Social Learning in Practice

     Social learning is a theory that has the ability to promote the students to work together in order to complete their projects.  The students can be in small groups of two, or they can be in bigger groups of five to work together.  As the students are working together, there is a chance of them becoming more engaged in their learning, which will then help them create a more meaningful learning experience on the the project.  When students are working together, they are able to teach others, which will then help learning develop a more deeper understanding of the content (Laureate Education Inc., 2011).  As the students develop a deeper understanding of the content, they will then begin to show signs of mastering that skill, which will help the students gain self confidence.
     The social learning theory stresses the need for the students to be able to collaborate with each other along with the teacher using cooperative grouping.  One of the most widely used ways of implementing the social learning theory in the classroom is through cooperative learning.  Cooperative learning is where the students will work together to achieve a group goal that cannot be obtained by working alone, and it will help to actively involve the students in the learning process (Orey, 2001).  When the students are working together in the group they will be able to complete a task or project, and then present it to their class.  Cooperative learning has the ability to provide opportunities for the students to discover things about themselves, the work and others around them.  This kind of learning will also help the students to be able to develop a social support system, which is important to a students growth (Orey, 2001).  
     Cooperative learning has a lot of benefits, especially when it is implemented properly.  It has the ability to improve a students attitude about school, decrease social segregation, increase a students motivation, and it provides an environment for the students to reflect upon their new knowledge, along with helping the students to develop a common understanding about the topics that have been discussed (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012).  
     Two cooperative learning strategies that I like to use in the classroom is pair share and jigsaw.  I have used pair share the most in the classroom, as I have found it to be successful to have the students work with a partner and discuss things.  Pair share also helps the students to practice their speaking, listening and feedback skills.  Jigsaw is fun to implement in the classroom.  It is where each student in the group researches part of the problem or content, then they will come back together and teach their part to the rest of the class (Orey, 2001).  I have had a lot of success with the jigsaw, and most of the students seem to be excited to teach others in their group what they have learned.  
     Technology can easily be incorporated into the social learning theory.  Teachers can use the web to help them as it has become more than just an electronic reference book, it is now a thriving medium for collaboration in education, business and in our own personal lives (Piter et al., 2011).  A teacher can use blogs, wikis, simulation games, and communication software to collaborate.  They can also use shared calendars to share with the class when projects, assignments, tests, and presentation are due.  A popular shared calendar is Google Calendar, and it is very easy and simple to use.  In fact Google docs can be used as collaboration software for the students to work on their work and edit it from anywhere.  
These tools help support the social learning theory because they allow the students to be able to communicate with each other and others around the world, while they are learning.       
     In conclusion, the social learning theory can be beneficial to the students and the classroom.  There are a lot projects that the students can work on together to finish, and they will be able to enhance their learning by working together.  There is a lot of collaboration tools that are available to the students to use, as technology has come a long way in the past few years.  The technology provides the students with tools that they will need to be able to research, collaborate, record, publish and even reflect upon in a social kind of setting.  

     Here are some links about the social learning theory and collaboration:
     http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html
     http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/social-learning-theory
     http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/index.html
     http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~elc/learning1.html


References:


Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program eight: Social learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5700267&CPURL=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H.  Hubbell, E.  & Kuhn, M.  (2012).  Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works.  Alexandria, VA: ASCD