New media has changed the definition of social. Social networks are online communities where we learn about most of our news. (I learned about the Newton tragedy and the Boston bombings from my Facebook news feed) 84% of people monitor their news and information through social network sites. We also learn about each other's lives through facebook and Google Plus. We share experiences. We share stories. We learn from each other... and while we may be reading these stories alone, we are learning from each other's experiences.

Currently, 80% of companies with more than 100 employees use some types of teams. 90% of all US employees work part of their day in a team. Our most successful companies realize that social learning is vital to success of it's business... they will eventually need to learn this skill to be successful in life, so to focus on the second part of the statement ... "thus students SHOULD HAVE OPPORTUNITES to learn all skills, knowledge and concepts socially" What world are we preparing them for, if we don't teach them how to work together and share ideas with one another?

"Just about everything we learn is situated within a social context. We learn during our early years by observing and mimicking others. No first language is learnt in isolation. Much of an individual's sense of conscience, social justice and even compliance to authority are thought to derive from social modelling processes in early life (see Bandura 1977). We also learn through experimentation, but even though some of this is conducted in a solitary context, our thinking is still shaped by previous social encounters and conversations. Much of our thinking about learning over the past few decades has been influenced significantly by the writings of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotskii, who proposed the theory of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978). In essence, Vygotskii's argument is that all humans learn within rich social and cultural situations, and that children and novices learn better when they are in the presence of knowledgeable or more experienced others than they do when they are on their own. This is known as the zone of proximal development (ZPD). This does not preclude good learning in isolated settings, but ZPD does hold that learning is strengthened and extended through the presence of others." - http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2013/02/is-all-learning-social.html

Learning is ultimately social. In the learning process, students need to engage in social and individual learning. People need to be able to work with others to create solutions to problems. As stated above, many companies require people to work together to get things done. We have all experienced the satisfaction that comes with solving problems collectively, not to mention the community building affects it has on those working together. People skills and collaboration skills are essential. However, there should be a bit of a balance with group and individual work. As teachers I believe that collaboration is important, but I also believe that there is a time and place for incorporating it into our teaching. Collaboration, reflection, note taking, and summarizing are all proven to increase retention of knowledge (Marzano, 2007). Reflection is an important step in the learning process and is best done independently and followed by sharing collectively if the teacher desires. Collaboration is obviously a social activity. Our students also have different personalities and learning styles. Collaborative activities should be incorporated in our teaching alongside independent activities to promote deeper learning. Students should not be sitting in rows and work silently and independently all day. Students need change and meaningful learning opportunities through collaboration and more.

Marzano, Robert J. The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007. Print.

We must first understand the difference between studying and learning. While some people may STUDY better alone, they will ultimately forced to show that learning off in a social setting. Those who study alone, become more knowledgeable of a subject, and be able to teach those around them (or make themselves look wiser to the group, adding to their interpersonal value). Gaining knowledge and not sharing knowledge with others (be it teachers, peers, students) goes against everything we as humans have evolved to be since the start of human history. Social learning itself is the basis of evolution. As we heard in the link below (TED Talk for Howard Rheingold), somewhere in human history, we learned to work together to take down a wooly mammoth.

Let's look at this argument, not from an academic standpoint, but from a child's standpoint. What do they face, and what do they learn, from each other? While we as educators want to think of learning in a positive manner, they also learn about sex, drugs, bullying, alcohol, violence, and death long before most parents are comfortable with. That learning isn't done alone, in a purposeful manner led by an adult. That learning is done through social interaction with peers. The introvert, who doesn't know about these things, hears about them socially, and may research them on their own, but the reason for the learning is ultimately forced by a social behaviour.

What is "Meaningful learning?" Studying done alone will help you learn, but sharing what you've studied with others will lead to meaningful learning. If you read all of Shakespeare's plays, and never talked about them with anyone, or shared your opinion with someone else, how meaningful is that?