The world is becoming more and more networked and collaborative as technology advances. If students do not leave school with the a social skill set, then, they will be left in the dust to struggle in the workplace. Social learning is the way of the future in education. As opposed to being the main source of knowledge, encouragement and reassurance, the role of the teacher in social learning is to act as a facilitator and the students take on the major role as peer educators and holders of information.
The course materials this week were packed full of great tools and ideas to assist in incorporating social learning/collaboration into my classroom, many of which I already utilize often. Technology plays a prominent part in many of the instructional strategies as well. "Technology can play a vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face" (Pitler, 2007, p. 140). One of the best examples of technology working in conjunction with social learning is the wiki. The collaborative nature of the wiki allows students from different classes, cities, states, or even countries to work together to create a great learning tool. Another instructional strategy mentioned in the text that struck me as powerful was the "keypals" which is an electronic pen pal. Students can learn so much more if the lesson extends beyond the classroom walls, and connecting students with peers in different locations across the world helps them develop communication skills that will be useful as citizens of the work force when they "grow-up."
One of my favorite types of collaborative activities is the jigsaw. I love what it inspires in my students when I tell them they get to be the teachers. They usually run with the idea, creating fancy PowerPoint presentations and even asking to create note sheets, reinforcement handouts, study guides, and quizzes to aide in their teachings. Students truly learn more when they are required to teach someone else what they learned (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). I always encourage students when studying to teach a younger sibling, a parent or a peer what they have been learning in class to reinforce and solidify what has been learned in class--If they can teach someone else then they KNOW the material.
"To be prepared for the fast-speed virtual workplace that they will inherit, today's students need to be able to learn and produce collaboratively" (Pitler, 2007, p. 139). It is our job to prepare our students for life as citizen of the real-world--and the real-world is filled with collaboration. Students need to know how to communicate with each other--give feedback and take constructive criticism from their peers. Social learning helps students develop necessary life skills.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer).(2009). Social learning theories. [Motion Picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. 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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You are completely correct in stating, "If students do not leave school with the a social skill set, then, they will be left in the dust to struggle in the workplace." Students must learn to work with others in order to be successful, and technology can be a very important tool for their communication. Along with the wikis, I was very impressed with the ease at which students could create, share, and leave feedback/comments in VoiceThreads. Students cna learn a great deal from each other, and the VoiceThread medium is another excellent way to create visual documentations of knowledge and understanding of content, as well as practice skills in giving constructive criticism, debate, share opinions, and offer feedback to classmates, and others around the world.
ReplyDeleteFor a tutorial on how to create a VoiceThread visit:
http://voicethread.com/share/329888/
As Dr. Orey stated, I now have a better understanding of mathematics, now that I teach it. In order to teach somebody else, you need to have a good understanding of the material. This is the main reason why I also enjoy using the jigsaw learning strategy. For high school mathematics, it is very easy to break things down into steps, which students can teach to each other. My students have enjoyed the activity so much, that I actually have my students become guest teachers. As an extra credit assignment, students can sign up to teach a certain lesson, sometime in the near future. Then, they create a lesson plan, which usually incorporates PowerPoint, pictures, or diagrams, and they submit it to me for approval about a week before the planned lesson. Once approved, the student gets to teach the lesson on that given day. Most of the lessons go very well, and students actually enjoy learning from one of their peers. However, to ensure that the other students in the class are not simply going to give the guest teacher a hard time, I give the class a short quiz the very next day. This ensures that they pay attention during the lesson, and do not disrupt anybody else.
ReplyDelete-Scott Kaminski