I think social learning does have a place in today’s education and can provide important support to the education process. Students often times learn as well if not better from their own peers. Allowing students to interact and discuss topics related to the content or school provides students with more avenues for student success. When teaching the content to another student the student who is doing the teaching has to have an understanding of the topic in order to properly teach the content. If students are simply memorizing information for a test are they really learning the material? Will they be able to apply the information gained once they leave the classroom? I believe students can sometimes teach the content better to each other and can use analogies or common language to better relate what they are learning to their peer. “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski , 2007, p. 139). A lot of times students understand technology and its uses more than their teachers. They can explain the uses of the technology and how it exactly is set up or works. They provide the introduction to technology and its uses.
Allowing students to work in groups or with a partner allows them to prepare a project together learning how to work as a team. Education is the process of preparing students for life and their future after they leave our classroom and schools. When they step into the real world they are going to have to be able to adapt to other workers and learn from their peers in order to be successful in their profession. Being up to date with technology and being able to socially interact with coworkers will give students an advantage in the professional world.
When we think of the current the current social age I think of text messaging, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. There is some much information out there for students to learn and to share. Being able to tap into some of those resources and provide students with avenues for success will allow them to become more accomplished and diverse individuals. Providing students with the ability to learn, teach and relate to a lesson will keep them connected to education.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Hi Corey, great posting, I use facebook a little bit, but not twitter...our school locks us off of these sights...do you use twitter with your students? If so how?
ReplyDeletethank you,
James
I think it can be very beneficial to have students teach each other in the classroom. They seem to take more ownership of the tasks and it doesn't feel like the teacher is always the one in control. Students also have some great ideas about how to relate the material to their peers. For example, I heard one of my students teaching another student how to overhand serve a volleyball and the student said it was like giving the ball a "high five." What a brilliant analogy! I now use that analogy when I teach others how to serve a volleyball.
ReplyDeleteCorey,
ReplyDeleteYou made some great points this week. Given the fact that I teach elementary age children, I usually find that my students have a greater success when I give them guided questions when working in groups. They seem to have a hard time organizing a large amount of information so I try and keep the questions simple yet specific. Do you find that your 5th and 6th graders have a little more independence when working in small groups? My students love interacting with each other and I have seen a great deal of improvement in them when I do in fact allow them to interact with one another.