A Team of Faculty and Students from the Mathematics Education Program at Unsri Holds a Community Service Event // Assistance with the Development of Mathematical Modeling Problems

This activity is funded by the Sriwijaya University Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, in accordance with the Rector’s Decree No. 0014/UN9/SK.L.PPM.PM/2025 dated September 17, 2025.This support demonstrates Sriwijaya University’s commitment to advancing the three pillars of higher education, particularly in the area of community service, which has a direct impact on improving the quality of education in the region.

This event is themed “Assistance in Developing Mathematical Modeling Problems forat Junior High Schools in Ilir Barat I Subdistrict, Palembang City,” and was held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. WIB at the Language Center of Sriwijaya University, Palembang.

This community service program was chaired by Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hartono, M.Sc, with a team of faculty members consisting of Dr. Darmawijoyo, M.Si, Dr. Weni Dwi Pratiwi, M.Sc, Septy Sari Yukans, M.Sc, and Muhammad Ridho, S.Pd., M.Si. The event also involved students from the Mathematics Education Study Program, who played an active role in assisting participants throughout the training.

Participants consisted of junior high school mathematics teachers from across Palembang who are members of the Palembang City Mathematics Subject Teachers’ Association (MGMP). Interestingly, the event was also attended by several elementary and high school mathematics teachers from both within and outside Palembang City who were interested in deepening their understanding of developing real-life context-based test items in accordance with the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) assessment framework.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hartono, M.Sc., emphasized the importance of teachers’ ability to design questions that not only assess procedural skills but also train students to think critically and solve problems through real-life contexts. “Through this activity, we hope that teachers will not only be able to solve modeling problems but also develop the skills to design questions that challenge students to think critically and solve contextual problems—problems that foster students’ mathematical literacy and are relevant to the challenges of the 21st century,” he said.

During the workshop, participants received intensive guidance on the concepts of mathematical modeling. In addition to theoretical instruction, teachers were also trained to analyze various examples of mathematical modeling problems so that they could determine the appropriate and systematic steps for solving them. In the next session, participants received hands-on guidance in crafting effective mathematical modeling problems, complete with guidelines for designing problems that align with real-life contexts and the characteristics of their students. The participants’ enthusiasm was evident from the numerous questions and productive discussions that arose during the training sessions.

As part of this activity, participants also received a book titled “Mathematical Modeling Instruction” by Dr. Darmawijoyo, M.Si., and Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hartono, M.Sc. This book serves as an important learning resource that supports teachers in understanding the concepts and implementation of mathematical modeling in the classroom.

The event concluded with a reflection session and a group photo with all participants and the community service team. The teachers expressed their appreciation and hope that similar activities would continue to be held on an ongoing basis to enrich mathematics teaching practices in schools.