Application of constructivism theory in French Mali intervention - Essay Example

? Application of constructivism theory in French –Mali intervention Introduction Mali faced some civil conflict since January Northern region of the country, Azawad, majorly occupied by the Islamic believers have been fighting for independence from the Malian government. The rebellious troops, dubbed The National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) fought the government to liberate Azawad and make it for Tuereg people, and three months later, the troop had taken over the region. The conflict sparked the coup of President Amadou Toure, and another troop dubbed CNRDR took over the nation before suspending the national constitution. Mali became unstable and the rebels took charge of major Malian cities. MNLA was supported by several Islamic militias, and after the MNLA conquer; Islamic laws were introduced in the Northern region of Mali. Later the Islamic and MLNA developed some conflicts. The government sought help from foreign nations to resolve the insecurity and instability in the country, and by January 2013, French military launched some operations against the Islamic militias. The operation was successful, since the Malian military took over from the Islamic militia a month later. History indicate that The French military took active role in the fight against the Islamic troops but trained the Malian military on advanced and effective war and defensive tactics, until they took over. The French Military applied the constructivism theory, also called learning theory to train the Malian military. This work is about the application of the constructivism theory in training the Malian troops by the French facilitators and boosting Malian national security. Mali’s national security was compromised when some Islamic rebellious troops launched several attacks in the Northern Mali in 2012 (Cole-Turner, 2001). The French being the former colonial master of Mali were the first to rescue the situation since the country would have turned into a hostile war zone. The first mission was to train the Malian national defensive team on the application of modern military technologies to fight the religious militia. Constructivism Theory The theory implies that humans apply newly learned knowledge together with prior experience to undertake any duty or make effective decisions. It comes from the word ‘constructs’ which means a special kind of filters in the human body system which carry certain knowledge and tend to change human reality from a certain state of confusion to some kind of order. The constructivism theory has some ties with cognitive as well as biological human systems. The theory is applied in several fields of learning. For instance, it helps pass or grasp some knowledge in experiments, discovery learning, as well as project and task based trainings. This work is about the application of the constructivism theory in training the Malian troops by the French facilitators and boosting Malian national security. Mali’s national security was compromised when some Islamic rebellious troops launched several attacks in the Northern Mali in 2012 (Cole-Turner, 2001). The French being the former colonial master of Mali were the first to rescue the situation since the country would have turned into a hostile war zone. The first mission was to train the Malian national defensive team on the application of modern military technologies to fight the religious militia. The Constructivism theory was first applied in the early 20th century with some neuroscientists who believed that the main role of education is to increase societal knowledge. Experimental learning was encouraged since it tends to provide a practical platform to enable the learner add such knowledge to those learnt in theoretical class (Schein, 2011). The theory was to boost three basic elements of education namely thinking, reflection, as well explorations. The neurosurgeons lament that the theory was developed in certain sequences until it could be proved and applied in the society (Witte, 2007). Some psychological and physiological studies also indicated that experimental learning could be attributed to the real life situations, and this could expand on an individual’s knowledge, hence the constructivism theory. Early constructivists believed that education is not what is being given by the teachers, but a natural continuous routine undertaken by every individual. Natural happenings or experiences form the biggest part of education unlike the teachers’ speeches as thought by the majority in the society. Natural occurrences not only enlighten societal members but also create a permanent memory in human. The teachers’ roles are to organize students or prepare them for the natural experience, otherwise actual learning is an individual’s responsibility and dedications (Kass, 2000). Experimental learning was first thought to imply reliable or rather trusted knowledge; this was later proven then published in several articles in several regions of the globe. Conditional learning, which formed some basics in constructivism theory, could be explained as learning actual facts that can be proven from natural occurrences or arranged experiments. Some scientists used four basic elements to help elaborate on the theory. These include reflection and observation, concepts with abstract formations, concrete/natural knowledge and testing or experimenting new knowledge. A special kind of sequential table was used to demonstrate how the four named elements applies in the French-Malians training sites. However, the table had some controversies with some physiologists arguing that the process can start from any element, provided it all goes through all the elements (MacKinnon, 2000). Others complained that experimental learning must follow some order according to the human brain. They further argued that human memory works in a specific sequence that can never be altered. It is believed that the initial learning stage is initiating some actions then monitoring the consequences of such actions. The next step involves trying to understand why a particular action had specific consequences. In other words, the principles and theories behind that particular action. The second learning process proves that things do just happen by chance but they obey some principles which could be scientific, economic or psychological among others. This would also mean that the same initiated action could be repeated in a different setup or environment and yield the same results. The third step involves deeper understanding of the principles under discussion. The final stage is the concrete knowledge development in the students’ minds. At this stage, one cannot doubt any knowledge but store it in human memory and executed whenever such knowledge is required in the real life situation (Lester, 2002). The learner is the main beneficiary of any experimental learning process, and he must have some constructive traits. The Malians were made to play the most active roles in the training sessions. The French facilitators only chipped in whenever some instructions were not correctly followed. A good learner should be self-motivated or directed. This means that one must always be ready to learn new ideas without being pushed or guided around; the Malians would start their trainings with or without the French facilitators; they never depended on their facilitators. The earliest physiologists argued that learning from natural occurrence forms the largest portion of any learning process then followed by teacher or tutors’ speeches (Humber, 2010). Self-directed students would always remain alert and grasp any new knowledge within. One is also required to be creative in the learning process. Being creative implies being able to think out of the box, or apply the learnt knowledge in different fields. A creative student would always have the platform to learn more rather than the small knowledge attained from the classrooms among other educative arenas. The main aim of education is to acquire new knowledge through the conceptualization of prior knowledge to come up with fresh or new knowledge. The role of the tutor or teacher is preparing the student or the learner to grasp the natural experience; one mentors the learner by providing specific skills to assist the learner compare and amend prior experiences to come up with new or more advanced knowledge. The instructors (the French) played a great role in providing security skills to the Malians. They used constructivism theory to guide them on some important security issues both regionally and internationally. They made their learners appreciate the fact that a true learning situation is when the learner makes individual initiatives to adopt some natural occurrences. The French just provided guidelines on how to apply prior or traditional war or defensive tactics in the current trainings and develop new or advanced defensive tactics (Haran, 2003). The French also applied the social constructivism to enlighten their trainees. Here, they were more of facilitators than teachers. The French had no specific way to help their trainees learn or understand the subjects or elements under training; instead, they provided general guidelines to assist the Malians make different individual understandings. This helped produce flexible and specialized troops who would undertake any defensive role provided the country is under attack. They ensured the Malians played the active role in the training process. The facilitators led their trainees from behind, meaning most demonstrations were conducted by the trainees themselves. The role of the instructors were to correct the Malians whenever they went wrong. The Malians were enabled to arrive at their individual conclusions after the training sessions (Frost, 2007). Constructivism played a great role in increasing security in Mali in several ways. First, the French understood the fact that Mali could not match them in terms of war or security technologies. Hence they had to formulate strategies that would enable their trainees make their own understandings. The French also understood that the Malians had some primitive war or security technologies and the necessary training would imply guiding them through some training so that they would build upon their prior experiences and come up with advanced and effective war or defensive technologies (Bell, 2006). According to the United Nations reports, Mali is one of the African nations with a more advanced military. The constructivism theory requires the learner and the instructor to enjoy some social elements. It is important to demonstrate a good interaction between the instructor and the trainees to promote confidence and self-esteem among other positive traits. The French dedicated a good time frame just for the orientation process. This was to familiarize them with the Malian culture, hence improved understanding. Their smooth interaction with the Malian troops ensured a good learning environment. Their pre-study survey indicated that there was some phobia among the Malian troops. It was important to boost their confidence and self-esteem before such trainings would commence (Alvesson, 2005). The orientations and hanging out just to know and understand each other boosted the socializations between the two troops. Currently, the Malian military is acknowledged for good communication and socialization skills. The French troops used specific slogans or phrases to convince their trainees on the importance of social skills in the military camps (Johnson, 2006). First it lowers tension and increases attentions among military troops. Both the French facilitators and the Malian troops would join each other in the entertain joints to refresh their minds. Here, they made jokes and stories to boost their understanding of each other. Any military training without incorporating social principles may turn lethal or disastrous. Several social theories were applied during the training sessions. The theory of feminism was used to select the trainees. The majority of Malian soldiers selected for training were males on the verdict that males are simple and learn fast than their female counterparts who are prone to several physical and biological challenges. Men were stronger both physically and in heart. It was believed that a good number of women would have given up even before the training came to end. Men were also masculine to learn the use of heavy and dangerous weapons like grenades, view finders, C4 explosives, advanced rifles and bombs among other weapons. No facilitator was to show the Africans how to use such weapons; instead, the Malians used their own skills or knowledge to learn the applications of such advanced and effective weapons. The theory of social discrimination was applied to ensure the soldiers were selected on unbiased grounds (Epstein, 2011). The soldiers were meant to undergo some physical and oral tests before being recruited in the training camps. This was conducted in an open manner since it never considered race, ethnicity, religion, education levels and economic status of the trainees. This aspect made the training go on record as one of the most unbiased trainings or military process in the entire universe. To conclude, the application of constructivism theory in Malians military training by the French troops or facilitators has boosted security in the country. The theory implied that the French troops guided the Malian troops as thy learnt on their own. The French troops appreciated the fact that Malians would advance their traditional war or military technologies by learning new technologies (Twomey, 2005). The facilitators took the passive roles while their trainees took the active roles; they tried learning on their own, and the facilitators would only chip in whenever special instructions were to be offered. Currently, Mali is among the African nations with the strongest military units with advanced war technologies due to the training they underwent. The theory implies that learning is a natural process that tend to develop prior experiences to develop new knowledge. The French facilitators incorporated other social theories in training the Malians and these are feminism theory and social discriminations theories among others. Bibliography Cole-Turner, R. 2001. Human traits and religious responses. Toronto: Westminster John Knox Press. Epstein, B. 2011. Collective Terms: Race, Culture, and Community in a State-Planned City in France. London: Berghahn press. Haran, J. 2003. Applications of Constructivism social theory. New York: Routledge. Humber, J. M. 2010. Human Training. 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