| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立花蓮師範學院 === 社會科教學碩士班 === 90 === This study was about discussing what were the factors which affect teachers’ teaching strategies, when teachers used Internet as a teaching material to design an integrated thematic curriculum for elementary students in social studies. The topic of research was about an old street of Hsing-Chuang and the researcher tried to give the old street a new meaning that it is not only a night market but also a main street in the Hsing- Chuang city. According to the history of Hsing-Chuang and theory of integrated thematic curriculum, the research designed this curriculum: The reborn old street. After collected relative information, the researcher designed an instructional web site and selected students from a fifth grade class in Hsing-Chuang elementary school to examine the curriculum. During the exanimation, the researcher collected those data by interviewing students and teachers, observing students in the class, and recording students’ reactions when they visited the old street. Then the researcher analyzed those data for figuring out some elements, which could impact teachers’ teaching in an integrated thematic curriculum.
The results of the research are following:
1.While teacher create an integrated thematic curriculum, there are some factors should be considered: Teachers should consult students’ mental development and base on those levels to expand a curriculum design. It should be reinforced the importance of affective domain in the integrated thematic curriculum. Teachers should design films or graphics to improve students’ understanding for topics in an integrated thematic curriculum.
2.There are some factors should be deliberated when a designer develops a web site for teachers to use: Teachers are leaders in their classrooms. Internet and technologies only cooperate teachers’ teaching; it would never instead of the position of teachers in their classes. The outcomes of computer output should be discussed when a designer designs an instructional web page. A useful web site should be set by an organized group work.
3.A designer should work on the characteristics of Internet in order to make students participate teachers’ activities positively. As stated by the results of research, using Internet and technologies to enhance teachers’ teaching strategies could improve students’ interests in the class. Base on the difference of students’ families and experiences, they have different performance in using technologies to acquire knowledge. A designer should consider that a fine design of software interface should be suitable for user’ abilities and their experiences. Using the resource of Internet or free programs could reduce the difficulties of curriculum designs.
4.Using technologies in the classes will increase students’ abilities of critical thinking and capabilities of solving problems. Students’ intellectual abilities influence their thinking and behavior. The topics of integrated thematic curriculum should be selected from a real life and those topics should be expandable. A valuable curriculum design should be able to offer good opportunities for students to do higher order thinking. Students could construct their own learning system by visiting and inspection the location, interacting with their peers, and answering teachers’ questions.
5.Teachers use an instructional web site as their teaching material would offer an integrated learning environment to students. Before technologies and web site be applied in the class, teachers should prepare themselves properly. Adding audio into web sites could have good influence for students during their learning process. A simple instructional web site could be very useful for students’ learning if there is teachers’ guarding involved.
According to the results of research, the researcher would display some suggestions in design of integrated thematic curriculum in order to give ideas to someone who are interested in this subject.
1.Suggestions for the designers of curriculum and instructional web sites: The design of web pages could be vivid and diversity but it still should not leave behind the essence of education. The curriculum designers should understand completely the mental development and learning abilities of students. It is no doubt that technology could improve teacher’s teaching strategies, but it should be used in the properly ways not anywhere. It is very important to select topics to work out curriculum, because right topics could expand many issues that allow teachers to develop some meaningful discussion and direct students to think about how to resolve questions correctly.
2.Ideas for those teachers who are interested in using technologies in their classes: A group work should be encouraged and the group should include different people who have different skills and experience. Teachers should work on teaching material together and perform the task by division of their skills. Teachers should open their mind to accept new technologies and active to use them in their classes.
3.Some thought for educational departments that establish legal policy: To consider the methods of implementation and reduce unnecessary courses to enhance time of teachers’ research. To encourage skillful teachers and groups make more quality web sites for general teachers.
4. The direction for further research is following: To edit teacher’s book or instruction book for all teachers in order to make using technologies as teaching material becomes easier in the classes. To discuss the teaching methods of affective domain and design related curriculum for classes. To continue selecting properly topics for the curriculum design. To compare other designs of integrated thematic curriculum and analyze the pattern of successful web pages in order to make good examples in the future.
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