Situated Learning Kevin Ley September,

Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger Jean Lave-Social Anthropologist- Cal Berkeley Etienne Wenger-Teacher-PhD, (artificial intelligence), business consultant Situated Learning Theory developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s Their model of situated learning proposed that learning involves a process of engagement in a 'community of practice'.

Two Essential Elements Communities of Practice Legitimate Peripheral Participation

Communities of Practice – The basic argument made by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger is that communities of practice are everywhere and that we are generally involved in a number of them - whether it is at work, school, home, or in our civic and leisure interests. – Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavour: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems, a clique of pupils defining their identity in the school, a network of surgeons exploring novel techniques, a gathering of first-time managers helping each other cope. In a nutshell: Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. (Wenger circa 2007) – We are either a core or marginal member of the community of practice, however we eventually become core members if the community facilitates the growth of the community.

Communities of Practice Characteristics The Domain – A community of practice is something more than a club of friends or a network of connections between people. It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people The Community – In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. The practice – Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems—in short a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.

Legitimate Peripheral Participation Learning involves participation in a community of practice. Learners participate in frameworks that have structure. The more participation-the more that is learned. Learners will eventually become active participants.

Legitimate Peripheral Participation + Communities of Practice= Situated Learning – This way of approaching learning is something more than simply learning by doing or experiential learning. Jean Lave's and Etienne Wenger's concept of situations involves people being full participants in the world and generating meaning. 'For newcomers', Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger (1991: 108-9) comment, 'the purpose is not to learn from talk as a substitute for legitimate peripheral participation; it is to learn to talk as a key to legitimate peripheral participation'. This orientation has the definite advantage of drawing attention to the need to understand knowledge and learning in context.

Two Examples Whitewater Rafting Through continued situated learning I have become an advanced whitewater oarsmen. I began rafting with my family when I was very young and I have continued to raft with the same group of people for over 20 years. My parents were part of a group, which created a Community of Practice. The community actively invited Legitimate Peripheral Participation among the members. As a community we refined skills, developed new skills, and solved problems. Through the continued participation in the community our knowledge of rafting and rivers grew. There was never any formal training, nor was there a “teacher”. The older generation of the community enabled the younger generation to be active participants. As a result we are now forming new communities as our parents begin to be less active in the community. UAS Masters In Educational Leadership The cohort is very conducive to the theory of situated learning. The theory however would argue that the outcomes, deliverables, should not be the purpose of a situated learning experience. However, as a group, we are working to solve complex problems. The community of practice is the cohort, and, while we are not full fledged participants in the group, meaning, at times we don’t know what to do or say; we are moving towards being core members. Think of the beginning of the program, we were all marginal members, but we are moving towards core membership in the community. The building of personal relationship within the community, (cohort) is the true learning experience.

Application within the World Many groups, and businesses have accepted and use this model of organization. Apprenticeships are rooted in Situated Learning.

Application within Schools It is the process that is the final outcome. The outcome is a product of learning. All stake holders, (students, parents, educators, administrators, etc.) need to be involved in the community of practice. Small groupings within a classroom Could be a very efficient way to organize staff development, new programs, and possible solutions of building issues.

Potential challenges in Education Accountability Management – Community of Practice is weak-motivation, participation, time – Relationships can be detrimental to the community.