Research On High School Mathematics Inquiry Activities Based On Virtual Teaching Aids

With the development of science and technology,the trend of education reforms all around the world has flowed into the deep integration of information technology and education.Virtual manipulative,a visual representation of dynamic mathematical objects based on information technology,which is interactive,programmable,and can be explored by students themselves,have been widely used in foreign classroom,especially in teaching mathematics.Western researches have shown that virtual manipulative can improve students ’mathematical performance,help students construct mathematical concepts,improve mathematical ability,and have a positive impact on students’ mathematical learning.However,Chinese scholars have known a little about virtual manipulative at present,and rarely use it.On the other hand,mathematical inquiry activities can effectively help students learn mathematical concepts and construct mathematical knowledge.Therefore,in order to get the mathematical ability and literacy required for lifelong learning,inquiry activities of senior high school mathematics and supporting virtual manipulative can be helpful.This article has three research questions:(1)By the virtual manipulative,how to develop inquiry activities of senior high school mathematics and supporting virtual manipulative?(2)Can inquiry activities of senior high school mathematics designed by information technology and virtual manipulative increase mathematical interest of students?(3)Can inquiry activities of senior high school mathematics designed by information technology and virtual manipulative significantly improve students’ mathematical inquiry ability?In response to question 1,the author has first analyzed the design concept in this article,which is based on the integration of information technology and curriculum concept and situation education.Then,the author has proposed the general mode,design principles of high school mathematics inquiry activities designed by information technology,and the design process of virtual manipulative.Furthermore,according to above content,mathematical inquiry activities and supporting virtual manipulative have been designed in the three topics of solid geometry,function and sequence.To solve question 2 and 3,the author has chosen the quasi-experimental research method and selected 70 students from two classes in a senior high school in Shanghai as experimental subjects.The experimental group has been taught the mathematical inquiry activities by using virtual manipulative,and the control group relatively has completed the learning by traditional teaching method.Both groups have completed "Mathematics Inquiring Ability Test" and "Student Mathematical Interest and Attitude Questionnaire",which were made by author,before and after the experiment.After analyzing the teaching effect and the changes in students’ mathematical interest and attitude,conclusions have drawn as following:(1)Mathematical inquiry activities designed by information technology can improve students’ mathematical inquiry ability,especially for students with low and medium mathematical level.The activities can help narrow the gap between students with medium mathematical level;(2)Information-technology-based mathematical inquiry activities can increase students ’mathematical interest.However,the activities have no significant effect on students’ mathematical self-efficacy and attitude;(3)No evidence has shown that the implementation of mathematical inquiry activities in the classroom can significantly improve students’ mathematics performance.The impact on mathematical capacity still needs further discussion.