8-3 Social Learning

The main benefit of synchronous learning environments is of course the social aspect and being able to interact with other learners. Simply put, social learning is learning that happens outside of a formal learning environment. Social learning is something that happens every day of our lives and happens within and outside of a digital environment. Some examples of everyday learning are (From The Social Work Degree Center):

Media – Before there were social media “challenges,” people imitated famous actors from their favorite TV shows and movies. Dressing like James Dean, copying dance moves from popular music videos and recreating famous action scenes are all fitting examples of Social Learning Theory in everyday life. In most cases, this behavior is incentivized by the desire to become socially accepted, attractive or otherwise well-liked.

Travelers and ex-pats – Everyone engages in social learning at some point or another, but travelers – especially those who intend to stay in a new area – must use social learning for adaptive purposes daily. When moving from the USA to Costa Rica, for example, observing and (accurately) imitating Costa Rican slang terms will help someone to assimilate faster.

New employees – Every workplace has its own subculture, some of which can differ greatly from the outside world. To remain in good standing, a new employee can observe and imitate the practices of their peers. Always clocking in at least ten minutes early, for instance, may help the new employee to remain in the supervisor’s favor.

Children – By far the most evident examples of Social Learning Theory in everyday life are those demonstrated by children on a regularly. They imitate their siblings, friends, parents and any famous figures whom they look up to. As long as the child perceives that their behavior will produce a relevant reward, they will likely imitate it at some point. This can include helping with housecleaning tasks, talking on the phone, and much more.

Continue learning:

• March 2021. Social Learning Theory
• Jon-Erik Reynolds, March 2018. Learning Theories on Instructional Design. Search of “Social Learning Theory”