropriate materials needed by students, besides students’ activities and collaboration in the classroom.
In order to review her teaching at the first time she run the plan, Fatma requests her critical friend, Rahmi to observe her teaching. Fatma is a teacher who has experience less than two years, Rahmi, on the other hand is an experienced teacher with more than five years experience in teaching.
Fatma and Rahmi, then conduct one small action research activity to evaluate the usefulness of games in mathematics classroom. Action research is defined by Macintyre (2000) to be: ‘an investigation, where, as a result of rigorous self-appraisal of current practice, the researcher focuses on a ‘problem’ (or a topic or an issue which needs to be explained), and on the basis of information … plans, implements, then evaluates an action then draws conclusions on the basis of the findings’ (cited in Mead & Maxwell 2010:10).
Action research has systematic procedures that practitioners must follow, to gain a conclusion. Such procedures, indeed, makes action research distinct from other empirical research (Brighton 2009).