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Socio-constructivism and EFL Teaching/LearningJune 16th, 2014UNAM-Canadá
Douglas Fleming PhDAssociate Professor Faculty of EducationUniversity of Ottawa
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Socio-constructivism is a sociological theory of knowledge that emphasizes the group construction of knowledge;
One learns in the context of a particular culture and a shared set of values and beliefs;
This implies that knowledge is not fixed or permanent.
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Constructivism has a long history in western philosophy:◦Heraclitus (Everything flows and changes);◦Protagoras (Man is the measure of all things);
In recent years, these notions have even penetrated how we view the physical sciences: Thomas Kuhn (paradigms: major historical shifts in scientific thought);
Recently, socio-constructionism has influenced the social sciences chiefly through the work of the Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky.
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Vygotsky was mainly concerned with the notion of development;
We all go through a series of developments in life in which the interconnections between concepts and phenomena become more and more readily apparent;
In other words: As we grow older we develop a greater appreciation for the complexity and interconnectivity of everything around us.
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1. General Genetic Cultural Development:
“Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level” (Vygotsky, 1978, 57);
This is somewhat different from Piaget’s insights about child development because it places social and cultural influences before those that are individual.
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2. The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD):
“Learning and development do not coincide… Instruction is only useful when it moves ahead of development. When it does, it impels or awakens a whole set of functions that are in a stage of maturation lying in the ZPD” (Yvgotsky, 1987, 212);
This is somewhat different from Krashen’s learning and acquisition hypothesis because it conceives of a (complex) connection between instruction and development and not a separation of the two.
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3. Scientific and Everyday Concepts
“The development of the scientific concept… constitutes a unique form of systematic cooperation between the teacher and the student… it occurs through the teacher’s assistance and cooperation” (Vygotsky, 1987, 168);
This is somewhat different from Lave and Wegner’s notion of communities of practice because Yvgotsky conceives of a more cooperative than a power-laden process of mentoring.
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Yvgotky’s insights have been updated in a critical direction by Kincheloe (2008), who argues that in the post-modern era, inequitable power relations have been strengthened by electronic modes of communication and control;
He further argues that understanding critical constructivism is key to becoming an educator committed to social justice.
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Social constructivism is potentially liberating for oppressed groups because it rejects the notion that dominant “truths” are the same for all peoples and in all situations;
However, there are some criticisms:
◦Social constructivism reduces the concept of “truth” to relativist notions. This makes judgment impossible and opens up the possibility of self-refutation;
◦A further tension arises linguistically: do we determine language or does language determine us?
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What socio-constructivist notions mean for English language teachers pedagogically:
linguistic knowledge is not fixed or permanent; linguistic knowledge should not been seen as a set of static
rules, but as a complex system of interconnected practices; instruction and learning are not linear, but cyclical;social and cultural content are key components in linguistic
development; language instruction content should be slightly ahead of a
learners current competency; learning is a form of systematic cooperation between the
teacher and the student;power relations influence language learning.
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Thus, in one’s practice, one:
must conduct needs assessments and tailor-make instruction for particular groups of students;
cannot assume that learners have acquired specific linguistic skills from previous instruction;
cannot assume that linguistic learning conforms to an abstract “dictionary” or “grammar compendium” form of organization;
must add social and cultural content to linguistic content in one’s curricular processes;
must conduct classes in which group work is emphasized so that students can learn from one another;
must break with authoritarian grammar and teacher-centered instruction.
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The First Step: Needs Assessment
it is impossible to teach students everything; thus, class time must treat prioritized content;
EFL teaching should develop both specific language skills and autonomous learning;
autonomous learning is linked to the priorities that the students see as urgent needs;
meaningful practice in the target language and the design of pedagogical tasks must therefore be based on a negotiation between program goals and the self-identified needs of the learners.
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Nation and Macalister, 2010, p.3
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Dubin and Olshtain, 1986
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The Second Step: Planning Group Work
AdvantagesGenerates interactive language;Embraces affective climate;Promotes learner responsibility and autonomy;Gives opportunity for individualized instruction.
(Poor) Excuses for not doing group work Teacher no longer in control;Learners will use first language;Errors will be reinforced;Teachers can’t monitor all groups;Some learners prefer to work alone.
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Tasks for the teacher: Select appropriate groups Pair or larger group; Mix and match students with different skill levels; Mix and match students in terms of other identity factors. Tasks for the teacher: Typical group tasks Games; Role-play and simulations; Drama; Projects; Interviews; Brainstorming; Information gap; Jigsaw (including strip stories); Problem-solving; Opinion exchange.
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Tasks for the teacher: Executing Introduce technique;Justify use;Model;Give explicit instructions;Divide class AFTER giving instructions;Check for clarification;Set task in motion.
Tasks for the teacher: Monitor task
Tasks for the teacher: Debrief
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group discussion questions:
How do/should you conduct needs assessments?What are the alternatives to organizing linguistic
content in terms of abstract “dictionary” or “grammar compendium” forms of organization?
How do/should you organize group work? How do/should you break down authoritarian
teacher-centered instruction?How do/should you add social and cultural content
to linguistic content in your curricular processes?How should socio-constructivist lesson planning
and curriculum development proceed in the Mexican EFL (as opposed to an ESL) context?