Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Social Learning
Collaborative and cooperative learning theories are "buzz" words in education and it is our job as teachers to bring those learning theories to life in our classroom. Collaborative and cooperative learning fall under an broad umbrella term we call social learning. Social learning theory is based on Albert Badura's idea that people learn by observing others. In education students are always observing and imitating their teachers and peers which supports the theory of social learning.
Collaborative learning gives students the opportunity to work with their peers. This teaches students how to cooperate and be contributing members of a group. This skills will follow them throughout life and teach them how to be contributing members of their family, of society, and of the workplace. In addition, collaborative learning teaches students teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, compromise, and sharing of knowledge and information. According to Dr. Michael Orey when a person teaches others he/she develops a deeper understanding of the content.
When I think of social learning I think of students communicating with one another and working together towards a final product or goal. This week's learning resources described several educational tools that give students the opportunity to learn socially. All of us can put our students in learning groups and have the groups complete a task whether it be long or short term. We can also group our students in a variety of ways including students who are on the same academic level and students of varying academic levels. Group work definitely supports social learning theory by encouraging students to collaborate with their peers and work together to successfully complete a task. Throughout the assignment students will support and encourage one another to work hard and get the job done. Sometimes the support and encouragement from peers is more meaningful than that from teachers and will encourage students to continue working hard. In addition, it will give students motivation and confidence which can last a lifetime.
Not only is group work an example of social learning by educational technology can also make social learning easier and give students the opportunity to expand their horizons and communicate with students and teachers all over the world. Educational blogs are a great way for students to communicate with others and share information. Several educational sites were suggested this week that ensure successful and safe communication for educatioal purposes. I have never used any of the sites but I look forward to trying them out. These sites include ePals, Keypals Club International, and Intercultural E-mail Classroom Connections (IECC). All of these sites give students the opportunity to collaborate with teachers and students all over the world.
Group work along with online social networking all support and correlate with the theories of social learning. Students have the opportunity to interact and collaborate with one another to provide and successful and stimulating learning experience.
REFERENCES:
http://www.cramster.com/definitions/social-learning-theory/853
Video. Social Learning Theories. Laureate, Inc. (2010).
Ptler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K., (2007). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.
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Our last class we focused on the skills we needed to gain in the 21st century. I was thinking of course the number one skill will be technology, but I was wrong. The number one skill was interpersonal skills and working cooperatively with others. It is so important that we teach students how to get along with others. They need to be able to work for a final result and project. I taught Science and did a Science Fair with 110 students this past year. I was surprised how many students were not able to come with a project proposal in a group setting. It is a vital skill that needs to be taught. You said, " In education students are always observing and imitating their teachers and peers which supports the theory of social learning." Good modeling is so vital for the process to work.
ReplyDeleteI also am interested in using epals in my classroom, but have not personally used it yet. How would you use epals with your students? Would they use it just for communicating with others or completing project-based assignments through the internet? This is a great technological tool that develops 21st Century skills within our students and helps to prepare them for the future. So many jobs require collaboration with others all over the world in order to complete projects. I would be interested to see how incorporating a project-based activity through epals would help to develop understanding of collaboration with others through internet media within my students.
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Kagan strategies? If not, you should look into them. They have amazing management structures and activities for incorporating effective collaboration between students at any grade level. Many of their strategies could also be used with the integration of technology. They help students understand that together they can achieve more than alone and also help them understand that if one fails, the group fails. Let me know if you have any questions.