me.edu.au (myedna)

Common  sense tells us that learning is enhanced by social activity, which is the basic idea underlying the use of Web 2.0 tools. But is there educational theory to support it? Of the three dominant theories, one strongly emphasises the importance of social interaction.
The theory of Social Constructivism is well established. Vygotsky is considered the father of the concept. As the Wikipedia says in its excellent entry,

“Where Piaget argued that people should create their own version of the truth, Vygotsky added the importance of discussing this version of truth with others, in order to, through the process of mediation, get to a higher order of truth that has also been socially tested (Derry 1999)”

Another relatively brief and valuable description form Berkley Graduate program points out that Vygotsky disagreed with Piaget and others to argue that social interaction is essential to learning.

The Berkley site provides an excellent grid that contrasts the three main learning theories: Behaviourism, Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism. It points out that the Social Constructivist theory holds that motivation is both intrinsic - reward from within, and extrinsic - gained from interacting with others. I would suggest that Social Constructivism is the theory of learning most commonly held by educators today.
It would be nice to see how Vygotsky would evaluate Web 2.0 tools. I suspect that he would be very excited by them. We are all aware that the normal classroom is not an ideal social environment for learning, with about 30 or so students required to remain silent or at least to take it in turns to talk for much of the school day. Talking with a small group of friends or colleagues, or better still, doing a task with them, is an excellent way to learn, but when this is not practical, doing the talking over the internet is a powerful substitute. And when the colleagues live a long way apart, is a better option.