What is Social Constructivist Approach

The converging global environment has given rise to a social-constructivist approach to new literacy pedagogical and learning practices. Emergent digital and social spaces have created new literacy or multiliteracies. Support for multiliteracies is an inherently social construct which encapsulates human capital and Information Communications Technology (ICT), including technical and administrative infrastructure, policy and school culture, and teacher training and collaborative support. Several variables intervene in the pedagogical landscape in support of new literacy development in adolescent learners. Students become both producers and transmitters of multiliteracies through transformed practice and by forming social and professional identities, facilitated through authentic learning experiences. ICT is both a literacy as well as the media which support 21st century new literacy development. As socio-economic factors determine the availability and use of technology in the classroom, the hegemonic use of print and the inability to access “digital geographies” creates a digital divide. As literacy pedagogy continues to unfold, creative instruction must be employed in ensuring the development of multiliteracies through providing scaffolding, critical framing, and authentic learning experiences for students and teachers alike. This is explored in this chapter.