4 Constructivist

Practice for

English
Language
Learners

C onstructivist practice can be powerful for ELLs. Second language

teachers know that instructional practice must be modified for sec­
ond language learners when they are engaged in content learning in their
L2. The distance between mainstream and second language teachers is not
that large; language learning is about curriculum, and, after all, it is cur­
riculum that drives second language acquisition. Just as Cummins (1978)
posits that knowledge transfers across languages, Bransford and col­
leagues (2000) hypothesize that knowledge transfers across contexts and
Copyright © 2007. Corwin Press. All rights reserved.

that the expert is able to reconstruct this knowledge in different settings.

We encourage mainstream educators to transfer their knowledge of con­
structivist practice and reconstruct it in the service of ELLs.
The integration of second language learning with content learning
makes it possible for constructivist teachers to simultaneously accommo­
date the needs of both mainstream students and ELLs because constructivist
second language classrooms integrate language, content, and process. For
ELLs who are learning in their L2, however, modifications are needed to
maximize educational success. Sheltered instruction is a modification that

• 39

Reyes, Sharon Adelman, and Trina Lynn Vallone. Constructivist Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, Corwin Press, 2007. ProQuest
Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/templeuniv-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1994081.
Created from templeuniv-ebooks on 2023-01-26 23:18:07.
 40 • Constructivist Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

can be used when teaching the core curriculum through the majority lan­
guage, in this case English (Peregoy & Boyle, 2005). Sheltered instruction
provides access to both the core curriculum and English language devel­
opment and offers opportunities for social integration. According
to Lessow-Hurley (2005), “teachers use strategies to encourage English
acquisition through comprehensible input [modification of speech to max­
imize understanding] and contextualization” (p. 84). Specific sheltered
strategies that teachers can successfully use, such as the modification and
support of “teacher talk,” will be described in subsequent sections.
Although many educators do not describe themselves as construc­
tivist, in essence they teach in a manner consistent with constructivist ped­
agogy. This holds true for ESL and second language educators as well;
after all, it is not how you label yourself but what you actually do that mat­
ters. In this book, we are applying constructivist pedagogy to bilingual
education. This connection already exists; we are merely pointing it out.
Good bilingual and ESL teachers who are constructivist in approach make
modifications as a matter of course when they are teaching students in
their second language. However, mainstream constructivist teachers may
not be adept at making the modifications necessary to ensure the academic
success of ELLs. Furthermore, while constructivist practice is often dis­
cussed in the professional literature, it is not as frequently implemented in
practice. Through viewing the classrooms of Jill and Maria and analyzing
the curriculum, pedagogy, and interactions within, we will attempt to
address that gap.
Nowhere is the connection between constructivist practice and bilin­
gual education clearer than in the case of TWI pedagogy. As pointed out
earlier, two-way pedagogy drives an inherently constructivist curriculum;
thus not only are language and content integrated, content and process are
integrated, and this occurs within an environment that actively promotes
peer social interaction as part of the learning process. In essence, there is a
triangular relationship between content, language, and process, and it is all
mediated by social interaction. This goes counter to the grain of traditional
Western pedagogy in which elements of an education are separated out,
Copyright © 2007. Corwin Press. All rights reserved.

“taught” separately, and then put back together, counter to the intuitive
processes of life learning. Instead, immersion students learn language, con­
tent, and process (investigation, critique, questioning, discovery, the scien­
tific method) simultaneously, as in life. As you will soon discover in our
visit to the classroom of Jill Sontag, such a curriculum facilitates active
engagement in the learning process.
It is quite possible to simultaneously meet the instructional needs of
ELLs and mainstream students. As noted earlier, modifications made
for the benefit of ELLs can enhance the educational experience of

Reyes, Sharon Adelman, and Trina Lynn Vallone. Constructivist Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, Corwin Press, 2007. ProQuest
Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/templeuniv-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1994081.
Created from templeuniv-ebooks on 2023-01-26 23:18:07.