I believe people construct meaning primarily through their interactions with others and their environment because homo sapiens are pack oriented, not solitary animals. A scientific description of homo sapiens, which means ‘wise man’ in the dictionary, includes preference to living in groups. By nature, humans thrive on social support systems. I will argue though, that social learning is not the ONLY way in which people learn.
Babies learn from the individuals who care for them. Babies in particular are unable to manipulate the circumstances into which they are thrust, so they learn through experience. Behaviorism plays a large role in a baby’s or toddler’s life. Their action will produce a reaction. If the reaction is a positive, he/she will repeat their antic hoping for the same positive result. Around the age of two to three, a toddler develops enough self image to realize they are separate from their parents. That is where the term ‘terrible twos’ came from.
Children ages three to five, might attend a pre-school for a few hours each week. The primary reason parents desire pre-school is for socialization skills, and exposure to learning. The pre-school experience may be the first network of society a child experiences outside of their own family.
Does this mean they only learn through social interaction? Does society now provide the only route to learning? Of course not. Social learning plays a large part in every students’ life, but Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligence. This multiple intelligence theory is widely accepted and it expounds eight distinct learning preferences. As children reach pre-teen and teenage years, their network of friends becomes more and more important to them. Teenagers rely heavily on the approval rating of their friends. These growing up years are a right of passage. Social interactions are a huge part of every high school. As we age, society’s reaction becomes the measuring stick we apply to our success.
In our school district, social networking is evident in our school website. In addition to the district website, teachers have their own websites to promote classroom success stories and to post assignments. We encourage parents to visit our websites to see what their children are doing in school. Our district uses Progress Book as a management system whereby parents can log in to see their child’s grades, assignments and missing work. E-mail is accessible right from Progress Book and we are encouraged to communicate with the parents and students whenever necessary.
Connectivist George Siemans further conceptualizes the theory of social learning as a network of humans developing and sharing knowledge and using technology to facilitate and connect these networks. (Laureate Education, Inc., Producer., 2011.) The question was posed, “How does online learning differ from classroom learning?” Each of us is currently involved in master’s degree procurement, working very hard and connected through Walden University. Our network provides the online community which ultimately delivers our success. The blogs, wikispaces, email and podcasts link us in ways only technology can provide. It is very effective.
Finally,I agree that people construct meaning primarily through the interactions with others and their environment. By integrating technology tools we expand our influence further then the classroom walls. Social networking tools like Facebook, websites and email are becoming commonplace. People rely on these networks to stay informed. Using social networking tools to establish and maintain learning partnerships with families and the community are necessary. I would miss not viewing VON, Vermilion Online News, to see what is happening in my town. When our school website is down, our school secretaries complain they can’t get a thing done because they have to answer the old telephone. As a society, we have come to rely on technological networking, and we really miss it when it is not available.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Program five: Social learning theories[Video webcast].
Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Retrieved from
=laureate.ecollege.com&Survey=1&47=2594577&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
I agree that technology allows us to expand our knowledge base more than the typical paper and pencil type of learning. At times I become frustrated when technology is not working or available, but I think it's more of a frustration that so much more can be learned by it than a frustration that I am relying on it. What do you most typically rely on as far as technology goes?
ReplyDeleteI like that you mentioned our online learning through Walden. What a perfect example of collaborative learning! Through the discussion boards and blogs, I have been introduced to many different forms of technology. These blogs and discussion posts have helped me to better understand the content. Other teachers have provided examples that I can adapt to fit the needs of my students. I agree that people construct meaning based on the interactions with others. When we are exposed to ideas outside of our immediate circle (family, group of friends, classroom), than we are better informed and can obtain a deeper understanding of the world around us.
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