Collaboration

Okay, I'm having a hard time accepting what I think I understand about Social Learning Theory.  At the moment I'm reading about collaborative learning.  The authors says that the environment has to be conducive to collaboration for learning to occur.  yeah.

Way back in the old days, when teachers and education were less informed, and  teacher heavily prescribed what students would learn, and the class environment was oppressive, many people managed to learn quite well.  And how about schools like the one Tiffany described in India, where  four grade levels were taught in a single classroom. Or the school in Peru that had no books or desks.  Collaborative learning probably takes place in these peruvian and indian classrooms, however, but the instruction is not specifically structured to faciliate such learning.

I'm having a difficult time accepting this SLT theory.  My skepticism might be due to the fact that I don't understand this theory.