Situated Learning in a CLE

Social constructivism purports that students construct knowledge in a multimodal, multidimensional way. It recognizes that knowledge and learning are relative to an individual’s interpretation of information and sensory experiences which become integrated into existing knowledge structures. Knowledge is, therefore, always evolving. Dabbagh and Bannan-Ritland (2004) describe learning as a social process of enculturation, wherein, knowledge is relative to the activity and exploratory context. They go further by saying, There is social framework or culture surrounding a learning context and its constituents are the learners, the interactions that those learners engage in, and the tools that enable those interactions. This social framework forms a community of practice in which knowledge is shared and distributed amongst its constituents (p. 9). Driscoll (2000) defines the goals of constructivism as: “problem solving, reasoning, critical thinking, and the active and reflective use of knowledge ” (p. 382). She goes on to identify five constructivist conditions for learning that will enable these goals as: • Embed learning in a complex, realistic and relevant environment. • Provide for social negotiation as an integral part of learning