A STUDY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTRUCTIVIST - BASED METHODS AND TECNIQUES TO FACILITATE THE

ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS WITH 7-8 GROUP AT CTP ROBERTO GAMBOA VALVERDE, 2015

 

UNIVERSIDAD MAGISTER

Ivannia Chinchila FallasAngie Saballos Jiménez

2016

it will be nice if the students feel the need to learn, to create, and to produce, and that the motivation be intrinsic but the real panorama that many educators have is that students do not feel those things most of the time they study to feel accepted, to pass the grade, or because of the fear of failing in the school. For this reason the following question is stated:How to implement constructivist - based methods and techniques to facilitate the English learning process whit group 7-8 at Roberto Gamboa Valverde high school?

PROBLEM STATEMENT

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To implement of constructivism - based methods and techniques to facilitate the English learning process with 7-8 group at Roberto Gamboa Valverde High School. 

To identify different methods and techniques use in the teaching process.

To determine general aspects in the Second Language Acquisitions (SLA) in 7th graders.

To describe Constructivist Model in practical teaching.

To propose a Workshop to facilitate the implementation of Methods and Techniques based on the Constructivist Model.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Methods and techniques for English teaching. Second Language Acquisition. Constructivism in English teaching

VARIABLES

.

JUSTIFICATION Nowadays it is common to see teachers worried

because their students do not feel interested in class, or because they do not want to learn it. Why? Because the boring methodology do not arouse in students’ interest, the lessons are the same all time, totally conductive and no constructive. Their performance and triumphs will be the result of values and learning received in their period of diversified education.

Nowadays English is not just a second language to learn. It is considered the universal language, a language to communicate in oral and written way all around the world, a way to get in contact with people worldwide, a tool to do research about any topic, get better job opportunities, to compete in large and important companies. It also helps students to get scholarships and graduate from leading universities.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKCTP Roberto Gamboa Valverde

Location: Sn Rafael Abajo, DesamparadosPopulation: 1200Teachers:80

Faunded in: 1973

In 2011 it became an academic school system to a technical system

THE LEARNING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN COSTA RICA

Learning a foreign language in Costa Rica has its origin during the republican time right after Costa Rica began its independent period and established commercial relations with the European world. Specifically, once it was exported the first sack of what is was called “gold grain” or coffee, to England in 1820.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

HISTORY OF ENGLISH TEACHING IN COSTA RICA

The first data found about English teaching in Costa Rica is from 1825, when the house of instruction called Santo Tomás opened its doors for the first time.

The students had to memorize and recite grammar rules, which later were checked by the teacher to prove the students had entirely internalized them.

The first jobs for foreign English and languages teachers came in the year of 1854, the method used that moment for teaching languages is not impeccably known but presumably it was the grammar translation.

CONSTRUCTIVISM AS AN APPROACH TO EDUCATIONAL PSICHOLOGY

 

Only through learning new things, whether these were manual skills or theoretical knowledge, people could develop and adapt to the contemporary reality. However, one does not have to know how the learning process proceeds in order to learn and, thus, for a long time there was no reason for people to investigate into this aspect of human mind.  

According to constructivists, learners create their own individual representations of the world. As in humanistic approach, the learner is treated as one holistic unit, whose emotions and feelings are important because they shape learners' attitude. Similarly, their creativity allows them to construct the view on the world in their own unique way.

CONSTRUCTIVISM AND LEARNING

INTERPRETATIONS OF THE RESULTS

GRAPH 1. TECHNIQUES APPLIED IN CLASS

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015).

13%

53%

33%

Entertaining Normal Boring

GRAPH 2. AUDIOVISUAL AIDS USED IN CLASS 

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015).

3%

40%

13%

43%

Video bean Audio player T.V Posters

 GRAPH 3. FRECUENCY STUDENTS SPEAK ENGLISH IN CLASS

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015)

AlwaysSometimes

Never

26.67%

63.33%

10.00%

GRAPH 4. METHOD STUDENTS PREFER TO LEARN ENGLISH

 

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015)

3,33%

36,67%

23,33%

36,67%

Reading Watching videos Listening audios Playing

GRAPH 5. WAYS IN WHICH STUDENTS FEEL IT IS BETTER TO LEARN

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015)

watchinglistening

manipulating

30.00%

56.67%

13.33%

GRAPH 6. ACTIVITIES IN CLASS

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015)

30.00%

36.67%

33.33%

Roleplay Play games fill in the blanks

GRAPH 7. WAY IN WHICH ESTUDENTS WORK IN CLASS

50.00%

23.33%

26.67%

Individual

In pairs

In groups

SOURCE: Chinchilla, Ivannia and Saballos, Angie (2015)

Methods and techniques for English teaching

  Conclusion

Taking into account the first variable of the investigation, there is a great deal of innumerable techniques to teach English. Based on the results, the teachers in High School have enough experience to determine the best techniques to use depending on level and the student`s needs.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS

Recommendation

To plan group activities. At the age of thirteen, students are creative and very anxious, they want to explore the environment and learn new things. At that age, they feel identified with the others, because they share ideas, likes and dislikes.

Second Language Acquisition

Conclusion

The teacher’s role during this process requires her to: act and display a competence in methodological aspects that means that teachers must take advisories and advantages of development opportunities to renew knowledge and techniques to draw in the student’s interest.

Recommendation

To know thoroughly the students’ reality. At the beginning of the year, it is necessary to interview the students and also to read their files in order to know their interests and needs.  

Constructivism in English Teaching

Conclusion Based on the theory studied, seventh graders are

cognitively prepared to acquire a foreign language. They are able to understand, produce and also they are creative with their experiences lived. They also feel motivated when working in groups, and it is important when working in a constructivist environment because it stimulates the student´s learning process.

Recommendation

To promote collaborative construction of knowledge. Making the learners participate in searching the topics they are going to study along a period, could be significant in the teaching-learning process. It is important not only to follow the M.E.P Syllabus, but also to integrate interesting topics for the students, in order to make them part of the process.

PROPOSAL OF A WORKSHOP WITH CONSTRUCTIVIST - BASED

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES TO FACILITATE THE ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS FOR 7TH GRADERS AT CTP

ROBERTO GAMBOA VALVERDE.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To offer a guide to introduce constructivist techniques in teaching English in Roberto Gamboa Valverde High School.

  To design a lesson plan where constructivist activities will be

developed in order to introduce the English language to the student.

To implement constructivist strategies that contains relevant teaching in this area in order to complement the lesson plan.

To introduce authentic materials to learn English based on constructivism.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Introduction: The Constructivist Theory, primary theorists, principles and some others.

Activity #1: Teaches through a Brain Storm will offer some options about how to elaborate a lesson plan where constructivism strategies could be established.

Objective:To introduce ideas about design a lesson plan where constructivism strategies will be developed by a Brain Storm

TEACHERS´ TRAINING

Activity #2: Teachers using their previous knowledge will write in a sheet a kind of lesson planning incorporating the ideas that their partners already exposed during the Brain Storm.

Objective:To incorporated ideas about design a lesson plan where constructivism will be developed by building a lesson plan

Activity #3: After that the teachers will look for what kind of activities could be useful in order to develop the ideas in their papers and incorporate them to their lesson plan.

Objective:To look for useful activities about design a lesson plan where constructivism strategies will be developed by incorporate them to their lesson plan

Activity #4: teachers will exchange their lesson plans between them to evaluate the plans taking in account the explanation details from the introduction about ¨Design a lesson plan where constructivism strategies will be developed¨.

Objective: To evaluate the obtain comprehension about design a lesson plan where constructivism strategies will be developed by exchanging the plans.

Introduction: the teachers in charge will explain to the audience the importance to use authentic materials, as well. Using that kind of resources teachers will have the opportunity to introduce the task in different and entertain ways.

DAY 2

Activity #1: Teaches using a compound game is based on the game "Old Maid". Pick out as many familiar compound words as you can (some are listed below). Using the index cards as the playing cards, place the beginning word on one card. Then, place the ending word on a different card.

Objective: To demonstrates that constructivist methods can be used in language arts. Where students understand compound words by creating their own compound words using word strips.

Activity #2: Teachers using their computers will explore some web sites provide by the teachers in charge (annex 6) in order to obtain information and resources, after that each of them will share their own experience and will let us know if she consider that kind of resources useful for English teaching.

Objective: To explore options in order to introduce other techniques to teach English language.

ACADEMIC IMPACT

The students of Roberto Gamboa Valverde High School facilitate their English learning process, taking the opportunity to obtain better jobs in the future and to achieve better possibilities of higher grades in their school test.

IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL