A great example of a learning experience that exercises "the social mind" is a collaborative group project where students work together to solve a real-world problem, such as designing a sustainable city. This requires them to communicate, negotiate, share perspectives, and build on each other’s ideas, engaging both cognitive and social intelligence. Unlike individual learning, which is often solitary, social learning involves interaction and discussion, allowing for diverse viewpoints, constructive debate, shared cognitive load, and increased motivation. By engaging in this type of learning, individuals benefit from the collective intelligence of the group, where shared knowledge and problem-solving lead to more effective outcomes.

Collective intelligence refers to the enhanced capacity for problem-solving that emerges when people collaborate, combining their knowledge, skills, and insights. This is evident in platforms like Wikipedia, where users contribute, correct, and refine information to build a more accurate and comprehensive knowledge base. Collaborative learning relies on key processes such as discussion, co-creation of knowledge, negotiation, and feedback. These processes encourage higher-order thinking, improve communication and teamwork skills, increase engagement, and enhance knowledge retention through active participation.

An excellent illustration of this is the jigsaw classroom, a structured collaborative learning approach where students are divided into small groups, with each member responsible for mastering and teaching a specific aspect of a topic. For instance, in a lesson on climate change, one student might study deforestation, another carbon emissions, a third rising sea levels, and a fourth renewable energy solutions. After becoming "experts" in their respective areas, they return to their group and teach their peers, ensuring that knowledge is distributed rather than isolated. This method fosters interdependence and reinforces the idea that learning is not just an individual endeavor but a shared, dynamic process that prepares individuals to thrive in a world where knowledge is constantly co-created and expanded upon.