Situated learning and communities of practice (post 2 of mini-series 3): concise and clear summary/intro

Posted by David Jennings on September 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Thanks to @TonyHall for passing this on.

Clipped from www.infed.org

the social/situational orientation to learning

It is not so much that learners acquire structures or models to understand the world, but they participate in frameworks that that have structure. Learning involves participation in a community of practice.

Attending to a behaviour; remembering it as a possible model or paradigm; and playing out how it may work for them in different situations (rehearsal) are key aspects of observational learning.

A more radical model – situated learning – has been put forward by Lave and Wenger (1991). Rather than looking to learning as the acquisition of certain forms of knowledge, they have tried to place it in social relationships – situations of co-participation. As William F. Hanks puts it in his introduction to their book: ‘Rather than asking what kind of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place’ (1991: 14). It not so much that learners acquire structures or models to understand the world, but they participate in frameworks that that have structure. Learning involves participation in a community of practice.

Lave and Wenger illustrate their theory on observations of different apprenticeships (Yucatec midwives, Vai and Gola tailors, US Navy quartermasters, meat-cutters, and non-drinking alcoholics in Alcoholics Anonymous). Initially people have to join communities and learn at the periphery. As they become more competent they move more to the ‘centre’ of the particular community. Learning is, thus, not seen as the acquisition of knowledge by individuals so much as a process of social participation. The nature of the situation impacts significantly on the process.

idea of situated learning does provide significant pointers for practice. Here I want to highlight three:

the idea of situated learning does provide significant pointers for practice. Here I want to highlight three:

Learning is in the relationships between people –

Educators work so that people can become participants in communities of practice

There is an intimate connection between knowledge and activity Read more at www.infed.org

 

Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged with community of practice, Etienne Wenger, Jean Lave, learning, orientation, situated learning, situational