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Constructivism is a theory of learning to help the learners to construct something based on their own understanding. it implies that learners are encouraged to construct their own knowledge instead of copying it from an authority (Kanselaar). In Constructivism, the teacher acts as a facilitator who monitors the student’s thinking.

A facilitator needs to monitor the learner’s performance decide whether more help is needed and how much help is needed. If you want to know more about CLT.

So in the context of English teaching, I want to know what some best subject contents a teacher could pick are if they are planning on using Constructivism Learning Theory in their English language lessons

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Any good teacher always follows the constructivist approach, perhaps sometimes unknowingly, in the classroom while teaching his students.

He always helps his students to construct their own knowledge by following the ICON model, i.e., Information construction model which has the following 7 stages :

  1. Observation : No students come to the class with an empty head. They always have some prior knowledge or observations. Teachers should exploit their prior knowledge while teaching something in the class.

  2. Interpretation Construction : Students will construct their interpretation with the help of their prior knowledge or observations.

  3. Contextualization : The teacher will contextualize their prior knowledge in a skilled way. Thus the learning will take place from the known to the unknown.

  4. Cognitive Apprenticeship : The teacher will help his students know their lesson with the help of various knowledge-based questions (who? which? what? etc.).

  5. Collaboration : Students will collaborate to take active part in group activities. The teacher will divide the classroom into a number of small groups, and he will assign tasks to each group. The students will work in groups. This will create a democratic feelings among themselves in a joyful atmosphere.

  6. Multiple Interpretations : Students will gain cognitive flexibility, and they will be able to interpret something in multiple ways.

  7. Multiple Manifestations : There will be multiple manifestations of the same interpretation. For example, students can dramatize a story, or they can transform a drama into a story. Thus, multiple manifestations can take place, enriching the students.

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    Hi and welcome to Language Learning Stack Exchange. Thank your for your answer. I wonder if you could add something that would illustrate how this works for language learning rather than subjects such as sciences?
    – Tsundoku
    Dec 27, 2020 at 14:21
  • Hi! Thanks for the answer !!. But I was looking for some specific English language concepts. To elaborate more let's say, for example, today's topic is Passive voice construction and how would one teach this in a CLT manner. But again thanks for this elaborated answer.
    – melkorCba
    Dec 28, 2020 at 18:54

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