Have you ever wondered how learning takes place? Where does learning take place? Or can anyone learn anything if he or she wants to learn anytime?
Or it’s the situation, place or context of learning which also play a major role in students’ learning.
In this blog we will look into these questions and try to answer with our today topic popularly known as situated learning.
Further we will go through its definition, models, benefits, classroom examples and many more. Let’s begin.
Contents
- What is Situated Learning?
- What is Situated Learning Theory?
- 6 Core Principles of Situated Learning Theory
- 5 Key Benefits of Situated Learning in Classroom
- 8 Steps for Applying Situated Learning Theory
- Common Examples of Situated Learning
- 5 Common Challenges When Implementing Situated Learning
- 1. Difficult to Implement in Rigid Curricula
- Conclusion
What is Situated Learning?
As per name, situated learning is a theory or approach in which learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it occurs, that is, it is situated.
This means learning always has a situation and the situation decides whether the learning is required or not and what kind of learning is required.
So, learning is always associated with a situation. That’s why learning is also popular as situated learning.
What is Situated Learning Theory?
In the most simple manner, situated learning refers to learning that happens best when it is situated in real situations, activities, and cultures.
Situated learning theory is developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger.
They stated it as a model of learning in a community of practice. This type of learning allows an individual to learn by socialization, visualization, and imitation.
6 Core Principles of Situated Learning Theory
Given below are the core principles of situated learning theory by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger:
1. Contextualization
Learning is more effective when it happens in the same context where it will be used.
A real-time and relevant environment improves students’ understanding, knowledge retention, and confidence.
2. Communities of Practice (CoPs)
Communities of Practice or CoPs includes a group of people who share passion, challenges, interests etc.
It promotes innovation, peer learning , and trains students to learn problem-solving skills .
3. Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP)
Legitimate Peripheral Participation or LPP simply means new joiners start with peripheral participation and observation.
And later they move to full participation and play complex roles. In this way, one can understand culture and norms effectively.
4. Social Interaction and Collaboration
Through situated learning teachers and students can enhance social interaction and collaboration.
They can easily share with classmates and facilitators to learn concepts rather than passive learning .
5. Cognitive Apprenticeship
Cognitive apprenticeship helps in thinking critically. Here, teachers guide individuals on what to think and how to think. Some popular ways are modeling, coaching, and articulation.
6. Authentic Activity
Situated learning is one of the meaningful learning approaches which help students to learn in both theoretical and practical manner.
5 Key Benefits of Situated Learning in Classroom
There are various key benefits of situated learning in the classroom for students. Some common points includes:
1. Stronger knowledge retention
It is often seen that implementing situated learning in the classroom increases knowledge retention .
This is because learning occurs in real contexts, students remember concepts for a longer time.
2. Better Skill Application
Through situated learning students not only learn different concepts in depth but also apply them in real-world situations.
This way teachers can bridge the gaps between theory and practice.
3. Promotes Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving
Working in real-life and different situations guide students to think critically.
Instead of rote learning they analyse, try to solve problems , and make the right decision.
4. Real-World Readiness
One of the reasons to implement situated learning is it encourages learners to connect with the real world challenges and resolve issues with innovative thinking.
5. Encourages Collaboration
In the 21st century, schools, teachers, and parents encourage collaboration with each other to enhance abilities, knowledge and skills .
Situated learning is one of the powerful ways to do so.
8 Steps for Applying Situated Learning Theory
Go through the given steps to apply situated learning theory:
1. Identify Authentic Contexts
Design simple daily life activities that showcase equipment like real-life work or social situations.
2. Form Communities of Practice (CoP)
Community of Practice refers to creating a learning group to support collective learning. For example, discuss ideas, Collaborate on projects etc.
3. Design Problem-Centered Activities
With problem-based learning one can identify, deeply analyse, and resolve authentic problems.
4. Adopt the Facilitator Role
To make students independent thinkers, teachers become guides who offer direction, asking reflective questions and supporting exploration.
5. Provide Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a popular way. It provides support to students and removes it over time. Some simple examples are:
- Step-by-step instructions
- Hints and cues
- Checklists
6. Encourage Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP)
To build confidence, Legitimate Peripheral Participation is crucial where one can begin with small tasks and later move to complex ones.
7. Promote Reflection
Through reflection learners can think freely about: what they learned, how they learned, and how they can improve.
8. Assess Authentically
Using authentic assessments can ensure that learners demonstrate actual competence, for example, practical evaluations and presentations.
Common Examples of Situated Learning
Common and real-life examples one must go through on situated learning are:
1. Role-Playing in Language Learning
Some students often feel that learning a new language is challenging. But, through situated learning students can role-playing and collaborate with each other to learn.
2. Field Trips and Educational Tours
To execute situated learning activities students can visit different field trips and educational tours like museums, forests etc.
5 Common Challenges When Implementing Situated Learning
Implementing situated learning often face common challenges such as:
1. Difficult to Implement in Rigid Curricula
Various schools use structured curriculum in which implementing situated learning becomes difficult for teachers.
Use of blended models to execute situated learning in the classroom.
2. Time-Consuming
Situated learning activities are a time-consuming process. It requires additional time for real projects, case studies, field visits, and group tasks.
Instead one can use project-based learning to manage time effectively.
3. Requires Skilled Mentors
For effective implementation of situated learning schools need teachers who are expert in successful implementation.
Professional development workshops for teachers encouraged to start with simple tasks.
4. Access to Authentic Environments
Without access to an authentic environment it’s difficult for teachers to implement situated learning effectively.
One can conduct role plays, mock scenarios, small-scale authentic projects and many more activities in the classroom.
5. Assessment Difficulties
Relying on traditional assessments avoids authentic assessments which are crucial for implementing situated learning techniques while teaching.
Some popular authentic assessments include portfolios, presentations, reports, demonstrations etc.
Conclusion
Enhance the learning experience with situated learning theory.
Proper implementation of situated learning prepares students for future growth. Through this students can easily connect with the practical environment.
As a parent, teacher or educational expert it’s important to understand and implement situated learning to get desired results.
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