Kursus Jurulatih Utama Bahasa Inggeris KBSM

Hotel Pearl International, Kuala Lumpur

27Julai – 30 April 2003

CONSTRUCTIVISM
… building on what is already there in students

Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum

Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
Why use Constructivism in Teaching-Learning?

Are children born How best to approach

like a piece of white students?
cloth ?

How do I start teaching

students?
Why use Constructivism in Teaching-Learning?

Do not underestimate
children. Do not think that
they do not know anything.

In the child’s mind,

there is an existing
schema of what the
child already
knows.
 In Constructivism, we start
Teaching and from what the student knows
learning is very
pupil centred.

The teacher uses what

students already know
(schema) as a base to
expand students’
knowledge.

It is the learning
that counts.

The teacher helps

The student must students learn to
be engaged, i.e. acquire new
involved in active knowledge and
learning. solve problems.
 Constructivism is an approach which says
that all students build new knowledge and
concepts based on existing knowledge or
schema that they already have.

new knowledge
To scaffold new knowledge
onto old knowledge
schem
a
For example, to teach the past SCHEMA
tense, students should already
know verbs in the present tense verbs

help helped verbs in the

present
cycle cycled tense

SCHEMA To ask students to write about a

field trip it helps if they have
Report already gone on one
Writing

has experience
of going on a
field trip
To ask students to give a
speech, it helps if they have
experience in giving a speech,
and it helps if they know the
topic they are going to talk
about well
SCHEMA
public
speaking
skills
knowledge of
subject matter
Impromptu speeches
Language for interpersonal use –
make friends and keep friendships
It helps if students have friends
and have experience of making
new friends and keeping old ones

SCHEMA
self-
confidence

communication
skills in English

interest in making new

friends

like old friends enough

social to want to keep
skills friendship
Do I have Language for Informational Use
to pay to -making enquiries
get in?
Teacher creates a real situation
where pupils make plans to visit a
book fair during the holidays.
students have to get information
through enquiries by phone to
the PWTC info centre, to friends
who have visited the place
previously, through the Internet,
SCHEMA etc.

questionin
g skills

being polite and courteous

know what information to get about the book

fair
 TASK

Select a learning outcome or a set of related

learning outcomes and say how you can apply
constructivism in planning your lesson.