What is Social Learning?

Ioan FazeyUniversity St Andrews

ioan.fazey@st-andrews.ac.uk

Reed, M. S., A. C. Evely, G. Cundill, I. Fazey, J. Glass, A. Laing, J. Newig, B. Parrish, C. Prell, C. Raymond, and L. C. Stringer. 2010. What is Social Learning? Ecology and Society 15.

Social Learning• Increasingly used as a concept in relation to a wide range of

issues:– behaviour change, adaptive co-management, participatory decision-

making etc.

• Originally– individual learning that takes place in a social setting (e.g. imitating

role models – Bandura 1977)

• More recently– SL as a process of social change, wider scales of learning, normative

goal

Confusion in the use of the term SL1. Confusion with the conditions or

methods used to facilitate SL e.g. with stakeholder participation

2. Confusion between concept of SL and potential outcomes: ‘Learning’ is an outcome, but is SL improved ecosystem management, enhanced trust, behavioural change? (No)

3. Lack of distinction between learning of individuals and learning at wider scales: Individuals ultimately learn, but this can be across/at group, community, or societal levels.

Three Prerequisites for SL1. Learning e.g. a change in understanding

of a person’s relationship to the world (with different depths of learning).

3. Learning through social interaction (e.g. through deliberate processes)

2. Learning beyond just individuals

Definition of SL

“A change in understanding that goes beyond the individual to become situated within wider social units or communities of practice through social interactions

between actors of social networks”

Key questions

• Can deeper held values emerge from participatory/deliberative approaches?

• What is the role of participatory/deliberative approaches of valuation to enhancing learning of individual’s and wider learning at larger scales?

• What can we learn from what we know about SL to inform or enhance approaches to valuation?