A Practical Study On WebQuest In The Cultivation Of Students' Creativity

The rapid development of science and technology demands much moreon the talents in the new century. The ability-oriented educationechoes the demands for talents by the society, which lays its "focuson the creativity and practical competence of the students. To meetthis challenge, the reform of contemporary elementary education has,stepping over the previous reform on the examinations, courses andtextbooks, begun to tap on the instructive mode, which, indicatedby "exploratory learning", has transformed the traditionallyheritable learning into to creative learning, thus promoting thechange in the learning as well as in the teaching. Meanwhile, withthe advance of the information technology, educationalists are allprobing into the IT-integrated class teaching. One limelight in thisregard is the combination of exploratory learning and informationtechnology, in particular,the networked learning. To realize thegoal in the reform and cultivation, the WebQuest and teachingstrategy should be applied in the exploratory learning activities.The first chapter begins with the definition, characteristics,evolution and the organization of the exploratory learning under webenvironment. What the web environment means refers to the series oflearning activities on the part of students who start from assignedproblems or tasks to acquire and apply knowledge in solving problemsby making use of the variety of information recourses in an exploringmanner. The writer emphasizes the importance of WebQuest for thestudents in their development of creativeness.The second chapter introduces the six modules on the exploratorylearning: situation, assignment, recourses, process, assessment andconclusion. With each module independently constituted, the designercould achieve different goals by deploying different modules. Thischapter also discusses the principle, features and methods of theappraisal for WebQuest System, providing academic guidance andpractical support for the designing of the evaluation tools andtables.Teachers should adapt themselves to the multi-role change duringthe WebQuest practice. They should be capable of agile teachingstrategy to assist and promote the network learning for the students.Given the net environment, the educational psychologicalconstructivism suggests that the web-based teaching strategy shouldgive full play to the learner's motivation, sociality andcircumstantiality. The third chapter, therefore, dwells on the ninestrategies involved with WebQuest, providing specific analysis,comments on the advantages and merits. The last part of this chapterdeals with the potential advantage in the stimulation of students'motivation and superior intellection.The fourth chapter elaborates on the practical aspect of WebQuestin cultivating students' creativity, including the choice ofresearch methods, content for exploration, and case design and itsapplication. This practical research has been conducted bothqualitatively and quantitatively. In the case study, qualitativeapproach is employed while in the design and practice of the teachingprocess, a method with unified assignment cards and learning cardsis used. The design of the assignment under the network proves thatthe WebQuest has its unique merit in the cultivation of the students'creativity.