When we say social learning, social networks might come to mind in today’s world; however, social learning is not just limited to social network. Social learning is learning through interaction with people. Those people may be friends, classmates, colleagues, teachers, you name it. Social learning doesn’t mean just listening to someone giving a lecture. You should be engaged in it to learn socially.
Here are some varieties of social learning: Feedback from other learners, dialog with an expert, collaboration on a project etc.
Like all learning types, social learning also requires an effective
design. But designing social learning is not about creating content. It is
about making social processes happen.
The
designer should decide when to use social learning define target learners,
clarify the objectives, decide what forms of social interactions are best to
teach, monitor and guide social learning, design templates so that learners can
create content.
Social learning can make learning more enjoyable. When learners are not
alone and work together with someone else, they might have more fun while
learning. It is also advantageous because it requires less time and money
compared to conventional e-learning. Teachers can also handle larger classes with
social learning.
In
social learning, there are some requirements for the learners as well. They
should read and write the language used in discussion forums. They should speak
and listen effectively. They should be able to make themselves understandable
through audio and other media. They should ask and answer questions because
social learning occurs through questions as well. They should think deeply and
efficiently. They should be open to new and different information and also
share their information with others. There must be a spirit of cooperativeness
in social learning. Competitiveness doesn’t have a place in social learning.
They must act according to a common purpose. And of course, learners must be
able to use social media tools. Each learner should offer something to the
group.
The
patterns of social interaction are as follow (I think their titles are quite
self-explanatory.):
Tutoring interaction, presentation pattern, question-and-answer pattern, post-and-comment pattern, collaborative-document pattern, group-discussion pattern, small-group pattern, panel-discussion pattern, symposium pattern, ask-expert-community pattern, ask-peers pattern. When you combine these patterns in an activity, you can make a great comprehensive learning activity.
Tutoring interaction, presentation pattern, question-and-answer pattern, post-and-comment pattern, collaborative-document pattern, group-discussion pattern, small-group pattern, panel-discussion pattern, symposium pattern, ask-expert-community pattern, ask-peers pattern. When you combine these patterns in an activity, you can make a great comprehensive learning activity.
You
should facilitate social activities so that teams will be encouraged to take
responsibility. Monitor them and interfere when needed. Make use of technology
to provide the learners with discussions.
