Learning+Model+Comparison

=**Discovery Learning and the Project Method in the Foreign Language Classroom**=

According to constructivism, students generate knowledge based on previous experience. Learning is student centered, with the teacher acting as facilitator. An aspect of constructivism that is very relevant to foreign language learning is Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, the idea that students learn successfully when challenged with material that is just slightly above their level of knowledge and understanding. In the case of foreign language learning, this means that students should be familiar with 90% of the material they are presented with. Two constructivist learning models, Discovery Learning and the Project Method, although similar in many ways, can have very different applications in the foreign language classroom, as described below.

=**Disco**very Learning=

= = = = The traditional approach to teaching new grammatical structures in foreign language classes is to present the structure and then have students do structured activities, usually beginning with cloze exercises and gradually working up to producing original sentences in spoken or written form. Discovery Learning, on the other hand, takes the approach that students will internalize material better if they discover it themselves. Accordingly, new grammatical structures are presented with no introduction, normally in the context of a reading, often illustrated. In such a context, students tend to first focus on figuring out the meaning of new vocabulary, which is itself valid Discovery Learning involving observation and making connections with previous knowledge, i.e. reflection. In the case of grammatical structures, the process tends to be more complex. To take a specific example, if a class is seeing the French //passé composé// (past tense) for the first time, at some point students will notice at least one verb that does not correspond to the verb structures they are used to. What they will see is the present tense of the "to have," which they know, and the present participle of a verb they are familiar with but with a different ending. The new structure is thus within their zone of proximal development and, because it is similar to the English present perfect tense, it will not be a huge leap for students to accommodate and explain this new tense. This is an ideal example of Discovery Learning in a foreign language classroom -- when a learner can not only figure out, i.e. comprehend, but actually formulate, i.e. abstract, a grammatical rule. The teacher can then encourage students to experiment with the new structure by asking simple questions in the //passé composé// orally. As students become familiar with, for example, the third person, they can gradually be guided through trying out other persons/forms as a logical extension of their new understanding. Interestingly, this learning model is closer to how children acquire their first language than the traditional classroom approach. Certainly no one teaches grammatical rules to three-year-olds. They observe and listen. They may not do a lot of conscious reflection, but they do synthesize patterns and then talk/experiment, as any mother who remembers hearing "I bringed you something" will readily agree.

= = = Project-based Learning = The potential for Project-Based Learning in the foreign language classroom is enormous because it allows students to apply the reading and speaking skills they are developing in the foreign language to real-life problems that will expand their knowledge and understanding of the target culture. A concrete example will illustrate how Project-Based Learning, as illustrated above, can be successfully implemented in a French 2 class.

The teacher assigns students to groups of three or four and presents the following "problem." Each group is to plan a three-week trip to France. In the school's Media Center they will research the cost of round-trip airfare to Paris, find accommodations in Paris and two other locations in France, and decide on a a minimum of seven activities they would like to do in each of the three locations. They will then create a Power Point in French, using the //passé composé// to tell their classmates what they did during their trip.The teacher provides a grading rubric and dates by which research, the first draft of the Power Point and the final draft should be completed. The teacher observes as the students research their trip and create their Power Point, offers suggestions and ideas, answers or helps students find the answers to questions, and is always available for guidance, but it is the students who research the problem, synthesize the information they find, and present it to their peers.

The following chart compares aspects of Discovery and Project-Based Learning with regard to the above two applications.

Discovery Learning Project-Based Learning
 * Student Centered || Involves intuitive thinking. || Students solve real-life problems based on their interests. ||
 * Teacher as Facilitator || Teacher guides in assimilation of new material when necessary. || Teacher provides guidance and answers questions ||
 * Zone of Proximal Development || Care required in selecting and presenting new material that is just beyond previous level of experience. || Teacher cannot control level of French language material students may encounter when doing research on French language websites but can help if too difficult. ||
 * 21st Century Fluencies || Students must think critically. || Students use technology to research and present information as a team. ||
 * Ease of Use || Requires careful planning || Computers must be available. ||  ||   ||   ||