Social Learning Theories embrace the ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) in which learners depend on MKO (More Knowledgable Others) in order for learning to take place.
Cooperative Learning
According to Stephen Balkcom "Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement." With cooperative learning, students get validation, socialization, and encouragement from each other that they wouldn't get from some of the other learning theories. Cooperatve Learning groups can "build trust, camaraderie, and taeamwork" (Piter et al., p. 140).
Cooperative Learning relates to social learning theories in several ways. For instance, Social Constructivism is an example of a social learning theory in which students are "actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Piter et al. discussed how "student-created multimedia is a natural environment for cooperative learning" (Pitler, et al., p. 141). These artifacts can be WebQuests, web sites created by the students, blogs, web-enabled games and so on. These strategies and other communication software can facilitate "powerful collaboration at any time of day and from any geographical location" (Pitler, et al., p. 154).
This exponentially expands the aforementioned MKO part of the equation for the ZPD and the possibilities are endless!
Balkcom, S. (June 1992). Office of Research, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education. Cooperative Learning. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm#Bandura1.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Social Learning Theories [Motion Picture]. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Hello Sherry~
ReplyDeleteWow! Great job! It seems you have a great understanding of our blog this week! I just finished my blog and when I began to read yours I noticed we both picked the same sentence regarding technology. The sentence "student-created multimedia is a natural environment for cooperative learning" (Pitler, et al., p. 141), I felt very strongly about and agree. Technology has great importance in the classroom and connecting it to cooperative learning creates a huge impact on student learning. In creating an environment to work together students gain insight, are engaged, and learn from each other. There are so many resources out there and I look forward to incorporating more into my lessons and teaching strategies. Thank you for post!
Hanna
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hi Sherry. Cooperative learning is so important to our students and should always be encouraged. You did a really nice job with stating the benefits of cooperative learning and how technology can help support our learners. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry,
ReplyDeleteI really like your last sentence of your post! Technology is amazing! :) I think it is so important to teach children how to work collaboratively so that they will be as successful as possible in the working world. So many jobs require you to be able to work well with others and use technology effectively, so teaching both of these skills to our students is so imperative. Nice post!