The “Big Picture” of Thematic Multimedia Information Representation in Enhancing Learners’ Critical Thinking and History Reasoning

摘要

This paper discusses the implementation of interactive multimedia and concept map as the thematic information representation to enhance students’ critical thinking and history reasoning. We designed a structured thematic representation of history learning with an interactive concept map based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning and cognitive information processing theory as the underlying theories. The six components in history reasoning theoretical framework and concept map strategy are implemented in the development of web-based multimedia learning system. Multimedia information representation with visual and verbal information compensates for the massive load of history information, which is presented with an interactive knowledge structure. Learning history in-depth is not just fully accepting the facts and data from the past but also to conduct a historical analysis and interpretation as well as to rephrase and represent the historical concept with one's own point of view in a well-structured form. Thus, in this study, we discuss the strategy of how the integration of a concept map provides the “big picture” to organize, restructure, and convey the learning content thematically. This interactive concept map incorporates multimedia information representation with regard to learners’ emergent cognitive processes for history reasoning in themes. This thematic approach of the concept map provides a forecast to improve conceptual understanding, relate history to a broader context, and implement it for future events.