Social
Learning is more than just a trend. Our world now has 2.789 billion social
media users (Hootsuite, 2017). The ‘Social Age’ has arrived where the formal
work space and the social world has collided (HT2 Labs, 2017). A study by
Brandon Gaille, a marketing expert and blog master, found that of the
businesses he surveyed 75.4% used social media for business purposes. We live
in a world where social platforms are increasingly the way to connect, learn and
grow (Origin Learning, 2015), and if you haven’t done so already it’s time to
get on the bus!
It’s no
secret that our society spends a considerable amount of time on social media
websites. Next time you are at the shops, have a look around, you are very
likely to see at least one person browsing on their phone. Some see this
phenomenon as an addiction but it’s time to start seeing things differently.
Social
media can be a useful tool for educational purposes and that’s where social
learning comes into play. Social learning is the process of developing and
growing together by observing and asking questions to get answers – not just
from Google but from your colleagues, friends and fellow learners
(GrowthEngineering, 2017). Not only can it improve uptake of your eLearning
courses, “Learners who are active in the learning process are twice as likely
to recall training as their non-social counterparts” (HT2 Labs, 2017).
While
social learning has been a buzzword in the learning and development world for
quite some time, the basic concept dates back to the start of mankind. We as
human beings, have learnt complex lessons from each other through knowledge
sharing, story-telling and modelling.
Think
about how a baby learns to speak in their younger years. The baby isn’t sat in
front of a PowerPoint presentation and told to memorise words and catch
phrases. The baby learns from listening to and observing their parents. In a
baby’s early years, you may hear “gobbledygook” and nonsense sounds. Parents
will repeat words to their baby and speak slowly to them to model how to speak,
and one day the baby speaks a word that makes sense! I know that if there is
something I am needing to learn I am more likely to ask someone around me who
knows rather than sit through a mind-numbing and onerous PowerPoint
presentation or information video (am I right?!). We learn from each other and
it works!
So why make learning social?
1.
It’s
flexible.
Social
learning can happen anywhere and at any time. Learning is often required in the
moment and social learning allows this to happen. Let learners ask customised questions
when it suits them and have them receive answers from a range of fellow learners
with different knowledge and experiences. This can be done through online
forums, social learning platforms or via social media, whatever works best for
you and your business.
2.
It’s
enjoyable.
Social
learning feeds our natural desire to connect and share with others. As human
beings we are wired to connect with each other. When we finish doing something
that involves non-social thinking, the network for social thinking comes back
on like a reflex – almost instantly (ScientificAmerican, 2013). Our brains are
wired to experience feelings of reward during mutual social interactions so we
will naturally seek activities that involve social interaction. Think about how
we as humans attend barbeques and get-togethers, how we eat lunch with a
colleague or group of peers and how we get that pleasant feeling when a text
from a friend pops up on our phone (not to mention the rush of dopamine – the
feel good chemical in the brain). You could say that evolution has provided us
with the perfect make-up to survive in a world that is continually increasing
in population (HuffPost, 2013).
3.
It
works.
Research
on the social brain has revealed that we absorb information much better when we
learn in order to teach someone else in comparison to just learning to take a
test or to memorise information. Sharing your knowledge with someone is
prosocial and relies on the social networks of the brain. We now know that
activating this part of the brain improves memory (ScientificAmerican, 2013), which
consequentially has a positive impact on the retention of learning outcomes.
4.
It’s
like a collaborative culture injection.
Creating
a network that allows your learners to share knowledge and experiences with
each other creates a culture of collaboration. A learner-led culture encourages
your learners to communicate with each other and breaks down barriers between
teams. It also allows learners to feel part of the bigger picture (GrowthEngineering,
2017).
It is
second nature for us to want to share interesting, hilarious or meaningful
posts with our networks, so why not harness this and get your learners to share
what they know with their peers? It taps into our natural instincts to share
and connect with each other and has a significant increase on the amount of
information we can memorise and retain.
We hope
you enjoyed this blog on social learning. Here at Belvista Studios we are
always striving to keep up to date with the latest trends in eLearning and this
is one not to be missed. If you would like to know more about how you can
implement social learning in your organisation visit our website via http://www.belvistastudios.com or email info@belvistastudios.com.
A little bit about the author...
"I am Hannah and I am passionate about how we can create effective and fun learning experiences. I believe that if you create enjoyment and social connection through learning, learning outcomes can sky rocket! The world is changing and becoming more and more digital by the day. We need to harness this and see what's possible!".
References
Brandon
Gaille (2017). 23 Great Social Media at Work Statistics and Trends. Retrieved
11 July, 2017, from:
Hootsuite
(2017). Digital in 2017 Report. Retrieved 10 July, 2017, from:
HT2 Labs
(2017). Curatr. Retrieved 10 July, 2017, from:
Growth
Engineering (2017). Retrieved 10 July, 2017, from:
Origin
Learning (2015). Social Learning Pays off – A Success Story. Retrieved 10 July,
2017, from:
Scientific
American (2017). Why We Are Wired to Connect. Retrieved 10 July, 2017,
from:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect/
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