Situated Learning

Synonyms

Cognitive apprenticeship; Communities of practice; Situated cognition

Definition

Humans are socially curious beings and learn mostly through social interaction with others. Learning does not take place in an individuals’ mind, it is situated in a context in which participation of individuals to the communities of practice plays a vital role on situated learning process. Situated learning occurs generally when an individual is not intended or planned to learn. Participation and doing take main place in situated learning. Situated learning take place when learning is specific to the situation in which it is learned.

Theoretical Background

Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger are the first presenters of situated learning, and they argue that learning is situated in certain forms of social coparticipation rather than asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved during the learning processes. They paraphrase learning as a social engagements in a specific...