Constructivism+and+language+teacher

© Dagmara **Constructivist theory of learning** exerted a huge impact on modern pedagogy. Undoubtedly, it changed dramatically our views on education, as it altered the dynamics of the teaching and learning processes, redefined the notion of knowledge, redesigned the traditional roles of the teacher and the student, also highlighted the significance of reflection over both teaching and learning.

Contents:

 * 1) Shift in traditional roles of the teacher and the student
 * 2) Characteristics of a constructivist teacher
 * 3) Teacher as reflective practitioner
 * 4) The teacher’s beliefs about learners and their impact on teaching
 * 5) Conclusion
 * 6) Bibliography
 * 7) See also

1. SHIFT IN TRADITIONAL ROLES OF THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT
Before the emergence of constructivism, learning process seemed to be rather **depersonalised** and **instructor-dominated**: the instructor transmitted knowledge and the students absorbed it. The teacher was perceived as the **expert**, **authority** and **knowledge dispenser** who strictly followed curriculum. Knowledge was treated as an inert set of facts meant to be memorised by the students. Lessons were based mostly on **repetitions** and **individual work** with textbooks and workbooks. Assessment was usually implemented by the means of tests. Students acted as **passive recipients of knowledge** and they weren’t required to engage in the process of learning. Nowadays, education developed into a more **dynamic** process, where teachers and students **learn from each other** and **reflect** on their teaching and learning. The teacher is no longer perceived as the central point of the classroom. Instead, the teacher lets the students be **the essential part of the classroom** – the students’ initiative, suggestions and ideas are taken into account in designing lessons. The relations in the classroom became more **interactive** and **dynamic** – the learners are engaged in **dialogue**, both with the teacher and the classmates. Thanks to it, the teacher has an opportunity to **negotiate** the content and goals of the lessons with the students, so that the classes are more **meaningful** and **beneficial**. By organising **pair work** and **group work**, the teacher fosters **cooperation**, **participation** and **interaction** between the students, which builds their sense of belonging and community. The importance of **learner autonomy** is acknowledged and it makes the learners more responsible for their learning. Constructivist instructor **explores** the world of knowledge along with their students, **facilitates** the process of learning, **inspires** and **motivates** - acts as a **mentor** or a supportive and understanding **coach**. This new approach helps the students take active part in their learning which contributes to their educational success. The table below summarises the changes in the roles of the teacher - traditional and constructivist.



2. CHARACTERISTICS OF A CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHER
Brooks (1999) enumerates twelve descriptors of a constructivist teacher which apply to teaching all kinds of subjects. In this article, the main focus is put on teaching English, therefore only the descriptors with relevance to ELT will be discussed here.
 * 1) **Constructivist teachers encourage and accept student autonomy and initiative** – the teacher understands that the learners are the central point of the classroom and respects their needs and ideas.
 * 2) **Constructivist teachers use raw data and primary sources, along with manipulative, interactive and and physical materials** – in language teaching, it’s advisable to use original materials which show authentic use of language. This choice of resources will make the lessons more meaningful and useful for the students. For more information, see Constructivism and teaching materials.
 * 3) **When framing tasks, constructivist teachers use cognitive terminology such as “classify”, “analyse”, “predict” and “create”** – this kind of activities stimulates cognitive development, moreover, predictions and creative expression increase motivation, interest and self-esteem.
 * 4) **Constructivist teachers allow the students' responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content** – it’s advisable for the teachers to make their classes more learner-centred. If the students are given more autonomy and they can decide about the content of the lessons or activities, they will become more committed and engaged. Using learner-based materials is also highly recommended.
 * 5) **Constructivist teachers inquire about students’ understandings of concepts before sharing their own understanding of these concepts** – in school, students obtain knowledge required in curriculum and also get to know and develop themselves as human beings. While discussing important or controversial issues during speaking classes, learners can think about and verbalise their opinions, reflect upon them and discuss them with others. Both the teacher and the students understand certain concepts differently, so the goal of such discussions is to negotiate the truth, not to impose somebody's views on others.
 * 6) **Constructivist teachers encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another** – dialogue, interaction and cooperation make the lessons more personalised and meaningful.
 * 7) **Constructivist teachers encourage students’ inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging students to ask questions of each other** – by doing that, teachers stimulate the learners’ minds and boost their curiosity and motivation.
 * 8) **Constructivist teachers seek elaboration of students initial responses** – students should be encouraged to justify their answers. This might help them realise why they think in a certain way or they might discover something about themselves. Besides, elaboration requires more language production which means more practice.
 * 9) **Constructivist teachers allow wait time after posing questions** – students should be given some time to think about their answers so that they can tell what they really have in mind. Moreover, this might contribute to the relaxed and student-friendly atmosphere in the classroom which lowers anxiety.



3. TEACHER AS REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER
Constructivists calls teachers **“reflective practitioners”**. By definition, a reflective practitioner is a teacher who “subjects everyday professional practice to ongoing critical reflection and makes clear their own particular world view by means of such consideration” (Williams and Burden 1997). It is obvious that reflection plays a vital role in constructivism. Teachers are advised to reflect upon their actions in order to look critically on their teaching and constantly improve their skills. According to Argyris and Schon (Williams and Burden 1997), teachers happen to be inconsistent in terms of their declared beliefs (espoused theories) and their actual behaviour (theories-in-action). In other words: in some cases, what teachers say is not the same what they do. This discrepancy might confuse and upset the learners, therefore, it is very important for instructors to constantly evaluate their theories and actions in order to keep them in harmony. Reflection was divided into two types: reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.



In order to become a reflective practitioner, the teacher needs to focus on their actions and try to explain why they behave or behaved in a certain way in a given situation. This explicit knowledge is useful for identifying areas for improvement. Smyth (Williams and Burden 1997) proposed a set of questions which might be useful for thorough reflection:
 * What do my practices say about my assumptions, values and beliefs about teaching?
 * Where did such ideas come from?
 * What social practices are expressed in these ideas?
 * What views of power do they embody?
 * Whose interests seem to be served by my practices?
 * What is it that acts to constrain my views of what is possible in teaching?

It's beneficial to use certain tools to keep our reflection documented. Teachers can reflect on their teaching using **diaries**, **notes**, **questionnaires**, **logs**, **podcasts**, **blogs** or other. Various types of such tools can be found in literature or created according to current needs.

It’s certain that reflection can come in handy in the teacher’s professional development. It’s important for the instructor to constantly ask questions about their own performance and try to make it better. As constructivism rejects the concept of the teacher-ultimate authority, it implies that **the instructor needs to learn too** – from their students and from their fellow teachers. Reflection definitely helps in learning how to be a better teacher.

4. THE TEACHER’S BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNERS AND THEIR IMPACT ON TEACHING
Undoubtedly, the teacher’s beliefs have a great impact on their teaching – they influence their teaching methods as well as their general attitude to their learners and fellow teachers. **Beliefs** could be defined as our personal set of attitudes and values about certain things which acts as an affective filter reshaping or distorting our thinking. They are rather hard to investigate and measure, however, they’re observable in the way people behave and, to some extent, in what they say. As teachers spend much time with their students, they obviously create certain beliefs about them. The following table presents the set of teacher’s common beliefs about learners proposed by Meighan (Williams and Burden 1997) and the roles the teachers take on. In general, the role that the teacher plays depends on their inner set of beliefs about who their students are and what they need. The intensity of colour in the table suggests that these beliefs together make up a continuum heading towards the social constructivist approach. The first four of the descriptors (light green – medium green) fits the more traditional model of classroom where the teacher is meant to transmit the knowledge and act as an authority. The latter part (medium green – deep green) fits constructivism where the teacher acts as a facilitator or a team member.

5. CONCLUSION
This article focused on the role of the teacher in the constructivist approach. Definitely, social constructivism brought a lot of changes in the classroom – the teacher and the students became partners in their common objective to seek knowledge. The role of learner autonomy, initiative, participation and interaction was noticed and thanks to it lessons became more learner-oriented and meaningful. The teacher acknowledged the need of constant professional development and appreciated reflection as a useful tool to get valuable insight into the quality of their teaching. For more detailed information about the role of the teacher in constructivism, please watch the movie below: media type="youtube" key="5MDWc0zQe5A" height="315" width="420" align="center"


 * Source ** : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDWc0zQe5A

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

 * Grennon Brooks J. and M. G. Brooks. 1999. In Search of Understanding: the Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Association for Supervision & Curriculum
 * Holt-Reynolds D. “What does the teacher do? Constructivist pedagogies and prospective teachers’ beliefs about the role of the teacher.” Pergamon, Teaching and Teacher Education 16 (2000) 12-32
 * Le Cornu R. and J. Peters. “Towards constructivist classrooms: the role of the reflective teacher.” Journal of Educational Enquiry Vol. 6 (2005)
 * Williams M. and R. Burden. 1997. Psychology for Language Teachers: a social constructivism approach. Cambridge: CUP
 * Workshop: Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning.  Access: 26 April 2012

7. SEE ALSO
**Internal links:**
 * Constructivism and language teaching: introduction
 * Constructivism and language learner
 * Constructivism and teaching materials and resources
 * The role of reflection in Constructivism

**External links:** media type="facebooklike" key="http%3A%2F%2Fconstructivisminelt.wikispaces.com%2FConstructivism%20and%20language%20teacher" width="450" height="80"
 * Workshop: Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning
 * Alice A. Christie, Ph.D - Constructivism and its Implications for Educators (PowerPoint Document)