TANGAZA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

CENTRE OF LEADERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT

NAME: Debrah Navajjah

REG. NUMBER: LM88/00028/2022

COURSE CODE: TUCC1003

COURSE TITLE: English for Academic Writing

LECTURER’S NAME: Ms. Martha Mbuvi

TOPIC NAME: Social constructivism in learning theory and its effects on Competence
Based Curriculum

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

25TH November 2022

INTRODUCTION

What is learning? According to Merriam-Webster, learning is modification of a behavioural

tendency by experience or acquiring a knowledge or skill through instruction or teaching.

Learning has and will always be part and parcel of human lives we acquire new knowledge

everyday and will continue to do so even when we wither and inevitably perish. From the

time we took our first breaths and through our formative years we have been bombarded

with all kinds of information that we have retained throughout our lives or that we have

forgotten. The forms of learning in which we process all this information are three namely:

cognitive, behavioural and constructivism. The cognitive process involves the way in

which we as students process information, behavioural process is more passive as students

are expected to sit still and be fed loads of information with minimum to no contribution

and the focus is usually on the teacher not the student and finally, our main focus learning

process theory of constructivism. Constructivism has several connotations depending on

one's viewpoint:

(The mind can) "put together those ideas it has, and make new complex ones." (Lock,

1947, p. 65).

"It is assumed that learners have to construct their own knowledge-- individually and

collectively. Each learner has a tool kit of concepts and skills with which he or she

must construct knowledge to solve problems presented by the environment. The role

of the community-- other learners and teacher-- is to provide the setting, pose the

challenges, and offer the support that will encourage mathematical construction."

(Davis, Maher, Noddings, 1990, p. 3)

 "Constructivism is not a theory about teaching…it is a theory about knowledge and

learning… the theory defines knowledge as temporary, developmental, socially and

culturally mediated, and thus, non-objective." (Brooks & Brooks, 1993, p. vii)

"(K)nowledge, no matter how it be defined, is in the heads of persons, and that the

thinking subject has no alternative but to construct what he or she knows on the basis

of his or her own experience." (von Glasersfeld, 1995)

"The doctrine itself holds that 'language users must individually construct the

meaning of words, phrases, sentences and texts.'" (Suchting, 1998, p. 61-62; von

Glasersfeld, 1989, p. 132)

"Constructivists allege that it is we who constitute or construct, on the basis of our

theorizing or experience, the allegedly unobservable items postulated in our

theories." (Nola, 1998, p. 32)

"The central principles of this approach are that learners can only make sense of

new situations in terms of their existing understanding. Learning involves an active

process in which learners construct meaning by linking new ideas with their existing

knowledge." (Naylor & Keogh, 1999, p.93)

"(C)onstructivists of different persuasion (hold a) commitment to the idea that the

development of understanding requires active engagement on the part of the learner."

(Jenkins, 2000, p.60)

The idea that the learner must actively participate in meaning-making in order to build

knowledge is one of the constructivist foundations that unifies all these definitions. Here, the

learner becomes an active creator of knowledge constantly challenging their prior thinking by
interacting with their surroundings through inquiry, reviewing their current knowledge and

generating new thoughts towards a certain subject. The constructivist approach to learning

can be utilized in the classroom to motivate students to use hands-on methods to expand their

knowledge and to reflect on and discuss what they are doing. The interaction with their

environment is not limited to their books or the library, it can also be with other students

while exchanging information. This is a form of collaborative learning which brings us to the

social aspect of constructivism and the main topic of the essay, social constructivism.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

Lev Vygotsky introduced social constructivism as a learning theory in the year 1968. “The

theory states that language and culture are the frameworks through which humans experience,

communicate, and understand reality” (Akpan, Igwe, Mpamah & Okoro, 2020). There is an

emphasis towards language and culture playing key roles in human intellectual development.

This means that learning concepts are therefore transferred or passed through experience and

interaction within a cultural framework. The association between social constructivism and

constructivism is that, in the former it is highly dependent on interaction with people around

such as teachers and other students to form the basis of knowledge whereas, the latter

prioritises individualism in the construction of knowledge based on their interaction with

their surroundings. Thus, knowledge is not constructed within an individual but within a

social setting between groups of people, it is co-constructed. Due to the basis of Vygotsky’s

theory, stressing the importance of others in learning, educators have been compelled to re-

evaluate the extent to which learning is an individual process. As a result, radicalized

education systems have taken shape such as the Competency Based Curriculum and many

others like it have been adopted in different nations.

COMPETENCY BASED CURRICULUM

The development of educational curriculum particularly in vocational education, that offers

skills to survive and compete despite change, conflict and life issues has given rise to the

application of the Competency Based Curriculum as a systematic way to oversee these issues.

But before we go any further what is the definition of Competency Based Curriculum. The

word Competence is a term, according to Anshari R. Sastrawinata, that is used to describe the

appearance of a certain ability and measured as an amalgamation of knowledge and skills.

Competency-based is defined as academic reporting and instruction that depend on students

proving that they have acquired the knowledge and abilities they are supposed to as they

advance their education. In another definition, it is a concept that zeroes on the mastering of

performances and learning outcomes by students through a predetermined set of learning

objectives. Curriculum on the other hand is derived from the Greek word ‘currere’, which

means to run. It is an engaging process made amongst learners, teachers and their

surroundings. It serves as a reflection of cultural, belief, political and social aspects that are

the driving force of an organisation. Competency based Curriculum is characterised my

sequential and provable learning of the task, activities, or abilities that comprise up the act to

be learnt and performed by students. It is rooted in particular competencies. Therefore, it is

not far-fetched to say, that it is a design comprised of teaching and learning activities that is

centred on the learner.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM IN COMPETENCY BASED LEARNING METHODS

Competency based curriculum has created a system whereby activities are learnt amongst

each other as students and through their surroundings (social constructivism). Teachers help

in facilitating this type of learning by using different methods such as the discussion teaching

method and the activity/group method.

In the discussion teaching method, this is where the teacher helps the students learn by doing

through thoughtful discussion. In this strategy, teachers and students discuss a pre-determined

subject in depth. Small group discussions or class-wide discussions are adapted here. While

each student is free to express their opinions on a particular topic that is up for discussion the

teacher is required to establish rules to avoid any noise or chaos. It increases student interest,

promotes retention of knowledge and it engages students as active participants. They are able

to develop reflective thinking abilities as a result of their interaction with other students’

thoughts and ideas and come to a conclusion of their own. Activities such as debates, think-

pair-share, role playing, brainstorming, field trips and other socially interactive teaching and

learning techniques are all examples of what prompts the discussion method.

The activity/group work is when small groups of students collaborate to complete a learning

objective. Within a group, each student assumes a position that may be formal or informal,

and the roles frequently change. It focuses on the contemplation of students as they build

their own or rather gain their own knowledge through interacting with each other. Here, the

teacher acts as a guide and monitor throughout the learning process. A primary example of

group work, is the project-based learning method. This type of instruction enables students to

gain inquiry skills and interact with both their surroundings and others in order to carry out

research and produce projects that showcase their understanding.

CONCLUSION

Social constructivism is derived from the constructivist theory. It emphasizes that the creation

of knowledge is not a lone process but rather involves an individual’s surroundings and

interaction with their culture and people. Competency Based curriculum is a system of

education, made out of necessity that has been adapted to bring about social constructivism in
classrooms. They’re a variety of teaching methods or techniques that are being used to help

facilitate social constructivism within competency-based curriculum.

REFERENCES

Jones. M. J & Brader-Araje. L, (2002) The Impact of Constructivism on Education:

Language, discourse and meaning. American Communication Journal. 5(3).

Akpan. V. I., Igwe. A. U., Mpamah. I. B. I., & Okoro. C. O., (2020) Social Constructivism;

Implications on learning. British Journal of Education. 8(8) 49-56.

Samudera. A. S, (n.d) Competency-based curriculum.