Social Learning Theories

Week 5 Blog-

As noted in Cooperative Learning –Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching,and Technology (2003), cooperative learning is an American concept much like the collaborative learning which has British roots. Cooperative learning started with John Dewey’s philosophy of the social nature of learning. Then in 1978 Vygotsky weighed in with his hypotheses that social interaction among students extends their zone of proximal development. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn ,and Malenoski have included in their work, Using Technology with Classroom Instructions that Works(2007), this statement made by Johnson, Johnson, and Stanne in 2000, When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others (p.139).

With the availability of technology in schools today, being able to implement cooperative learning can now extend way beyond a classroom, school, and even community. As a reading teacher I love the idea of being able to do a book study with students from another place. The different perspectives would be fascinating. I can visualize teams creating power points to send to other places and compare lives between the students. Pen pals via the internet, sharing favorite recipes to fix and eat on the same day…the possibilities are endless. As stated in the resource book… Using Technology with Classroom Instructions that Works, the Web has become much more than an electronic reference book; it’s a thriving medium for collaboration in business, education, and our personal lives (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 144).

I don’t where I’ll be teaching next year. My fervent hope is to have my own classroom again so that I can use all the ideas being presented in this class. I can’t wait to get started. I especially look forward to an activity between my class and my son’s who is an hour and a half away.

References:

Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative lerning. In M. Orey (Ed.),
Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on
May, 12, 2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epllt/index.php?title=
Cooperative_Learning

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with
classroom instruction that works. ASCD. Alexandria, VA. (p.139)(p.144).