Constructivism-oriented Teaching And Learning In English Training Institutes: Constructing Effective Classroom

During our traditional context of textbook-guided classroom environment,teachers are seen as the only subject of knowledge and information supplying whilestudents take a passive participation in the whole teaching process. This kind ofteaching method is attributed to the teaching environment of exam-oriented educationsystem in our society, which leads to an undesirable outcome that although ourstudents who have received higher education in universities can score well on kinds ofstandardized tests they cannot find connections between theory and practice whichmeans that they cannot put what they have learned in classroom or school into theapplication of practice in real work and lives.Constructivism originated from Jean Piaget’s children development theory ofknowing which argues that children gradually construct the knowledge and meaningabout the outside world by interactional process between themselves and theirsurroundings, which then helps them construct and develop their own knowledgestructure. Constructivist theory has had wide-ranging impact on learning theories andteaching methods in education and has been an underlying theme of many educationreform movements. Under the guidance of constructivism we can form a set ofeffective and brand-new constructivist teaching-learning theory and build a favorablelearning environment. Constructivist teaching-learning theory holds the view thatlearning should be student-centered under the guidance of teacher, that is, studentsshould be the subject of information processing and active constructer of meaning notpassive recipient being stimulated and inculcated while teacher should serve as helperand facilitator in the whole process of knowledge construction.In this thesis the author attempts to explore constructivism as a theory and theformation of constructivist teaching-learning theory. In the meantime being a part-time English teacher for one year in English training institute-EF the author alsotries to do a case study to illustrate the application of constructivist teaching-learningtheory in English teaching and learning of English training institutes and its impactand enlightenment on the current English teaching-learning system and reform."Constructivist teaching" advocates that the teacher should promote students’knowledge construction, inspire learners’ motivation and interest of learning andactively create constructivist teaching design and surroundings, including teachingprocess(activities) and teaching materials(tools)."Constructivist learning" emphasizesthat students should actively participate in teaching activities and construct knowledge,including learning strategy and learning assessment. During the whole process ofEnglish teaching-learning, mutual cooperation and communication between students,students and teachers, students and teaching materials could be made by cultivatingthe form of constructivist learning, conducting interactive teaching, guaranteeingstudents’ active participation, constructing effective classroom and learning English asa tool and bridge of communication so that high-efficient English teaching-learningbenefits students as well as teachers to achieve the real teaching-learning aim ofapplicable learning.