Social Learning Theory and Collaborative Teaching and Learning

Video Transcription

Welcome. I'm Trisha Fyfe, and today I'm going to be exploring the topic of social learning theory and collaborative teaching and learning throughout this video lesson. As we dive into this topic, we will work toward several learning objectives. Together will answer the following questions: what is social learning theory, and how does collaborative learning support social learning theory?

Let's begin with an explanation of what social learning theory is. This theory of Albert Bandura's is centered around the idea that observation, imitation, and modeling are the three components that learning revolves around. People learn by observing others' attitudes and behaviors, as well as the outcomes, later imitating and modeling based on the observed outcomes. There becomes a reciprocal interaction between three types of influences: cognitive, or personal influences; behavioral influences, or the skills and practices; and environment, or social influences.

There are five components of social learning theory-- first, the idea that learning takes place in a social context as a cognitive process. Here Bandura stresses that learning is not merely behavioral. Next, observations of behaviors and consequences can influence learning. We watch someone else's actions and those consequences, and we know not to make those same mistakes. Learning can occur when information is gathered and decisions are made from this information. This is related back to the teacher or peer modeling. We can learn without an observable change in behavior. Reinforcement is one influence on our learning, but this is not always the case. Finally, learning is dependent on several factors: cognition, environment, and behavior. These all influence each other. This is called reciprocal learning.

Another important idea to consider is reciprocal determinism. Dynamic reciprocal interactions between three areas-- behavior, cognitive, and environmental-- are what make up this concept. A change in one area will influence another area because all three systems interact with each other. For example, a student is influenced by their peers, each in an environment where their learning takes place, and in turn, this student influences all of these areas.

So how does collaborative learning support social learning theory? Well, in social learning theory, we want exposure to all three areas, and we get this in social context. Collaborative teaching and learning is directly connected to social learning theory. A student in a collaborative learning setting is learning through observations, modeling, and reciprocal teaching.

So let's recap what we've learned today in this video lesson. We covered the following questions together. What is social learning theory, as well as how does collaborative learning support social learning theory. And remember that social learning theory is centered around the idea that observation, imitation, and modeling are three components that all revolve around each other. Reciprocal learning is extremely important to understand, where learning is dependent on several factors-- cognition, environment, and behavior-- and all of the influences within each of those. Collaborative teaching and learning is directly connected to social learning theory. Students in collaborative learning learn through observations, modeling, and reciprocal teaching.

Now that you're familiar with social learning theory and its components, let's apply these ideas by reflecting on these two questions. How are these connections essential to teaching? Can you think of examples of social learning theory in action?

Thanks for joining me today as we discussed the lessons social learning theory and collaborative teaching and learning. I know you're sure to use these ideas in your own teaching. Now it's your turn to apply what you learned in this video.

The Additional Resources section will be super helpful. This section is designed to help you discover useful ways to apply what you've learned here. Each link includes a brief description, so you can easily target the resources that you want.