Reflection for Learning Mathematics Using
Mathematical Songs
Last
Monday, on March 19th 2012, Mr. Marsigit as my English lecturer
thought me about new method to teach mathematics. New? Yes, new for me. This
method is very interesting to implement in the class. Can you guess what method
that I talk about? Yes, learning mathematics using mathematical songs. Is it
very interesting, right?
Each day, everybody in this world
hears music. Music lies in every part of our life. Actually, I think that no
one hates music. Every body likes music. Music makes us can feel anything that
the song tells about easily, like: sadness, happiness, disappointment, anger, and
etc. In other side, mathematics is very important. This mother of science is
very useful in our life. "Counting sheep when you're trying to
sleep, being fair when there's something to share, being neat when you're
folding a sheet…That's mathematics…When a ball bounces off of a wall, when you
cook from a recipe book, when you know how much money you owe…That's
mathematics…" That was the part of the lyric from a mathematical song
by Tom Lehrer. Tom Lehrer's song tells us about usefulness of mathematics in
many aspects of our life. But, that was only a little part of the usefulness of
mathematics. There are many other kinds of usefulness that can we get from
mathematics. Do you want to reach the moon? Use mathematics. Do you want to
make an airplane? Use mathematics. Do you want to build a huge building? Use
mathematics. Do you want to sell something with a big profit? Use mathematics.
Do you want to pay zakat? Use mathematics. Do you want to draw? Use
mathematics. Do you want to cook? Use mathematics. Do you want to plant corn in
the field? Use mathematics. So, mathematics is very important.
Unfortunately, today, many
students hate mathematics. They think that mathematics is very hard to
understand. Maybe, they also think that mathematics just like ghost (momok)
that is very strange and frightening for them. If they only have to solve
mathematical problem, they get a big stress. So, teacher must find a method
that can make students think that mathematics is easy and funny. One of
alternative way to teach about easy and funny mathematics is using music or
song.
Like a music that lies in every part of our
life, actually, mathematics lies in every part of our life too. So, why don't
we combine those two important things for study purposes? It will be very
interesting to teach the important thing like mathematics that is hated using
music or song that is loved, right? I think this is a way that can makes the
students can enjoy mathematics learning process in the class. Song or music
makes students feel interesting to learn about mathematics and also make them
easier to understand about mathematics. So, what are we waiting for? Here they
are, the mathematical songs that I know from Mister Marsigit's class:
1. That's
Mathematics! by Tom Lehrer;
Counting sheep, when you're trying to sleep
Being fair, when there's something to share
Being neat, when you're folding a sheet
That's mathematics
When a ball, bounces off of a wall
When you cook, from a recipe book
When you know, how much money you owe
That's mathematics
How much gold can you hold in an elephant's
ear?
When its noon, then what time is it here?
If you could count for a year…
Would you get to infinity? Or somewhere in
that vicinity?
When you choose, how much postage to use
When you know, what's the chance it will
snow
When you bet, and you end up in debt
Oh try as you may, you just can't get away
from mathematics!
Andrew Wyles, Gently Smiles, does his thing
and voila!
QED we agree and we all shout
"hurrah!"
As he confirms what Fermat, Jotted down in
that margin, which could've used some enlarging
Tap your feet, keep in time to a beat
Of a song, while you're singing along
Harmonise, with the rest of the guys
Yes try as you may, you just can't get away
From mathematics!
Reflection of
"That's Mathematics" song:
I think this mathematical song is very
useful to make students can understand about the usefulness of mathematics in
our world. When we study about something, actually we will ask, "What is
the connectivity between this subject with my life?".
Exactly, this Tom Lehrer's song has answer
of the question using many examples.
Those examples in this song are easy to found in our daily life, like:
counting sheep, folding a sheet, bouncing ball, cooking from recipe book,
counting for a year, and etc. So, students can understand about the purpose in
study mathematics easily. Students will
realize about "How important mathematics is!".
Beside that, this song is very cheerful.
Its rhythm is very interesting in middle speed. I think it is not make
listeners are boring to hear this song.
If you hear this song, I think you will want to hear this song twice,
thrice, or more. So, what are you waiting for? Let's here this mathematical
song to understand the usefulness of mathematics in our life!
2. Mean,
Median, and Mode;
Mean,
median, and mode
How
do you find the mean?
Add
up the numbers in the data sheet
Divide
the total by the number of items
The
answer is the mean or average
Mean,
median, and mode
How
do you find the median?
Arrange
the numbers in order, from the lowest to the highest values
The
middle number is the median for an odd number of items
The
average of two middle numbers is the median for an even number of items
Mean,
median, and mode
Mean,
median, and mode
How
do you find the mode?
Just
find the number that repeats most often
And
the number is the mode
If
you find no number that repeats most often, then there is no mode
Mean,
median, and mode
Mean,
median, and mode
Mean,
median, and mode
Reflection of "Mean,
median, and mode" song:
Wowwww!
When I hear this song, actually I surprised with it. It is very unique song for
me. The rhythm in this song is very different with other song. I think I was in
fashion show when I hear this song. The music as if tells me about that. I
don't know. But I think it is very interesting.
If
the first song tells us about the usefulness of mathematics, this song is
different. Mean, median, and mode song tell us about specific content of
mathematics, such as: the definition and formula to find mean, the definition
and formula to find median, the definition and formula to find mode, and etc.
This kind of song makes students
can easy to understand about mathematical contents and also makes students easy
to remember that. So, do you find any difficulties about mean, median, or mode?
Don't worry! Let's hear this mean, median, and mode song!
3. What
You Know about Math?;
What you know about math?
What
you know about math?
What
you know about math?
Hey,
don't you know I represent math league when I add shorty subtract
Freshman
backpack where I holdin' all my work at
What you know about math?
What
you know about math?
What
you know about math?
I
know all about math
Answer's
44 it's real easy cus it's sig figs
You got 45 your answers high you
rounded too big
What you know about math?
What
you know about math?
What
you know about math?
I
know all about math
TI-80
silver edition know I'm shinin' dog
Extra
memory on the back to do my natural log
You
know we multiply while memorizing pi
Take
limits to the sky be sure to simplify
Graphing
utility it's trigonometry 100 our math B
Don't
you cheat off me
Distance
is rate times time
The
sign graph ain't no line
Exponential
decline
But
your score can't beat mine
We're
memorizing rate for our math league states
Against
the math league greats
Not
getting many dates
I
got to find a mate but girls just playa hate and always make me wait
Can't
even integrate
Don't
you know I represent math league when I add shorty subtract
Freshman
backpack where I holdin' all my work at
What you know about math?
What
you know about math?
What
you know about math?
I
know all about math
Reflection of "What You
Know about Math?" song:
Wowww! Mathematics is very fun.
Maybe, this is the main idea which will "what you know about math?"
song tells about.
Today,
many young people like rap music. Wait, maybe not only young people like that
but also adults. Why? I think it because rap music has a high-speed rhythm. So,
it will make people have more spirit to hear that kind of music.
So,
why don't we use this advantage to make people or student very interested in
mathematics? And this is the answer.
But,
sometimes I think this kind of mathematical song is hard to understand.
Exactly, for the students from foreign country that do not use English as
communication language in their daily life. It will make them have difficulties
to understand the social term of English, such as: cus, playa, and sig.
4.
The Math Song from Lazy
Song of Bruno Mars;
Today,
I don't feel like doing anything
I
just wanna focus on math
Domain
and range and rate of change
It
all makes me go insane
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
Now
let's sketch graphs
Try
to figure out how to represent relations
Ordered
pairs and tables are the destination
Learn
about this function notation
I'll
be graphing linear function
And
interpreting relations
Did
you know y=mx+b
So
in my math class, I'll get good grades
Oh
yes, I know, I know
I
said it cause I know
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
I
just wanna focus on math
Domain
and range and rate of change
It
all makes me go insane
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
Now
let's sketch graphs
Tomorrow
I'll wake up
And
do some more graphing
Gonna
ace my test and stop all that slacking
And
I'm gonna out "I did great!"
I'm
gonna walk around
And
show all my friends
I
bet my old man will be so proud of me
Don't
worry pops, I'll keep doing great
Oh
yes I aced it, I aced it
I
aced it caused I can
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
I
just wanna focus on math
Domain
and range and rate of change
It
all makes me go insane
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
Now
let's sketch graphs
Oh
I know what a function is
One
element of the domain goes with the range
There
are different types of variable
The
dependent and independent
The
relationship between two sets of things
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
I
just wanna focus on math
Domain
and range and rate of change
It
all makes me go insane
Today
I don't feel like doing anything
Now
let's sketch graphs
Reflection of the Mathematical
Song from Lazy Song of Bruno Mars:
Did you get a big stress before do a
mathematics test? Did you find any difficulties to understand about mathematics
content before do the test? Aha! I have a solution for you. Why don't you tell
your feeling with this kind of mathematical song? Beside that, you can also
tell about the concept of mathematics to make you it's easy to understand and easy
to remember that.
In my opinion, this song is very
creative song. This song uses a popular song to makes mathematical song more
interesting. Who don't know this Bruno Mars' song? So, this song helps us to
remember about mathematical contents easily because we have known about this
song before. What are you waiting for? Let's hear your Bruno Mars' song in
mathematics version!
5. Multiplication
Song.
Three
times one is three
Three
times two is six
Three
times three is, three times three is, three times three is nine
Three
times four equals twelve
Get
those place third of the self
Three
times four equals twelve
Three
times five equal fifteen common
Three
times six is eighteen sing along
Three
times seven is twenty one
Common
it has some find
Three
times eight is twenty four
There
are houses…with some more
Three
times nine one is twenty seven
You
know twice…you havin'
Four
times one is four
For
times two is eight
And
here is ten thousand
Four
times three is twelve
Four
times four is sixteen
How
when I
Four
times five is twenty
That's
go on
Alone
Four
times six is twenty four
Love
to
Four
times seven is simply twenty eight
Four
times eight simply thirty two
Four
times nine is thirty six
When
you love
Four
times ten is forty and
Mountain
And
learn
The
using the number four
Reflection of "Multiplication
Song":
Honestly, I don't really like this
song. Why? I think the reason why is because this multiplication song has very
slow speed rhythm. So, this song just like death song that makes student can
feel bored and frighten to hear this song. I don't know. But I think this
multiplication content of mathematics will be thought in second grade or maybe
first grade in elementary school.
Can you imagine the elementary
school's students are? Yes, they like playing and like something fun and
something interesting. Do you think they will be interested in something like
death song? Of course not. So, I give an advice for make a more cheerful song
about this multiplication concept. Exactly, it will help students in elementary
school more interested in the song and multiplication concept.
My Own Song
Beside
hear those mathematical songs, Mister Marsigit gives to me and my friends an
opportunity to create our own mathematical song. He also gives us time to show
our songs off in front of the class. I am very happy to do that task. So, I
make my own mathematical song wholeheartedly and this is it:
Number Sequences-Ost Full House
Number
Sequences, number sequences
Do you
know about the number sequence?
Those
are defined as the numbers
which
are set up by certain rule
Reff:
There
are two types of the number sequences
The
first one is arithmatic sequence
In this
sequence, we have a constant number
as a
divergent (b)
You can
get b by certain formula
Un+1-Un
of course
If b
positive, we can call this sequence
as an
up sequence
How
about if b is a negative?
It is
easy, to call this sequence as down sequence
As down
sequence, as down sequence
Number
sequences, number sequences
Do you
know the other number sequence?
The
second type beside arithmatic sequence
Reff:
There's
a second type of number sequences
This
second is geometric sequence
In this
sequence, we have a constant number
as a
ratio(r)
You can
get r by certain formula
Un+1/Un
of course
If r
more than one, we can call this
sequence
as an
up sequence
How
about if r between 0 and 1?
It's so
easy, to call this sequence as down sequence
As down
sequence, as down sequence
Number
sequences, number sequences
You
have known about the number sequences
In the
end, give me a time
give me
a time
to say
good bye
to say
good byeeee
to
say..........good bye
