Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T10:42:28.172Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The web as a vehicle for constructivist approaches in language teaching

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2002

USCHI FELIX
Affiliation:
Faculty of Arts, Monash University, PO Box 11A, VIC 3800, Australia (email: uschi.felix@arts.monash.edu.au)

Abstract

The central question in this paper is whether Web technology has the potential to add value to face-to-face language teaching in the form of activities that cannot be realized fully in a traditional classroom. While arguments will be presented for and against e-learning, our conclusion is that the latest human-machine interfaces offer an environment for interactive learning that can foster the acquisition of communicative skills. The paper argues that one of the great strengths of the Web is the potential to engage students in creative information gap activities and real experiential learning in the form of meaningful, process-oriented projects in authentic settings. Evidence will be drawn from three sources:

[bull ] The current literature on new learning approaches.

[bull ] The latest best-practice applications, such as Webquests, Voice Chat, MOOs and innovative co-operative ventures.

[bull ] The findings of two large research studies by the author on students’ perceptions of Web-based language learning in school and tertiary settings.

The paper emphasises the importance of creating connectivity rather than content.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)