I feel that social learning is very important. If you look at today’s business and industry, much of it is based on social learning, collaboration, and networking. By using each person’s unique abilities, knowledge and/or skills the group can accomplish amazing things and produce rapid change. Our students must experience everything that will be demanded of them in the working world.
Orey pointed out that with all group work there needs to be a group grade and an individual grade. It couldn’t agree more. How many times have we as teachers seen one or two members carry the entire group to achieve the desired results (Laureate, 2009)?
Social learning does not have to just be about working in a group. The group can be set up in such a manner that each person has a job or responsibility. It can also be collaborative so that members put together information and present it in some form of technology. A PowerPoint, a VoiceThread, a Skype or a blog could all be implemented as a form of demonstrating knowledge gained and background information accumulated (Pitler et al, 2007).
It was suggested that a cooperative learning project be implemented at the beginning of a term or school year. He also suggested that it not be your only type of learning practice in the classroom (Orey, 2001). Although it is a wonderful tool, it could be overused and students can lose focus and interest. On Monday I attended a Teachers Institute and that speaker also said that teachers need to be careful will social learning. If used to often it loses it's effectiveness and students do not learn as much as when it was first used.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Social learning theories. [Motion Picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology and classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
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4 comments:
I would imagine that if the students are not engaged in the content, then what was designed to be a social learning lesson becomes a social gathering. Teachers who institute this method heavily need to be very aware of the classroom chemistry and monitor consistently.
I always love reading your posts because I seem to agree with the majority of what you write. You make a great point in your first paragraph when discussion the world. Our world and work is based on collaboration and this is one of the skills our students must be able to effectively master. I also including in my blog about the two separate grades. Very often I have seen one or two students doing all of the work to carry the group. I wonder if groups were smaller if this would make a difference? I also mentioned assigning duties to each group; within the group they would decide who was going to do what. Great post! I will be looking for more.
James, well worded. Yes it can become a social gathering rather than social learning and that chemistry of a classroom certainly adds to being able to do this type of teaching or not.
Jessica,
Thank you for you kind words. Sometimes I am concerned about how my posts sound because I have taught for a long time and have a very different background and work ethic from others. I do love the things I am learning in my classes and my students also are enjoying the different things we do because of what I learned in my Walden Classes.
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