|
One influential line of learning research focuses
on the social basis for children’s learning, inspired by the
seminal research of the Russian psychologist Vygotsky. Social contexts give students the opportunity to successfully carry
out more complex skills than they could execute alone. Performing
a task with others provides an opportunity not only to imitate what
others are doing, but also to discuss the task and make thinking
visible. Much learning is about the meaning and correct use of ideas,
symbols, and representations. Through informal social conversation
and gestures, students and teachers can provide explicit advice,
resolve misunderstandings, and ensure mistakes are corrected. In
addition, social needs often drive a child’s reason for learning.
Because a child’s social identity is enhanced by participating
in a community or by becoming a member of a group, involving students in a social intellectual activity can be a powerful
motivator and can lead to better learning than relying on individual
desk work.
Some critics feel that computer technology encourages
asocial and addictive behavior and taps very little of the social
basis of learning. Several computer-based applications, such as
tutorials and drill-and-practice exercises, do engage students individually.
However, projects that use computers to facilitate educational collaboration
span nearly the entire history of the Internet, dating back to the
creation of electronic bulletin boards in the 1970s. Some of the most prominent uses of computers today are communications
oriented, and networking technologies such as the Internet and digital
video permit a broad new range of collaborative activities in schools.
Using technology to promote such collaborative activities can enhance
the degree to which classrooms are socially active and productive
and can encourage classroom conversations that expand students’
understanding of the subject.
|