DELITOS INFORMÁTICOS Y ÉTICA DEL CÓMPUTO FORENSE

The social constructivism approach is believed to be the interdependence of socio-cognitive theory of Piaget and the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky (Palincsar 1998). It suggests that knowledge develops as one engages in dialogue with others (Palincsar 1998). In other words, learning is interactional and the learner participates actively in the learning process. For example, during instruction, the teacher communicates the content and expected knowledge verbally, and learners learn from each other during group discussions where they share information. Interaction is also witnessed when the teacher uses probing strategies in order to help the learner to negotiate meaning and understand the task at hand. In this instance, the teacher mediates learning using language as a tool to support the learner. In the education context, this means that the learner should be actively involved in constructing meaning through interaction with the teacher and with other learners.

Constructivism requires the teacher to have an idea of the level the learner is at, in order for them to construct knowledge. The social constructivism approach is then born from the relationship

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between the individual and social processes in the co-construction of knowledge. Knowledge construction is, therefore, an interactive social event, where the child actively constructs his/her own understandings within a social and physical environment (Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden, Bell 2002; Bantwini 2009).

According to social contructivists, people learn best not by assimilating only what they are told, but rather by a knowledge construction process. In other words, individuals or groups of people participate in a knowledge construction process by making sense of their experiences. In order for individuals to learn how to construct knowledge, it is necessary that the process be modelled and supported in the community (Yilmaz 2008). This means that children require direct and immediate active experiences that will enable them to make meaning of the learning content since meaning making is at the core of constructivist approach (Yilmaz 2008).

According to the constructivist approach, knowledge is viewed as developmental, cultural and socially mediated (Yilmaz 2008). This implies that, for young learners to be able to make meaning of their world, they need stimulating intellectual interaction from the knowledgeable people (i.e.) the teacher or parent. The interaction is assumed to be developmental when it inspires young learners to participate in a knowledge construction process through asking questions and have their thinking abilities motivated. The curiosity that a particular problem presents could result in learners trying to solve problems around their lives (Yilmaz 2008). Similarly, Bruning, Schraw, Norby and Ronning (1999) view constructivism as the contribution made by learners in creating meaning and learning through both individual and social activity. This implies that learners contribute to meaning development when they are able to use their experiences to make sense of the information presented to them. Information presentation could take different forms, for example, written form, oral presentation or it could be in visual form. When learners use their experiences, it is assumed they are able to make connections between what the society has taught them, and the new information that is presented. Bruning et al. (1999)’s notion of constructivism emphasises the role played by learners in actively constructing their own knowledge. They also pronounce the important role social interaction plays in knowledge construction.

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Furthermore, the process of meaning making exposes the cultural and societal experiences that the reader is exposed to. This indicates that when people interact in their social gatherings, they unconsciously contribute to meaning making. The tool that is mostly used in discussions is the language. Hence Matthiessen and Halliday (1997) maintain that language is a resource to make meaning. Through the use of language, the society, in collaboration with the learner, develops knowledge through interpersonal experience. Interpersonal experiences seem to develop as a result of interaction in a number of relationships, for example, making requests, ordering, insisting, etc. Learners make a contribution to their learning when an interesting and motivating learning context is created through interesting activities that encourage and mediate learning. The process of meaning construction has no specific set of time or is not controlled by time. According to Flower (1994) learners make meaning while they are daydreaming in class, recalling, reflecting or talking with a friend. According to Flower’s assertions, meaning making is a solitary process, which becomes more effective when the social context is included. For example, when a learner silently reads a book, he is individually developing an interpretation of the text based on his interpersonal experiences that are determined by social context. The process of interaction of the learner with words in the book and the silent discussion that happens between the leaner and the written text represent the society. This suggests that there is no set time to construct meaning.

Normal formal schooling could be said to be a site where thinking is regulated and transformed (Lantolf and Thorne 2006). Following Vygotsky’s SCT principles, the learning process could be made explicit through mediation, inner speech, scaffolding and working in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) of each learner (Turuk 2008, Eun 2010). The following section discusses these SCT principles.