There are not only ways and means in which humans learn without social interactions, but there are many different ways and means in which learners learn. Learning through networks and online collaboration tools may extremely benefit one student’s learning, while on the other hand a second student learns the material best on his or her own.

Dr. Howard Gardner developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI). MI Theory states that there are nine different intelligences, which relate to a person’s unique set of capabilities and the way they prefer to demonstrate intellectual abilities (Northern Illinois University).

The Multiple Intelligences are: Verbal/Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Spatial/Visual, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, INTERPERSONAL, INTRAPERSONAL, Naturalist, and Existential.

Gardner says that these different intelligences "challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning. Indeed, our educational system is heavily biased toward linguistic modes of instruction and assessment. Students learn in ways that are identifiably distinct.” We, as educators, need to take caution as to assuming all students are learning through the same experiences, projects, and teaching methods.

Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Intelligences and the differences between the two prove furthermore that different individuals require various levels of social interaction to learn.

Students with high levels of Interpersonal Intelligence learn through interaction with others, group projects, seminars, dialogues, and conferencing tools.

Students with high levels of Intrapersonal Intelligence learn through independent study, introspection, creative materials, privacy and time. (Carla Lane)

All in all, different learners process information and develop deeper understanding of concepts through different means. To some students their best learning experiences are collaborative, while other students learn the material just as well independently, through inquiry and reflection.

"Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences." Northern Illinois University. Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. Web. 16 May 2014.

Lane, Carla. "Gardner's Multiple Intelligences." Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Web. 16 May 2014.

"Multiple Intelligences Theory." PBS. PBS. Web. 15 May 2014.

I agree with you that not all academic learning and discovery requires collaboration.

I also believe the term collaboration in this discussion needs clarification. For me, it goes back to my thoughts in my first post, I believe we should be discussing collaboration as we see it in our classroom today - peer group work, digital collaborative tools (including those taught in this course) and sharing of resources. This collaboration encourages student communication, builds cooperation among students, and often results in the students teaching one another. Meaningful team work, whether face to to face or across the world through the internet, is my definition of collaboration in terms of this debate.

"4 Methods to Enhance Student Collaboration in the Classroom." Concordia University Portland Online. Web. 15 May 2014.

All learning occurs through some means of societal interaction. This is obvious through multiple learning theories. Both Constructivism and and Connectivism agree that there are many societal influences and social interactions that create constant learning environments. “Under the Constructivism theory, learners communicate with each other and share their understanding, feelings, and knowledge to create new knowledge. (Terry Heick, Teach Thought). Under the Connectivism theory, learners are involved in networks, internet use, awareness of metacognitive skills, patterning and realizing knowledge. (Terry Heick, Teach Thought).

Social Learning Theory states that people learn from one another, through observation, imitation, and modeling. People learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors. Albert Bandura states in his Social Learning Theory:

“Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” (Bandura, Social Learning Theory).

Setting theory aside for a moment, the idea of learning occurring through social interaction is not only proved true over and over again, but also extremely beneficial for the learner. “Children who learn appropriate social skills often have a higher self-esteem and show a greater willingness to interact with their environment as they grow” (Tom Changnon, The Importance of Social Interactions).

This discussion needs to move beyond the learning theories, theorists and tales of children growing up with wolves. Theorists have already demonstrated that learning is the result of observations, social interaction, connections, and society.

Reread the question and apply it to yourself as a lifelong learner, yourself as an educator, and in the shoes of all the children in your classroom. What do social interactions and the needs of society look like to us today? Is it possible to learn completely on your own? How are learning experiences (interacting with sources, the community, peers) and learning individually (independent study, memorization, reading) the alike and how are they different? Are collaborative web tools, such as blogging and sharing of resources online necessary for a child to learn, or just the means we are currently using to help students learn? Does all academic learning and discovery require collaboration and social interactions?

Changnon, Tom. Importance of Social Interactions: Stanislaus County, PDF.

Heick, Terry. "The Difference Between Instructivism, Constructivism, And Connectivism." TeachThought. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Social Learning Theory (Bandura) | Learning Theories." Learning Theories RSS. Web. 14 May 2014.