Constructivism and Teaching English - Assignment Example

Download file to see previous pages Although constructivism might provide a model of knowing and learning that has important implications for classroom practices, it does not translate neatly into a set of pedagogical practices. The implementation of the constructivist approach is still worth discussion and clarification. This paper will highlight challenges associated with implementing constructivism in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Much writing has been done about theories of constructivism and the connection to superior learning results; however, there is no "consolidated" discussion of the foundations, results, and practical issues of constructivism. According to Marlowe and Page (1998), even when teachers recognise the value of and want to use constructivist approaches in their classrooms, their efforts often produce less than what they expected. There have been attempts to make constructivism operational so that classroom teachers can more rapidly apply constructivist theory to practice. The problem is that the application of constructivism in classrooms is "neither widespread nor systematic". Constructivist propositions can seem fairly simple but hundreds of observations of and questions from pre-service and in¬ service teachers over the past 10 years show that they are not. Teachers and administrators who already work with constructivist reform initiatives need guidelines to help with the implementation. Moreover, development of a constructivist view of learning as a basis for instruction implies fundamental changes. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More