Thursday, December 1, 2011

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Social Learning Theory states that students learn from interacting with each other to build artifacts (Laureate Education, Inc, 2010).  Students sitting idly at their desks listening to lectures are not benefitting them.  Student must be actively engaged in the learning process by interacting with each other.  Students learn a great deal from each other during this interaction.

In Using technology with classroom instruction that works, we learn about cooperative learning.  Cooperative learning does not help students at all unless the strategy is used to enhance student learning.  Using cooperative learning just for the sake of doing so will not provide for the best learning environment.  However, when used effectively, students will learn a great deal.  Technology should be incorporated whenever possible.  Using multimedia, such as creating a video, requires students to work together.  Students may not feel thrilled about the subject material in the class, but having a student be the director of a film could be his forte.  Videos cannot be made without working together. 

Another strategy that is often used is referred to as the jigsaw strategy.  Here, students are responsible for teaching other members of the class who are researching a different topic (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  Students form groups with a similar topic and research that topic.  This research can be done in a way that students work together.  Even after the research is complete, the group must form an outline of material they will teach to others.  Then members of this group return to their original groups and teach the rest of the class what they discovered.  This is effective because if forces every single student to teach a topic to somebody else.  I have always felt that teaching a topic to someone else is a great way to understand the topic yourself.


Tim Trotta

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Social Learning Theories [DVD]. Baltimore, MD:
Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction 
             that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

2 comments:

  1. Tim, I too use the Jigsaw Strategy in my classroom. I find it very effective! My students love being the teacher and explaining their strategies and concepts. Teaching others helps the learner develop understanding of the content (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Using the jigsaw strategy in math is my favorite. I love it when my students explain how they solved the problem. What a great informal assessment!

    Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Social Learning Theories [DVD]. Baltimore, MD:
    Author.

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  2. Tim,

    I read your line "Students sitting idly at their desks listening to lectures are not benefitting them." and cannot help but think how different my life would have been had I been a young student in today's world. I never learned in a traditional manner ad therefore always just squeaked by. I imagine that if my teachers had said things like "Students sitting idly at their desks listening to lectures are not benefitting them." my early years would have been much different.

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