Social learning involves learning from people through such activities as discussion, collaboration, and imitation. Examples of social learning include Social Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cooperative Learning. Social Constructivism involves the group creating the knowledge, Connectivism is based on the acquisition of knowledge through connections with people or activities, and Cooperative learning is “having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, 2007).”
If you are interested in incorporating a form of social learning, Cooperative Learning is a great strategy to start with. This strategy is great because it encourages students to learn with other students while maintaining individual accountability. For example, Cooperative Learning could involve either homogeneous or heterogeneous grouping. This is an example of social learning because students must rely on the collective knowledge and skills of the group to produce the product. Another benefit of Cooperative Learning is students are also able to model themselves after the successful behavior of other students. Therefore, Cooperative Learning is a great place to start to establish social learning in your classroom.
While integrating technology, a great tool to use would be Google Docs. Google Doc is a web-based means of collaborating on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and more. Students are allowed to edit, view, and expand on documents, prevailing beyond the perimeters of the classroom. Social Learning theory encourages students to collaborate for learning to take place. With this tool, teachers may allow students to choose the group within the teacher’s discretion, the activity within the group, and the grade that they are working for within the rubric. Ultimately, Google Docs projects can prove to be beneficial to all classrooms trying to integrate Social Learning.
References
Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Dreanna,
ReplyDeleteI like your comment, "Another benefit of Cooperative Learning is students are also able to model themselves after the successful behavior of other students." I do not usually thing of the behavior benefits when it comes to cooperative learning. This is a good reminder of the "other benefits". Thanks for reminding me that it is more than just noise going on in the room!
Amy
Hi Dreanna,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your posting. I wanted to speak to this point: " Another benefit of Cooperative Learning is students are also able to model themselves after the successful behavior of other students."
I find this to be one of the most valuable attributes of social learning. When a student sees a classmate succeeding at something, this can be so empowering--they see a peer, like themselves, using strategies that are working. Research suggests that models that are similar to us are very effective--that is, if we see a model that we feel has like attributes, we'll feel more like the task is within our capabilities. (If only the teacher is available as a model, this can be daunting to insecure students who sees the teacher's expertise as unattainable.)
Thoughtful posting.
Thanks for sharing.
Susan
Dreanna~
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. One thing I often forget about cooperative learning is that the learning can come from other students aside from just those that are in the classroom. The students get excited about sharing what they have learned with those that are in their classroom. Ownership is such a big thing when students are learning.
Do you use Google Docs in your classrom? If so, how have you used them? This is something I am interested in.
Great job!!! Have a good weekend.
Gina Dewey
Dreanna,
ReplyDeleteI like that you stated "students are also able to model themselves after the successful behavior of other students" I think that this is so powerful- students responding to good choices, which other students then emulate and hopefully keep the behaviors going.
Google docs are a great way for students to be creative and feel like they have more choice in their work.
Great post-
Michelle :)
Thanks Everybody for the positive feedback. I agree with you all that the idea of student influence is the true tool of cooperative learning.
ReplyDeleteI have used Google Docs, but I will be trying to incorporate it more into my class. It has all the benefits of Wikis, yet it seems a lot more accessible to my students that primarily need to use the computers in the classroom