To address if the element of “social” environments, impact on learning environments is the same, you have to understand the role of social behavior and the implications on learning. Constructivism view humans construct knowledge by adapting meaning from a previous stimulus-response in the current relevant context (Jenkins, 2006). The process of knowledge is interpreted as a “personal world” or by “mind’s adaptations” that is all internally driven (Jenkins, 2006). Piaget furthered constructivist reach by describing biological readiness, life experiences, and structures that play a crucial role in self-constructing information (Jenkins, 2006). Social environments offer the transference of an individual’s prior skills or processes, allowing learners to voice their point of view and influence the organization of information.
In my opinion, online pedagogy can offer the same “social” environment as a traditional classroom setting but hinder the ability to advance to the next level of understanding. Howard Gardner stated there are three types of learners, native, traditional, and expert, and if the misconceptions are not challenged, the level of understanding will remain the same. The zone of proximal development describes the kind of learning environment that enables effective knowledge transfer and cognitive development (Laureate Education, n.d.). In applying both approaches, one can produce an active learning environment that is conducive to both external experiences and cognitive processing (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). When looking at learning strategies and styles that each _ism favors, it doesn’t hinder the ability to influence learning, just merely suggestions that favor memory storage and organization. In the Constructivist point of view, a learner can construct their understanding based on the social environment (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009) ; the variable to me would be the learner’s level of understanding. Instructional settings typically viewed as social offer groups, activities, feedback, and open dialogue between leaner that foster intuitive thinking. However, emerging technology now gives us the ability to see them still visually and communicate openly in realtime, creating the same atmospheric factors. To help guide instruction, facilitators must demonstrate the ability to create a social presence, or the ability of learners to project personal characteristics, experiences, and influences into a community presenting as if “real people” (Kilgore, 2016).
Resources:
Jenkins, J. (2006). Constructivism. In Encyclopedia of educational leadership and administration. Retrieved from http://knowledge.sagepub.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/view/edleadership/n121.xml
Kilgore, W. (2016, November 14). Social Learning in Online Environments – Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning. Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://humanmooc.pressbooks.com/chapter/social-learning-in-online-environments/
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Theory of social cognitive development [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York, NY: Pearson.