One of the essential things related to learning is the relationship with society. Learning, in general, is a social process. As much as the theme of personal learning environments or self-directed learning emphasizes the autonomous role of the individual, the social aspect of learning is essential. Historically, the first learning occurred within a clan structure, with children learning from their parents, grandparents or other specialized professionals (such as shamans). What is essential about collaborative learning is the support of the process and the motivation, feedback or help from others. Learning in the community is something you may - even in the university's notion of captivity to scripts and books - be a little oblivious to. This section will focus on some selected aspects of collaborative learning. We are not going for a didactic or sociological analysis but will really focus on some practical implications, techniques or practices that can help people.

Paired learning is a fascinating phenomenon because a large part of the resources and learning opportunities are located in the online environment, creating specific social and communication barriers. One of the impacts of this fact is the small percentage of students who can complete MOOC courses. In this model of learning, what happens is that a pair has a shared understanding of what they are learning - it could be a school course or working together on an online system, meeting and helping each other. The fact that one is not studying alone is essential for motivation and persistence. At the same time, the opportunity to have something unclear explained (or conversely to teach the other) is very important.

In pair learning, it is advisable to set a model to follow and create pairs ideally close in humanity, knowledge and interests to develop each other. Another option is to work with inclusive or intergenerational learning, where each participant in the learning process takes away something different (for example, a senior learns how to use a computer, and a student learns about the city's history in the first half of the twentieth century).

Also, it is helpful to set up metrics to evaluate whether the educational process is effective in pair learning.

Teaching others is another exciting learning opportunity. It is said that you rarely learn things as well as when you have to explain them to someone else. It is, at the same time, process of grasping and processing a subject for yourself, of seeing its structure, as well as being ble to answer the questions of others. So, while tutoring those who don't know something may seem like a waste of time at first, it is an excellent investment in what you learn. You'll find that the things you teach someone will be retained in your mind better and longer than those you learn only by rehearsal.

Cooperative learning is a different kind of learning than the approaches we’ve looked at so far. It is on the idea that one learns through a project that can have a real impact, or solve a problem that results in some (even if intangible) artefact - from a website to a scientific article, from research on the information behaviour of preschoolers to the development of an app to combat stress. Within the team, individual members divide tasks and work to bring the project to a successful conclusion. Working in a group makes you more motivated. You usually have a minimal definition of the things and activities you want to learn in advance, and you have to respond to real-world problems.

On the positive side, there is an excellent relationship with the practice, the possibility of mutual support and sharing, and greater motivation to create something meaningful.

Sharing and feedback are also very close to the social dimension of learning. Some educators argue that learning itself is a process of activities on which the student receives feedback. If you are learning independently, the lack of feedback may hold you back. Therefore, it is beneficial to create pairs or communities within which this feedback or, more broadly, reflection on learning can be carried out. It doesn't have to be something that takes place every week, but once in a while, such collaborative learning is very beneficial. Learner motivation also plays a positive role here.

Last but not least, pair learning can also be used as a form of supervision or mentoring. A co-learner can be the person you talk to about your learning, progress, and problems and who can help you to make your learning more effective by asking questions and having more fun. For such learning models, it is advisable that the "peer mentor" has at least a basic understanding of how to proceed.