#situated learning

[asfiri]

[kaikleinbard]

Situated Learning (adapted from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/situated-learning.html)

Situated Learning (J. Lave)

Lave argues that learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs (i.e., it is situated). This contrasts with most classroom learning activities which involve knowledge which is abstract and out of context. Social interaction is a critical component of situated learning -- learners become involved in a "community of practice" which embodies certain beliefs and behaviors to be acquired. As the beginner or newcomer moves from the periphery of this community to its center, they become more active and engaged within the culture and hence assume the role of expert or old-timer. Furthermore, situated learning is usually unintentional rather than deliberate. These ideas are what Lave & Wenger (1991) call the process of "legitimate peripheral participation."

Other researchers have further developed the theory of situated learning. Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989) emphasize the idea of cognitive apprenticeship: "Cognitive apprenticeship supports learning in a domain by enabling students to acquire, develop and use cognitive tools in authentic domain activity. Learning, both outside and inside school, advances through collaborative social interaction and the social construction of knowledge." Brown et al. also emphasize the need for a new epistemology for learning -- one that emphasizes active perception over concepts and representation. Suchman (1988) explores the situated learning framework in the context of artificial intelligence.

Situated learning has antecedents in the work of Gibson (theory of affordances) and Vygotsky (social learning). In addition, the theory of Schoenfeld on mathematical problem solving embodies some of the critical elements of situated learning framework.

Application

Situated learning is a general theory of knowledge acquisition . It has been applied in the context of technology-based learning activities for schools that focus on problem-solving skills (Cognition & Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1993). McLellan (1995) provides a collection of articles that describe various perspectives on the theory.

Example

Lave & Wenger (1991) provide an analysis of situated learning in five different settings: Yucatec midwives, native tailors, navy quartermasters, meat cutters and alcoholics. In all cases, there was a gradual acquisition of knowledge and skills as novices learned from experts in the context of everyday activities.

Principles

Knowledge needs to be presented in an authentic context, i.e., settings and applications that would normally involve that knowledge.

Learning requires social interaction and collaboration.

References

Brown, J.S., Collins, A. & Duguid, S. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

Cognition & Technology Group at Vanderbilt (March 1993). Anchored instruction and situated cognition revisited. Educational Technology, 33(3), 52-70.

Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in Practice: Mind, mathematics, and culture in everyday life. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University < Press.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1990). Situated Learning: Legitimate Periperal Participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

McLellan, H. (1995). Situated Learning Perspectives. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Suchman, L. (1988). Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human/Machine Communication. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

[kaikleinbard]

Situated Learning:

Takes place through the interaction and immersion within a community.  

[rwadholm]

Time & Play

If you have read many (or any) of my blog posts, you have likely noticed that I write in a specific way in most of them. Instead of being intended for general audiences, I am apt to write for specific audiences who are looking for knowledge about, or…

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[rwadholm]

Video Games & Learning: Violence, Realism, & the Good

Having read the entirety of Gee’s What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy(2007) this week, there are several points in his arguments which I think might be clarified. The first has to do with transfer of learning. While Gee mentions…

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[rwadholm]

There is a skeptical argument within epistemology that it is possible that you are merely a brain… http://wp.me/sh9eI-143

There is a skeptical argument within epistemology that it is possible that you are merely a brain in a vat, somewhere in the area of Alpha Centauri, being fed all of the stimuli you think you are now having in the “real” world. In reality, you are living…

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[beingabeginner-blog]

Situated Learning

Since I'm still waiting on my books for 602 to come in, I figured I would get a jump start on my homework for 601. We had a packet of learning theories to read and then react to.

As soon as I read the Situated Learning handout, I had that "ah ha!" moment. That's exactly what happens in Girl Scouts. No matter how much we cover in Orientation or Daisy Essentials, it doesn't really start clicking until you start doing it. New volunteers get frustrated when they want to know how to "DO" Girl Scouts and I can only reply that it depends on their girls, their situation. But as "they become more active and engaged within the culture [they] assume the role of expert or old-timer."

Maybe the best way for Girl Scouts to teach new volunteers in this way is to  build a mentor program (which we've mentioned before) that "on-boards" new volunteers as they go?

[tyrorist-blog]

Young children are capable of working and thinking in much the same ways that scientists do, according to a study headed by a Penn State researcher.

Deborah Smith, assistant professor of science education, and two colleagues showed how teachers create opportunities for children to take up scientific discourses and practices in their classroom work. The research found that when the children acted in a community of peers, they not only attained a deep understanding of the science, but also an appreciation for how they could make scientific knowledge themselves.