Yogyakarta, 20 August 2025 — The Ki Hadjar Dewantara Hall at the Center for Teacher and Education Personnel Development (BBGTK) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta became the stage for an inspiring milestone in Indonesian education. Around a hundred primary school teachers, principals, and supervisors from across Yogyakarta gathered for the program “Penguatan Numerasi dan Literasi melalui Lesson Study”, a prestigious collaboration between SEAMEO QITEP in Mathematics (SEAQiM), CRICED University of Tsukuba Japan, and BBGTK DI Yogyakarta.
This event successfully began in Jakarta on 18 August, continued in Yogyakarta on 20 August, and will conclude in Denpasar, Bali on 22 August 2025. Each event brought featured distinguished keynote speaker Prof. Masami Isoda, a renowned mathematics education expert from the University of Tsukuba, alongside two model teachers from Japan, Mr. Toshiyuki Nakata and Mr. Hidemi Tanaka. Together, they showcased how primary mathematics lessons can be transformed into meaningful and joyful experiences.
Warm remarks followed from the representative of Head of BBGTK DI Yogyakarta, the CRICED Director, and the SEAQiM Director. Each highlighting the significance of international collaboration in enhancing education quality. We are not only calculating; we are learning how to understand one another through mathematics,” Prof. Masami said, with conviction.
In her opening address, Dr. Wulan, Director of SEAQiM, highlighted the importance of cultivating mathematical thinking through meaningful classroom dialogue. “Students’ mathematical thinking can be triggered through questions posed by teachers. Their answers can then become the initiative for developing mathematics learning,” she emphasised. She noted a common pitfall in mathematics education: “One of the mistakes in teaching math is that too many teachers give examples. Instead, we must encourage students to explore, think, and construct understanding through guided interaction.”
The core agenda was the Lesson Study sessions, where Japanese model teachers taught topics for Grades 2 and 3, such as Fractions and Number Composition and decomposition. Complementing the main sessions were exhibitions by Seibun-Sya for Mathematics and ArTec for STEM, which introduced participants to innovative educational tools from Japan.
In the afternoon, Mr. Afit Istiandaru guided participants through practical sessions on how to read, use, and maximize the textbook in lesson planning. The day culminated in a profound lecture by Prof. Masami Isoda on developing mathematical thinking, the foundation of numeracy literacy in the 21st century.
This tri-city program is more than a sequence of activities; it is a testament to the power of collaboration in education. By bridging Indonesian and Japanese approaches, the Lesson Study series aims to equip teachers with strategies that make mathematics not only a subject to be mastered but also a medium to nurture character, reasoning, and creativity.
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