EFFECTIVENESS OF ICON MODEL IN TEACHING ENGLISH

Abstract

Language is a means through which a child can think about their past, present and the future.
Effective understanding and use of language enable the child to make connections between
the ideas and things. India is unique not only in that a large number of languages are spoken
here but also in terms of the number of varieties of language families that are represented
those languages. English language was first introduced when East India Company came to
India for trade. After Independence, the significance of English language spreads through the
digital world. All the official works, documents, instructions are in English
Constructivism is a learning theory based on scientific observation and research and explains
how people learn. The students construct their own knowledge of the world around them through reflection on their experiences. In the constructivist approach, the learners are in the center point and they are not empty vessels that we can transmit our knowledge to them. The proponent of constructivist approach is Jean Piaget who believes that through accommodation and assimilation, individuals gain their knowledge from their real surroundings. The National Curriculum Framework (2005) recommended that learning is a process of construction of knowledge and learners actively construct their own knowledge by connecting new ideas to existing ideas on the basis of materials/ activities presented to them. Constructivism is directly related with the pedagogical approaches which promotes learning without burden. In constructivism, the best model is ICON Model (Interpretation Construction Model) which was first developed by Robert O. McClintock and John B. Black in the year of 1996 of Columbia University Teachers College. Constructivism as applied to education is a more recent development derived from the work of development psychologist Jean Piaget (1973) and  Russian psychologist Lav Vigotsky (1978). The ICON model emphasizes learners’ interpretations of information and their processes of knowledge construction.