Social Activism Theory Angela Rutschke EdTech 504: Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology Dr.

Jennifer Freed Learning Theories Paper Overview The social activism theory, which is rooted in constructivism, focuses on cooperative learning in which students work together towards a common goal through hands-on, meaningful learning experiences (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 41). Contributors The main contributors to constructivism are John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, and Jean Piaget. John Dewey is often considered the philosophical founder of the constructivist approach (Huitt, W., 2009). Jean Piagets work focused on cognitive development. Lev Vygotsky contributions focused understanding how social interactions influence and develop cognition and behaviors. The social activity theory is credited predominantly to Vygotsky (Huitt, W., 2009). The social activism theory is derived from the contributions of all three of these theorists. Major Principles There are several major principles to the social activism theory. According to Conole, Dyke, Oliver & Seale, language is a communicative tool used for sharing and developing knowledge, organizing thoughts, reasoning, and planning and reviewing actions, which are essential components of this theory. According to this theory, social consciousness is the ultimate aim of education. The social activism theory also follows the major principles of constructivism which, according to Jonassen and Land, include that learners within a cooperative group define meaning of knowledge. Learning should take place in an authentic context. Learners within a cooperative group have freedom and should negotiate and interpret personal beliefs and perspectives. Prior learning experiences should contribute to the groups construction of meaning. Finally, technology should be used to scaffold higher metal processes (2012). Application The major focus for the social activism theory is that learning must take place in meaningful, social contexts to be useful (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 425). Educators can implement this theory by having students solve real-life problems that involve collaboration and purpose. For example, a group of students may need to determine the perimeter of a fence, price out the materials, find the best deal and submit an actual proposal to an actual prospective customer as part of their math curriculum. Students would then work in an apprenticeship capacity to learn the skills of how to actually construct the fence. The learning takes place within these authentic social contexts and becomes useful to the learner because of the contexts.

References Conole, G., Dyke, M., Oliver, M., & Seale, J. (2004). Mapping pedagogy and tools for effective learning design. Computers & Education, 43, 1733. Retrieved from https://moodle.elac.edu/pluginfile.php/61196/mod_resource/content/0/toolsandtheories_1 _.pdf Huitt, W. (2009). Constructivism. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/construct.html Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cognition/piaget.html Jonassen, D., & Land, S., (2012). Theoretical foundations of learning environments (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Roblyer, M. & Doering, A. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.