Social Learning in Practice

Social learning theory is the newest theory of education, and is actually still being defined and implemented into today's classroom curriculum. Of all the learning theories we have studied, social learning theory lends itself to technology the most. Some of the specific instructional strategies that have been tied to social learning theory include: webquests, VoiceThread, and PowerPoints. I have used two of these strategies before, and I intend to try using VoiceThread in the future.

All of these instructional strategies rely on individual members of the classroom providing input and demonstrating their mastering of the instructional material. In the case of PowerPoints and VoiceThreads, the students are given an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to the teacher and their classmates. In addition, they are given the opportunity to collaborate, and give each other positive and constructive feedback. The finished product gives the students a sense of accomplishment and teamwork. In addition, it helps students get to practice real world applications that they could quite possibly utilize in their future endeavors.

In this respect, these instructional strategies are very closely connected to the social learning theory. In addition, they are linked to technology and effective strategies for learning.