Perhaps one of the biggest challenges as an instructor is not simply motivating learners, but continuing to engage, hold the attention, and inspire them to remain active participants throughout the learning experience. More recently, Social Learning Theories, and their practical application, are being explored as a means for improving learner success by offering a more interactive and guided – rather than dictated – learning environment. The instructional shift from dictatorship to instructional guide creates a “Student – Centered” learning environment which places learners back in control of their learning experience.

Social Learning Perspectives

Social learning perspectives consider three primary factors which influence the instructional – learner relationship:

1. Context – the resources we use to develop knowledge.

Books
Computers
Personal Experience
Interactions – social engagements, feedback, communication

2. Culture & Community – our beliefs, sense of community, communication, linguistic differences that contribute to our unique learning and interaction styles which commonly include: gender, ethnicity, and age. These factors also contribute to common goal attainment and the perceived sense of community learners feel in relation to their classmates.

3. Learner Characteristics – the nature/origin of a learner’s knowledge and beliefs. Generally speaking, the act of learning is fluid in the sense that it is ever-changing based on what we have or are learning.

Prior Knowledge
Individual Learning Style – auditory, visual, kinesthetic, or a combination. A learners preferred method of learning is as unique as each learner.
Self – efficacy (confidence) – how confident is the learner when presented with new tasks? Anxious? Excited?

Motivation – learner motivation can be intrinsic (behaviors directed toward personal interest or gain), extrinsic (behaviors directed toward external rewards), or a combination of both. Read the rest of this entry »