论文总字数：30910字

摘 要

随着教育改革的深入，专家和老师们都意识到在中国一直沿用的传统教学方法的缺陷。他们积极开展教育改革，提高英语课堂教学效率。教学实践的创新需要理论创作为引导。许多教学理论都被运用于英语课堂教学中，在这些理论中，建构主义学习理论对英语教学改革产生了巨大影响。但是由于对这个理论的理解不够深入，教师在运用中产生了问题。本文以英语新课标为基础，试图在建构主义学习理论的指导下，探究有效的英语课堂教学方法。同时本文以语法教学为实例来阐明建构主义教学方法在课堂中的实际应用，并试图给予那些想要在英语课堂教学上作出改变的人一些有益的帮助。

关键词：建构主义学习理论；传统教学法；英语新课标

Contents

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………1
2. Literature Review…………………………………………………………1
3. English Classroom Teaching Developed on the Base of Constructivist Theory………………………………………………………………………….. 3
4. Problems and Solutions………………………………………………..….6

4.1 Analysis of features of students in junior middle school……………6

4.2 Challenges for students………… ……….…………………………….…….7 4.3 Challenges for teachers………………..…………………………….……….7

1. Strategies of Applying Constructivist Approaches………………………9

5.1 Basic teaching steps under the guidance of constructivist theory…………9

5.2 Grammar teaching based on constructivist theory…………………………10

6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..12

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...13

1. Introduction

English teaching and learning always have an important place in Chinese education framework. The teacher is careful and conscientious, and the student works hard, but the result seems not to be proportional to the effort. In fact, It’s very difficult for students to use English. In order to change the situation, a revolution to teaching and learning is always on the agenda. Under the great pressure of the examination, many teachers hesitate to apply the new teaching method. They are afraid to make changes and they want to make sure that students can get high marks in exams. However, we should notice that the exam is changing, it becomes more flexible, practical and open. It needs personal creative thinking. So reciting books and memorizing grammar rules are no longer enough. Traditional way of instruction is not necessarily discarded, but it needs to absorb advanced learning and teaching theories to keep pace with the accelerating globalization and modernization. Among many theories, constructivist theory has been proved to be helpful to develop students’ overall compentences. It emphasizes that classes should be student-centered and interactive. It is accordance with the rationale of the National English Curriculum.

2. Literature Review

Firstly, constructivist theory arisen as a philosophy of learning. The main point is that human can understand what they have constructed only, namely, learning is a dynamic process that learners construct meaning actively and initiatively through the negotiation with the environment. Their cognition competence is restricted by personal experience, cultural backgrounds and individual habits. Students are not empty pot which teachers can fill in whatever they want. As for English learning, we know that Chinese is different from English in many aspects, no matter in structure, grammar, or vocabulary, etc. In Skinner’s Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH), it is expected that students’ first language habit will unavoidably make great influence on their foreign language acquisition. For example, in Chinese, there are no different verb forms for different tenses, so students are confused about that when they learn English. Such habits, cultural backgrounds and cognition levels are need to be considered when teachers make their teaching designs or plans. Only in this way, can teachers jump out self-centered modes and respect students’ personalities. Many philosophers and educationalists made their contributions to the development of the constructivist theory, such as Jean Piaget, Bruner, and Lev Vygotsky.

In Piaget’s theory, he points out learning is based on discovery. To understand is to discover, or reconstruct by rediscovery, and such conditions must be complied with if in the future individuals are to be formed who are capable of production and creativity and not simply repetition (Piaget 1954：212).

In Bruner’s framework of constructivist theory, the major theme is that learners are tend to remember the concepts solidly which they obtain through exploring and discovering. He wrote, “Emphasis on discovery in learning has precisely the effect on the learner of leading him to be a constructionist, to organize and relatedness, but also to avoid the kind of information drift that fails to keep account of the uses to which information might have to be put” (Bruner J.S 1961：31). According to this theory, we can find that Bruner attach more importance to the learning process than the knowledge itself. Discovery learning set up theoretical basis for today’s task-based or problem-based language teaching.

Vygotsky came up with a hypothesis that is the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which had been defined as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky 1978： 186). In other words, a student’s potential is accordance with his or her cognitive level. Since the potential is limited by the age or growth, teachers should make suitable teaching design to realize students’ maximum potential.

According to ZPD, There are two things we have to pay attention to. First, when teachers know a student current knowledge, they should know his general potential. It guides teachers to design and assign tasks not far beyond students’ understanding and ability. Teacher should consider difficulty of the task to make sure students can accomplish it independently or together with classmates or under the guidance of teachers. Second, teachers should give students chances to realize their potential rather than give a solo performance in classes. Based on that hypothesis, anchored teaching gained rapid development.

Comparing those theories, though they are slightly different, we get the main idea of constructivist theory.

Knowledge, which is not considered absolutely objective but involving individuals thinking, is needed to recreate and transform by individuals. Learning is not the process that teacher simply impart information to learners, but the process of students constructing knowledge themselves. Students have their experience and knowledge already when they are students of junior middle school. These ideas, knowledge cannot be neglected, because they are the soil to nurture and inspire new knowledge and experience. Teachers are regarded as supporters or counselors instead of controllers. They should make themselves senior partners and cooperators to provide original and authentic resources to students.

3. English Classroom Teaching Developed on the Base of Constructivist Theory

Classes used to be guided by Grammar-translation method which has the similarity with the Cognitive view of language acquisition. The characteristics are as follows.

Knowledge is thought to be objective and exists independently from people, thus if teachers interpret the abstract concepts well, it can be transferred from teachers to students directly. Learning is successful when students can repeat and memorize the vocabulary, grammatical rules which were intended to teach. More attention is paid to reading and writing, so students are always poor in oral English or practical use. Grammar error is not tolerated, and will be corrected immediately. (Wang Du Qing, 2010: 41)

Teaching methods developed on the base of constructivist theory are diversified. In China, task-based language teachings (TBLT), communicative language teaching (CLT), and anchored instruction are the most influential English teaching methods. Since these three methods have a lot in common, I will only fully explain the task-based language teaching method.

From the preceding part of the thesis, we know that TBLT is set up on discovery learning theory. It takes the process of accomplishing a series of task as learning. Given micro-environment and tasks which generate natural English learning step by step, students can build up their language system, and cultivate the ability of communication in English. Most importantly, comprehensive capacities including language using, solving problems alone or cooperating with others are enhanced to a great extent. In general, TBLT is divided into three steps: preparation, execution or performing, and assessment. In preparation, the teacher sets up an environment which benefits learning process, and gives main points of the task. Given the necessary information, students are left to accomplish their task themselves, having certain freedom in the way they achieve the objective. In execution, students are expected to make plans, gather and analyze information. When students are involved in the well-designed activities, such as solving problems, acting, discussion, or debating, their language framework is expanded and stretched. Lastly, submitting works and displaying their outcomes. The assessment is accompanying with the task from the very beginning, which is usually called formative evaluation. From monitoring the students’ performance, the teacher will evaluate students depending on multi-criteria, such as learning habits and strategies, cooperation spirit, and language using. The judgments are also from classmates and students themselves. That assessment intends to find out what aspects students can do better and get improvement, rather than judge them.

Overall, teaching should adopt following strategies based on the view of constructivist theory.

1. Preparing

As the students of the junior middle school, students already form basic sense of social awareness, cultural knowledge, and life experience. They also fund some basic knowledge of English in the primary school.

Before the main body of teaching and learning, it must activate students’ existing experience through exploring relevant information or previewing the textbook, because knowledge is involved with individuals, and students’ old experience and ideas are indispensable and valuable resources for English learning.

2. Cooperation and communication

Students should be encouraged to work with partners or work in groups to explore and solve problems. In addition, smooth communication and active interaction between students or between students and the teacher is significant to effective cooperation.

3. Creating micro-environment and meaningful activities

To provide original environment might be not easy, but teachers can create micro-environment resembled actual situation, like playing videos, showing pictures, or setting up a situation. Meaningful activities are very important for students in junior middle school, such as role-playing, discussion, debating, which can engage students in the learning and teaching process.

4. Tolerating the error

Making error is an important part in learning. In teaching, students’ errors should be forgiven and thoroughly analyzed. It is necessary to figure out whether the error is the inescapable process of learning, or it’s just happened in several students, and then, taking action to deal with respectively.

5. Process-emphasized

The purpose of the class is not only students can learn the language, but they need to learn how to learn, that is, to have acquaintance with learning process.

From above, we can see that traditional instruction is designed for what is to be taught rather than who is to be taught. It aims to ensure students ingest the knowledge of English through clear presentation, large amount of practice and correction. There is basically no communication in classes. The routine is the teacher speaking and students listening. If the students has a chance to say something, that must be repeating or retelling.

On the contrary, constructivist approaches puts emphasis on learners. The knowledge is not fixed and unchangeable, but it’s dynamic and constantly changing with individuals’ own experience. So in constructivist approaches, the teacher should get clear understanding of what students already know, and guides the activities in the way that is helpful to trigger student’s inner curiosity and innovation. When teachers provide a well-planned classroom environment for students, students can learn how to learn, not only a series of rigid facts and concepts. Since English learning is a long process, it is very important for a language learner to know how the language works, how it turns.

Evaluation is an inseparable part in learning and teaching. In traditional ways, evaluation method is usually the summative assessment which can be seen as the last part of the teaching process. Learners are judged their achievements solely by exams. Contrary to that, in a class guided by the view of Constructivism, the assessment depends on multi-criteria. Evaluation accompanies with the activities from the beginning to the end. It’s an integrated part of learning. Students can get feedback from the teacher and classmates instantly, and they also make judgments for themselves. Because students can get instant feedback of their performance, they will reflect on their mistakes and know how to do better.

Of course, we cannot cancel the exams because of the current situation. It is still very important for Chinese students to get high marks in exams. So it could not be better to coordinate the two assessments. As for formative assessment, teachers can provide portfolios for students to record their performances, I think that can be valuable resources when they apply for higher education.

4. Problems and Solutions

4.1 Analysis of features of students in junior middle school

In the period of junior middle school, students are ranged from 12~15 years old. Their abstract thinking ability is greatly developed. They can do logical deduction, analysis and evaluation. They have intellectual curiosity and spirit of exploration. They like imagining, like to be unique and special. They have passion to create new things.

Therefore, students of junior middle school hold critical and rebellious attitudes towards others’ ideas including teachers’. They are not willing to passively receive knowledge from the teacher. For their own ideas and proposals, they will do the most to demonstrate and prove it. In fact, all these features are helpful to realize teaching and learning aims.

It’s no doubt that the constructivist approaches have superior effects on students’ comprehensive development, but the exclusive emphasis and the misuse might be problematic. Constructivist theory was emerged in the west rather than originated locally. Quite a few scholars used translated version of books as their study materials, so they had trouble to understanding some awkward concepts, which hindered their research. Then, practice of education reform needs to be guided by theory, but teachers say that constructivist theory seems to be very useful and reasonable, while they do not know how to practically use it.

Let’s see what challenges students and teachers met and what changes should they make. Then we can see the problems of applying constructivist approaches to Chinese English classes.

4.2 Challenges for students

The learner is expected to be active contributor to the classroom teaching, that is to say, learners should be inner motivated and actively involved in the learning process. While Chinese students are used to spoon-feeding way of learning------they follow teachers’ instruction, sitting straight, listening to teachers illustrating of language points, taking notes, and doing exercises exactly what teachers ask them to do, which is impossible to change immediately. That made their spirit of exploration, creation and questioning decrease. Besides, when they were children, they were educated to be obedient, respectful to the elder, to be humble and modest to peers, many of them dare not raise questions, challenge teachers, or show their ideas. Consequently, they feel stressed and tired about the teaching reform, though they seem to have more rights and freedom than before. They have been exposed to this spoon-feeding type of teaching for a long time, so their readiness to perform well is highly doubted.

For another, student-centered approaches might be not work well with all Chinese students. The construction of new knowledge is based on what learners already know, so in English learning, students should have acquired sufficient basic knowledge and skills to make them actively take part in the activities, however, in many less-developed area of China, learners foundational English knowledge and skills are not good enough. Thus we cannot copy this theory blindly or apply it mechanically regardless of specific conditions.

4.3 Challenges for teachers

First, new theory could be big challenges for teachers. Although it emphasizes that classes should be student-centered, and students are supposed to be active contributors to the teaching process, it does not mean that the teacher has less job to do, or has less responsibility for the class. Contrarily, it needs higher quality of teachers, because the teacher needs to intervene properly and systematically from the preparation to assessment, which only can be done on the basis of the excellent knowledge of English and the awareness of students’ current knowledge.

According to Kaufman, teachers’ responsibilities are: “Supports students’ acquisition of knowledge by breaking down tasks into comprehensible components modeling, coaching, providing feedback, and appropriating responsibility for learning to students, and engages students in reflection and self-monitoring” (Kaufman 2004: 87).

There are some changes that English teachers should make. First of all, English teachers are demanded to bring new conception of education into their teaching theory structure. Second, they have to accept their new role in classes, from powerful dominators to facilitators. Third, they only focused on passing on English knowledge and skills before, but now, more than that, they should pay attention to students’ affections, learning strategies, personalities, etc. Then, they have to add formative assessment in their teaching process, forming a more diversified assessment system, which combines summative and formative assessment, is continuous, and along with the whole learning and teaching process. Last, they have to do more preparation work, such as using modern devices in designing multimedia lessons, searching appealing and efficient teaching materials and resources. It is not enough to know the textbook well. Teachers need to expand their knowledge to meet students all kinds of surprising questions. These requirements definitely make teachers under great pressure. Most importantly, It’s vital to improve teacher professionalism to make sure that they can handle various situations happened in classes.

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