Constructivist

learning and the Second Language Acquisition

Classroom
For ETEC 530-65A
By Nicholas Graves


Constructivist theory has many branches and iterations, but in its most general
definition constructivism attempts to create authentic learning activities that allow
learners to interact and immerse themselves in the content. Jonassen (1994) notes
that constructivist-learning environments provide multiple representations of
reality and emphasizes knowledge constructions over knowledge reproduction.
Furthermore he notes that tasks need to be meaningful in context rather than
abstract instruction and be situated in real-world settings. Finally he notes that a
constructivist-learning environment supports the collaborative construction of
knowledge through social negotiation, and not through peer competition. Following
these principles we can see that the constructivist-learning environment is a
particularly effective way to teach a second language.

Learning a second language involves cognitive processes, cultural processes and
language processes (Zhao, 2013). It is difficult to develop a learning environment
that meets the needs of all learners as each learner has their own background that
affects their needs. For this reason classroom interactions, both engaging in and
listening to, have come to the forefront of Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
pedagogy. According to Ellis (2005) Interactions have been central to theories of L2
learning and pedagogy since the 1980s. This emphasis on interaction though has
led to an over reliance on direct interaction and to the belief that the more a student
interacts in the classroom the better. (Zhao, 2013)

Ellis (2005) has developed ten principles that highlight the most effective practices
of the Second Language Acquisition classroom.

1. Instruction needs to ensure that learners develop both a rich repertoire of
formulaic expressions and rule based competence
2. Instruction needs to ensure that learners focus predominantly on meaning
3. Instruction needs to ensure that learners also focus on form
4. Instruction needs to be predominantly directed at developing implicit
knowledge of the second language while not neglecting explicit knowledge
5. Instruction needs to take into account the learners built-in syllabus
6. Successful instructed language learning requires extensive input of the
second language
7. Successful instructed language learning also requires opportunities for
output
8. The opportunity to interact in the second language is central to developing
second language proficiency.
9. Instruction needs to take account of the individual differences in learners.
10. In assessing learners second language proficiency it is important to examine
free as well as controlled production.

Following these principles the SLA classroom, to be effective, must provide students
with multiple opportunities for authentic participation in the language. This means
that the students must have the opportunity to interact with each other in the

second language outside of the constraints of the classroom and in real world
circumstances, using the language in a manner that makes sense to them, but it also
means that not all interactions are equal. One of the core ideas of constructivist
activities is authentic tasks, meaning activities must be situated within the real
world and allow for multiple perspectives and representations of concepts (Ernest,
1994). Similarly these tasks must embrace students backgrounds and prior
knowledge. By creating authentic interaction and tasks educators are able to make
the learning process relevant to students and make them feel invested in the
learning process.

As extrapolated from Ellis (2005) ten principles, at the core of the effective SLA
classroom is interaction and discussion. Zhao (2013) notes, however, that the SLA
classroom has come to over rely on interaction on the classroom, assuming that any
interaction is positive interaction. Furthermore noting that there is a tendency to
overemphasize direct interaction and ignore passive interaction such as listening to
discussion. Attentive listeners, he notes, make similar efforts to find out answers
to questions and make modifications when indirectly receiving feedback which is
addressed to the direct interactant.. (Zhao, 2013) In other words the amount of
interaction with an educator will lead to more proficient verbal interaction but it
does not necessarily lead to higher levels of proficiency across the board. Effective
interactions then must be more communal in nature, a belief that is very much in
line with the social nature of the constructivist classroom.

Authentic Activities
Project based learning is a branch of constructivism and is an instructional approach
that provides the opportunity for learners to participate in authentic activities. It is
an approach that engages students interests and motivations while also allowing
them to reflect upon their own choices and opinions to make decisions that will
determine the outcome of the project under study (Fauzia, 2013). It can be
particularly effective in the SLA classroom as it creates effective interactions
wherein the participants choose the content and amount of learning. In this way it
motivates learners by giving them the opportunity and freedom to explore the
language in ways that interest them and are relevant to their contexts. In the sharing
of their projects learners are able to interact with meaningful input and expression
from their classmates and materials that are divergent from their existing linguistic
competence (Fauzia, 2013).

An example of an effective project based activity in the SLA classroom is the use of
video and multimedia story production. Video and multimedia story production
allows learners to create situations that utilize real world language in personalized
situations (Nikitina, 2011). When producing a video in the SLA classroom, learners
have the opportunity to build an authentic world using props, locations, and real
world language, as well as add other post-production elements such as music or
subtitles. This allows for the students to become fully immersed in the language and
create more meaningful retention of the language (Goulah, 2007). The process of

world building also helps to shift learners from practicing a language to actually
employing it (Nikitina, 2011).

Video and multimedia story productions can be done alone or in groups but is most
effective when interaction and/or collaboration is emphasized (Goulah, 2007). By
telling a story in groups, learners are forced to develop meaning together and in so
develop a better understanding of the second language. (Mitra, Tooley, Inamdar,
Dixon, 2003) This also occurs in the sharing and discussion of stories after they have
been created. Through these interactions students can increase their language base
by listening or reading the output of their fellow students. Similarly follow up
discussions allow for students to share their own perspective on the activity and
connect it to their background knowledge, enhancing and strengthening the
learning process.

Not all classroom interactions are equal, and for them to be effective, classroom
interactions must include an opportunity for students to evaluate and process their
own work as well as the work of their peers. Raoofi, Chan, Mukundan and Rashid
(2013) note that metacognition is a significant contributor to success in second
language acquisition. Similarly Jonassen (1994) notes that a strong constructivist-
learning environment provides ample opportunity to reflect on their learning and
process an activity after it has been completed. Again though, as Zhao (2013) notes
about interaction only being effective if it is directed and purposeful, Raoofi et al.
(2013) also argue that for metacognition to be effective students must be supported

in the process. In this manner project based learning allows students the
opportunity for both direct and indirect interactions, enhancing the learning
environment and supporting language growth.

Project based learning is not the only effective constructivist strategy for the SLA
classroom, but it is perhaps the easiest to apply. Problem based learning can also be
an effective strategy in the SLA classroom however as it necessitates a higher degree
of competency with the language it may be difficult to apply in beginner or
intermediate classrooms. Similarly case based learning requires students to have a
significant knowledge base from which to survey a problem, and as a result
beginner and intermediate language learners might lack the requisite skills to
effectively engage the problem. That being said if learners do have a strong
background in the content of the problem or of the case being studied, these
pedagogies support the pedagogies of a successful SLA classroom and could be
implemented effectively.

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)
As previously stated balanced interactions are most effective way to foster language
development. Computer mediated communication has the benefit of occurring free
from constraints of time and space and can provide a wider world for the learner to
interact in. Synchronous written communication is one of the most effective uses of
CMC in the SLA classroom as it forces the learner to negotiate both form and
meaning. Blake (2000) has done significant analysis of CMC interactions and found

that it allows students to identify gaps in their learning and to rework the form and
structure of their writing to provide greater clarity. To make the best use of CMC
activities need to based in the constructivist principles already discussed, providing
students the opportunity for cooperation, negotiation, and convergence of resources
in completing a task (Blake, 2000).

There are drawbacks to CMC, with the biggest being the lack of oral production and
a limited growth in the learners ability to better understand the spoken word (De
La Fuente, 2003). This can be mitigated by the inclusion of CMC activities that utilize
synchronous spoken communication. This can be done in conjunction with written
activities or independently, either way it is an easy way to increase the effectiveness
of CMC in the SLA classroom. Another drawback of CMC is that it can overly focus on
negotiating meaning and neglect grammatical form (Chapelle, 2007). The main
cause of this neglect tends to be that task completion focuses more on
understanding and creating responses than on proper grammar in communication.
This can be overcome by placing an emphasis on grammatically correct discussions,
however this may reduce the effectiveness of the overall communication. As such it
might be more efficient to ignore grammar and focus on it in other venues.

In general though, CMC use in the SLA classroom can be used effectively in
constructivist activities and help enhance authentic participation. Also by providing
the ability to overcome obstacles of space and time it can create more opportunities
for learner to interact and increase their input and output of the second language.

To get the most out of CMC in the SLA classroom activities should be organized to
emphasize both constructivist and SLA principles such as focusing on collaborative
negotiation of knowledge and increasing input and output of the second language.

Supporting Background and Prior Knowledge
A major emphasis of all theories of constructivist pedagogy is supporting
background and prior knowledge (Jonassen 1994, Ernest 1995, Honebein 1996,
Mvududu and Thiel-Burgess, 2012). Ellis (2005) also notes that SLA instruction
needs to take into account the learners built-in syllabus. In this way instruction
must not be seen as the transmission of knowledge from the educated to the
uneducated, but instead teachers must act as guides that provide students the
opportunity to build on what they already know and provide a learning
environment that utilizes the discrepancies between what students dont know and
what they need to know. Along these same lines, educators must ensure that
learning activities and tasks are important to students and connected to their built
in knowledge base.

Conclusion
Constructivist and SLA pedagogy have much in common. Both emphasize providing
real-world environments and problems for students to interact in, the social nature
of learning, and recognition of students background knowledge. These pedagogies
converge around the idea of authentic tasks and authentic interactions. Successful
SLA classrooms should utilize theories of constructivism and in particular attempt

to provide students the opportunity to participate in project based learning. By

doing so educators can ensure that despite the differentiation of language and
culture in their classroom, all students have the opportunity to be successful. As
Mvududu and Thiel-Burgess (2012) note A constructivist approach has not only
been found to be effective in improving test scores, bust also overall participation
and retention of material.

References

Blake, Robert (2000) Computer-mediated communication: A window on L2 Spanish
interlanguage. Language Learning & Technology, 4(1), 120-136

Chapelle, Carol A. (2007). Technology and Second Language Acquisition. Annual
Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 98-114

De la Fuente, Maria J. (2003) Is SLA interactionist theory relevant to CALL? A study
of the effects of computer-mediated interaction in L2 vocabulary acquisition.
Computer Assisted Language Learning, 16(1), 47-81
Ellis, R. (2005). Principles of Instructed Language Learning. System, 33(2), 209-224.

Ernest, P. (1995). The one and the many. In L. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.). Constructivism
in Education 459-486 New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,Inc

Fauzia, Janjua (2013) Project-based Learning in Business English Classroom,
Language in India 13 (1), 38-47

Goulah, Jason (2007) Village Voices, Global Visions: Digital Video as a
Transformative Foreign Language Learning Tool. Foreign Language Annals 40(1),
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Honebein, P. (1996). Seven goals for the design of Constructivist learning
environments. In B. Wilson, Constructivist learning environments, 17-24. New
Jersey: Educational Technology Publications.

Mitra, S., Tooley, J., Inamdar, P., & Dixon, P., (2003). Improving English pronunciation:
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Development, 1(1), 7584.

Mvududu, N. & Thiel-Burgess, J. (2012) Constructivism in Practice: The Case for

English Language Learners. International Journal of Education, 4(3) 108-118

Nikitina, Larisa (2011). Creating an Authentic Learning Environment in the Foreign
Language Classroom. International Journal of Instruction 4(1) 33-46

Jonassen, D. (1994). Thinking technology. Educational Technology, 34(4), 34-37.

Zhao, C. (2013). Classroom Interaction and Second Language Acquisition: The more
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