Learning Environment of Observation Phase

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Figure 5-5 Students could see MetaQ and answer to MetaQ via the dialog box of MrA in the bottom left of the introduction page.

MetaQ raised in this page:

1. Give a reason why you have to learn MWP solving?

Example answers: I want to expert in MWP solving, To use it in my carrier, I want to be engineer, I want to improve my grade, I want to graduate with good grade, I want to make my parents proud of me, I want to be able to enter to a good faculty, etc.

2. Set up your expectation in this class.

Example answers: can understand more about MWP, can interpret a context problem into a mathematical notation, can apply MWP in daily life problem, etc.

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in the use of self-regulation strategies (Bouffard-Bouchard, Parent, & Larivee, 1991;

Pajares, 2008; Schunk, 1984; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990).

In Observation phase, MetaQ and Thinking representation were provided in MathReflect. First, the system showed the example of QAS and InDi to clarify the tasks in this phase, as shown in Figure 5-6. Then the system raised MetaQ, via MrA, to ask students to initially evaluate themselves on their confidences in MWP solving performance from observing an example of QAS and InDi. After responding to MrA, the students could access the composing QAS page and the completing InDi page, respectively. The activity sequence was described as follows:

1. MWP was shown with the direction with an instruction to inform students to read the problem carefully.

A question from MrA for this activity is

“Do you completely understand the problem?”

If students answered

YES >> QAS constructing page appears.

NO >> possible difficulties were suggested as examples (e.g. don’t know the meanings of some words in the problem, cannot imagine about the situation, don’t understand the situation in the problem) together with the direction for telling students to answer MetaQ.

MetaQ raised here was “What do you think it is the reason that you cannot understand the problem clearly? (Choose from the list or state your own opinion)”

2. In the Constructing QAS page, see Figure 5-8 and 9, the students had a task to construct QAS by matching questions and answers then put them in an appropriate order by following the criteria in section 4.4. Students had to match questions and answers then put them in an appropriate order (incorrect QAS had no permission to access the next page). The system could suggest that their ongoing QAS had the wrong pair of Q/A or unreasonable sequence when they submitted incorrect QAS. If students

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think they cannot do it, they can click for a hint to see a solution and follow it, however, this action would be recorded and made them could not move over this task. If the class period was over before they finish the task, they needed to start to compose that QAS from the beginning next time they logged-in into the system.

Meta Q for this activity,

“What is your problem to compose QAS?” Or

“Which question is might be difficult for you?”

3. Next is the activity to complete InDi, In the Completing InDi page, see Figure 5-10, the students had a task to complete InDi by selecting appropriate Information Tags and Reasons from the provided lists for existing information and respond to MetaQ. The same as in the QAS constructing page, the students could move over this page for the next step only if they completed InDi correctly and answered MetaQ.

MetaQ for this activity,

“Which #box of information that is difficult to remind?”

MetaQ for this phase:

• Please indicate your difficulties in learning MWP solving (Choose from above list or state your own opinion)

• What might make you give up to improve your performance in learning MWP solving? How to prevent or resolve it?

Observation phase was finished if students could compose QAS and completed InDi without following a solution suggested from the system. The same problem was re-occurred until they could make it themselves. Then a new problem was shown until they could complete an unseen problem without clicking for a solution. Then, the numbers of periods that the students took to finished this phase varied depending on individual performance.

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Figure 5-6 The page to show an example of QAS and InDi.

Figure 5-7 QAS constructing page.

Google http://mathreflect.com/QAS

MathReflect

Home Practice Instruction Examples Practice Let’s use algebra to solve a mathematical word problems.

InDi

QAS Submit

A measure of a vertex angle of an isosceles triangle is 74 degree. What are the measure of the rest angles of this triangle?

QAS

What is the value of x?

What is the information that can use to form an equation?

What does the problem ask for?

What is the variable?

What information is given from the problem?

List of questions

What is an equation for this problem?

x + x + 74 = 180

the measure of the rest angles of the triangle.

the triangle is isosceles.

its vertex angle has measure 74 degree.

The total sum of all interior angles of any triangle is equal to 180 degree.

List of answers

x = the measure of each of the rest angles.

Q1: What does the problem ask for?

A1

Q2 A2 161211 : Activity 1

Instruction

Google http://mathreflect.com/QAS

MathReflect

Home Practice Instruction Examples Practice

02:34

What is the value of x?

What is the information that can use to form an equation?

What does the problem ask for?

What is the variable?

What information is given from the problem?

List of questions

What is an equation for this problem?

the measure of the rest angles of the triangle.

List of answers

x = the measure of each of the rest angles.

Add Q/A

Clear All Delete selected Q/A

{MrA} 15 min 25sec

Send

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Figure 5-8 Showing when students type in Q/A box, there is a list of problems

which contains that keyword appears.

Figure 5-9 InDi completing page shows students can select reasons and

categories of given information.

List of possible questions appears

List of possible reasons

List of possible categories

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