Situated learning
Definition
Meaningful learning will only take place if it is embedded in the social and physical context within which it will be used. (Brown et al 1989) according to Oliver (2000)
Design Implications for learning environments
Herrington and Oliver suggest that the learning environment should:
- Provide authentic context that reflect the way the knowledge will be used in real-life
- Provide authentic activities
- Provide access to expert performances and the modelling of processes
- Provide multiple roles and perspectives
- Support collaborative construction of knowledge
- Provide coaching and scaffolding at critical times
- Promote reflection to enable abstractions to be formed
- Promote articulation to enable tacit knowledge to be made explicit
- Provide for integrated assessment of learning within the tasks.
Examples
- [Deconstructing the Classroom: Situated learning on the Great Barrier Reef.]
- [Integrating distributed learning in work situations: A case study] by Kristian Folkman
References
Asan, A. (2003) School experience course with multimedia in teacher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 19 (1), 21-34. doi: 10.1046/j.0266-4909.2002.02602.x [Blackwell link]
Brown, J.S., Collins, A. and Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-41.
Lave, J. and E. Wenger (1991), Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge University Press.
Oliver, R. & J. Herrington (2000), Using Situated Learning as Design Strategy for Web-Based Learning, in B. Abbey, Instructional and Cognitive Impacts of Web-Based Education, 178-191.