The Lecturer Team of the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya (UB) consisting of Dr. Noor Hidayat (Team Leader), Dr. Vira Hari Krisnawati, Indah Yanti, M.Sc., and Dr. Darmajid have carried out Community Service activities in Malaysia. This activity was carried out in collaboration with Sanggar Wira Damai Malaysia, an institution that actively helps educate Indonesian children in Malaysia.
The community service themed “Strengthening Understanding of Number Concepts at Sanggar Wira Damai Malaysia” was funded by the Internal Fund of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UB for the 2024 Fiscal Year with the Non-Economic 1 category (Outside East Java). This activity focuses on strengthening educational services for Indonesian children in Malaysia who do not have access to formal education.
This community service activity was carried out as a form of moral responsibility from the team in an effort to educate the nation’s life, especially for Indonesian children who live abroad but are in great need of help and empathy.
In its implementation, this activity began by identifying the participants’ understanding of various numbers, especially natural numbers, whole numbers, and integers. The method used was lectures and questions and answers to determine the extent of the participants’ understanding of these concepts.
The next stage was to identify the participants’ understanding of operations between numbers. Considering that the participants were elementary school children, the team used a fun math game method. The questions were made in the form of crossword puzzles, where participants were asked to complete several number operations.
The participants looked very enthusiastic and happy when working on the questions given. Four sheets of questions were provided, with the time to complete them adjusted based on the level of difficulty of the questions. Although some completed the questions faster than the time given, some participants took longer.
After all the questions were collected, the team evaluated the participants’ answers. The evaluation results showed that the participants’ understanding of the concept of numbers still needed more attention. Therefore, the team provided additional insight into the concept of numbers and number operations with language that is tailored to the level of education of the participants, and used pictures to facilitate understanding.
The lack of understanding of the participants regarding the concept of numbers was due to the limitations of the learning model they had received so far. The studio management could only rely on voluntary assistance from Indonesian students studying in Malaysia, without the support of formal teachers.
The presence of the community service team from the Mathematics Department, FMIPA UB was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the studio management and participants. They hope that similar activities can continue continuously and with a longer duration, one of which is through the Real Work Lecture (KKN) program.
The Head of the Community Service Team, Dr. Noor Hidayat, said that this activity is very important to help Indonesian children in Malaysia who have limited access to formal education.
“We feel proud and honored to be able to contribute to educating the nation’s young generation, especially those who are abroad. Through this activity, we hope to provide a better understanding of the concept of numbers and increase their interest in learning in mathematics. We also hope that this activity can continue to be carried out sustainably and for a longer period so that the impact is more significant,” said Dr. Noor Hidayat.
As the implementer, the community service team is very happy to be able to provide contributions and insights to the sons and daughters of the Indonesian nation in Malaysia. It is hoped that this activity can be carried out again in the future, in collaboration with Sanggar Wira Damai.(*/TEAM/UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
