How to Apply Social Learning in Corporate Training

Introduction

If you were a student or a company employee, how would you want your training to be?

Would you find interactive training with other people more stimulating and effective, or would you prefer to train alone in a passive way?

I imagine your answer is the first one.

In this article, we will talk about Social Learning, the learning method that opposes passive learning and promotes educational activities based on interaction between students and teachers. We will see what it is, the conceptual framework for basing training activities on this methodology, and what tools are needed to implement it.

At WhoTeach, we provide an innovative and easy-to-use Digital Learning solution for those involved in training. We are well aware of the importance of working together to learn effectively!

What is Social Learning

First of all, what is social learning? And where did it originate?

The term “Social Learning” was introduced by Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura. According to Bandura, the learning process cannot be separated from the social context in which the student is located.

Interaction with classmates or colleagues at work is central to training as well as to the most important areas of everyone’s life, from relationships to work.

Learning, therefore, is no longer an activity to be carried out individually, but to be experienced in a collaborative way.

Social Learning is therefore the set of activities that allow learning not individually, but as a result of the mutual exchange of knowledge, experiences, and honest feedback among participants.

The Principles of Social Learning

Albert Bandura identified four fundamental principles for learning through this method:

Attention

Attention is obviously one of the necessary prerequisites for learning: according to the psychologist, it is easier to focus on something new or important if you are in a social context.

Retention

Retention refers to how an event is remembered: if there is no awareness and memory of the behavior, retaining information is more difficult.

Sociality facilitates this process because we also learn by observing how others behave, learning the correct processes and avoiding mistakes.

Reproduction

When we talk about reproduction, we mean reworking and putting into practice what has been learned. Thanks to interaction, it is possible to get feedback from other participants, improving what you are learning.

Motivation

Motivation is what drives us to give our best and perform a certain action. The prospect of receiving recognition or punishment for having performed a right or wrong behavior increases motivation.

Which Tools to Use to Adopt Social Learning

Although the web does not allow for physical participation between people, the tools now available in the digital world have broken down barriers of time and space to ensure interaction between participants even in this mode.

Let’s see how.

Interaction between participants can be created in two types of virtual environments: a synchronous environment, that is, when participants are connected live, and an asynchronous one where access to training material is at the discretion of the students, who can access it at any time.

As for live training, videoconferencing systems stimulate discussion and comparison among users and are an excellent method to increase learning according to the principles of Social Learning.

There are also tools that can further facilitate the application of this model.

The most advanced e-learning systems also allow further subdivision of groups through the creation of so-called “breakout rooms”, with the aim of creating more working groups and further encouraging collaboration.

When we talk about asynchronous training, we refer to systems such as Learning Management Systems: these are systems that include functions and tools that allow students to access training content.

Here are some useful tools for applying Social Learning:

Discussion forums are an excellent tool to ensure asynchronous interaction within digital training.
The creation of corporate wikis can also be a useful solution to allow all members to contribute and share information based on each person’s experience.
If your goal is to provide more informal training, you can introduce game-based activities such as quizzes with rewards, to encourage participation and gratification among your employees.

The Benefits of Social Learning for Corporate Training

Now that you have an idea of what Social Learning is and how to apply it, I want you to consider how much this training strategy can benefit your company.

First of all, for many employees, training is experienced passively and without motivation. Thanks to Social Learning activities, you can implement cohesion and interaction among your company’s members, turning training from a weakness into an opportunity.

Social Learning also allows you to deliver continuous and constant training over time thanks to the ongoing participation and contribution of group members.

Moreover, the motivation stimulated in participants will bring benefits even outside the training aspect, encouraging and improving, for example, collaboration among your team members in their regular work activities.

If you want to learn more about how to apply what we have explained in this article to your business, contact us!