The Power of Social Learning: How to Incorporate Social Learning in Your Classroom
People learn by watching other people. Social learning theory states that we learn from anyone we come in contact. Humans can learn from anyone, including family members, coworkers, and celebrities! The same concept can be applied in education. Students learn through social interactions with other students. As students interact with one another, they also learn from each other.
We will explore how you can use social learning in your teaching strategy.
Social Learning Benefits
Retention: when learners discuss how they have applied what they have learned with each other, this helps to enhance content retention.
Participation: learners interacting with each other helps improve learning and increases participation.
Collaboration: improves collaboration by allowing learners to collaborate and share ideas.
Expanded perspectives: can expand learners' perspectives by exposing them to different viewpoints and experiences.
Way to Incorporate Social Learning in Your Class
Use social media!
Learners can connect to do assignments, share resources, or discuss topics.
X (formerly known as Twitter) - students can research different topics by using hashtags or keywords
LinkedIn - students can research different topics, create a LinkedIn group for students to learn from each other, or create their profile and build their network.
Facebook - create discussion topics so students can communicate with each other and the instructor. You can also use it to send messages or reminders.
Online Discussion Forums
Online discussion forums can be used to facilitate social learning. Learners can ask questions, share ideas, and collaborate with each other. You can use the discussion tool in your Learning Management System, like Canvas or Blackboard, to encourage student communication and collaboration.
Benefits of discussion forums:
creates a community
encourages classroom participation
allows students to contribute better to the discussion by giving them time to formulate their responses
Group projects
Learners can work together to complete a project and learn from each other. Students can share ideas, collaborate, and build on each other's strengths by working in groups.
Benefits of Group projects:
Encourages students to take ownership of their learning and develop essential communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills
Helps students develop a sense of community and belonging within the classroom, which can improve the overall learning experience
Peer Review
Learners can review each other's work and provide feedback, enhancing learning and collaboration.
Benefits of Peer Review:
Encourages learners to engage with and critically evaluate each other's work can help them identify gaps in their understanding and deepen their knowledge
It can help learners develop critical thinking skills by requiring them to evaluate and analyze each other's work, which can help them develop the ability to assess arguments and make informed decisions
Sample Peer Review Assignments:
Essay peer review - students can be assigned to read and provide feedback on each other's essays
Group project peer review - students working on a group project can be asked to provide feedback on each other's contributions and overall performance within the group.
Presentation peer review - students can be assigned to watch and evaluate each other's presentations.
Code review - for computer science or programming courses, students can be assigned to review each other's code and provide feedback on style, readability, and functionality.
Mentorship
Learners can be paired with a mentor who can provide guidance and support.
Benefits of Mentors:
improved grades - guide students on test-taking strategies
increased self-esteem - having someone who believes in them will make them more confident in their abilities
creates a feeling of community - introduces students to new experiences and ideas and to people who share similar interests
increased connection at school
career guidance - support students in their careers by providing them with job search strategies and networking opportunities
Social learning allows your students to engage more with you and each other, creating more communication and collaboration, leading to more memorable learning experiences. Creating a sense of community is important for supporting learning, especially in online or remote teaching environments.
