Social Learning in Our Classrooms: Fact or Fiction?

Wenger discusses the fact that we, as humans, are social by nature and therefore, learning is natural; or rather learning should be natural. Yet, our institutions are structured in such a sense that we stifle our natural tendencies and, in essence, force learning. To what extent do you agree with this notion?

To add another bend in the river, Larry Cuban, when he came to PSU, discussed how the physical setup of our classrooms is changing. This physical setup demonstrates change in philosophy. Schools of the "past" contained desks arranged in rows for example. While it could be argued that that arrangement could and most likely is present in some of our current classrooms, he argues that desks are now arranged in clusters, promoting a more social aspect to the classroom. Are we today promoting more social learning in our classrooms or are we just fooling ourselves with a mirage?