Which of the following set exemplify a social constructivist approach to facilitate reading among students? (i) Salma uses flashcards to help students learn new words and rewards them with candy for correct responses. (ii) Pramati has her students choose from a variety of books to read. Those students who read a particular book are made to discuss the book on a regular basis. (iii) Arundhati emphasizes the importance of using contextual material to help determine the meaning of new words. (iv) Rekha has her students write each word they miss on a spelling test five times to help them remember the word.

Which of the following set exemplify a social constructivist approach to facilitate reading among students? (i) Salma uses flashcards to help students learn new words and rewards them with candy for correct responses. (ii) Pramati has her students choose from a variety of books to read. Those students who read a particular book are made to discuss the book on a regular basis. (iii) Arundhati emphasizes the importance of using contextual material to help determine the meaning of new words. (iv) Rekha has her students write each word they miss on a spelling test five times to help them remember the word. Correct Answer (ii), (iii)

Constructivism is a theory that regards learning as an active process in which learners construct and internalize new concepts, ideas, and knowledge based on past knowledge and experiences.

Key Points

  • Social Constructivism (SC): SC emphasizes the role of culture and context in developing personal and shared interpretations of reality. It emerged largely from the work of Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and Bandura.
  • Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, laid the foundation of social constructivism by adopting a socio-cultural approach to cognitive development based on the assumption that action is mediated and cannot be separated from the social milieu in which it occurs.
  • The social constructivist model proposed by him emphasizes culture as the prime determinant of individual development. Learners are believed to be encultured into their learning community and learning is considered to be largely situation or context-specific activity.
  • Language plays an important role in Vygotskian constructivism. Language is initially used as a means of communication between adults and children. Gradually it is internalized into a means of the child’s own thinking and control of his/her own activity.

Important Points

  • ​Pramati has her students choose from a variety of books to read. Those students who read a particular book are made to discuss the book on a regular basis: 
    • Here, the teacher focuses on reading and discussing the book so it increases their vocabulary and constructs their knowledge. It facilitates their reading and understanding of the text.
  • Arundhati emphasizes the importance of using contextual material to help determine the meaning of new words:
    • Here, the teacher emphasizes the use of contextual materials so the students could relate words in the context. Using such materials develop contextual understanding in depth. 

Thus, it is concluded that (ii), (iii) set exemplify a social constructivist approach to facilitate reading among students. 

Hint

  • Salma uses flashcards to help students learn new words and rewards them with candy for correct responses: It is a behavioristic view of learning as a reward strengthens the Stimulus-Response bond. It is both verbal such as praising, or awarding; and non-verbal such as nodding the head in appreciation, smiling, etc.
  • Rekha has her students write each word they miss on a spelling test five times to help them remember the word: Here, the teacher is focusing on rote memorization.

Related Questions

Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it.
Dyslexia is a perceptual disorder often occurring in persons of normal, or even above average intelligence. The reader is unable to perceive correctly what is on a page. Letters and numbers often appear reversed: "b" seems to be "d","quite" is "quiet" and "from" is "form". The reader tends to leave out letters or words or insert words or letters that are not there. Vowel and consonant sounds may be confused. Many dyslexics are left­handed or able to write with either hand. They often confuse left and right. Learning to speak may also be delayed beyond infancy. The condition seems to be inherited. It may persist into adulthood. However, with early recognition and specialized approaches to teaching reading, most dyslexics can learn to read. Some researchers believe that latent dyslexia may be aggravated by the way reading is taught. The modern whole­word, or look­and­say, method seems to be more of a hindrance to learning for dyslexics than it is for ordinary pupils. The phonetic method of teaching students to learn letters and sound them out appears to achieve better reading results. The problem of words that cannot be sounded out ­ such as rough, laugh or through ­ is not solved by phonetics. These words must simply be memorized. However, for children with dyslexia the problem can be compounded by the failure of parents or teachers to recognize the condition. This can easily lead to emotional problems for dyslexic children, who cannot understand their failure to keep up with their classmates.
In Dyslexia, letters and figures often appear __________
Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it.
Dyslexia is a perceptual disorder often occurring in persons of normal, or even above average intelligence. The reader is unable to perceive correctly what is on a page. Letters and numbers often appear reversed: "b" seems to be "d","quite" is "quiet" and "from" is "form". The reader tends to leave out letters or words or insert words or letters that are not there. Vowel and consonant sounds may be confused. Many dyslexics are left­handed or able to write with either hand. They often confuse left and right. Learning to speak may also be delayed beyond infancy. The condition seems to be inherited. It may persist into adulthood. However, with early recognition and specialized approaches to teaching reading, most dyslexics can learn to read. Some researchers believe that latent dyslexia may be aggravated by the way reading is taught. The modern whole­word, or look­and­say, method seems to be more of a hindrance to learning for dyslexics than it is for ordinary pupils. The phonetic method of teaching students to learn letters and sound them out appears to achieve better reading results. The problem of words that cannot be sounded out ­ such as rough, laugh or through ­ is not solved by phonetics. These words must simply be memorized. However, for children with dyslexia the problem can be compounded by the failure of parents or teachers to recognize the condition. This can easily lead to emotional problems for dyslexic children, who cannot understand their failure to keep up with their classmates.
The problem of perception can be compounded by the failure of parents and teachers to
Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it.
Dyslexia is a perceptual disorder often occurring in persons of normal, or even above average intelligence. The reader is unable to perceive correctly what is on a page. Letters and numbers often appear reversed: "b" seems to be "d","quite" is "quiet" and "from" is "form". The reader tends to leave out letters or words or insert words or letters that are not there. Vowel and consonant sounds may be confused. Many dyslexics are left­handed or able to write with either hand. They often confuse left and right. Learning to speak may also be delayed beyond infancy. The condition seems to be inherited. It may persist into adulthood. However, with early recognition and specialized approaches to teaching reading, most dyslexics can learn to read. Some researchers believe that latent dyslexia may be aggravated by the way reading is taught. The modern whole­word, or look­and­say, method seems to be more of a hindrance to learning for dyslexics than it is for ordinary pupils. The phonetic method of teaching students to learn letters and sound them out appears to achieve better reading results. The problem of words that cannot be sounded out ­ such as rough, laugh or through ­ is not solved by phonetics. These words must simply be memorized. However, for children with dyslexia the problem can be compounded by the failure of parents or teachers to recognize the condition. This can easily lead to emotional problems for dyslexic children, who cannot understand their failure to keep up with their classmates.
Dyslexia, often occurring in persons of normal, or even above average intelligence, is a __________
Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it.
Dyslexia is a perceptual disorder often occurring in persons of normal, or even above average intelligence. The reader is unable to perceive correctly what is on a page. Letters and numbers often appear reversed: "b" seems to be "d","quite" is "quiet" and "from" is "form". The reader tends to leave out letters or words or insert words or letters that are not there. Vowel and consonant sounds may be confused. Many dyslexics are left­handed or able to write with either hand. They often confuse left and right. Learning to speak may also be delayed beyond infancy. The condition seems to be inherited. It may persist into adulthood. However, with early recognition and specialized approaches to teaching reading, most dyslexics can learn to read. Some researchers believe that latent dyslexia may be aggravated by the way reading is taught. The modern whole­word, or look­and­say, method seems to be more of a hindrance to learning for dyslexics than it is for ordinary pupils. The phonetic method of teaching students to learn letters and sound them out appears to achieve better reading results. The problem of words that cannot be sounded out ­ such as rough, laugh or through ­ is not solved by phonetics. These words must simply be memorized. However, for children with dyslexia the problem can be compounded by the failure of parents or teachers to recognize the condition. This can easily lead to emotional problems for dyslexic children, who cannot understand their failure to keep up with their classmates.
People suffering from dyslexia are often ___________