摘 要

建构主义理论是重要的教学和学习理论之一，它包含了协作交流学习原则、以学生为中心原则、情境教学三个原则。本文主要从此三个原则入手，利用问卷调查的形式剖析当前我校环境工程专业专门用途英语教学过程中存在的一些问题以此提高专门用途英语的教学。调查证明，我校专门用途英语的教学方法急需改变。调查同时从建构主义理论的三个原则出发给出应对环境工程专业专门用途英语教学的三个方法：协作交流、独立思考、创造良好的教学资源，这三个方法能有效改变环境工程专业专门用途英语的教学情况。

关键词：建构主义；三大原则；专门用途英语；问题

Contents

1. Introduction.................................................................................................................1 2.Demonstration.............................................................................................................2
2. 1 The basic concepts of constructivism.......................................................................2

2.2 The teaching principles of constructivism................................................................2

2.2.1 Cooperative learning principle..............................................................................2

2.2.2 Student-centered principle.....................................................................................3

2.2.3 Circumstance principle..........................................................................................4

2.3 The importance of constructivism in ESP teaching.................................................4

1. Empirical study of constructivism in ESP teaching..................................................5

3.1 Research questions...................................................................................................6

3.2 Research result and discussion.................................................................................6

3.2.1 The application of cooperative learning principle.................................................6

3.2.2 The application of student-centered principle.......................................................8

3.3 Problems found in the research................................................................................8

3.3.1 Problems in independent thinking.........................................................................9

3.3.2 Problems in cooperation ...... ................................................................................9

3.3.3 Problems in teaching resources...........................................................................10

1. Conclusion...............................................................................................................10

Works Cited..................................................................................................................12

Bibliography.................................................................................................................13

Problems in ESP Teaching from the Perspective of Constructivism

1. Introduction

Constructivism is put forward by Piaget, who focuses on children’s cognitive development from the internal and external interaction. Just as Piaget puts it: “learning is the process of self-construction. Children can gain individual experience and social experience from the interaction of external circumstances” (Piaget 7).

Constructivism has attracted wide attention since early twenty-first century in China’s education and it caused the teaching reform of foreign language. From the perspective of constructivism, the scholars of our country reflect on the teaching of foreign language, such as teaching pattern, teaching principle and course design. Three teaching principles of constructivism are also important, it was used to carry out the reform of education.

At present,many foreign scholars discuss education from the perspective of constructivism. For instance, Matthews combines constructivism with scientific education of New Zealand. Steffe mainly analyzes constructivism of education. Tobin discusses practice of constructivism from the perspective of scientific education (Li, 2009). And a lot of domestic scholars study the inspiration of foreign language teaching from the perspective of constructivism. The inspiration of constructivism to English linguistic teaching written by Xie Jun(Xie, 2008). Contrastive study of Chinese and American college English teaching from constructivist perspective written by Jiang Wenxia(Jiang, 2010). However, fewer people discuss the inspiration on ESP teaching from the perspective of constructivism, not to mention the English teaching of environmental engineering majors, which is a branch of ESP. Many scholars only study ESP teaching from the perspective of medical English, financial English, architectural English, new English, commercial English and insurance English.

This thesis will put emphasis on the ESP teaching of our school environmental engineering majors and point out the deficiency of our school ESP teaching of environmental engineering majors by means of questionnaire.

2. Demonstration