Social Learning Theory & Technology
Social Learning is a learning theory
where students are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing
with others (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Lev Vygotsky’s theory promotes learning
contexts in which students play an active role in learning and where students
work cooperatively to build knowledge whether it is with the teacher or a
peer. Therefore the roles of the teacher
and student are shifted, where the teacher collaborates with his or her students
in order to help facilitate meaning construction in students (Learning Theories
Knowledgebase, 2012). Teachers ought to
converse with students over their learning in both one-on-one and in small
group settings so students have the benefit of personalized conversation as
well as the input of their peers.
Collaboration between students can be formal and informal. “Turn and talk” is one of the most commonly
used impromptu ways to get students talking.
Formal collaboration between students is often done in small groups of 3
or more where the students have a task to accomplish. Technology can play a unique and vital role
in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing
structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even
if they are not working face to face (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski,
2007).
Within the classroom Social Learning
Theories can be implemented in endless ways.
First, creating multimedia presentations is a natural environment for
cooperative learning (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Students research, prepare material, create,
and present as a collaborative unit.
Student work ought to be guided by the rubric that will be used for
assessment. Types of multimedia
presentations students could create are PowerPoint, ActivInspire, Animoto,
Podcasts, Wikis, and VoiceThreads.
Secondly, students could collaborate with students in another location
with the use of communication software. Technology
allows students to collaborate on projects without the constraints of time or
geography (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Two that are used frequently are Skype and
FaceTime. Skype is a phenomenal service
that allows multiple users to talk for free through their computer (Pitler,
Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I
have used Skype to converse with other teachers when I taught abroad in Austria
and so my students could share their work with students in another
classroom. FaceTime is a program that
comes with Apple products and connects to other Apple products for free. FaceTime can be used in the same ways that
Skype can, provided both ends have an Apple product. Lastly, one technology
resource that I would like to try is keypals.
These resources allow communication between students in other cities,
states, and countries while challenging them to learn about other cultures,
languages, and issues throughout the world (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, &
Malenoski, 2007). Having no experience
using a keypal, I am curious if others have had success or advice in students
using keypals.
My classroom is strongly based in
Social Learning Theories as I strongly believe that students learn best when
they are learning from a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO), just as Lev Vygotsky
theorized (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).
I don’t necessarily believe that students can’t do things on their own
but I adamantly believe that student learning is deepened when they actively
engaged in constructing artifacts and working with others (Laureate Education,
Inc., 2010). How do you promote Social
Learning Theory in your classroom?
Finally, this week I created a
VoiceThread to try a new means of collaboration between myself, my students,
and other classrooms. I proposed three
questions to my students and their responses will be their comments on my
VoiceThread. If you would like to
comment or ask my students any additional questions related to our topic, the
link is https://voicethread.com/share/3482011/.
:) Katie
Resources:
Laureate Education,
Inc. (2010). Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Learning Theories
Knowledgebase (2012, September). Behaviorism at Learning-Theories.com. September 13th, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/behaviorism.html
Pitler, H.,
Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with
classroom instruction that
works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Kate, it sounds like the students have a lot of fun in your classroom. I watched your voice thread and loved your idea of posing questions at the end to which students respond. I can tell you are passionate about collaborative learning. Any time a teacher has passion for something, the students will catch it. I too believe that collaborative learning helps deepen understanding. My question with social learning as a theory is that while working with cohorts helps cement understanding, does it actually create the understanding? Are a student's peers at a high enough level to be considered a more knowledgeable other? These are points I ponder on the social learning theory.
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words! I am rather passionate about students working together. I often question whether or not a peer can be an MKO as well. There are a few ways where I can ensure my students' collaboration with an MKO. First, I like to strategically pair students who are struggling with a student who I know already has mastery. Second, I select a few "experts" to be the go-to individuals during student work time. Third, I use a jigsaw strategy where each person in a group is an "expert" on a specific topic and they must teach their groupmates what they know. Nonetheless, I try to be the primary MKO my students collaborate with to ensure understanding and correcting any misconceptions.
Katie