In this week’s resources we examined instructional strategies and how they correlate with social learning theories. Cooperative learning, the main instructional strategy utilized in social learning theories, is the ability to make sense of, or construct meaning for new knowledge by interacting with others. In today’s workforce people most possess the skills to be able to interact and produce cooperatively in a group. Early and thorough exposure to social networking and collaboration tools will greatly increase the employability of our students.
Cooperative learning can take place within the classroom with your own students or via the worldwide web interacting with many different cultures. When setting up groups for multimedia projects, jigsaw research/teaching, peer collaboration, webquests, reciprocal teaching, keypals or web site creation it is important for teachers to produce a rubric for students to follow. In these student centered learning activities guided rubrics are necessary to ensure the objective of the activity is being met. Tools such as blogs, wikis, concept mapping and voice threads are also great activities which incorporate skills of collaboration and cooperation.
The mediums listed above are just a minimal amount one can utilize in reflection to social learning theories. Any activity you do in your classroom which includes students working together to produce a final artifact is cooperative learning. In Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat (2005) he states we are living in a time when learning and innovation are increasingly global. If our jobs as educators are to produce quality and employable citizens then shouldn’t our teachings be centered around this fact? What will it take for school districts to be open to this new theory of learning?
Stephanie Coultrip
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I think your point about making sure student have a rubric to follow when completeing assignments on the internet is a valid one. Students should be allowed to have fun and learn through the different technology based strategies that you listed; however, they also need to be guided toward a common goal as well as to keep them safe while they are on the internet. I think all the techniques that were listed in our learning resources are wonderful ways for students to learn about culture and how to comminicate with others.
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