Constructivist Approaches in a

Secondary English Language Arts

Classroom
ETEC 530 Assignment 1
Ryan Dub
ETEC 530
D. Janes
8 July 2012

Ryan Dub
ETEC 530
D. Janes
5 July 2012
Constructivist Approaches in a Secondary English
Language Arts Classroom
1

Constructivist Approaches in a Secondary English
Language Arts Classroom
ETEC 530 Assignment 1
Abstract
In January 2012 School District 62 (Sooke), chose to embrace Provincial e-Exams
for grades 10, 11 and 12. In essence, the English 10/12,
Science 10, Mathematics 10 and Social Studies 11
Provincial Exams would now be conducted online. Of
interest to me is the English 10 curriculum and exam. I
regularly teach English 10 and constantly strive to
advance and improve my delivery of this curriculum in
hopes of better preparing my students for this potential
scholarship qualifying and graduation requirement course. My intent is to explore how
constructivist approaches, although presently not commonly practiced, could be used to
help prepare students meaningfully learn and engage in the extensive list of Grade 10
English Examinable Terms and Devices in Literature (Examinable Terms). An English
Language Arts (ELA) constructivist model, merging the Driver-Oldham and Rivernia-
Murray models, focused on collaboration and inquiry through case, product and project
based learning is one way breathe life into this mundane aspect of the English 10
curriculum.



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Language Arts Classroom
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Background: English 10 Examinable Terms

The Province of British Columbia has determined that English 10 students must be
aware of, understand and be able to identify approximately 80 literary terms and devices as
part of their education. These terms and devices are ideally littered throughout the various
works explored throughout the course. These works include, but are not limited to, formal
and informal essays, discontinuous texts (tables, charts, graphs, web pages, maps,
timelines), non-fiction prose (diaries, journals, letters, newspaper columns, magazine
articles), plays, poetry, novels and short fiction (Examinable Terms, 2008). In some cases,
these terms have been introduced in earlier ELA curriculum and are elaborated upon in
Grade 10. On the other hand, there are a number of terms and devices that are new to
students. Given the breadth of the English 10 curriculum, much like the Math, Science and
Social Studies courses of the same grade level, these terms are often neglected as major tenet
of the overall course and taught through outdated practices which do not engage students.

Traditional approaches to Terms and Definitions

Unfortunately, common teaching practice with these examinable terms, much like
the historical terms and events explored in Social Studies, predominantly uses rote learning
and memorization methods as delivery and instruction. As such, students are bombarded
with terms they have little or no connection to or have difficulties establishing personal
relevance with. Matching quizzes, multiple choice tests and paragraph answers later ask
students to show what they know through limited avenues whereby they identify the correct
answer or explain concepts in their own words. Such traditional approaches almost ignore
constructivist models and are a disservice to students as, arguably, limited meaningful
learning occurs (Novak, 1998, 53).




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Language Arts Classroom
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Examinable Terms: An Opportunity for Constructivist Strategies

According to Matthews (n.d.) aspects of constructivism need to be viewed not just as
a whole, but rather as separate fields or dimensions. He proposes that constructivism is
made up of separate theories of learning, teaching, education, cognition, personal
knowledge, scientific knowledge, educational ethics and politics and also as a worldview.
These fields further divide into three major traditions of educational, philosophical and
sociological constructivism. While classroom instruction in a Grade 10 English course will
obviously not encompass all of these aspects, educational constructivism can and should
most definitely exist as a way in which to frame instructional practices that allow students to
explore such abstract and alien literary devices as free verse poems and the Italian and
English sonnet structure. In fact constructivism, as seen in the Driver and Oldham (Sunal,
n.d., p. 5) model, proposes a realistic approach to engaging learners so that factual
memorization without personal connection becomes a practice of the past.

It is, without question, important that students are introduced to these important
literary terms and devices in the context of literature plays, poetry, fiction and non-fiction
or as Brown (1989) argues through situated learning through everyday communication.
For instance, to read and hear a paragraph drawn together by imagery awakens the senses
and can solidify in a students mind how words can portray a scene, mimic a sound,
describe a smell, share a taste and evoke a feeling. Brown (1989) would most likely agree
that students can then make multiple links to personal experiences if they are given the
opportunity to talk and collaborate. Other related literary devices can be spring-boarded
from here, taking lessons and learning to unfathomable depths both in and out of the
classroom. Unfortunately, ELA instruction usually takes of the form of: read the passage,
identify the devices, explain how they work, assign some form of assessment, and repeat as
necessary. While this simplistic and limited snapshot of an English classroom represents an
outdated approach that has long since been left behind by many innovative teachers or
morphed into a version of the Karplus Method (Sunal, n.d., p. 1), the fact remains that

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Language Arts Classroom
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given the daunting list of 80 terms, not to mention the actual ELA learning outcomes to be
satisfied, when it comes to terms and definitions, constructivist approaches are often
overlooked in favor of rote learning and memorization. In the end, this oversight is
detrimental to students and limits their potential for success and engagement with
fundamental skills that they will build upon in Grade 11 and 12.

A Constructivist Model for the Secondary ELA Classroom

Similar to the Driver and Oldham (Sunal, n.d., p. 5) model is the Riverina-Murray
(Sunal, n.d., p. 4) model which also proposes a 5 stage constructivist process. While using
either constructivist model to teach the examinable terms would ultimately help students, a
hybrid or merger of these two approaches would be ideal for a secondary ELA classroom.
Figure 1 below illustrates the intent and layout of how the two strategies could be merged.

Figure 1: A Constructivist Strategy for the English Language Arts Classroom


Constructivist Approaches in a Secondary English
Language Arts Classroom
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In Stage 1 of each approach, the simple intent of this initial stage is to identify a
focus. While Driver and Oldhams orientation aims to motivate learners to engage in a
topic, the ability to motivate learners depends heavily on factors like the teachers
personality, age and individual motivations of the students and finally, the subject matter.
The Rivernia-Murray model minimizes these subjective factors, merging the first and
second of the Driver-Oldham model, and hones in directly on what students know or think
they know. Stage 2 of the Rivernia-Murray model involves the creation of a unique plan
utilizing activities and strategies which promote learner centered exploration while also
building motivation. Stage 3 of both models places precedence on learner centered, teacher
facilitated, exploration and restructuring of ideas to identify gaps or conceptual conflicts.
Stage 4 merges the final two steps of the Rivernia-Murray model with the creation and
practice of new mental schema as well as establishing links to prior knowledge. Stage 4 of
the Driver-Oldham model is the application of new ideas in familiar (prior knowledge) and
novel settings in the same fashion. Without a link to what students know, they have
difficulties recognizing the relevance or large-scale application of a term or concept. As
Brown (1989) puts it, students are given a tool they do not know how to use. In essence,
without a link to what students know, the issue becomes So what?. In such instances,
students are really identifying the fact that the learning has not been meaningful, is of little
real value and will not be retained. The final stage of the hybrid secondary ELA classroom
model comes from the Driver-Oldham review/reflection which allows for thinking about
how ideas have changed. The merger of these two strategies would promote long-term
meaningful learning.

Challenges Moving Forward

Using a hybrid constructivist model is only one step towards strengthening students
understanding and knowledge of these examinable terms. Integral to the success of stages 2,
3 and 4 are authentic activities that reflect real world situations or activities within which
these terms can be practiced. During these formative stages of learning, students need to be

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introduced to Case, Project or Product Based learning activities which facilitate
collaborative learning while complimenting progression through the 5 stage model.

Rather than simply limiting the exploration and explanation of a particular term to
the confines of the piece of literature it is housed in, educators must make real connections
to the lives of their students. Case based approaches could bridge the literature studied to
current events at the national, regional or municipal levels. Students would see up to date
examples of abstract concepts like audience, character, point of view etc. in action. Projects
like writing childrens stories to be actually shared with children at a local elementary school
would see students commit to ensuring proper use of concepts such as dialogue, humor, the
plot profile diagram, narration, symbolism and even tragedy. Computer Mediated
Communication (CMC) even allows us the opportunity to forego the physical transport
from one location to another. CMC allows students to use technology to transmit and
collaborate online using both the cognitive and social aspects explored by Xin (2007). In
fact, with CMC there would be no limit as to where in the world we choose to partner
students and classrooms.

Finally, while some traditionally consider product based learning to be perhaps more
relevant in situated learning environments, like woodworking apprenticeship classes, there
are authentic products that students in humanities classrooms can design and develop so as
to solve a proposed problem. Imagine the engagement and self-motivation Grade 10
students would exude when made responsible for producing posters advertising the annual
Terry Fox Run. They could even be tasked with creating letters in formal English, using
proper paragraph structure, with compound and complex sentences, to deliver to local
business seeking support for this yearly event. Ultimately, by excluding constructivist
strategies in the ELA classroom, we are limiting the possibilities for engagement and real
learning to take place.



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Language Arts Classroom
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Conclusion

Constructivist approaches can bring to life some of the most mundane aspects of the
ELA curriculum. A brief examination of two constructivist models, the Driver-Oldham and
the Rivernia-Murray models, illustrates how easily educators can adapt existing structures
to suit the needs of todays students. Coupled with authentic case, project and product based
learning strategies, a constructivist approach to BCs English 10 Examinable Terms is sure
to produce motivated, engaged learners who achieve meaningful learning.

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Language Arts Classroom
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References
Brown, J. S., Collins, A. & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of
learning. Educational Researcher, 18, 1.

Government of British Columbia. (2008). Examinable Terms and Devices in Literature.
Retrieved from
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/exams/specs/grade10/en/07_terms_device.pdf
Citation in Text: (Examinable Terms, 2008)

Matthews, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://wwwcsi.unian.it/educa/inglese/matthews.html 5 May 2012.
Citation in text: (Matthews, n.d.)

Novak, J.D. (1998). Learning, Creating, and Using Knowledge: Concept Maps as Facilitative Tools
in Schools and Corporations (p 49 - 78; ch 5 - Ausubel's Assimilation Learning Theory).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Sunal, D. W (n.d.) The Learning Cycle: A Comparison of Models of Strategies for
Conceptual Reconstruction: A Review of the Literature. Retrieved October 9, 2010,
from http://astlc.ua.edu/ScienceInElem&MiddleSchool/565LearningCycle-
ComparingModels.htm

Xin, M.C. and Feenberg, A. (2007). Pedagogy in Cyberspace: The Dynamics of Online
Discussion, Journal of Distance Education, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 1-25. Reprinted as
Pedagogy in Cyberspace: The Dynamics of Online Discourse, E-Learning, vol. 4,
no. 4, pp. 415-432.

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