Perhaps not ALL learning is social. Do we learn to poop? That's an instinct, isn't it? Dictionary.com provides one definition of instinct as "an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species" and another as "a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency". Instincts aren't learned, therefore, we have to take them into consideration when thinking of our guiding question.

I agree that many students that are homeschooled are given many social opportunities outside of the "homeschool" environment. This has also been my observation during my teaching career.

According to this survey from the U.S. Department of Education, 15.1% of parents chose this method of education "To develop character and morality".

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

I agree that all learning is ultimately social, and I like your example of rote learning. Homeschooling does come to mind and I am interested in your ideas on this.

I believe that many classrooms have a long way to go to incorporate the Connectivism Learning Theory. The example that Kevin gave when we learned VoiceThread comes to mind. Many teachers are still giving students expectations on paper, but in their homes they are socially advanced and using many resources that support social learning. Do you agree with me? I'm looking forward to your reply!

I do believe that all learning is ultimately social, and that even anti-social humans are social and crave social/emotional bonds and human connection. I feel that I am reminded of this daily through academic and social/emotional observations of the students and adults I come in contact with, inside and outside of the school walls.

I certainly use my social intelligence, and all of the things I've learned socially, as I travel to and from all of the places I do in a day living in a foreign country without speaking the native language.

"Based on the latest cutting edge research, the findings in Social have important real-world implications. Our schools and businesses, for example, attempt to minimalize social distractions. But this is exactly the wrong thing to do to encourage engagement and learning, and literally shuts down the social brain, leaving powerful neuro-cognitive resources untapped."

According to Matthew Lieberman's findings, "Getting more social is the secret to making us smarter, happier and more productive" and "the social brain can do it (learn) better".

Lieberman's research on social connectivism and how social pain measures the same as physical pain supports my argument that humans are connected and learn ultimately through social contexts.

Lieberman, M. D. (2013). Social: Why our brains are wired to connect. New York: Crown.