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Assessment Project

Constructivism in Teaching.

28/07/2013

Maura Susana Prez Alcal





2

Content
Constructivism in teaching. ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendix 1. Lesson Plan ............................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix 2.Routines, Routines! ............................................................................................................... 12
Appendix 3. Thats entertainment! .............................................................................................................. 13
Appendix 4. Conceptual map. ..................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix 5. Present continuous cards. ........................................................................................................ 15
Appendix 6. Brainstorm differences between Simple Present and Present Continuous. ............................ 16
Appendix 7. Time Line. ............................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 18





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Certificate for English Teachers Course
NEC 2013 Group 1
Module 1 E-tivity 2.6
Maura Susana Prez Alcal
July 28, 2013
Constructivism is a theory in which students need to reflect in order to achieve the
solution to a problem or discover new knowledge. As Bruner (1961, p22) said once
learning is not only discover something unknown, but also permit students to put
things together by Themselves to be their own discovery.

Nevertheless this will not be an easy task if important issues as age or social
environment are not taken into consideration. Piagets Cognitive Stages (1932) give
an understanding about students ability to grasp new knowledge, while Vygotsky
(1978) clearly says that achieving it is a social process. Therefore, and considering
that a background examination of the group becomes of great significance in order
to hand over new concepts, it must be said that the attached lesson plan (Appendix
1) is focused on second graders at Junior High level students aged between 13 and
14 years old who have previous knowledge of basic English (A2 according to the
Common European Framework of Reference). Although there are a couple of
students with a higher level (B1 according to the Common European Framework of
Reference) because they have lived in the United States or they come from a school
with advanced English, there are also leader students pretending to achieve a similar
level in order to discuss mainly all the time in the target language or get other
students admiration. Remembering that Weibell (2011) pointed out that the desire of




4

others high evaluation or the feeling of esteem from others is a great motivation and
that this is also supported by Maslows Hierarchy of Human Needs (1943) who
described esteem as the desire for reputation and prestige, recognition, attention,
importance or appreciation (p.382), to take correct advantage of this impulse will
help students to develop new knowledge easily.

Furthermore, the topic developed in the lesson plan is focused in the differentiation
between Simple Present and Present Continuous which will help students to talk
about themselves and also give them the opportunity to demonstrate and expand
previous knowledge. The activities are divided into five stages, each one from easier
to more difficult, due to Vigotsky affirmation about scaffolding as the teachers ability
to provide structures to support learners development to get a next stage or level
step by step (Raymond, 2000, p.176). They also pretend to move from students
prior knowledge to the analysis by the observation of visuals (Appendixes 2 and 3)
and the Socratic question What is a routine?, the discover of Grammar by eliciting
structures (Appendix 2, Engaging Stage, p.5) and the isolated practice of each tense
(Appendixes 4 and 5). Moreover, students are engaged in cooperative learning, but
still have teachers assistance, which according to Hartman (2002) is a step in the
process of decreasing teachers contributions but still providing support, so pupils can
start building up the contrast between tenses which is the aim objective (Appendix
6). Students also have the opportunity to practice the new acquired knowledge




5

(Appendixes 7 and 8) through activities that will help them to adapt prior schemas
and interpret new ones in order to get equilibration such as Piaget affirmed:
Intelligence constitutes an equilibration between assimilation and accommodation
(Piaget & Inhelder, 1969, pp. 57-58).

Sternberg and Williams (2010) affirmed that constructivism is student-centered and
emphasizes students motivation, in consequence, they established that accepting
complexity, in which students should be able to solve daily lives or meaningful
personal problems rather than memorize and answer correctly for a test (p 449),
becomes really relevant. Taking this under consideration, the objective of the
timetable activity (Appendix 7) or the analysis of given rules (Appendix 8) develop
students opportunity to personalize knowledge by talking and comparing their own
daily routines or conclusions.

Weibell (2010) added that Student-centered learning often involves social
interactions with other students in varied formats, including group instruction, in
which students learn process and discuss material in groups. Consequently, it can
be noticed that many of the activities allow students observation of classmates work
and feedback is provided by them as Stenberg and Williams (2010) emphasized by
writing that group discussions are conversations among students in which students
pose and answer their own questions; the teacher does not play the dominant role




6

(pp. 449-450) giving them the opportunity to face their fears on speaking a foreign
language. Even so, it is still important teachers participation as a monitor
considering Sternberg and Williams (2010) observation of the difficulty to recognize
when meaningful learning is taking place, sometimes students may talk about a
subject and be learning nothing. At other times, students take the opportunities of
group work to gossip or joke around. (p. 450)

According to Gibbs (1988) having an experience is not enough to learn, it is
necessary to reflect about the feelings and thoughts faced during it. So, the last
stage in the lesson plan permits students analyze their participation during the class
and give their own opinion about the activities they had to develop and the
difficulties during their process of learning.

It seems clear that constructivism radically separates educational procedures which
first objective is to generate understanding instead of training as Glasersfel (1989)
pointed out. However, it is still a hard work for teachers to break up paradigms and
leave behind teachers centered activities since many times parents demand so as
they are suspicious of teaching methods that are so different from the ones they
remember as students (Windschilt, 1999, p173). Furthermore, the fact that schools
owners and directors have the strong belief that as many books students fill more
knowledge they get and that there is plenty of time for teachers to cover them,




7

makes difficult to really develop a constructivist class management. As Windschilt
(1999) recommends, administrators must also take the lead in supporting a less is
more approach.

Finally I agree that students obtain knowledge according to their age, social
environment and motivation to mention some factors that involves learning, but also,
as teachers we must find a balance between the different learning and teaching
styles in order to always remember that students correct acquisition and
personalization of new data through our guidance must be the main aim of our
lessons.







8

References:
Bruner, J.S. (1961) The act of discovery. Harvard Educational Review, 31, 21-32
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods.
Oxford: Oxford Polythecnic Further Education Unit.

Cambridge English (No date) A range of exams to meet different needs. International
Language Standards. Retrieved July 23, 2013 from
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/about-us/what-we-do/international-language-
standards/

Glasersfeld, E. (1989) Constructivism in Education. In Husen, T. & Postlethwaite
T.N., The International Encyclopedia of Education, Suplement 1, 162-163, NY:
Pergamon Press.

Hartman, H. (2002). Scaffolding & Cooperative Learning. Human Learning and
Instruction (pp. 23-69). N.Y.: City College of City University of New York Press.

Lewis, B. (2008) Techniques to Scaffold Learning in the Elementary Classroom.
Scaffolding Instruction Strategies. Retrieved July 22, 2013 from
http://k6educators.about.com/od/helpfornewteachers/a/scaffoldingtech.htm

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child. New York: Basic
Books, Inc.

Stenberg, R.J. & Williams, W.M. (2010) Educational Psychology. N. J.: Pearson
Education.

Weibell, C. J. (2011) Principles of learning: A conceptual framework for domain-
specific theories of learning. Retrieved June 16, 2011 from
[http://principlesoflearning.wordpress.com]

Windschilt, M. (1999) The challenges of Sustaining a Constructivist Classroom
Culture. Phi Delta Kappan, v80 n10 p751-55.

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Appendix 1. Lesson Plan

Name Maura Susana Prez Alcal Date July 25
th
, 2013.
Level Secundary No. students 28 Lesson length 50 min.
School Esc. Part. 0307, Colegio Mexicano Los Angeles.

Main Lesson Aim(s) For students to (review, use, develop, practise) Subsidiary Aim(s) For students to (review, use, develop, practise)
By the end of the class, Students (Sts) will be able to difference
Simple Present from Present Continuous structure and usage in
language.

Sts will:
Talk about routines and activities happening at the moment.
Review present simple (SP) and present progressive or
continuous (PC) tenses structures.
Find out the difference between SP and PC.
Use present tenses in context orally and written.
Discuss and analyze new knowledge and the activities that
helped them to learn.

Assumptions What your students already know (about the language, an activity, the topic) that will help them in this lesson
1. Sts know Simple Present structure.
2. Sts know Present Continuous structure.

Class profile and Timetable Fit Information about your class: age, level, number, motivation, etc. and how this lesson fits with previous and future lessons
Sts in this group are in second grade of Secondary School, they are between 13 and 14 years old and the class has duration of 50 min 5
times a week. Theyve studied English last year in the same school. Some of the Sts enjoy English while others do not like it a lot, but since
its a competitive group, they want to be able to get the fluency of the class leaders and discuss mainly all the time in the target language.
This lesson will help Sts to improve this ability and also to understand the next class reading and the lessons related to Passive voice,
Reported Speech or Conditionals. Some of the students will also be prepared for Certification.

Anticipated Problems and Solutions Very specific problems and solutions in regards to classroom management of a particular stage.

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Problem Solution
1. Sts will probably confuse auxiliaries or verb rules.

To make a previous review.
2. Sts will probably not understand the difference between the
tenses orally or in context.
To present flashcards and draw a clock to point out routine. To play
mimic using the same verbs, so Sts can find out the difference
between routine and doing now.


Procedure section Please include all stages, and enough detail for the reader to understand exactly what the teacher and students do

Stage/
Activity
Objective
Purpose(s) of stage
Inter-action Time Procedure
What will the Ss and/or the T do?
1
Warm up
To identify routines
and activities
happening at the
moment.
Sts-T
Pair work
5 min. T will elicit from Sts what a routine is. Then by showing them two pictures will
ask them to discuss in pairs which of them is showing a routine and why.
Appendix 1 and 2.
Possible answers: The clock indicates routine.
2

Engaging.


To review present
simple (SP) and
present progressive
or continuous (PC)
tenses structures.
Sts-Sts
Whole group.
(WG)
Teams of 3.
(T3)
10
min
T will write two sentences related to the pictures in SP, one in third person.
Example:
I wake up at 5 am every day.
She wakes up at 6:45 on Mondays.
Sts discuss if the sentences are the same or not and why. T elicits from Sts the
SP structure by asking them to complete a conceptual map in a rot file paper by
T3. Then Sts discuss their partners maps. Appendix 3.
Then T will write two sentences related to the pictures in PC, this time T will
write the verb to be incorrectly by mixing the pronouns. Example:
I isnt running.
We am studying right now.

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She are listening to the teacher.
Sts discuss if the sentences are correct or not and then find out the PC
structure, after this theyll order cards in groups of three in order to make
sentences. Appendix 5. Sts compare their answers and give feedback.
3
Significant
learning
To find out the
difference between
SP and PC.
Sts-T
WG
10
min
Pointing out to one of the actions in picture A T elicits from Sts a sentence
which has to be written on the board by them.
T then asks Sts about the other picture. If its not showing routines, what is it
showing? Sts brainstorm the differences between the structures. Appendix 6.
4
Practice.
To apply new
knowledge first
under controlled
practice and then
free practice.
WH
Sts-T
G2
20
min
Using both pictures, Sts give different sentences orally. Sts get together in pairs
and make a timetable using their own routines. Appendix 7.
After this, Sts will solve an exercise in which they decide if the sentences are in
SP or PC. Then using new knowledge, they match these sentences with the
explanation of their uses.
Finally, Sts look at a picture and describe what people are doing using the PC of
the verbs given. Appendix 8.
5
Closure
To elicit from Sts
how they acquired
the knowledge.
Sts-Sts
Whole group.
5 min. Sts sum up the class and explain in their own words the new knowledge. Sts
discuss which activity was easier for them and which wasnt and why.

Materials Write what materials you are using and where (what book, internet site, etc) the information comes from. You must reference all handouts, and attach a
copy of each with your plan. (Example reference: Go for it!, David Nunan, Peoples Education Press, 2002, p. 46.)
Routines, routines! Lethaby, C. & Brewster, S.(2010) Awsome 1. UK: Richmond Publishing, Poster p100. Appendix 2
Thats entertainment! Lethaby, C. & Brewster, S.(2010) Awsome 2. UK: Richmond Publishing, Poster, p54. Appendix 3
Complete the map. Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal. Appendix 4
Present Continuous Cards. Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal. Appendix 5
Brainstorm differences between Simple Present and Present Progressive. Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal. Appendix 6
Routine Time line. Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal. Appendix 7
Handout Grammar in context. Spencer, D. (2011) Gateway B1 Students Book. Thai: Macmillan Publishers, p.8. Appendix 8.

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Appendix 2.Routines, Routines!


Lethaby, C. & Brewster, S.(2010) Awsome 1. UK: Richmond Publishing, Poster p100.

13

Appendix 3. Thats entertainment!

Lethaby, C. & Brewster, S.(2010) Awsome 2. UK: Richmond Publishing, Poster, p54


14

Appendix 4. Conceptual map.



Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal.


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Appendix 5. Present continuous cards.
*This card three times.























Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal


Write a verb.*



_________________

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Appendix 6. Brainstorm differences between Simple Present and Present Continuous.






Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal.

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Appendix 7. Time Line.

Student A: _________________________________





















Student B:__________________________________

Designed by Maura Susana Prez Alcal.

Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________


Time:________

______________

Time:________

______________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________
Time:________

______________

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Appendix 8

























Spencer, D. (2011) Gateway B1 Students Book. Thai: Macmillan Publishers, p.8.