Should I be a constructivist language teacher?

1. Should I be a constructivist language teacher? Mike Lawson Flinders University April 2008

2. My Answer • YES • Be a teacher who makes use of the well-founded theories of cognitive constructivism

3. Why be concerned about constructivism?

4. On the one hand: Constructivism as basis for curriculum “The theoretical basis for the conception of learning in the SACSA Framework is provided by the family of theories of learning that are grouped under the title ‘constructivism’. While theoretical distinctions exist between particular versions of constructivism, such as personal, social and radical, it is this family of theories which have guided the preparation of the Framework.”

5. On the other hand: Critique • Of particular concern in Australia, for example, is that despite a lack of supporting evidence for its utility, the prevailing educational philosophy of constructivism (an established student-centred theory of learning and knowing rather than a theory of teaching) continues to have marked influences on shaping teachers’ interpretations of how they should teach. • Rowe, K. J. (2007). The Imperative of Evidence-based Practices for the Teaching and Assessment of Numeracy, (p. 8). Invited submission to National Numeracy Review July. Camberwell, Vic: Australian Council for Educational Research

6. Education writer critique • “Constructivist – a term used by progressive teachers to argue that instead of being taught, that students learn best by constructing their own knowledge and understanding. Similar to ‘discovery learning’, the belief is that it is best for students to negotiate what they learn, to learn at their own pace and not to be taught in a formal, structured way..”(195)

7. Spelling it out • While state governments and teacher unions keep saying there are no illiteracy problems in our schools, the latest ACER research shows conclusively that current primary teaching methods (whole language and constructivism) are flawed and cause the 30 per cent illiteracy level in schools • Jo Rogers, Frankston • (Education 19/3/2007).

8. Background to my answer • Constructivism is a group of theories about a range of issues, • not only theories about learning, • Also theories about knowledge, reality, truth discussed in sociology, philosophy, language, science • We must be specific about the type of constructivism we are talking about. • As a word ‘constructivism’ is like ‘democracy’. A reference to “constructivist learning” or “constructivist teaching” is too vague, because these terms could refer to many different theories in different disciplines

9. One group of constructivist theory does provide a sound and useful basis for designing teaching procedures • Cognitive constructivism • Focus on this theory • The critiques just shown are not of relevance to cognitive constructivist theory of learning and teaching

10. Sorting out different constructivisms • Denis Phillips’ two categories of constructivism • Social constructivism • Psychological constructivism • Both are broad categories covering diverse views

11. Social constructivism • “embodies a thesis about the disciplines or bodies of knowledge that have been built up during the course of human history - that these disciplines (or public bodies of knowledge are human constructs and that the form that the knowledge has taken in these fields has been determined by such things as politics, ideologies, values, the exertion of power and the preservation of status, religious beliefs and economic self-interest. This thesis denies that the disciplines are objective reflections of an “external world.” (Phillips 2000, p. 6)

12. Psychological Constructivism • “A set of views about how individuals learn (and about how those who help them to learn ought to teach). Roughly, this second type of constructivist view is that learners actively construct their own (internal, some would say) sets of meanings or understandings; knowledge is not a mere copy of the external world, nor is knowledge acquired by passive absorption or by simple transference from one person (a teacher) to another (a learner or knower). “ • (Phillips, 2000)

13. Mt focus is now on Psychological Constructivism • This is a mainstream theory of learning • Broad principles in handout

15. Teacher: “Listen to me say ’Zhou”

16. This student is constructing knowledge • Construction is occurring through • Engagement: [Kate’s presentation] • Interpretation • Associating: [Mirella’s presentation] • Retrieval: [Marietta’s and Mirella’s presentations] • Organisation during storage • Evaluation of the first utterance • Discussion with Maria and interpretation of feedback • NB: Each of these processes could run off in different ways

17. Constructing a mental representation • The learner is constructing a mental representation for a new word. • The representation is establishing a relationship, a connection, a link between a sound to a form. • The process of representation is influenced by the activity of the learner and by what the teacher and other students do.

18. The construction site • The nature of representations in memory is now a major focus of research in neuroscience • The following passages are examples of research where the act of knowledge construction, the building of relationships at the symbolic level, are mirrored at the level of neural activity.

19. Protzner & McIntosh, (2007). • “The notion that cognition results from large-scale neural network operation has been proposed in various forms throughout the history of neuroscience… Advances in functional neuroimaging have provided empirical validation of this proposition. “ • [i]Protzner, A. B., & McIntosh, A. R. (2007). The interplay of stimulus modality and response latency in neural network organization for simple working memory tasks. The Journal of Neuroscience, 27(12):3187-3197

20. Note • Explicit reference to a network structure at the neural level. • The network is an organized structure, the organization occurring during initial learning and during all activity related to that particular task or topic. • During learning the nature of the mental activity carried out by the learner influences the structure of the network, the pattern of connections that is constructed in memory. • It makes sense to talk of learning as being centrally concerned with construction, with constructivist activity.

21. Murray, & Ranganath (2007).[ • Our findings are generally consistent with results from studies that have investigated neural correlates of memory encoding. For example, other studies of memory encoding have reported the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC )activation during interactive imagery of pairs of words ...during intentional encoding of pairs of images …All of these findings share a common basic principle: DLPFC activation was obtained in tasks that involved active processing of relationships between items that were active in working memory. • [i]Murray, L. J., & Ranganath C. (2007). The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to successful relational memory encoding. Journal of. Neuroscience, 27(20):5515–5522

22. Students are setting up, or constructing, relationships, and the relationships they are constructing are reflected in patterns of neural activity. • When teachers are helping students set up these relationships we should expect that different teaching procedures will be reflected in different neural patterns. • In both cases it is appropriate to say that the students and the teacher are being constructivist.

23. This is mainstream theory • In their discussion of radical constructivism, three prominent cognitive psychologists make this point: • A consensus exists within cognitive psychology that people do not record experience passively but interpret new information with the help of prior knowledge and experience. The term “constructivism” is used in this sense in psychology, and we have been appropriately referred to as constructivists (in this sense) by mathematics educators.[i] • [i] Anderson, J. R., Reder, L. M. & Simon, H. A. (1998) Radical constructivism and cognitive psychology. In D. Ravitch (Ed). Brookings Papers on Education Policy, p. 232). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution.

24. Construction, not transmission • It is because of this active interpretation on the part of the student that we also say that knowledge cannot be “transmitted” directly from teacher to student in an unchanged form. • Whatever the teacher does or says will be interpreted, and so will be changed in some way by the student.

25. The student does the final act of knowledge construction • But the act of construction can be influenced by • What the teacher does • What the student does • What another student says or does

26. “The way I remember this is by …. • Much of our teaching is also concerned to help students to develop new learning strategies, new ways of analysing, interpreting, organising, storing, etc. • This is constructivist teaching

27. SACSA again • The position set out in the introduction to SACSA is quite mainstream and quite sound.

29. The perspective on learning presented in these four sections of the SACSA framework is not controversial for someone using a cognitive constructivist view. • There is a sound basis for talking of ‘active learning’, ‘building knowledge’ and ‘constructing’ learning and for recognizing the social and situated nature of learning. Such descriptions are supported by a strong basis of evidence.[i]

30. The constructivist teacher • Plans what will be the focus of learning • Designs conditions that will result in a quality knowledge construction • Provides detailed and explicit information • Provides for practice that will strengthen the students knowledge construction • Sets up links to related knowledge • Requires use of knowledge in relevant contexts • Provides for transfer beyond the current teaching

31. Influencing construction, e.g • Clear and slow presentation • “Zhou” “See where my tongue is” • “Yes. Lets all repeat that sound 5 times.” • Now Mike. You say “Zhou” • That’s good. Say it again – Where is your tongue? • How do you remember the sound of “ou” in Zhou?

32. Influencing construction, e.g • This teaching is explicit, teacher directed, involves repetition, metacognition, social interaction • All of this influences Mike’s knowledge construction • This is constructivist teaching • NOTE • Constructivist teaching DOES NOT just mean • Unguided discovery learning • Pure discovery learning • Letting the student discover everything by herself

33. Remember • In interacting with students teachers can offer suggestions, set out procedures, provide examples, model behaviour, demand compliance, facilitate, orchestrate, direct, and so on. • But a teacher cannot control how the student interprets what is being presented. • Any implication that the use of direct instruction will guarantee a particular interpretation is misleading.

34. Handout • Productive pedagogies • Will, skill and metaskill • Try this with your class; suggestions for activities that will help construction of knowledge