Armstrong's Handbook of Learning and Development

15

Social learning

Introduction

Social learning, sometimes called collaborative or connected learning, takes place when people learn by observing and imitating others. Learning ‘is not something that people possess in their heads, but rather, something that people do together.’ (Gergen, 1991: 270). Some form of social learning happens continually in the workplace as individuals and groups work together. Groups solve problems jointly and learn in doing so. Project teams do the same. Individuals learn by seeing what their colleagues do. Social learning is an important aspect of workplace learning but it also takes place in formal training events.

In this chapter consideration is given to:

• the nature of social learning;

• the background provided ...