Mar 29 2009
Saunders and Cornford on social learning
Saunders (2008) and Cornford (2008), respectively, provide a detailed analysis of the psychological processes involved in social learning and the usefulness of Badura’s observational learning model to social learning. I found both of their work useful in exploring (to great depth) the various influences on how we learn in a social context, particularly Saunders’ focus on how learner’s may change their attitudes and behaviour as a result of social learning (particularly relevant to my work practice). Conford’s work was equally useful for unpacking the factors/process involved when we learn from the observation of others, but at the end of reading both articles I felt uncertain about the applicability of these theories to learning online, such as that which we are doing as part of EMT1.
This concern was particularly strong with Cronford’s work as I read his his focus to be very much on face-to-face (physical) learning, that is, that which can be observed and performed, skills and practice based, enactment of what was learnt, etc. I saw the usefulness of his work to analyse how someone might learn to perform a task being modelled by a mentor/teacher or learning about behaviours such as toilet training (his example p. 83), but unlike the theories examined by Saunders I could not imagine applying to learning as part of an e-community.
Saunder’s work on the other hand focused much more on learning through inteaction with people (which happens in an online learning community) and how processes such as comparison, judgement, disclosure, feedback, conversations and self-monitoring affect the learning process. When I was reading Saunders’ article I could apply the theories more easily to our experiences in EMT1. For example, as participants on the Ning community we watch how others communicate in it, how often, what is said, how others respond (if at all) and what is disclosed, the group’s cohesion and dynamics, etc to decide what and how we will contribute in a new terrain (for some of us) – that is what we learn. I am very aware of my interaction with others in my participation on Ning and can apply the theories summarised by Saunders to my learning process in EMT1 across the other platforms.
I am however, not satisfied that the work by Saunders and Cornfordadequately describes the way we learn on an online or networked environment. I say this because I have felt that I am learning in a different way in EMT1 as I have done in the past. PreviouslySaunder’s and Cornford’s theories would have been applicable and satisfactory to my more linear or cyclical way of learning. In a f2f context I felt I learned as Kolb (1984) describes in his learning cylce and as Knowles (1978) describes in his theory of andragogy, of course adding the constructivist and critical theories of learning to their understanding. But in EMT1 I feel I am learning differently, at first I felt very forieng to it and now I think I am getting more use to it, but it feel different in my learning experience and that it is much more about connections (so many connections!), sifting through knowledge, finding the right information and people, navigating new platforms, and accepting I cannot cover it all.
I am keen to find people writing on how the tools we use to learn now, are influencing the way we learn and whether it is possible to incorporate work such as Saunders’ and Conrford’s in an analysis of the new way we are learning. Perhaps, I will find that scholarship is sticking to its guns and using existing theories to describe online learning – following the notion that learning is learning no matter where it happens – but my suspicion is that there are some interesting new ideas out there about this learning in a networked world. Actually, I have found a few leads but need to explore further.
