Action Research On Maker Education To Improve Problem Solving Ability Of Large Class Children

As globalization gradually becomes the mainstream vocabulary,how to occupy a foothold in the wave of globalization has become the direction of our thinking and efforts.Looking around the current society,grasping core skills such as innovation and creativity is the best "weapon" to enhance ourselves.At present,new educational concepts such as "maker" education are gradually entering the public’s perspective.Schools at various stages offer maker spaces and carry out maker education activities to guide students to turn creativity into reality and vigorously develop creative talents.As major universities and primary and secondary schools carry out maker education in full swing,the latest cultivation concept of makers has quietly approached the stage of preschool education.Children aged 3-6 have a strong desire for exploration and curiosity towards things,and have various imaginations.However,their hands-on and problem-solving abilities are slightly insufficient compared to other age groups.Problem solving ability can affect the learning quality of young children and is an important ability for everyone to adapt to the environment and promote innovative development.However,currently,research on kindergarten maker education activities is mainly focused on theoretical research,with limited practical strategy content.Moreover,teachers’ limited ability to organize and implement maker education and insufficient professional literacy make it difficult for them to influence the improvement of children’s problem-solving abilities through maker education activities.Therefore,in response to the above shortcomings,this study relies on maker education activities to explore strategies for improving the problem-solving ability of large class children through maker education activities.The main research content of this article is as follows:(1)Through literature analysis,clarify the connotation and implementation methods of problem-solving ability and maker education,and sort out the research content and ideas.(2)Through interviews,observations,and other methods,analyze the current implementation status of maker education in the research object X kindergarten,and then conduct a pre test of problem-solving ability for the study children to understand the current situation of problem-solving ability of the class children,in order to clarify the research problem.(3)Based on relevant theories,this study uses project-based learning theory and the scientific development goals of the "Guidelines for Learning and Development of 3-6Year Old Children" to propose five stages of problem-solving ability: "problem posing,implementation operation,communication and discussion,re operation,reflection and summary".Using maker education activities as the carrier,this study explores strategies for improving problem-solving ability of large class children through maker education.(4)This research carried out three rounds of action research.The researchers took "Scooter" as the activity content,and the implementation of the activity included "Understanding Scooter","Designing Scooter",and "Making Scooter".The researchers and participating teachers reached a conclusion by observing and evaluating the changes in children’s problem solving ability after the activity,and analyzing the data.The research results indicate that maker education can effectively enhance the problem-solving ability of young children in large classes,increase their awareness of problem-solving in activities,promote problem-solving methods for young children,and improve the quality of problem-solving for young children.In terms of teachers,there has also been a certain transformation in their teaching concepts from problem proposers to problem facilitators.In addition,it also reflects on the shortcomings of action research,that is,the impact of research is limited;Insufficient utilization of kindergarten resources.To solve such problems,firstly,activities should be designed based on children’s problems and interests to increase their exploration interest;Secondly,strengthen the cultivation of teachers’ scientific literacy,and enhance teachers’ effective support for Maker education activities;Next,project-based cooperation is used as an activity form to promote the development of children’s collaborative abilities;Finally,the combination of "park level maker space" and "class maker area corner" creates a linked maker environment.