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Social Learning Learning as a social act
Hello, how are you? We have been observing closely and with great interest the learning development experiences in networks called Social Learning. This occurs so naturally for us, from LAB SSJ, because this learning strategy represents much of what we believe when we refer to the Andragogy principles. When we look carefully at the available learning opportunities, we take into consideration the several spheres in which we learn from the most structured to the most informal forms. This recognition is important for adults to bring down barriers and open their minds to learn new things and become more active in their own development. That is why, in this fifth edition of the pocketbook, we have decided to consolidate the concepts of social learning that we have had contact over the past years. You’ll see how the Social Learning promotes learning as a continuous process of knowledge construction.
Enjoy yourself!
Social Learning
(*)
Why has the Social Learning become so important to the companies?
( * )In 1977, Albert Bandura proposed the Social Learning Theory, according to which human behavior is learned from observation of other people.
Today, two factors control the scenario: speed and complexity. The modern company moves towards a model that needs to work in a context of constant changes – fast and difficult to control. Thus, pure and simple acquisition of knowledge for purposes of accumulation no longer makes sense. People need to know more and faster than yesterday, considering that the ability to connect ideas today is absolutely essential to generate competitive advantage.
In this sense, the exchange of knowledge among people is emphasized, as this approach is effective to support employees towards a high performance. This is because the collaborative work environment encourages the learning among peers, whether in a project, in communities of practice or in business processes. And this is the foundation of Social Learning: the exchange, the collaboration. George Siemens, founder of “elearnspace.org” and author of the Connectivism, a theory
which includes construction of knowledge based on networks, explains the importance of Social Learning in the workplace: “There is an increasing demand related to the ability to connect with people. It is together with others that we can make sense, and this is social. In order to work, organizations need to stimulate the Social Learning, the social exchanges. The social experience is adaptable by nature, so the Social Learning provides a better reaction to changes in the organization in the current context”.
Social Learning gets real PastFuture Subject matter experts Need to know Curriculum Clockwork, predictable Stocks Clock time Worker-centric
Subject matter Networks Need to share Competency Complexity, surprising Flow Time-to-accomplishment Team-centric Source: JAY CROSS, 2009
Learning
fundament At the beginning of Human history, education was a natural part of the struggle for survival. Learning consisted of gaining experience, knowledge and skills. With these new skills individuals and groups could deal with everything in their surroundings. And, according to the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin, those who survived were the ones who learned to collaborate and adapt better. In this sense, the process of transmitting knowledge was based on social exchanges.
is
tally social Basically, people learning from other people and also from their experiences. That interaction among learners is still the basis for an effective learning. According to Peter Henschel, from the Institute for Research on Learning, learning is social, considering that more than 80% of corporate education is informal, this is, happens unexpectedly among people, depending on their needs.
The 7 principles of Learning Source: Institute for Research on Learning
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Learning is fundamentally social. While learning is about the process of acquiring knowledge, it actually encompasses a lot more. Successful learning is often socially constructed and can require slight changes in one’s identity, which make the process both challenging and powerful. Knowledge is integrated in the life of communities. When we develop and share values, perspectives, and ways of doing things, we create a community of practice.

3 4 5 6 7
Learning is an act of participation. The motivation to learn is the desire to participate in a community of practice, to become and remain a member. This is a key dynamic that helps explain the power of apprenticeship and the attendant tools of mentoring and peer coaching. Knowing depends on engagement in practice. We often glean knowledge from observation of, and participation in, many different situations and activities. The depth of our knowing depends, in turn, on the depth of our engagement.
Engagement is inseparable from empowerment. We perceive our identities in terms of our ability to contribute and to affect the life of communities in which we are or want to be a part of.
Failure to learn is often the result of exclusion from participation. Learning requires access and the opportunity to contribute.
We are all natural lifelong learners. All of us, there are no exceptions. Learning is a natural part of being human. We all learn what enables us to participate in the communities of practice of which we wish to be a part.
Formal& Informal Throughout life, we learn both through formal (at school, university, courses), and informal approach, by observation, conversations with people we know and by experience. The Social Learning which focus on learning that happens among people and their social networks combines formal and informal practices. This integrated learning approach is essential for organizations to ensure greater adaptability in the face of unforeseen situations and complex issues in the modern world. Today it is more effective to offer complementary methodologies that cultivate continuous learning to improve performance and develop new skills.
Off
line
On
line
Informal
Formal
Book
Lectures
MBA
DVD
Courses
Conversation
In-company
programs
Community
of practice
Coaching
SL Wikis
Video
Blogs
Social
Bookmarking
Podcasting
Oriented searches
E-learning
Learning
2.0
Dialogue is a key part in the learning process, either personally or through social networks. The shared working experience encourages effective learning and is also essential for building trusted knowledge networks. Thus, people relations gained importance, because what is said and shared need to have consistency and be based on trust relations. On the Internet, this process becomes of greater importance.
Current technology allows communication on a global scale, making the work environment even more interconnected. While Internet promotes connection and instant access to information, the great challenge is making sense amid the massive volume of data available by all. According to Charles Jennings, Reuters CLO, “it is no longer sufficient to know the specific content of a book, manual or
How Web 2.0 accelerates the Social Learning? The term 2.0 was created by Tim O’Reilly in 2004 to differentiate the Internet we know today from its initial phase, when all we could do was to read passively the contents provided by sites in a one-way communication.
theory. You must learn how to use it in a context of constant changes�. Therefore, knowing how to answer the right questions has become more important than just accumulating knowledge and skills. And it is this ability to find information and connect the concepts to create relevant knowledge, applicable to current needs, which brings differential for organizations.
Today, what we see is a collaborative construction on the Internet. The available tools of Web 2.0 - blogs, social networks, wikis - allow everybody to be at the same time authors and readers, teachers and students, creating a multidirectional flow of information. The current platform allows, as never before, the possibility for people to exchange experiences with each other, communicating, teaching and learning all the time (often without realizing it). Web 2.0 has increased the chances of learning in an unprecedented scale.
Tools
To create an open and collaborative environment for Social Learning, there are some tools available: Microblog s allow us ers and reply short messa to send/receive ges to the who they fo people llow and to the ones w ho are followed .
Comm un people ication Too ls a comm nd establis connect unicati h imm on in e real ti diate me.
who write Blogs are sites of people or make to inform, give opinions cs of interest. topi r thei on ts men com
The most effective technologies are those that fit in people’s way of thinking, acting and working, not the opposite way. People seek to learn what they need, as they need, at the time of their need. Therefore, when considering the use of web 2.0 tools, the focus should be for the networks creation more than for obtaining a specific content. People must be active on their learning process. Social networks accept adaptation and development of new practices through conversation.
ow the that all ship atures n o fe ti e la v a re el, orks h nd sure s, trav ial Netw of profiles a , share idea c o S e te n . Th a o tc ti ic e a n s u tr m up gis user re You can com iscussion gro d g. buildin rojects, form p design
Bookmarking are tools designed to organize search content and topics of interest.
Sites t to sh hat allow a phot re files, the user video os. s and
Who participates in
social n Creators
Publish sites, write blogs, post original video/music, write articles
Critics
Make comments, post reviews
Collectors
Gather and catalogue information through tags and tools like RSS
Associates
associate to social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn
Spectators
read blogs, watch videos, listen to podcasts, consume information
Inactive
use the internet but do not participate in social networks
Source: Forrester Research
networks? Taking advantage of Social networks for learning allows formal contents to be shared in an informal environment, creating an experience of co-authorship in the construction of knowledge. In this kind of community focused on learning, participation may be established according to some roles that require some skills:
Role Consumer Creator
Connector Carrier Caretaker
Role Description Skills The person who looks for and uses content, information, and social connections
• Self Directed • Expertise in medias • Collaborative networks (guidance to groups)
The person who creates, shares, improves and discusses content and information
• Attentive: Able to respond • Ideas Designer • Research and tendencies discoverer
The person who helps others to find the content, information, and people they seek or need
• Persuasion • Groups coordination • Social dynamics understood • Built and sustainability of network relationships
The person who helps creators to transmit and promote their content and information to others
• Communication • Able to transmit, share and discusses ideas and tendencies.
The person who manages the learning community
• Group representation • Mediator • Values and Practices Education
Source: “Key Social Learning Roles”, de Eric Davidove, 2010.
In the Organ How to create the conditions so that Social Learning happens more often in the companies? Almost all work in a company is generated by teams and groups that relate to one another; rarely done by only one person. The Social Learning presupposes the knowledge exchange among people, accelerating the learning. The traditional approach, in which companies adopted the standardization of processes and tasks to reduce costs, makes lesser and lesser sense.
Today, the idea of encouraging employees to take advantage of the people’s natural desire of sharing and learning, persists. The employees of the Knowledge Age must be learners interconnected to solve problems. Sharing tacit knowledge (values, beliefs) through conversation is an essential component of organizational knowledge.
nizations To encourage a culture of learning we must provide tools that help people to learn together, providing a connection among them. At the same time, it is important to provide content relevant to their needs and promote practices such as:
Challenge the employee to take an active role in his/her professional development. Provide a Guide of experience that should happen during the learning process. Encourage employees to pursue goals that align personal interests to what is relevant to the business. Mentoring and peer coaching.
facilitate the Social Learning in companies Tips to
Internet: it is very importa nt to be ignored or understood only by spe cialists. Everyone should become familiar with its dynamics and tools.
e work used to facilitat ks: should be oblems in pr Social networ lve so to e re effectiv and make it mo ps. teams or grou Challenges: to tea ch the technique and propose challenges promo te training in comp lex and unpredictable en vironments.
Search: : it is important to facilitate the search for content making them easy to access.
To develop new skills: a. To promote dialogue and guidance. b. To help others to find their own solution with the group support. c. Empower and help people to self-development, determining “what” to do and leaving the “how” to do for each employee or team to solve.
According to Jane Hart, an expert on Social Learning, autonomy is the essence of Social Learning. It makes learners/ apprentices and employees more active and independent within a mutual dynamic of power and authority. For her, “informal” and “social” in the context of learning are not concepts related to well-being. These concepts generate a real impact on the business environment more and more intangible.
Summing up, it is necessary:
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To offer formal learning: development actions to stimulate new skills
To create learning groups: new projects and initiatives
To stimulate informal learning: search must occur according to the necessity of the moment
Learning never ends
“
For Harold Jarche, an expert on Social Learning and member of Internet Time Alliance, a great change provided by this interconnected scenario is that the effectiveness is only possible if the subjects and organizations integrate work and learning, thus avoiding distinctions between both activities.
Social learning encompasses not only the technology of social networks, although it makes use of them; neither is it only the ability to express themselves in a group of selected friends. Social Learning combines the tools of social media with a change in organizational culture, a change that encourages continuous transfer of knowledge and concepts, and connects people in a way that makes learning a pleasure. Harold Jarche
�
Bibliography
BANDURA, A. Social Learning Theory. General Learning Press, 1977. CROSS, J. Work Smarter: informal learning in the cloud. Internet Time Group, 2009. CROSS, J. Informal Learning: rediscovering the natural pathways that inspire innovation and performance. Pfeiffer, 2006. JARCHE, H. A framework for social learning in the enterprise. Internet Time Alliance, 2009. LI, C. & BERNOFF J. Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Harvard Business School Press, 2008. TOBIN, D. R. All Learning is Self-Directed. ASTD, 2000. Internet Time Alliance: Jay Cross | Jane Hart | Jon Husband | Harold Jarche | Charles Jennings | Clark Quinn
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