| Constructivism is one of the most influential theories in the domain of educational psychology .As a branch of cognitive psychology, Constructivism is based on Piaget's cognitive development theory. Anchored Instruction Model, Cognitive Apprenticeship Model, Random Access Instruction and other instruction models have been developed in foreign countries. In recent years, research on Constructivism has become popular in the field of education in our country. Educational technology experiments based on Constructivism have been making in hundreds of schools in our country. Research on applying Constructivism to teaching has become a hot point in our basic education.In order to understand Constructivism, we should know what is the meaning of "construct". The word "construct" comes from building or carpentry. It means to build some structure by using some preexisting parts and materials. Therefore, construct includes "build" and "form". To build means to come into being, while to form means to adjust ,reorganize former materials and structure. When learners learn new information, they should know the meaning of the new information first. And they should constrast and analyse the new information and the relative old information, and then they can absorb the new information into their own knowledge system. At last a new structure is formed. In the process of "meaning construction", learners should know the meaning of the new information, reform and reorganize their old knowledge, and then form a new cognitive structure. Constructivism holds the view that "knowledge is not passively received but actively built up by the cognizing subject"(Glaserfeld, 1994:162). The cognizing subject actively constructs his own knowledge "by anchoring new information to preexisting knowledge"(Strommen& Lincoln,1992).In the situated environment, learners acquire knowledge with the help of others and some necessary materials. Learning does not occur in isolation. Learners interact with others while learning. As"a theory about knowledge and learning"(Fosnot,1996:ix), Constructivism emphasizes active, situated, interactive, constructed and purposeful learning. Constructivism holds the view that teachers don't serve as pipelines to transfer their thoughts and meanings to the passive students. They should serve as organizers,directors,helpers and promoters. They should design learning environments to make the students want to learn. They should organize the students to know the meaning of the knowledge by providing interactive and collaborative activities. They help the students to absorb the new knowledge into their preexisting knowledge system. At last, the students can construct new cognitive structures.In foreign language teaching, reading plays an important role in mastering the language,obtaining information and improving language competence. Its importance has been proved by different grades of language curriculum design and test. According to the new theory on reading instruction, the process of reading is not a passive one. It is an active complex and interactive process. During the process, readers interact with not only the writer but also the language information. Grellet insists that "reading is a constant process of guessing, and what one brings to the text is often more important than what one finds in it"(Grellet,2001:7).The view that readers are not regarded as passive receivers but active reconstructors is similar to the theory of Constructivism.Traditional reading instruction is a teacher-based one. In class, teachers spend most of time on the explanation of language points and vocabulary. There is little time for the students to think independently and interact with each other. The students are considered as containers of knowledge. Their activities are not activated. Their former knowledge and experience have been neglected, too. The students have no opportunities to experience the process of reading at all.In order to make the students experience the process of reading, the author made a...
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