Every one of us is a different kind of learner and we need to find our own best ways of learning. But first we need to be taught which ways of learning there are and it is only after that we can start testing what suits us best.

In the previous article we had a look at the basic principles and ideas in the Cognitive Approach to learning and teaching. All of those ideas are to be included in the Constructive Approach as well but the ideas are taken a bit further and the main focus is shifted even more on the processes in the students’ minds. The role of the teacher changes as well.

If the teacher understands and approves of the principles of the Cognitive and Constructive Approach and starts to apply the principles in the class, the foundation for Communicative language teaching and learning is firmly laid.

We learn best by working in pairs and groups learning styles and strategies that appeal to us most.

 The basic principles in the Constructive Approach

• 1 The student is a unique personality who becomes aware of and responsible for his/her learning; “Too ambitious a target for my students”, you say. Maybe at first glance but once you gradually start to talk about learning styles and give tips how to improve learning, the students realise you are on their side, helping them and they themselves can really affect the quality of their learning by making their own choices.
• 2 After the initial instructions the lessons are mostly based on pair and group work. The students work together on the tasks processing the content and social skills at the same time at their own pace as much in English as possible. The proof of learning is in the process itself and presentations are seldom necessary.
• 3 In brief, the learning process is very student-oriented and the role of the teacher changes drastically: a) the teacher sets the goals and makes lesson plans in advance, b) at school he/she gives the instructions and organizes the activities in advance, becomes the organizer and facilitator of learning, c) during the lesson the teacher moves about in the class observing the groups and helping them if needed, sometimes even helping individual students, the teacher becomes a supporter
• 4 The pairs are often randomly selected and the composition of the groups as well. The students get to know their classmates better and learn new ways of learning constantly from others. In most countries students work in mixed-ability groups but these ideas work in any kind of classes.
• 5 The desired variation and change in these student-oriented lesson structures is brought along with role-plays, inquiry-based and task-based activities, station work and collaborative learning and many other activities. Each of these will be linked to real-life situations and problems and will be discussed separately in other articles.
• 6 Assessment is seen as a tool for learning and the focus should be in self-assessment, pair-assessment, group feedback and individual feedback from the teacher as opposed to an official final exam at the end of the course. The teacher should allow the students to express their opinions on teaching and give constructive feedback.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE LANGUAGE TEACHER

• 1 Be critical about the beliefs you have on language learning, about the principles you apply.
• 2 Be ready to defend your views and even change them if you find something else works better.
• 3 Rethink about your role as a teacher, the structure of your lessons and the ways you get your class in pairs and groups.
• 4 Give a crash course on learning styles and strategies OR teach about them gradually in lessons. Explain why they are important.
• 5 Help the students find out why something is difficult and then find solutions together.
• 6 Make it a habit to serve visual, auditive and kinesthetic students in every lesson.
• 7 Change pair and group compositions frequently and randomize the selection with paper clips, for example.
• 8 Be ready to listen to the students’ opinions and the feedback they give.
• 9 Give feedback to the whole class as to how well they are doing but give also individual feedback.
• 10 Teach the students how to assess themselves and others in a constructive manner.