test
06:58, 08/02,2008
Construcivist Instruction
04:45, 01/08,2008
I have used a bag of Gummy Bears for my summer language camp students to learn about colors and numbers. I have played Hammer Game in my class to review the animal names the students have acquired. I have used red (lucky color) and white chips (unlucky color) to demonstrate the meaning of colors in Chinese culture and use these chips to help students to practice the phrases such as, “Thank you/You are welcome” and “I’m sorry/It’s okey”. The Constructivist Instruction Method, in my opinion, should be used in a language classroom extensively. In a 45-minute lesson plan, I usually spend a very short time (five to eight minutes) on direct instruction when it is necessary. That is the time when I need to teach new vocabulary. Even in this situation I still try to make my direct instruction more interesting by using realia, taking the objects from a mystery bag or having the students generate the ideas of what they are learning. For example, touching the straight edges of all objects and say “side’ in Chinese to teach students the meaning and pronunciation of this word. The most of my remaining classroom time is devoted to playing games, doing group/pair activities, role-play or other student-centered, hand-on activities. I believe that the key element in all communicative approaches is meaning – that is, a language learning experience put in the context. We should provide our students with a context-rich and meaningful learning environment in which they are able to explore and to discover. Knowledge is not only imparted, but also constructed; meaning is not only conveyed, but also created. Active learners not only listen and participate, but also question, investigate, invent and imagine. Students reflect and make connections with prior knowledge to reach new understandings. I grew up in Taiwan around 60s when Constructive Instruction methods were never used. Teachers were always the only source of knowledge. Direct instruction lasted for seven hours throughout the school day. All the works were in the format of worksheets or textbooks; endless quizzes and tests made up our grades. There were never any group activities. All the seats were arranged in row after row to face teachers. Students got punished if they talked in the classroom. In all, I have never missed my childhood schools because of such unpleasant experiences. In retrospect, I do believe that kind of schooling influenced my way of thinking and formed some habits in me. That is the reason why I don’t use worksheets in my language classroom and try to avoid repetitive drills and rote memory. In my mind, the boring and meaningless lesson connotes a bad lesson. July 30th, 2008