A learning theory according to which knowledge is actively constructed rather than acquired by the individual through discovery. Meanings are perceived as inseparable from one’s own interpretation. In other words, emphasis is placed not in the interactions of the individual with the environment but more on how the mind constructs knowledge.
Published in Chapter:
Project-Based Instruction for ESP in Higher Education
Irene Mamakou (University of Peloponnese, Greece and University of Athens, Greece)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 24
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-994-6.ch028
Abstract
Interest in the integration of language learning with knowledge/content construction is growing around the world. In this line, an instructional innovation to be applied in language for specific purposes (LSP) undergraduate courses is introduced. Project-based learning has been enhanced by an electronic platform; namely, e-Class, a learning management system, to amplify its impact. A threefold research into current theories on (a) key issues in LSP framework, (b) adult education, and (c) foreign language learning and pedagogical orientations leads us to this model. The result is an e-methodology, pedagogically rather than technology driven, for teaching/learning LSP in the framework of discipline-related, content-based instruction (CBI) and project work that will eventually enhance and modernize teaching and learning LSP and develop new study habits for learners by promoting self-directed, autonomous, active, and out-of-classroom learning, and by encouraging student engagement and academic socialization in the higher educational institution (HEI) to which they belong.