Utilizing Social Constructivism to cultivate teacher educators’ and trainees’ digital competence: energizing learner-centered approach

This article examines the perspective of teacher educators and teacher trainees in an academic teacher education program regarding the application of social constructivist approach in cultivating ICT integration in teacher training, in order to have teachers fit for the 21st Century Education. This article provides an overview of social constructivism and its implications for ICT integration in classroom practices. Objectives of the study were to establish how social processes cultivate teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology knowledge and also to establish how social processes cultivate teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology skills. Participants were teacher trainers and trainees from School of Education, Makerere University and data were collected using focus group discussions. Data were analysed qualitatively by transcription. It was found out that; social interactions indeed cultivate a number of technology knowledge, but participants exhibited low levels of judgment and negotiation, low levels of data management, problem solving and critical thinking skills. It was concluded that; content analysis through team work is a basic technique for developing teacher educators’ and trainees’ technology knowledge and also, the digital skills require continuous active practice and they cannot be attained in isolation of technology knowledge.