Socio-constructivism

English summary:

Multilingualism is a reality in South African classrooms. The Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the national language policy recognize language rights and aims at supporting, promoting and developing the official languages. However, despite the advantages of mother tongue education, English is often chosen as language of learning and teaching at the cost of the African official languages. This study proposes the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning.

Blended learning refers to the blending of traditional instruction methods, such as face-to-face instruction, with other forms of instruction such as online learning and teaching. Through a discussion of asynchronous and synchronous learning tools it was established that wikis would be used for this study. In terms of blended learning and learning theories the main emphasis in this study is on socio-constructivism as well as communal constructivism.

The empirical research in this study focused on the establishment and testing of a conceptual model for the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning in the subject IT. The research took the form of a sequential embedded mixed methods design. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. A questionnaire was used with IT teachers to investigate the language and blended learning context. This was followed up with qualitative research in the form of interviews aimed at provincial and national experts in terms of the subject IT and e-learning. Based on the literature and these two investigations, a conceptual model was developed. The conceptual model’s effectiveness was tested through a quasi-experimental study. A questionnaire was also completed by the respondents at the schools after the completion of the study. Through the testing of the effectiveness of the conceptual model it was found that multilingualism could successfully be accommodated and promoted through this conceptual model.



Afrikaans summary:

Meertaligheid is ’n werklikheid in Suid-Afrikaanse klaskamers. Die Grondwet van Suid-Afrika (Wet 108 van 1996) en die nasionale taalbeleid erken taalregte en het die ondersteuning, uitbreiding en ontwikkeling van die amptelike tale ten doel. Hierteenoor, ten spyte van die voordele van moedertaalonderwys, word Engels dikwels as taal van onderrig en leer gekies ten koste van die Afrikatale wat amptelike tale is. Hierdie studie stel die akkommodering en uitbreiding van meertaligheid deur gemengde leer voor.

Gemengde leer verwys na die mengsel van tradisionele onderrigmetodes, soos gesig-tot-gesig-onderrig, met ander vorme van onderrig soos aanlynonderrig en -leer. Deur ’n bespreking van asinchrone en sinchrone leertegnologie is bepaal dat wiki’s vir hierdie studie gebruik sal word. Met betrekking tot gemengde leer en leerteorieë was die fokus van hierdie studie op sosio-konstruktivisme sowel as gemeenskapskonstruktivisme.

Die empiriese navorsing van hierdie studie het op die daarstelling en toetsing van ’n konseptuele model vir die akkommodering en uitbreiding van meertaligheid deur gemengde leer in die vak IT gefokus. Die navorsing was in die vorm van ’n sekwensiële, insluitende gemengde metode ontwerp. Beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benaderings is gevolg. ’n Vraelys is aan IT-onderwysers gestuur om die konteks in terme van taal en gemengde leer te bepaal. Dit is opgevolg deur kwalitatiewe navorsing in die vorm van onderhoude met die provinsiale en nasionele kenners van die vak IT en e-leer. Op grond van die literatuur en die twee ondersoeke is ’n konseptuele model ontwikkel. Die konseptuele model se effektiwiteit is gemeet deur middel van ’n kwasi-eksperimentele studie. ’n Vraelys is ook deur die respondente by die skole voltooi nadat die studie voltooi is. Daar is, na aanleiding van die toetsing van die effektiwiteit van die konseptuele model, bevind dat meertaligheid suksesvol deur die konseptuele model geakkommodeer en uitgebrei kan word.

The Global Interaction course was developed as a part of the former Super Global High School program at Sagano High School. Over the past 7 years the course has developed into a blended learning class that works to engage learners through authentic activities, experience based learning, and real English communication. The class uses a variety of activities, devices, and other information and communication technology (ICT), to allow for different types of work, in two different types of classes. The class is divided into two weekly sections, one called “Speaking”, the other, “Listening”. This paper explains the background of the course and why it was designed, details the course goals and design including the method of design as a blended learning class, explains the research method for gathering data on the effectiveness of the course, and shows the results of the collected data from the most recent 3 school years. All of the course materials are available freely on the school website, which is cited within the paper.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, conventional interpreting training programmes had to be adjusted to the new reality. This paper presents the preliminary results of introducing online simultaneous interpreting (SI) classes in spring 2020 at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. One of the research objectives of this case study was to assess the usability of online conference platforms for SI online classes. The study also presents both the students' and the teacher's reflections of using a virtual platform in SI classes in the context of socio-constructivist principles.

In this article, we question the role of second additional language (that is, an optional, non-official language) teaching, with special reference to French at school level in South Africa. Over and above the fact that some additional languages reflect minority cultures and communities (Greek, Serbian, Hebrew, etc.), we consider their real and potential place in the promotion of multilingualism. As revealed as part of a regional research project, sponsored by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, entitled Curriculum, contextualisation et formation des enseignants (CCPFE-AUF-BOI-S0195COV0401), motivations for studying French in South Africa stem from the dual representation of its exoticism, constituting a form of "linguistic tourism", as well as its potential usefulness in various professional contexts. We question whether the basis for this language market, which plays out in an exolingual, formalised context can make a real claim to promoting multilingualism within the South African linguistic ecology. In this regard, we will examine ways in which a shift in perspective from an "additive" to an integrative and plurilingual conception of language acquisition is required to resituate the teaching/learning of French as an authentic form of social and linguistic construction in South Africa. Using a socio-constructive (Molinié 2011) and coactional model (Melo-Pfeifer 2015, Mroz 2012) to teaching French, we explore ways in which language acquisition can be a collaborative, integrative process, taking into account multiple cultural and language resources.

Objective: To create a book to explain juvenile arthritis to newly diagnosed children, starting with the
narratives of currently ill children.
Methods: The development of the book followed a socio-constructivist approach and occurred over several stages, including: design of a comic-based workbook; conducting a workshop with ill children to listen to their experiences; collecting and organising the narratives into a children’s book; adding physician explanations; consulting with parents and medical practitioners, and design of the final product.
Results: All stages led to meaningful enhancements to the book. The socio-constructivist approach and the workshop’s open and friendly climate allowed children to express their conception of the illness, and to listen and understand their peers’ points of view. Paediatric practitioners contributed to the project, providing clarity to the book and ensuring it would be scientifically sound and usable within the paediatric setting.
Conclusion: Written material addressed to children needs to be developed with a systematic methodology which takes a proper account of children’s voices. This can be achieved using a socio- constructivist approach and through an appropriate listening setting.

Drawing from socio-constructivism, Universal Design for Learning and the multiliteracies framework, this paper encourages language teachers to weave the four digital practices of communication, collaboration, and creativity into academic writing instruction to encourage students to create multimodal essays. This, the researcher feels, can address two problems that perturb most ESL teachers: the disconnect of writing as a skill as taught in ESL instruction context with real world writing requirements; and the inability to ensure meaningful and productive participation of all students due to the assorted student profile in any classroom. Presenting insights from a multimedia academic writing course, the presentation proposes how disruptive technologies, in this context web 2.0 tools can be used to facilitate the development of digital literacy and multimodal writing skills in students. Digital tools were used by the students of the course to (1) to gather and synthesise ideas/ information (2) to collaborate with peers and others to enhance and structure one’s understanding, and (3) to produce argumentative essays augmented by multimedia resources. It was observed that, compared to the print, linear essays created by the same group of students, their multimedia argumentative essays evidenced better clarity of purpose, clearer structure, more variety of supporting sentences, reduced instances of fallacies, and a better understanding of audience. Across similar tasks, there were also instances of increase in the use of multimodal resources, remixing of available resources, and creating new sources of information. Students reported ability to think clearly when using multimedia aids, awareness of the effects of different modes on communication of messages, and better understanding of intersemiotic interaction of multiple modes. They also reported heightened metalinguistic awareness and language gains. Use of multimodal resources helped some essayists venture into newer genres of writing by employing words and ideas from one’s own and peers’ cultural and L1 resources, emoticons, and hybrid paragraphs (where multiple multimodal resources worked together to replace paragraphs), and creating conclusions that were not merely reiterations, syntheses or summaries, but alternate forms like plea for help, call for action, exhortation to think differently, etc.

Riassunto
Questo articolo presenta una metodologia socio-costruttivista usata nella realizzazione di un libretto destinato a bambini e ragazzi con Artrite Idiopatica Giovanile, da usare come mediatore della relazione medico paziente al momento della comunicazione della diagnosi e durante il successivo processo di cura. Tale metodologia ha coinvolto attivamente alcuni bambini e ragazzi con questa patologia e si è svolta attraverso fasi diverse che hanno compreso: (1) la creazione di un libretto operativo basato su fumetti; (2) lo svolgimento di
un laboratorio didattico-creativo con bambini malati e già consapevoli della diagnosi; (3) la raccolta e l’organizzazione delle narrazioni prodotte dai bambini in un libretto finale; (4) La revisione di quanto prodotto dai bambini da parte di genitori e personale sanitario. Ciascuna fase di lavoro ha contribuito alla costruzione del libretto finale. L’approccio socio- costruttivista adottato e il clima accogliente creato durante il workshop hanno facilitato i partecipanti nell’espressione dei loro vissuti e nell’ascolto dei loro coetanei. Il personale pediatrico consultato ha fornito indicazioni scientifiche per far sì che i contenuti trasmessi fossero corretti e aggiornati dal punto di vista medico-terapeutico. Il presente progetto
dimostra come sia possibile fornire informazioni scritte che riguardano la malattia e la sua gestione terapeutica a bambini con AIG. Le narrazioni di altri bambini affetti da questa patologia hanno fornito informazioni che altrimenti sarebbero probabilmente rimaste trascurate da adulti e personale sanitario. La metodologia presentata in questo lavoro può essere testata e verificata in futuro con pazienti affetti da altre patologie per valutarne
l’efficacia e l’estendibilità.
Parole chiave: bambini, spiegazione della malattia, pensiero narrativo, socio-costruttivismo, Artrite Idiopatica giovanile, laboratorio didattico
Abstract
The present article illustrates a social constructivist methodology employed in the creation of a children’s book whose aim is the explanation of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)to newly diagnosed children. Such methodology is based on the active involvement of ill
children and adolescent and is made of different phases: 1. the initial creation of a comic- based workbook; 2. the implementation of a workshop with children already affected by JIA; 3. the final collection and organisation of children’s narrative into a final children’s book; 4. the revision of the children’s materials with a group of expert and stakeholders. Each phase of the process led to a meaningful contribution of the final book. The employed social constructivist approach combined with an open and welcoming environment for children facilitated children’s expression of feelings and their ability to listen to their peers. Paediatric consultants gave scientific comments and made the final product medically solid and up-to-date with the latest therapeutic recommendations. This project shows how it is
possible to provide writing recommendations and information to children with JIA. Children’s narratives provided insights and information that were sometimes new to medical practitioners and that would probably be otherwise neglected. The methodology explained here is based on a combination of narrative thought and social constructivism and has shown to be effective in helping children understand what JIA and may therefore be
extended to future explanation of other children’s illnesses too.
Keywords: children, understanding of illness, narrative thought, socio-constructivism, Juvenile arthritis, workshop.

In this article, we question the role of second additional language (that is, an optional, non-official language) teaching, with special reference to French at school level in South Africa. Over and above the fact that some additional languages reflect minority cultures and communities (Greek, Serbian, Hebrew, etc.), we consider their real and potential place in the promotion of multilingualism. As revealed as part of a regional research project, sponsored by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, entitled Curriculum, contextualisation et formation des enseignants (CCPFE-AUF-BOI-S0195COV0401), motivations for studying French in South Africa stem from the dual representation of its exoticism, constituting a form of "linguistic tourism", as well as its potential usefulness in various professional contexts. We question whether the basis for this language market, which plays out in an exolingual, formalised context can make a real claim to promoting multilingualism within the South African linguistic ecology. In this regard, we will examine ways in which a shift in perspective from an "additive" to an integrative and plurilingual conception of language acquisition is required to resituate the teaching/learning of French as an authentic form of social and linguistic construction in South Africa. Using a socio-constructive (Molinié 2011) and coactional model (Melo-Pfeifer 2015, Mroz 2012) to teaching French, we explore ways in which language acquisition can be a collaborative, integrative process, taking into account multiple cultural and language resources.

This article utilizes sociocultural and socio-constructivist learning theories to analyze incidents of learning, and by extension teaching, in six different popular media selections. The authors describe their shared theoretical framework and the nature of the original analyses, which were completed as part of a doctoral course assignment. Each of the six excerpts is then described and discussed employing unique theoretical perspectives. The use of popular culture as the context for examining learning and teaching provides a space untethered from traditional notions of schooling through which typically accepted assumptions about pedagogy are revealed, re-examined, and reframed. KeywordsSociocultural, Socio-constructivist, Learning, Teaching, Popular Culture, Media Studies, Pedagogy, Education, Communities of Practice

Design is understood as a practice aiming at a possible optimum: the best (most functional) thing form, the best (most effective) problem solution, or the best (maximally effective and consensual) process. The question is, what an optimum is in the first place. Are the finalities of designing, modelling and shaping things, solutions and processes to be seen in a technological optimum or in its sociocultural dimensions? The paper analyzes the philosophical infrastructures in design and art with regard to their precarious state and draws our attention to the problem of transhumanism. It exposes the fragility of the relationship between nature and culture and the necessity of freedom and humanity in the double movement of "Mastery over the inner and outer Nature" and realizing a possible optimum of design through a redesign our living conditions.

Given that professional interpreters are expected to work in a highly autonomous mode, it is crucial for T&I (Translation and Interpreting) didactics to prepare novice interpreters for the life upon graduation. One of the most pertinent approaches in this context is self-regulation put forward by Barbara Moser-Mercer, whereby students ultimately become self-directed learners. Implementing self-regulatory elements in the SI (simultaneous interpreting) classroom entails introducing strategies
such as self-reflection and self-monitoring. Inspiring reflection upon the process and one’s own progress, working towards higher quality standards, and developing the practices of a professional interpreter may be facilitated by providing students with an “individually tailored tool” (Kiraly 49) which enables further development both in class and upon graduation. This article puts forward the SI Portfolio as a self-regulatory tool for novice interpreters in which they can reflect upon and
document their progress, evaluate themselves, and develop effective strategies leading to their goals. The results obtained and the positive feedback from the students who participated in the pilot study indicate that implementing the SI Portfolio may be highly efficient with regard to developing self-regulatory skills in novice interpreters.

Il s'agit de l'adaptation du vocabulaire pédagogique et de la bibliographie en français de la traduction d'un ouvrahe à paraître fin 2015, traduction de: Shaw, Perry (2014) Transforming Theological Education. Londres : Langham, 310 p.

For several decades concern has been expressed about the need for greater integration and contextual significance in the curricular design of theological education. In addition there has been a growing awareness of the role theological schools should play in strengthening the missional vision and practice of local churches.

Since 2008 the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon has been engaged in an ongoing experiment in the design and implementation of an integrated and contextually driven curriculum. Drawing on lessons learned from this experience, and from the wider discourse currently taking place in higher education, Transforming Theological Education provides theoretical foundations and practical principles for purposeful curriculum design, as well as tools for integrated and contextually significant learning in the classroom