Situated learning is a theory of learning developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, most fully set out in their 1991 book Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, holding that learning is not the transfer of abstract knowledge from teacher to student but a social process that occurs through participation in the practices of a community. Newcomers begin at the edge of a community of practice, taking on simple, low-stakes tasks under the guidance of more experienced members, a position Lave and Wenger called legitimate peripheral participation, and gradually move toward fuller participation as their skill and identity within the group develop. The theory grew out of studies of apprenticeship in settings such as Yucatec midwives, tailors and butchers, and it has since informed education research on internships, professional training and classroom communities that treat learning as inseparable from the social and cultural context in which it happens.
Facts
Core ClaimDeveloped by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991), holding that learning occurs through legitimate peripheral participation in a community of practice rather than transfer of abstract knowledge. 2 Learning Type Classification
Education Level FAQs
Is situated learning something a teacher deliberately delivers?
Usually not. Lave describes it as mostly unintentional learning that happens through taking part in a community of practice.
Not usually. In Jean Lave's account, learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it takes place, and it is usually unintentional rather than deliberate. People take part in a community of practice that carries certain beliefs and behaviors, and they pick these up as they go. As a newcomer moves from the edge of that community toward its center, they become more active and engaged in its culture and gradually take on the role of an expert or old-timer. This is why the theory contrasts with classroom activities that teach knowledge in abstract form, out of context.
Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Group Cognition
Developed By
Source Situated learning (Wikipedia)
Source Situated learning (Wikipedia)
In Approach
Source Situated learning (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Situated learning (Wikipedia)
Introduction
explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills
Introduction, education level
learning embedded in rich situations assists adult learners to reflect on their actions
Situated learning, Overview section
Situated learning was first proposed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger as a model of learning in a community of practice.
In Approach: Constructivism, Lead paragraph, in-approach
Situated learning is a theory that explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills and includes research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice.
Developed By: Jean Lave, Lead
Lave and Wenger see situated learning in certain forms of social co-participation and instead of asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they focus on the kinds of social engagements that provide the proper context and facilitate learning.
Developed By: Étienne Wenger, Lead
Lave and Wenger see situated learning in certain forms of social co-participation and instead of asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they focus on the kinds of social engagements that provide the proper context and facilitate learning.
In Group: Apprenticeship, Scaffolding and Situated Learning Theories, Lead
Situated learning is a theory that explains an individual's acquisition of professional skills and includes research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice.
View the Source2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation- Core Claim: Developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991), holding that learning occurs through legitimate peripheral participation in a community of practice rather than transfer of abstract knowledge.
- Origin Year: 1991
Wikipedia: Group Cognition
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Group Cognition, Concepts sectionQuote, Associated With: Group Cognition, Concepts section
One or more people may interact within a social setting, such as a culture or a socio-technical system, resulting in social cognition or situated learning.
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