Design and Implementation of Thematic Assignment in Integrating the Local Context - Concepts - Global Context

Abstract

Utilization of the surrounding environment as a learning resource is considered superior in improving comprehensively the knowledge, psychomotor and student affection. Learning about the environment (nature, socio-culture) allows new information to enrich the experience gained by students from outside the classroom.  The surrounding environment-based learning should be enriched with information from relevant external sources, among others through mass media or reference/learning resources. Learning comes from the surrounding environment is very relevant and useful for schools (junior and senior high school) in the small island that experienced problems of lack of teaching materials, and the limitations of teachers. An interesting learning strategy in the development of learning comes from the surrounding environment is to compile and associate facts and phenomena (nature and social culture) that is around with external information that is passed through mass media or printed sources, photographs etc. This article discusses the design and experimental design of teaching in the form of thematic tasks that emphasize the learning process through comparison activities and local context associations with global context based on the concept of science and mathematics. The results of the experiments show that the group of students have the motivation and active activities of comparison and association of local context with global, although the mastery of science and mathematics concepts are not so good. Students generally perceive good and excellent design and testing of learning activities.