Give three characteristic of constructivist teaching. Illustrate these in the context of introducing shapes of children in class II
Answers
Recently created NSW Institute of Teachers (NSWIT) put the quality of teaching at the top of its
agenda. The Framework of Professional Teaching Standards emphasises the importance of teachers’
effective communication with their students (NSWIT 2006, pg3). The importance of teacher - student
communication in learner’s achievements is strongly emphasised in the socio-cultural educational
theory, originated by Lev Vygotsky (1978) and further developed in modern research (Daniels 2001).
This theory describes the process of teaching and learning as "much more than face-to-face interaction
or the simple transmission of prescribed knowledge and skills" (Daniels 2001, pg2) but rather places
stress on dialogue and co-construction of knowledge (Wells 1999). It describes teaching as strongly
influenced by, and embedded in its social and cultural context and points to the meaning of teaching as
the transformation of socially constructed knowledge into that which is individually owned by the
learner. This type of teaching assumes a specific paradigm of teacher-student interaction where the role
of the adult is that of collaborator and co-constructor. A strong emphasis is on the active position of the
learner, which is essential for the development of the life-long learning skills.
Australian (NSW and Queensland) Government documents on Quality Teaching and Productive
Pedagogies (2001) are largely inspired and influenced by socio-cultural theories of teaching and
learning. The documents emphasise the important “role of student direction in learning, where students
influence the nature of the activities they undertake and assume responsibility for the activities with
which they engage” (Productive Pedagogies, 2001). Self-directed learning is a significant part of the
development of students' positive attitudes towards life-long learning, which the Commonwealth
Government Quality Teacher Initiative (2000) views as a key element in the recognition of quality
teaching. More recently, achieving high standards of primary and secondary education has been
associated with “promoting education for further education and training, work and lifelong learning”
(BOS NSW, 2007, p.15). Thus, self-directed, life-long learning has been perceived as an important aim
of quality teaching. To achieve this goal teachers have to engage in effective communication with their
students which includes “a repertoire of inquiry techniques and teaching strategies as well as the ability
to use a range of tools, activities, and resources to engage their students in learning”
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