Developing Instructional Media for Primary School Mathematics Teaching  and Learning
Creators: name: Sahid
name: Fadjar, Shadiq
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: mathematics
subject: learning mathematics
subject: teaching mathematics
subject: instructional media
subject: Media and communications
subject: FOS: Media and communications
subject: primary school mathematics
subject: triangle grids
subject: pattern blocks
subject: geoboards
subject: tangrams
subject: fraction circles
subject: number cards
subject: counting rods
subject: fraction tiles
subject: rectangular blocks
subject: ten-base blocks

description: Learning mathematics is a process of development of new mathematical knowledge, skills, or attitude toward mathematics, which happens when a student interacts with information and environment. In this context, we are concerned with the students' learning that takes place in response to instructional efforts involving the selection, arrangement, and delivery of information in appropriate environment by teachers or students. Learning environment includes a place where instruction takes place, physical facilities, psychological atmosphere, technology, methods, and media needed to convey information and guide the learner's study. 

Teachers need to use an eclectic approach to learning. The successful instructional practices should have features that are supported by virtually all the various perspectives: (1) active participation, (2) practice, (3) individual differences, (4) feedback, (5) realistic contexts, and (6) social interaction (Smaldino, SE et. al, 2009: 7-8). In active learning students are actively engaged in meaningful tasks and interacting with the content. New learning requires more practices in various contexts that will improve the rate of retention and the ability to apply new knowledge, skill, or attitude. The use of effective methods in instruction allow individuals with different personality, general aptitude, knowledge of subject, to progress at different rates, cover different materials, and even to participate in different activities. Giving feedback during teaching and learning enables learners to know if their thinking is on track. The use of real-world context in learning environment helps students to remember and to apply knowledge. Meanwhile, learning by interacting with tutor, peers provides a number of pedagogical and social supports. 

In relation to the above perspectives, teachers may use instructional media in classroom to facilitate students' learning and to give them those perspectives. By instructional media here are all materials (physical hardware and software) and tools that teachers may use in their lesson to facilitate students in achieving the instructional objectives. It covers a wide range of materials and apparatuses, and usually classified into visual, audio, video, and its combinations.

In general, media (single: medium) are tools used to transfer information or messages from the source to the receiver. Media used in the communication processes, including teaching and learning process. According to Wayan Santyasa (2007: 3), teaching and learning process contains five communication components, namely teacher (communicator), instructional materials, instructional media, students (communicants), and instructional objectives. Instructional media are integral parts of instructional system, meaning that it can not be separated from learning process. 

Instructional media include traditional media (chalk board, textbook, handout, module, poster, student worksheet, real objects, manipulative, OHP slide, video tape, life creature, etc.), mass media (newspaper, magazine, radio, television, movie, etc.), and new ICT-based instructional media (computer, CD, DVD, interactive video, Internet, multimedia system, video conference, etc.). There are also some classifications of media, but this paper will focus on the development of more specific ones, manipulative, that teachers can easily develop for their instructional purposes.