computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is used to help ESL/EFL language learners and teachers construct meaning in their learning environments.
The two major types of constructivism are cognitive and social. Cognitive constructivism refers to the learnercentered aspects of the theory, which posits that learners are not passive recipients of learning but that they construct their own knowledge from information received. Social constructivism, a concept based in large degree on the work of Vygotsky and Piaget, occurs when others, usually more advanced, help learners understand ideas and concepts beyond their baseline level of understanding.
In a constructivist environment, the learner is the center of the learning process, the one who constructs knowledge and meaning, linking incoming or new knowledge and information with existing knowledge. The teacher provides the environment for relevant learning by creating whole, authentic, inherently interesting activities and by setting up multiple representations of reality and actual experience for learners, thus enabling them to construct their own knowledge. Typical activities for such an environment are investigation, discussion, collaboration, and negotiation.
The authors in this issue discuss ways in which CALL can be used to create such environments and facilitate the activities within them. By thinking of computers as valuable tools in a constructivist learning environment, the authors make good use of the power and potential of CALL not only to teach technical skills but also to help learners create knowledge. The first three articles focus on teacher training: Opp-Beckman describes an online project