Learning is Social

 Research: Twilight of the Lecture- Harvard Magazine

In this article, Prof. Mazur has reflected and evaluated his own teaching practice and he encourages a shift from “teaching” to “helping students learn.”  All educators need the time and resources available to them to do their own reflection and evaluation. Even if it means re-thinking their fundamental beliefs about learning and teaching

I think, this article really talks about is what we, learn in basic learning theory courses, that much of learning is social. The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (one of the most recognized cognitive psychologists in history) has talked about this as the social nature of learning and insisted on situating an individual within a social system. Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition in his work.

Do not look at the child alone, but rather look at the child in the social setting, with others and the environment as support  (Vygotsky)

In order for that social teaching process to occur, an inclusive classroom community needs to be created where students are comfortable to share how they feel and are comfortable to participate in discussions, and are not afraid to make mistakes. Icebreakers or team building activities can be used to help students form connections with each other, which can motivate students to come to class. . This process oriented approach generated by the students’ realization motivates them to take action where just providing them the answers would not. Students are much more likely to push the boundaries of their learning when they believe that the emphasis may not always be on achieving the “right” answer quickly, but rather exploring processes of critical thinking to be applied to specific problems posed.

Each student has his or her own learning style and also brings his or her own professional and personal experiences. Identifying a student’s background and previous experiences is important to successfully accomplish the first steps of creating a class community since every class of students is different and needs different tools and strategies to succeed.  To develop effective learning objectives, students should have the opportunity at the beginning of the course to describe their expectations, what they already know, and what they hope to gain over the course of the semester (Davis, 2009). A Pre- survey in the beginning of the semester to see opinions or ideas on how we can facilitate learning along with fears and concerns will help instructor understand the class dynamics.

MacIsaac, D. (2013). Twilight of the Lecture (featuring wideos from Eric Mazur’s physics students) by Craig Lambert, harvardmagazine. com/2012/03/twilight-of-the-lecture. The Physics Teacher, 51(4), 254-254.

Davis, B. G. (2009). Tools for teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.