Lifewide Education
  • Home
    • About
    • Community
    • 2030 Vision
    • 2021 activities
    • White Paper
  • Lifewide Learning
    • Sustainable & Regenerative Futures >
      • Healthy Futures
      • Sustainable Futures Inquiry
      • Pathways >
        • Pathways Stories
        • Motivations
        • Inspring people
      • Lifewide Magazine 25
    • Our Learning LIves
  • Magazine
  • Inquiries
    • Earth Charter Inquiry >
      • Values & Beliefs Statements
  • Books
    • Learning for a Complex World
    • Lifewide Learning, Education & Personal Development
    • Lifewide Learning & Education in Universities & Colleges
    • Professional learning
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Lifewide Development Award
  • IHB3 seminar
  • INN
  • SDU
  • Qinghai
  • OU employability
  • EXPLORING LEARNING ECOLOGIES
  • Learning Lives Conference

Holistic model for learning in the social age

11/1/2015

7 Comments

 
Picture
Learning in the Social Age

​We live in the Social Age which, thanks to the internet and the abundance of technologies that enable us to connect and communicate, has greater affordance for learning than in any other age. But it is sometimes difficult to connect the learning in the formalised world of education with learning in the informal social world. 

Whilst formal learning may talk about application, social learning happens where the application takes place. Whilst formal learning talks about how to make links to reality, social learning is already in the pub, finding a comfy sofa and getting the drinks in at the bar (1 and image right)

But, thanks to my participation in the #creativeHE (2) on-line course, which is organised and facilitated by Lifewide Education Team member Chrissi Nerantzi, I now have a better understanding of these relationships.

#creativeHE

#creativeHE is an open learning process (OLP) formed around the idea of 'creativity for learning in higher education'. It is underpinned by information and content within the P2PU platform and a google+ community space for interaction and conversation (1). The OLP is populated by open educational resources and practices (OER/OEP). It is facilitated and time bounded (6 weeks) and there is a weekly set of activities relating to the core theme that participants can, if they wish, participate in. But there is also an intentional openness for participants to share their own interests and topics of conversation with others who are interested.
 

In addition to the on-line community space and interaction, the organiser (@chrissinerantzi) is also facilitating face to face learning events in her university. Furthermore, there is also a group of educational masters students participating from a Greek university. These groups of people connect the enterprise to more formalised professional development and education in institutional settings. This is why #creativeHE bridges the formal, semi-formal and informal worlds of learning, education and professional development.

Picture
Scaffolded Social Learning
 
Julian Stodd, provides a nice model (3 and left) for understanding the type of social learning that #creativeHE affords.  He says that scaffolded social learning is built around two types of components: formal elements (‘boxes‘) and informal social elements (bubbles).  At the boundary between each, there is a gateway. The bubbles are co-creative, community spaces, places where we can feed out questions, and responses to case studies, activities and exercises that are carried out over time and within communities. The boxes are formally defined learning eg classroom [prescribed activities] or defined resources. The overall arrangement is defined by an overarching narrative which defines the focus for semi formal learning, with a broadly defined outcome in terms of the expectations of learning and personal/professional development.
 
The overarching narrative for #creativeHE is formed around questions like 'what does creativity mean? and how can we apply it in educational settings? The emerging narrative is created by all the participants as they share their responses to the activities, pose questions and offer perspectives on topics that interest them.  The learning process #creativeHE involves individuals participating in structured activities (the rectangular boxes) and the sharing of responses to those activities in community spaces and unfolding conversations that relate directly or indirectly to the inquiry themes being explored? Participants create portfolios to evidence their participation in the structured activities and they earn badges as they progress through them.
 
Collectives
 
In addition to the structured activities #creativeHE provides affordance for interest-sharing outside the programmed activities and the formation of collaborative projects determined by participants themselves. Two groups have been established in #creativeHE. The groups are open to all participants in the community but there is an expectation that the cost of admittance is 'participation' in the discussions and activities of the group. You cannot be passive in a group. In this respect the groups are more like 'collectives' in the manner described by Thomas and Seeley Brown (4).  
 
In the new culture of learning, people learn through their interaction and participation with one another in fluid relationships that are the result of shared interests and opportunity. In this environment the participants all stand on equal ground - no one is assigned to the traditional role of teacher or student. Instead, anyone who has particular knowledge of, or experience with, a given subject may take on the role of mentor at any time.
 
A collective is very different from an ordinary community. Where communities can be passive, collectives cannot. In communities people learn in order to belong. In a collective, people belong in order to learn. Communities derive their strength from creating a sense of belonging, while collectives derive theirs from participation.
 

The new culture of learning, is a culture of collective inquiry that harnesses the resources of the network and transforms them into nutrients within the learning environment, turning it into a space of play and experimentation. 
 

The group I have been involved in began by exploring interests in a google hangout space and identified interests in the topics of creativity and its involvement in emotions, relationships and visualisations. Over a couple of weeks we began to connect these interests to trying to understand how #creativeHE was working as a learning community. We connected our shared interest in creativity and emotion to the ways in which we could see emotions were involved in the formation of relationships in the on-line community and how creativity emerged through these relational interactions. Several members of Group agreed to form a project around understanding their own involvement in the #creativeHE community and learning process and this resulted in activity to represent and share these understandings. We each approached the task of evaluation in a different way and shared our efforts. This multiplicity of perspectives demonstrated the power of social learning.

Picture
Learning ecologies - the missing piece in the social learning jigsaw puzzle

Julian Stodd's model of scaffolded social learning offered me a way in to understanding the #creativeHE learning enterprise and it seems to explain most of what I observe. But it is deficient in one important respect: it takes no account of what participants are doing in the rest of their lives or how what they are doing in the social learning space, connects to their own learning projects - what I am calling learning ecologies (5). In my own learning ecology I am connecting what I am learning in the social learning space to the book I'm writing on learning ecologies and to the talk I am preparing for a seminar in Barcelona in ten days time. I will undoubtedly draw upon this personalised learning in the seminar when I talk to people who are far more knowledgeable than I am about on-line social learning practices.  

The point I'm making is that Julian's model is not holistic enough. It must also connect to participants' own learning ecologies. Our contemporary learning ecologies provide us with the living vehicle for applying our understandings and new capabilities as they emerge. They provide us with the opportunity to develop new relationships with potential for future learning and achievement.

Norman Jackson


7 Comments
Argentina's Top Dofollow Social Bookmarking Website link
9/14/2024 01:48:12 am

Your blog post on the "Holistic Model for Learning in the Social Age" provides an insightful exploration into how learning ecosystems are evolving with the advent of digital connectivity. The contrast you draw between formal learning environments and the dynamic, informal settings of social learning underscores the rich potential for education in the Social Age. Your analysis of #creativeHE and the application of Julian Stodd’s scaffolded social learning model offers a valuable perspective on how structured and unstructured learning interact, blending to foster deeper, more engaged learning experiences.

To further amplify the impact of your reflections, consider sharing this post on A2Bookmarks Argentina, Argentina's best dofollow social bookmarking website. High quality dofollow backlinks in 2025 from such platforms can help extend the reach of your valuable insights, engaging a broader audience and encouraging more discussions about the integration of formal and informal learning. This approach will ensure your thoughts contribute to the ongoing discourse about effective learning practices in our increasingly connected world.

Thank you for your thought-provoking post. Your examination of the intersections between formal education and social learning, along with the introduction of the concept of learning ecologies, offers a refreshing and comprehensive view of contemporary educational challenges. I appreciate your effort to bridge these ideas and look forward to seeing how your work continues to influence and inspire learning practices.

Reply
Taxation consultancy services link
3/6/2025 01:25:32 am

For sure, the taxat ion is called for the width osture for all eople. Rak for the team and taxation consultancy for the turns. Voice isheard for the applid items for the tp of the turns. Thing is argued for the good amount of tax.

Reply
Medical canna link
3/6/2025 01:47:32 am

The instilled infraction for the camp is done for all people. Patterns for the team and for the sorts. Goal is pushed for the reign. Held report is done for the true value for the cam for the insurance.

Reply
Concert security link
3/6/2025 02:00:22 am

Concerts are protected and apple for the entertainment. Joys for the firmness and for thk things. Path is done for the top of the swift means. Joy is done for the enhancement of the security by this ambit.

Reply
Crestf link
3/6/2025 02:11:26 am

An essence for the food is qualified and liked by the people. Times of the team an crest for all offers. Time is pushed for the terms. Grants given for the approval of the new food items or the society.

Reply
The importance of web design in shopify seo and digital marketing link
3/6/2025 02:20:19 am

Web design plays a major role in e-commerce success. Shopify SEO and digital marketing revolves around enhancing speed, improving usability, and optimizing for search engines. Poor website structure can lead to high bounce rates, affecting rankings.

Reply
John persons interracial link
3/6/2025 02:31:47 am

Artistic diversity plays a crucial role in shaping modern content. Represents the power of creative expression in crafting unique and engaging narratives. By exploring different themes and perspectives, artists create stories that connect with audiences on multiple levels, fostering inclusivity and appreciation for diverse storytelling.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    AuthorS

    This blog is maintained by members of the Lifewide Education Community
    Contributors

    Tweet

    Archives

    July 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    August 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    December 2018
    June 2018
    September 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    Collectives
    Discouragement
    Disruption
    Encouragement
    Imposter Syndrome
    Influencing Others
    Information Flow
    Leadership
    Learning Ecology
    Learning Flow
    Learning Zone
    Lifewide Magazine
    Making Something New Happen
    Open Education
    Panic
    Personal Learning Networks
    Resilience
    Social Age
    Social Learning
    Social Media

    RSS Feed

Picture
We advocate, encourage and support lifelong - lifewide and ecological approaches to learning, development, creativity and education for a sustainable regenerative future