Enhaning Problem-solving Ability through Online Graphic Organizers in Wetland Seminar Course: A Case Study on Gifted Sixth Grader

• Main Authors: KAI-YI PENG, 彭康益
• Other Authors: Kun-Han Li
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/12943071658397886421

碩士 === 臺北市立教育大學 === 數學資訊教育學系數學資訊教育教學碩士學位班 === 98 === This thesis develops a course based on the online graphic organizers by Intel Corporation and teaches the course to 17 gifted sixth graders in an elementary school of Taipei City for ten weeks (20 credits). The qualitative method of this thesis is videotaping students’ operations, interviews, online graphic organizers, and teaching logs. The quantitative method is developing tests for the newly created problems and for the ideas of wetland, and designing surveys for the online graphic organizers. The thesis explores the effects of using online graphic organizers to learn wetland in a seminar course on the problem-solving capabilities of gifted sixth graders as well as their understanding the ideas of wetland and opinions on online graphic organizers. The thesis also explores the difficulties and solutions for teachers when they use online graphic organizers to teach. The findings of this thesis are as follows: First, regarding the difficulties and solutions for teachers: the difficulties for using online graphic organizers to teach include slow internet connection speed, slow graphic speed, students not always thinking fast, time-consuming material collection, and complex evidence graphics. Teachers, however, can employ many useful solutions to enhance the quality of students’ graphing and online graphics organizers. Second, online graphic organizers enhance students’ problem-solving capabilities. Online graphic organizers increase the flexibility and effectiveness of the students’ capabilities as well as their abilities to bring up more and various solutions to the problems. Therefore, students’ problem-solving capabilities are enhanced. Third, a course employing online graphic organizers has a positive effect on the students’ understanding of wetland. After the students take a course using online graphic organizers, their scores in the “wetland examination” increase, which demonstrates that they gain more correct knowledge about wetland than before. Fourth, students give positive feedbacks toward online graphic organizers. The statistical results of the online graphic organizers survey show that there are positive effects in five dimensions: preference, anxiety, confidence, usefulness, and teamwork. Finally, according this thesis’ research, the researcher raises several suggestions regarding online graphic organizers in teaching courses and for future research, for the reference of teachers’ teaching and follow-up research.