Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social learning theory is about students working together in a social context to learn new information. In this theory students need to be actively engaged with others to learn. This fosters a personal responsibility for their learning and for the learning of others with whom they work. This responsibility motivates them to learn more deeply and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.

Connectivism is when new information is learned it is analyzed and determined as either important or unimportant. Since connectivism is a social learning concept, the new information is discovered, researched, explored, or utilized with peers. Peer pressure has a huge impact on students. If new learning is not important to the group of students they are working with, chances are the learning may be deemed less important to each student. This reinforces that teachers should begin each lesson with describing the relevance of the new learning and how it connects to their lives. That may convince students that new information is important enough to learn. Students working with others is the main thrust of social learning theory.

Social Constructivism is learning while recognizing the value of culture and how it effects what happens in the world around them. Believers in this theory propose that learning is constructed by participating in social learning experiences. This coordinates nicely with the social learning theory approach because social constructivism agrees that experiences with others build learning.

Cooperative learning exemplifies social learning theory. By definition cooperative learning is students working together to accomplish a task or learn what they would be unable to accomplish by themselves. Learning is conducted through collaborating and cooperating to accomplish a shared goal. That is what social learning theory prescribes. Just like social learning theory believes, students working together motivate them to learn more deeply. They collaborate which helps increase understanding and assists them in applying their knowledge to solve problems or create a project together. Discussing and explaining their new knowledge with others in their group clarifies misconceptions and gives them a deeper understanding of the content. All of the types of cooperative groupings listed in the resources involve students working together to learn. I believe students working in cooperative groups may be a powerful tool for learning.

The social network sights that are so popular in today’s society are social learning theory based. People are connecting with others to share ideas and to chat. They are forming networks and connections to others that help them add to what they already know. Voicethreads are an exciting new tool that I believe will have a huge impact on education. I do not believe that many educators know they exist. Voicethreads are social learning since others can view and comment upon what you choose to publish to share. I enjoyed watching and listening to the samples and look forward to introducing colleagues to Voicethreads.